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Dolphin School

Dolphin School

Waltham Road, Hurst, Reading, RG10 0FR, Berkshire

0118 934 1277


enquiries@dolphinschool.com

www.dolphinschool.com

Dolphin School
School type Co-educational Day Preparatory & Nursery
Headmaster Mr Adam Hurst
Co-ed Age Range 3-13 years
Number of pupils 223
Nursery (full time) to Reception £3,965 - £4,185 per term
Years 1 to 2 £4,610 per term
Years 3 to 4 £5,520 per term
Years 5 to 6 £5,675 per term
Years 7 to 8 £5,730 per term
Associations IAPS, ISC

Dolphin School is unique. It is a school where our core values of Freedom, Discovery, Challenge, Confidence and Kindness are lived out each and every day. Whether it is through our extensive and varied trips programme, our subject specialist teaching from nursery upwards, our lack of uniform, or the first name terms between students and teachers, Dolphin is a school that is different, and proudly so.

Children are encouraged to be curious, volunteer their own insights and ask questions. Debate and discourse are actively encouraged as stimuli for learning. Whenever visitors encounter our students in their learning environments, they comment on the genuine enthusiasm shown by our boys and girls, as they vie for the opportunity to tell our guests what they are studying and what they have been doing.

At the very heart of our educational philosophy is our belief that children learn best when they are happy and comfortable in their learning environment, whether in the classroom, outside, or away on a trip. Our children flourish in small classes, in an atmosphere filled with warmth and enthusiasm, where individuality is celebrated and relationships between teacher and child are cherished. We are not constrained to the classroom or bound by tradition, and strive to maintain a learning environment where our children love coming into school and have the opportunity to learn at their own pace and in their own way.

For the last few years, we have been developing our Dolphin Project Qualification (DPQ): an extended, cross-curricular undertaking that affords children real-life learning experiences, fosters a plethora of 'soft' skills and celebrates multiple pathways to success.

Now running across Years 3-8, these projects take a variety of forms tailored to the specific year group (from a travel vlog based on a residential trip to Boulogne in Year 5, to a TED talk devised around the 'zeitgeist' in Year 8). Each one has a literacy, numeracy and IT strand - to reflect the central importance of these competencies - but beyond that, students are encouraged to consider the relevance of as many of their subject areas as possible. Designed to reflect the requirements of later life more faithfully than traditional forms of assessment, we emphasise the importance of students' oracy, as well as the production of a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate their independence, initiative and collaboration.

We would be delighted to welcome you to visit our school and meet our Headmaster, Adam Hurst. Please contact Kate Spooner at admissions@dolphinschool.com or call us on 0118 934 1277 to book your personal tour.