Ready for What Comes Next
Year 6 is the culmination of a child’s Crown House journey and a year we want pupils to remember.
It combines academic ambition with leadership, independence, responsibility and personal development, giving our oldest pupils opportunities to demonstrate how much they have grown while preparing confidently for the transition to senior school.
Our curriculum remains broad and ambitious. Pupils continue to be challenged academically while developing the organisation, independence and study habits they will need beyond Crown House. Teachers know each pupil well and work closely with families to ensure that preparation for senior school reflects the individual child, their strengths and the pathway that is right for them.
We are proud of the strong academic outcomes achieved by our pupils. Around 80% of Crown House pupils progress to local grammar schools, representing a high majority of children within our non-selective intake. For pupils taking the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (11+), we recognise that this can be a significant period for children and families and our emphasis is on ensuring pupils feel well prepared, supported and confident, rather than allowing a single assessment to define their experience of Year 6.
Grammar-school entry, however, is not our only measure of success. Children progress from Crown House to a range of excellent grammar, maintained and independent senior schools and we work closely with families to identify and prepare for the pathway that is right for each individual child. Pupils are supported with senior-school applications, assessments and interviews where appropriate.
Most importantly, 100% of our pupils leave Crown House ready for the next stage of their educational journey. Our ambition is that every child makes strong progress from their own starting point and leaves us with the knowledge, skills and confidence to flourish in the school that is right for them.
Year 6 pupils are the senior pupils of Crown House and play an active role in the life of their school.
Children have opportunities to take on positions of responsibility through our House system, School Council and six Tapestry Councils, alongside other roles and responsibilities that develop throughout the year. Pupils are encouraged to put themselves forward, explain what they would contribute and, most importantly, consider why the role matters.
Leadership at Crown House is about more than holding a title. We want pupils to learn to listen to others, represent their peers, communicate confidently, take responsibility and turn ideas into action. Every Year 6 pupil is also encouraged to recognise their position as a role model for younger children.
Preparation for senior school extends well beyond academic readiness.
Our Year 6 Life Skills programme provides dedicated opportunities to explore the practical, personal and social skills children will increasingly need as they become more independent. Alongside this, pupils continue to develop their understanding of wellbeing, relationships, online safety, responsible technology use and the opportunities and challenges of growing up in an increasingly digital world.
These experiences complement our wider emphasis on organisation, communication, resilience and self-management, helping children approach the transition to senior school with increasing confidence and independence.
Year 6 should also be a celebration of childhood and of everything pupils have achieved during their time at Crown House.
Sport, music, drama, clubs, competitions, visits and wider school events provide opportunities for children to discover strengths, represent their school and contribute to their community. A particular highlight is the week-long residential at the Arete Outdoor Learning Centre in North Wales where pupils face new challenges, work together and develop independence, resilience and confidence through adventure.
By the time pupils leave Crown House, we want them to be much more than academically prepared. We want them to know themselves as learners and as people: kind and tolerant, resilient, reflective and creative; able to communicate confidently, embrace challenge and take responsibility for what comes next.
Our measure of success is therefore both ambitious and individual: strong academic outcomes, a high majority progressing to local grammar schools and, above all, 100% of pupils leaving Crown House ready for the next stage of their educational journey.
They leave us ready to Prepare, Persevere and Perform – throughout the next chapter of their education and the many chapters beyond.
”Pupils throughout the school make good progress and many are successful in gaining a place at local selective schools when they leave.”
ISI, October 2023
