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Our youngest pupils at St Paul’s Juniors join the First Years (Years 3 & 4).

Each year approximately 54 boys join the Lower First Year (Year 3), in three forms of 18. As these boys move to the Upper First Year (Year 4) they are mixed with 18 new boys into four new forms.

For over half of our pupils in the First Years, St Paul’s Juniors is a new beginning, and as such, our focus is on making sure that they settle in, feel confident and enjoy coming to school. The Form Tutor is crucial in managing this transition, overseeing their pastoral care, nurturing their emotional development and instilling our core values of Kindness & Mutual Respect, Integrity, Curiosity, Humility and Perseverance. All new pupils are also given house ‘buddies’ from older year groups. These older boys act as mentors to the younger pupils, helping them to settle in and feel at home.

The First Year curriculum is made up of a mixture of ‘home periods’, where the pupils are taught by their form tutor, and specialist teaching in subjects such as Music, Drama and P.E. Through our broad curriculum, we aim to foster a love of learning that will stay with our pupils as they move through the school.

Outside the classroom there is plenty to keep our pupils busy, whether it be the wide range of club and activities, school trips, Forest School sessions or sporting fixtures against other schools. The First Years are a time for pupils to expand their horizons intellectually, explore their extra-curricular interests and a time simply to have fun with new friends.