Frequently Asked Questions
Select a question from those below. Click << back to return to the main FAQ page.
Junior School
"Why do people
join the PGS Junior School?"
"Is there a particular
sort of child that is best suited to PGS?"
"Doesn’t my
child need to be very academic in order to succeed at PGS?"
"What are the strengths
of the Junior School?"
"How is pastoral
care handled in the Junior School?"
"So what extra curricular
opportunities will be available for my child?"
"What are the key
ages for admission?"
"Are pupils able
to enter at any other stage?"
"In what way is
PGS Junior School different from other Junior Schools?"
"Tell me about your
staff and class sizes"
"What are the benefits
of co-education in the Junior School?"
"What are the facilities
available to pupils?"
"What are the advantages
of pupils joining the school at 4 or 7 rather than waiting until
11?"
"What is the relationship
between the Junior School and the Senior School?"
"What are the benefits
of an independent school education?"
"What is the length
of the school day?"
"Is there any provision
for before and after school care?"
"Does the school
provide assistance with transporting the children to and from school?"
"Can I be involved
as a parent?"
"What are the
opportunities for sport in the Junior School?"
"How do I find
out more about the Junior School?"
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"Why do people join the PGS Junior School?"
Because of both reputation and reality. All pupils who attend PGS
Junior School enjoy their education and make excellent progress.
There is so much more to experience than academic education: the
outstanding sports, music, art, drama and extra-curricular opportunities
ensure that each child is able to discover personal interests and
develop talents that promote a great sense of belonging and achievement.
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"Is there a particular sort of child that is best suited
to PGS?"
No. Pupils of all personality types respond well and enjoy the
educational experience on offer. We strive to ensure that each child
is understood and valued for their uniqueness and is given the individual
support and encouragement that will enable them to have high self-esteem
and to be happy and successful in later life.
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"Doesn’t my child need to be very academic in
order to succeed at PGS?"
Emphatically not. The excellent education, extra curricular and
pastoral care on offer at PGS enables all children with average
to high levels of ability to flourish and succeed.
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"What are the strengths of the Junior School?"
Without a doubt the greatest strength of the Junior School is its
staff who are dedicated, enthusiastic and skilful at motivating
and educating the pupils. Excellent resources and facilities enhance
the learning process which above all is designed to make learning
fun and purposeful.
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"How is pastoral care handled in the Junior School?"
The happiness and well being of our pupils is of utmost importance
in the Junior School. Whilst academically pupils achieve highly
throughout Key Stage 1 and 2, this Pastoral Care is of equal importance.
Any member of staff within the Junior School will happily listen
to a pastoral care concern that a pupil has. The Form Teacher, someone
with whom the pupil will have built a strong positive relationship,
is the first point of contact regarding any pastoral care issue.
If necessary, the Form Teacher will then communicate with Mr. Ainsworth,
the Senior Teacher responsible for Pastoral Care. Mr. Ainsworth
will liaise with the Deputy Head - Mr. Rowley or the Headteacher
- Mrs Foster as required.
The Junior School has high expectations with regard to pupil behaviour;
if necessary, a carefully structured procedure helps support the
children achieve these standards.
Although we strive to ensure that each and every pupil achieves
their potential, we encourage them to excel in other areas through
our enriched curriculum. There are numerous systems in place to
help our pupils develop high self-esteem, confidence and life skills.
PSHE lessons, Assemblies and Circle Time are at the heart of our
curriculum.
We have a House system, which enables pupils to strive towards
successful team spirit on the sports field and within the classroom.
The Badge Card System enables our pupils to achieve in a variety
of extra curricular activities, demonstrating initiative, commitment
and realising potential in areas they may never have experienced.
School and House monitors; Sports, House and Team colours; Headteacher’s
Awards and Honours books, which are printed in the weekly newsletter,
are just some of the ways staff are able to praise pupils for special
achievements.
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"So what extra curricular opportunities will be available
for my child?"
When your child joins The Portsmouth Grammar Junior School, an exciting
world of clubs and extra-curricular activities is opened up. A large
and hugely diverse programme of after-school clubs is available.
There are over forty clubs, accommodating the needs of children
from Reception up to Year 6.
There are also many different educational visits that draw on local
resources; from a wealth of excellent local experiences, right up
to residential visits in Year 6. The Junior School’s staff
also run Summer trips to France, sports tours to South Africa and
The Channel Islands, as well as Ski trips in the Alps.
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"What are the key ages for admission?"
4+ and 7+
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"Are pupils able to enter at any other stage?"
If a vacancy exists, there are opportunities for entry. Assessments
are age appropriate and comprise tests in Numeracy, Literacy and
Verbal Reasoning.
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"In what way is PGS Junior School different from other
Junior Schools?"
The Junior School is a hugely popular school with parents and pupils.
Indeed, it has something of a national reputation for that. It has
a very wide catchment area and a wide range of parental backgrounds.
It's a very active and busy place, as the visitor soon picks up.
But along with all this, it's a very intimate and personal school.
The Headmistress knows every pupil. All too often low class sizes
are the sign of an unsuccessful school, one that's not necessarily
so far off closure. Having had several prospective parents come
to see the Headmaster from schools that are closing he knows all
the misery that can involve for a family and for the school. But
at PGS, although the school is thriving, we are always working at
ensuring low class sizes, a low adult pupil ratio (the key figure)
and the retention of that feeling of security and intimacy. Five
years ago, the adult pupil ratio was 1:14. Now it's 1:10. There's
probably no more important statistic.
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"Tell me about your staff and class sizes"
The Junior School has a wonderfully enthusiastic and hugely dedicated
staff. Male and female teachers work across both Key Stage 1 and
Key Stage 2 delivering a very broad yet balanced curriculum. The
pupils are taught in classes of between 16-22 pupils and whilst
Reception and Key Stage 1 classes are taught almost exclusively
by their Form Teacher, as pupils mature through Key Stage 2 they
are taught by a greater number of teachers with specialist skills
in their subjects. The combination of youth and experience across
the staff brings a great “richness” to not only the
class but also the opportunities outside the classroom, particularly
in sport, music and drama.
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"What are the benefits of co-education in the Junior
School?"
Over the years the pupils develop very relaxed, natural and confident
relationship between the sexes. Males and females are treated as
equals and respond accordingly. Equal access is available to all
areas of the curriculum regardless of gender, e.g. the sciences,
the arts, music and sport. Pupils are well prepared for life outside
and beyond the school in the co-educational environment that is
a natural social structure.
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"What are the facilities available to pupils?"
PGS is steeped in history, set in the heart of Old Portsmouth on
the site of one of King Richard I’s royal residences. The
school is Portsmouth’s oldest school and is very proud of
its traditions, recognising the influences its history has played
in creating its unique character. Although respectful of its past,
the school is very forward thinking, making sure that its pupils
are given experiences that help them to keep abreast of modern innovation
thus enabling them to cope with the various demands of modern society.
State of the art technology and bespoke facilities are available
to even the youngest pupils playing an essential part in moving
the school and its pupils forward. There is no doubt that the Junior
School derives enormous benefit from sharing the same site as the
senior school thus giving access to exceptional facilities: the
sports hall, gym, dance studio, music school, theatre and spacious
dining hall to mention a few. The large games field, situated at
Hilsea is a well used and much prized asset that is of great benefit
to the Junior School.
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"What are the advantages of pupils joining the school
at 4 or 7 rather than waiting until 11?"
All pupils are guaranteed a first class education that provides
them with a sound foundation of conceptual understanding in all
areas of the curriculum and most especially in numeracy and literacy.
Special emphasis is placed on the development of reading and comprehension
skills as this underpins all learning. In addition to the acquisition
of academic learning we believe in educating the pupils to have
a good understanding of their personal and emotional needs as well
as becoming valued members of society. The broad and varied curriculum
on offer at PGS from the earliest years ensures that each child’s
individual talents and interests are identified and developed giving
them every possible opportunity to fulfil their potential.
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"What is the relationship between the Junior School
and the Senior School?"
PGS is in essence one school for pupils from 2 years 6 months to
18 years. The Junior School is the preparatory school for the Senior
School and, as such, liaises closely with the Senior School to ensure
that the children are very well prepared for the various exciting
challenges of Senior School life and education.
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"What are the benefits of an independent school education?"
There are many benefits. First and foremost there are outstanding
opportunities created through a first class curricular and extra
circular provision that benefits from excellent resources and highly
qualified, enthusiastic and dedicated teaching staff. Small class
sizes and a carefully organised pastoral care system ensures that
the need of each pupil are understood and sensitively catered for.
A good independent school such as PGS is purposeful and well organised
ensuring a first class educational experience enabling each child
to be happy and successful.
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"What is the length of the school day?"
All pupils are welcomed into school at 8.35 a.m., there is then
a fifteen minute greeting and registration period prior to the commencement
of lessons at 8.50 a.m. The official end of the school day is 3.25
p.m. for the younger pupils (4 – 7 year olds) and 3.30 p.m.
for the older pupils (7 – 11 year olds). A full and exciting
programme of extra curricular activities extend the school day to
4.30 p.m. on most days.
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"Is there any provision for before and after school
care?"
Pre-school care commences at 8.00 a.m., when Teaching Assistants
supervise the pupils while they play in either the hall or the playground.
An After School Care Club runs every evening from 3.30 p.m. to 6.00
p.m. This is organised and supervised by specially trained youth
workers from the YMCA. A full and varied programme of stimulating
activities enables the children to relax and enjoy themselves until
their parents are able to collect them.
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"Does the school provide assistance with transporting
the children to and from school?"
Specially commissioned bus services operate from all catchment areas
delivering and collecting the children to and from the school. The
Junior School pupils are supervised and escorted onto the bus at
the end of the school day. Parking permits are issued to all parents
who wish to escort their children to and from school. These permits
enable parents to park free of charge in close proximity to the
school. Contact address lists are provided to those parents who
would welcome the opportunity for a lift-share.
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"Can I be involved as a parent?"
We warmly encourage parental involvement. The Junior School Association,
its parent teacher organisation, has a parent representative from
each class in the Junior School and provides an excellent channel
for communication between home and school.
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"What are the opportunities for sport in the Junior
School?"
There is a huge range of opportunities for all pupils within sport
at the Junior School. In addition to a very healthy weekly timetable
of PE and Games lessons, there is also a huge number of extra curricular
opportunities within sport. PE and Games lessons focus on teaching
children the important basic skills through swimming, gymnastics,
dance, athletics, squash, rugby, football, hockey, netball, cricket,
rounders and tennis. There is a strong emphasis on fun and certainly
an ethos of “sport for all”. From Year 3 onwards pupils
compete regularly in fixtures against other schools and we have
enjoyed County, Regional and National success in the past few years
with the older pupils. Extra curricular opportunities within sport
enable all KS2 pupils to further develop their skills and interest
in any of the major games as well as the chance to sample new experiences
such as sailing, skiing, table tennis and pop dance.
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"How do I find out more about the Junior School?"
Mrs Foster has an amazing grasp of the pupils in her care and the
whole Junior School has a great feel of intimacy. She manages to
see personally any prospective parents, with or without their child,
and there's no substitute for taking her up on her offer of giving
you a personal tour. When the current Headmaster was interviewed
to become Head he was also a prospective parent. He can testify
to the quality of the tour and knows at first hand the impression
which it makes: the whole school is very distinctive and you leave
with a clear impression of it. To request an Information Pack about
the Junior School, and/or to book a tour contact the Junior School
Admissions Secretary, Mrs Gill Bull, on (023) 9268 1336 or by email
at jsadmissions@pgs.org.uk
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Nursery & Junior
School (023) 9236 4219