Promotional Feature
Inspiring Young Minds Since 1877' is a line that pervades The Ryleys School like a message through a stick of rock.
While an education may be a right and a requirement, an inspirational one is another matter entirely and needs to be striven for and crafted. A high quality and broad education in the primary school years provides the foundations from which everything else is built and it is critical to get that stage right to ensure future
success.
Children have a natural curiosity about the world which should be fostered and encouraged if they are to reach their potential and access the dizzy heights of
endless knowledge. Anyone who has young children will have experienced the constant 'why?' questions at regular intervals throughout the day as they make sense of the world around them on their quest for understanding.
At The Ryleys School, experienced, specialist teachers, who are passionate about their subject, explore countless opportunities to tap into this thirst for knowledge and to excite and inspire the children about their learning. Full specialist teaching in the primary years is unusual, yet hugely beneficial. Young children with busy, active imaginations need to learn in suitably stimulating and interesting environments, and, if we are to satisfy this need, it makes sense to provide specialist lessons in specialist classrooms rather than them sitting in one room with one teacher all day. Thus, pupils will visit the science laboratory for scientific experiments, the art room to hone their painting and drawing skills, the music room to create their own compositions... the range of experiences is vast and motivates children to learn.
Children should also be encouraged to develop higher order thinking skills and not just be spoon fed information which does nothing to stimulate the brain or spark interest levels. They should be taught how to think, not what to think, and be able to debate, challenge and hypothesise.
If children are interested in what they are being taught, their engagement levels will be significantly higher and their learning far more effective. As American poet, Alfred Mercier, said, 'What we learn with pleasure we never forget.'
Education opens doors to the future and an inspirational one is the key to that happening.
Julia Langford
Headteacher, The Ryleys School, Alderley Edge
www.theryleys.com
