Teaching Philosophy

Every child has their own unique way of learning.

Since time immemorial, the best education has always had the same thing at its core — wonderful teachers spending quality time with students. So, at Bassett House School, we only recruit the very best teaching staff. With them, we create an environment to challenge, encourage and nourish the growing minds of our pupils. We embrace a variety of teaching methods including:

Montessori (for younger children);
visual, auditory and kinaesthetic methodology;
the mastery approach to learning, particularly in mathematics; and
visible learning strategies.

The advantage of being independent is that we are able to glean the best practices in terms of international standards of pedagogy, and cherry-pick from these various methods which, when combined with small class sizes, allows us to tailor our teaching approach to each individual child.

As a member of the Dukes Education family, we also know there’s power in the collective. Our students benefit from the constant sharing of best practice among Dukes schools, and the stringent standards held to by a wide team of senior leaders who, combined, have an exceptional record of experience and expertise in education. Students develop culturally and socially, as well as academically, enjoying a well-rounded education full of fun and laughter. We work hard to help every child find something that fulfills them – to find their extraordinary – the thing only they can contribute to the world.

Assessing children in their primary school years can be inaccurate, therefore, we have a non-selective point of entry embracing a rich diversity of abilities.
Bassett House School

Our teachers are highly adept at varying resources and teaching styles ensuring all children feel included and make excellent progress in mixed ability groups.

This dynamic is particularly beneficial when we set children challenging tasks, or encourage them to work, through guided play, in teams. Importantly, they are taught mistakes are not failures, but a positive sign they are trying. Their efforts will always be encouraged, regardless of the outcome.

Educational techniques such as Growth Mindset and Critical Thinking encourage the children to develop as individuals and be self-motivated. We use Bassett Bear to make the Mastery approach to learning fun and accessible, and children benefit from being in a co-educational environment where girls and boys learn from each other, both academically and socially.

We also offer Continuous Provision to children when a learning difficulty is suspected or detected. Finally, we are proud of our diverse multicultural school community and there is a great deal of support for children whose first language is not English.

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