Welcome to Chinthurst
Parents often comment on the warmth of the welcome they receive when they visit us and the happiness and engagement of the children they meet. There is always a lovely buzz of activity with the sounds of exciting learning coming from every corner of the site.
I hope you will visit us to experience this for yourself. We run a series of open events and individual tours throughout the year and I look forward to meeting you at one or more of these soon. In the meantime, the photographs, videos and information below provide a snapshot of the wonderful lives our children lead, the dedication of the teaching team and the strength of the Chinthurst community.
You will already have been in touch with our Admissions Registrar, Louise Hughes, who is always on hand to guide you through each step of the entry process. She will be in touch soon to answer any questions you may have.
Cathy Trundle
Headteacher
Drama at Chinthurst from Chinthurst School on Vimeo.
Art at Chinthurst from Chinthurst School on Vimeo.
Science at Chinthurst from Chinthurst School on Vimeo.
Sport
‘At the heart of the school’s sporting ethos is the belief that high standards of coaching and playing are for everyone whatever sport they choose, whatever gender they are, and whatever standard they have reached or natural ability they may have.’
We are 2022 Independent School of the Year for Sporting Achievement in recognition of our pioneering approach to gender. Our pupils choose which sport they want to play without being constrained by conventional norms. In football, rugby, netball and hockey, boys and girls train alongside each other and play fixtures together in competitive teams. As a result, they see themselves as equals on the pitch with no preconceived ‘limitations’ and the encouragement and support they give one another on the games fields continues off it.
We believe this will have a significant impact, not only on how the children think now, but on how they continue to think as they grow up and become adults. We hope it will play a part in changing the attitudes, assumptions, constraints and limitations that society places on girls and boys and, by doing so, it will actively promote gender equality.
Fun and enjoyment are always firmly at the heart of sports lessons at Chinthurst and the children love it. Their energy and enthusiasm, camaraderie and team spirit is a joy to behold. Many go on to achieve sports scholarships at senior schools. All leave us with a love of sport which we hope will stay with them for life.
Optional Saturday morning coaching sessions are open to all from Reception to Year 6 and provide an opportunity for the children to further build upon their skills (whilst their parents enjoy bacon sandwiches and coffee!). With a pool onsite, the children have regular swimming lessons during the school week and the optional Saturday fun splash is a highlight for many of our younger children. We have an onsite cricket academy run by Surrey County Cricket Coach, Mike Jacobs, and many children have one-to-one net sessions before and after school or during lunchtimes.
Languages
Languages are an important part of the curriculum at Chinthurst. Our specialist language teachers ensure that lessons are fun and memorable, using songs and games as well as cultural awareness to engage the children. In addition to passionate teaching, our dedicated language room gives the children every opportunity to enrich their learning experience and become confident linguists who share a love of languages.
Children start their journey in Kindergarten learning French. Spanish lessons begin in Year 1, and are taught alongside French giving the children an excellent grounding in both. In Years 3&4 the children continue to have weekly French and Spanish lessons, and Mandarin Club is available to them during lunchtime. In Years 5 and 6, the children are taught both Mandarin and French as part of the normal weekly timetable, culminating in a residential to France. Spanish Club is available to all children from Year 3 upwards as part of our after school clubs programme.
Music
Music is woven into the fabric of Chinthurst with everyone taking an active part in some way. The whole school sings together at assemblies and three choirs regularly rehearse and perform to a high standard at outside events and competitions. Every year group benefits from specialist music teaching within the curriculum, which develops the children’s musical abilities as well as their appreciation and love of music. Musical learning is approached primarily through singing; lower school children benefit from whole class recorder lessons, playing tuned and untuned percussion instruments and creating individual and group compositions. In the Upper School the children have the opportunity to participate in whole class instrument tuition as part of the curriculum, including whole class violin, ukulele and djembe drumming tuition. The children also engage in the use of music technology when composing.
There is a strong instrumental programme and visiting teachers provide over a hundred one to one lessons a week on a wide variety of instruments. We currently offer tuition on piano, violin, cello, flute, guitar, drum kit/percussion, voice, and trumpet. Our young instrumentalists also enjoy the opportunity to join our school orchestra to develop their ensemble playing. The children have many opportunities to showcase their musical talents, as soloists, as part of an ensemble and at school performances throughout the year.
Interactive Map
Nursery
Warmth, kindness and love are in abundance here. Experienced, highly qualified staff and excellent ratios mean there is plenty of individual care and attention for each child and the flexibility for parents to add extra sessions when needed.
Specialist teachers and integrated STEM lessons build strong foundations so the children are well prepared for school life. More importantly, we recognise that children learn best when they are happy and the Nursery day is filled with fun, lots of outside play and a focus on caring for each other.
As a fully integrated part of Chinthurst School, the joined-up curriculum spanning ages 2 to 11 years and access to excellent facilities mean the children have a seamless transition to Reception. Buildings, staff and routines are familiar to them and so they already have a feeling of belonging to a whole school community.
Reception
The children get a head start to their learning thanks to purposeful, exciting and creative lessons. Carefully planned activities and thought-provoking questions develop all-important thinking skills. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, which is further developed to suit our children’s needs and to reflect our unique Chinthurst ethos. Small class sizes allow teachers the time to observe the children and regularly assess their individual requirements so they can plan for the next steps of their learning.
There is a focus on learning through investigation and exploration. Children are encouraged to keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and to enjoy achievements. Children are given room to develop strategies for doing things by thinking creatively and critically.
Sport
Sport is at the heart of Chinthurst and a very important part of the school week. High
quality coaching throughout games afternoons in the Upper School alongside after
school sports clubs, ensure that all children have the opportunity to develop key skills
and improve their game play. Optional Saturday morning coaching sessions are open
to all from Reception to Year 6 and provide an opportunity for the children to further
build upon their skills (whilst their parents enjoy bacon sandwiches and coffee!).
We are extremely proud of our successes in regular fixtures against local schools.
Recently, the boys’ football team were runners up in the county. However, sport at
Chinthurst is about so much more. Our children love it! Every team is valued and
every child’s development is nurtured. Their energy and enthusiasm comes from a
genuine enjoyment of sport and the camaraderie and team spirit which comes with it.
Although many of our children go on to achieve sports scholarships at senior schools,
all leave us with a love of sport which we hope will stay with them for life.
With a pool onsite, all our children have regular swimming lessons and the optional
Saturday fun splash is a highlight of the week for many of our younger children. We
have an onsite cricket academy run by Surrey County Cricket Coach, Mike Jacobs and
many children have one to one nets sessions before and after school or during
lunchtimes.
Year 1 & 2
In Year 1&2 many of the children’s learning opportunities are framed around a theme. These can be a few weeks long or span most of the term but immersion in these topics brings their learning to life.
They might be superheroes, seaside explorers or weather analysts in pursuit of verb, adjective and noun perfection. Or they may spend the morning dressing up and acting out the Great Fire of London to help their writing reach new heights of imagination and sophistication.
In Maths, we believe that problem solving is the best root to becoming a marvellous mathematician. Strong foundations of understanding are a springboard for exploration and the children have fun applying the operations they have learnt to different contexts and investigating all possible outcomes.
The weekly timetable also has an exciting mix of Music, Drama, Languages, Computing, Games and PE, all taught by enthusiastic specialist teachers giving the children a broad and rich school experience.
Languages
Languages are an important part of the curriculum at Chinthurst. Children start their journey in Kindergarten learning French. Spanish lessons begin in Year 1, alongside French, with Mandarin club also available up to Year 4. Our specialist language teachers ensure that lessons are fun and memorable, using songs and games as well as cultural awareness to engage the children. During Years 5 and 6, the children are taught both Mandarin and French as part of the normal timetable, culminating in a residential to France. In addition to passionate teaching, our dedicated language room gives the children every opportunity to enrich their learning experience and become confident linguists who share a love of languages.
Art
Our well-equipped Art room is a wonderful place to visit! Mrs Lyth, our specialist Art teacher, takes a practical approach to Art and the children experience a wide variety of techniques allowing them to explore their creative potential. The walls and ceilings proudly display their fantastic work and visitors often comment on the high standard and diversity of the artwork. During the last academic year, over a hundred children produced a stunning installation for an international art competition and were delighted to be prize winners, collecting an award and displaying their creation at the Natural History Museum in London.
Computing
At Chinthurst, computing and robotics are embedded in the curriculum from age two, integrated into every lesson as well as being a stand-alone subject. Our youngest children learn to code using Bee Bots and are introduced to animation and game creation with Scratch Junior. As they progress, Scratch 2 provides more advanced learning and develops their creativity and critical thinking further.
From Year 3, the children engage in STEAM and coding using a variety of hardware and software. SAM Labs allow them to build and program remote-control cars, debugging their work as they go and learning the value of taking risks and making mistakes along the way. This attitude to learning carries over into other lessons, with a particularly positive impact on problem-solving in Maths and Science. Our 3D printer enables the children to develop their creativity even further and to take their designs to the next level. 3D printing software ensures they are learning key skills for the future.
All year groups have the opportunity to use iPads in every area of the curriculum – they might take videos of an exciting science experiment or practice Maths skills on Purple Mash – giving them access to a world of learning in every lesson.
Science
Science at Chinthurst is all about getting your hands dirty! Investigation is a fundamental part of lessons and the children are encouraged to be inquisitive – often resulting in a strong aroma wafting from the science lab or an exploding coke bottle spraying liquid onto classroom windows. We firmly believe that experiments are the best way to answer scientific questions and the children come to lessons bursting with excitement and ideas.
Science starts in Kindergarten with textures, magnifying glasses and lots of fun. From Year 3, lessons take on a whole new perspective in our wonderful science lab. By the time they reach Year 6, they can confidently dissect a heart, not only to study the physiology of the organ, but also to develop the hands on skills to investigate a complex structure and the research skills to analyse how it beats.
Drama
From the very beginning of their time at Chinthurst, the children have exciting weekly drama lessons with our specialist teacher which develops their confidence and public speaking skills. Individual one to one LAMDA lessons are also available during the school day for children who wish to take their performance skills further. The school’s LAMDA exam results are always outstanding.
There are many opportunities to perform throughout the year in talent shows, Razzamatazz and House competitions culminating in the wonderful end of year productions that are always of an exceptionally high standard.
Music
The whole school sings together at assemblies and three choirs regularly rehearse and perform to a high standard at outside events and competitions. Every year group benefits from specialist music teaching within the curriculum which develops the children’s musical abilities and gives them an enthusiasm to learn. There is a strong instrumental programme and visiting teachers provide over a hundred one to one lessons a week on a wide variety of instruments.
The children have many opportunities to showcase their musical talents at school performances throughout the year
