Lower School Curriculum

Empowering Young Minds

At Haileybury, we seek to nurture learners who are academically ambitious, intellectually curious, imaginative and independent. Our Lower School Curriculum is designed to provide a progressive learning experience that sets the foundation for lifelong success.

Our Lower School offers pupils a balance of the following core subjects: English, Maths, Science, French, Spanish, Latin, History, Geography, Theology & Philosophy, Art, Wellbeing, Music and Drama, and Technology & Computing. We also include Reading lessons as part of the core curriculum, understanding that reading is not only a key factor in pupils’ personal development but also a force which drives academic achievement across the curriculum.

Our approach gives teaching departments the freedom to craft engaging, subject-specific learning experiences while adhering to our core competencies. This balance ensures pupils receive a well-rounded education tailored to their individual needs.

The pupils enjoy a self-contained space on campus, designed to create an environment where every child is known and treated as an individual, whilst still benefiting from all the opportunities and expertise which being at a senior school provides.

The Lower School has five classrooms where the LS1 (Year 7) pupils have most of their lessons, except when they need to access specialist facilities such as drama, music or art. Science lessons take place in our purpose-built SciTech and Research Centre.

The LS2 (Year 8) pupils have some of their lessons in the Lower School building, but, wherever possible, lessons can be in other subject classrooms around the School to assist with the smooth transition to school life in Removes (Year 9).

Lower School pupils have a dedicated quiet reading room in the Lower School building and are also encouraged to use the extensive and welcoming Haileybury library, which holds more than 34,000 books and a vast array of digital resources, as well as displays, themes and challenges supporting both academic and co-curricular pursuits.

Lower School pupils in each year group are divided into five tutor groups and meet with their form tutor every morning. Tutor meetings are used to guide pupils through their academic journey and build positive pastoral relationships.

Each pupil also has monthly individual catch-ups with their tutor, as well as more formal academic mentoring meetings each half term.

Outside of tutor meetings, tutors are often in the Lower School building and available for more informal touch points. Where possible, they also enjoy supporting their tutees by attending their endeavours outside the classroom, for example when they perform in concerts or compete in sports matches.

On a typical day, after registration and form time with their tutors, pupils attend academic lessons until lunchtime, whilst afternoons are dedicated to sports, creative and technology opportunities. Pupils also enjoy sports on Saturday mornings, which may include fixtures against other schools.

Visits and Trips

The Lower School runs a variety of trips and events over the course of the year, in addition to those run by academic departments, for example, MUN trips, ski trips, local theatre trips and sports tours.

Pupils also take part in an annual residential trip. This year LS1 pupils will spend three days in York, combining enjoyment with an enriching history and geography experience, while LS2 pupils are heading to France for a week to enhance their language skills.

Lower School pupils can attend our Academic Enrichment Group outside of lesson time. This group aims to further develop pupils’ academic curiosity and their love of learning.

Pupils in the group are invited to meet once a week to participate in activities exploring a wide range of topics centred around a theme per term. Pupils have the opportunity to develop their public speaking and debating skills, listen to guest speakers, and work on a theme of their choice which they will present at the Haileybury Academic Exhibition Fair.

The Lower School Curriculum at Haileybury goes beyond academic success—it focuses on equipping young minds with the skills they need to excel in a constantly evolving world.

By nurturing curiosity, resilience, and a passion for learning, we prepare our pupils to thrive.