Join Isla, Murray, Ed and Erika as they experience a typical day at Pangbourne
Pangbourne pupils joining us in Year 7 or 8 begin their journey in Dunbar - our friendly co-educational Junior Division (House).
The key purpose of these school years is to settle your child into Senior school life. During their time in Dunbar, pupils receive a grounding in all the key academic subjects and a wide range of sports. Pupils take part in physical education (PE) once a week and in games almost every day. This gives them plenty of opportunities to try new sports and activities.
Dunbar is located away from the Senior Divisions and has its own extensive outside area called the ‘Piggeries’. Whilst they have access to the same learning facilities as the older pupils, we find this arrangement helps your child transition from junior into senior education. The Division has a full team of pastoral staff led by Dr Ian Hart who will support your child all the way through to Year 9.
Dunbar pupils have lots of opportunities to get involved in school life, including music and drama productions, as well as sporting and academic competitions. Parents can also get to know each other with regular social events, including the infamous Dunbar Family Quiz.
The curriculum
The curriculum in Year 7 and 8 instils a love of learning as well as providing good academic progress towards GCSE. Lessons are taught in small class sizes, enabling teachers to devote time to each individual pupil. Pupils study 14 subjects:
- Mathematics
- English
- Science
- French
- Geography
- History
- Religious Studies (RS)
- Art
- Drama
- Music
- Design Technology (DT)
- Computer Science
- Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE)
- Theory of Learning
In Year 7 the following subjects are set into two groups based on pupils' entrance assessment results; Maths, Science, History, R.S and Computer Science. All other subjects are in mixed ability grouping.
In Year 8 the following subjects are set into two groups based on pupils’ academic progress; English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, R.S. and Computer Science. All other subjects are in mixed ability groups.
Teaching assistants are deployed in core subject lessons to provide extra support and ensure pupils can achieve their full potential.
