Co-educational Private Day School in Buckinghamshire, UK

Bury Lawn, London:
Bury Lawn is an independent (ISA) inter-denominational, co-educational day school for boys & girls aged between 18 months and 18 years in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, in South East England, (about 45 miles (75 km) north-west of London). Bury Lawn prides itself on its family atmosphere in which everybody is valued as an individual and is encouraged to reach their full potential within a disciplined yet caring atmosphere. The school offers a wide range of academic, sporting and cultural opportunities. We encourage children to reach for the very highest standards they can achieve, not only academically, but also in areas such as leadership and communication. We believe that this equips pupils with the relevant skills to to contribute to the local community and the wider world. Bury Lawn has existed for over thirty years. Having become a GEMS managed school in September 2003, we are now in the enviable position of having their expert team at our disposal.

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Academics:
At Bury Lawn, pupils are well-grounded in knowledge, skills and understanding; good at critical and creative thinkingIt is our aim to ensure that all children leave Bury Lawn School with a thorough grounding in key subjects and as well rounded individuals, able to make judgements for themselves and move on to the next stage of their lives with confidence.

Exploration, innovative problem solving, independent expression and decision-making are actively encouraged. Students become informed, confident and active learners with a strong sense of self. Bury Lawn prepares students to face the challenges of the future by creating education programmes relevant to today's world.

The Early Years Foundation Stage:
Early Years Foundation Stage is in a dedicated ground floor area of the school building with separate access to Foundation Stage 1. Integration into the whole school is seamless as even the youngest pupils make use of facilities in the building such as the sports hall, the ICT suite, and the dining room.

At Bury Lawn School EYFS is available to children from 3-5 years. It is open 8 am – 6 pm and in Foundation Stage 1 parents can choose between morning and whole day sessions. In Foundation stage 2 the normal hours are from 9 am to 3 pm with an option for the extended hours of 8 am to 6 pm. Early Years Foundation Stage staff are flexible in their approach and plan activities and, in the case of Foundation Stage 2, teaching sessions accordingly to the developmental stage of the children. There is a key worker system and the children are provided with a range of educationally stimulating activities as well as having opportunities for child-led activities.

Primary School:
In Year 1, the beginning of Key Stage 1, the children gradually move to a more formal learning environment where they enjoy ever more complex activities in happy and caring surroundings. They continue to follow individual reading programmes and also learn spelling rules which are reinforced by weekly spelling and dictation tests. They also begin to join their handwriting.

In Mathematics, they follow a set scheme and begin to learn multiplication tables. Through the study of various topics the children become increasingly aware of the wider world and are introduced to history, geography and science. French is also introduced being taught by a specialist teacher.

Emphasis is placed upon caring for others, politeness and good manners. A strong sense of belonging pervades the school and children feel part of a team, working towards the same goals. During the year, the children are monitored and assessed in order to determine and cater for their future needs. The children take part in a range of activities throughout the year including Harvest assembly, Christmas production, Sports day, school trips linked to the curriculum and much more.

Senior School:
We believe that the non-selective ethos of Bury Lawn means that all children can benefit from the individual care and attention the school provides. Our aim is to bring out the best in each of our pupils, wherever their particular talents may lie. The Senior School curriculum is designed to ensure that this becomes a reality and is intended to provide an ongoing and flexible response to the changing needs of the individual.

Years 7 - 9 (age 11 - 13):
The Senior School curriculum begins in Year 7 when the children move across from the Primary School to an environment specifically created to ease a child's transition into the Senior School. Here pupils are still taught by their form teacher for the majority of the subjects, but move to specialist areas for IT, art, French and science, thereby exploring the novelties of Senior School life from the familiarity of a classroom base.

From Year 7, pupils are taught in groups according to ability although these may well change depending on the individuals needs. All pupils follow a broad curriculum, embracing mathematics, English (including literature), geography, history, information technology, food technology, art and design, music, drama, games and PE and personal, social and health education (PSHE). A general science course taught by specialists in Years 7 to 8 leads to the separate sciences in Year 9. All children study at least one modern foreign language with the possibility of French, German and Spanish along with Latin for the more linguistically able.

In short, we aim to provide a curriculum which equips all of our pupils with the kind of knowledge, skills and confidence which will enable them to make the most of their talents at GCSE and beyond.

GCSE Years 10 - 11 (age 14 - 16):
The majority of our students study 9 GCSEs but the number and the subjects pursued depend very much on the individual's capabilities and inclinations. We aim to tailor our programme towards these variables and GCSE option groups are created on the basis of student and parental discussion. This enables the majority of students to follow the programme of their choice, remembering that maths, English and science must be included.

As a result, some pupils may well sit some of their examinations a year early after 'fast track' courses whilst others may follow fewer courses or spread them over a longer period. All students who wish to enter for GCSE examinations, whatever their abilities, may do so.

During their GCSE years, pupils will also receive guidance on preparation for public examinations, careers and their options for Sixth Form and further education.

Sixth Form - Years 12 and 13 (age 16 - 18):
Sixth Form at Bury Lawn is a popular option for those students wishing to benefit from a combination of wide curriculum choice coupled with small teaching groups and an enviable record of academic success.

In addition to the clear academic advantages of individual care and attention in small tutorial groups, Sixth formers also gain from our flexible approach towards subject combinations and from individual guidance about subject selection and UCAS application.

Whilst the majority of students at this level will be aiming for further study at University level, others follow alternative career paths and Bury Lawn can provide the broad curriculum and qualifications to facilitate successful progression to further education or the world of work.

Developing confidence, responsibility and self-reliance, Sixth Form students also play a unique and valuable role as School Counsellors, mentoring younger pupils, convening School Forum meetings, and meeting with the Head Teacher to help formulate policies relating to the welfare of the School as a whole. Positions of responsibility, drawn from the ranks of Counsellors, include the Head Boy, Head Girl and their deputies and Heads of Houses.