With only days to go before Prince George returns to Thomas's Battersea for Year One, HELLO! takes a look at everything the royal is set to learn this coming school year. The £6,110-a-term private school is for both boys and girls between the ages of four and 13. The institution has a strong focus on the arts, sports and outdoor activities in addition to academics - so it's no wonder that George will be taking on more work compared to his year in reception. The first day back will be a little scary - meeting a new teacher and settling into a new classroom, but some things will remain the same, such as his school uniform, his classmates and his friends.
© Photo: Getty ImagesGeorge is enrolled at Thomas's Battersea in London
In his reception year, George dabbled in French, Computing, Art, Music, Drama and Ballet, but the new year will introduce new subjects such as Science, History, Geography. The children will also be taught Maths, English and PE. He will even be given more homework each night - there will be ten minutes of reading set for every evening. Whilst at reception, George will have moved through a variety of handwriting stages - which included drawing, writing scribbles and random letters - he will now be expected to learn how to do joined-up writing. The school curriculum also states that Year One pupils will also be taught the days of the week, months of the year, numbers to twenty, common colour words, their names and addresses as well as the name and address of the school.
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Some of the topics in their science lessons will cover plants, animals (including humans), everyday materials and seasonal changes. The syllabus states: "[Pupils] begin to work together to collect evidence to help them answer questions and to link this to simple scientific ideas. They evaluate evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are fair. They use reference materials to find out more about scientific ideas."
As well as History and Geography, young George will have Religious Studies - in which, he will develop an awareness of "spiritual and moral issues in life experiences". He'll be taught the key understandings of Christianity as well as other major world religions. The curriculum here will focus on an introductions to the Bible, the New Testament and Church over the year.
Surprisingly, George will already know the basics to French, having been taught greetings, names, and numbers one-ten. He will now learn the days of the week, classroom objects and traditional French songs. There will also be a focus on simple fairy tales and acting out stories which will help the children "develop accurate pronunciation and fluency". They will be given one 35 minutes French session each week.
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Year One students will then have a forty-minute lesson in computing in order to comply with the requirements of Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum. Pupils will be tasked with logging onto their computers as well as opening and closing programs. Other things to learn include; recognise and to use tools in a Word document, saving and loading their work in various folders, as well as leaning how to use a mouse with "increasing accuracy and confidence". These lessons will not be taught in their classroom, but in a suite which has 22 networked computers.
The young royal will start Year One in September
Prince George will also have Drama added into his timetable with one 40 minute lesson per week. The classes will engage children, teaching them communication skills, confidence, collaborative skills, physical awareness and observation skills. In addition to Drama, each form will also focus on Music, which has been described as an "integral" part of the curriculum. Up to Year Four, pupils will be expected to have two periods of Music each week. The school has described singing as "a very important feature of the child's musical development and experience". Year One pupils can also join the Choir. It operates on a "come and sing" basis with no audition, with the hope that the child fosters a love and enjoyment of singing from within. Meanwhile, should the child want to, they can have individual or group instrumental tuitions during school time.
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There is also a strong emphasis on physical education, with first year pupils developing basic movements such as running, jumping, throwing and catching. They will participate in team and individual games, in order to learn simple tactics for attacking and defending. Swimming lessons are also important; the children will be taught a range of strokes, confidence building and water skills. Meanwhile, Ballet is compulsory to all pupils in Year 1. A specialist teacher will conduct a one 35 minute lesson per week and each class is accompanied by a live pianist. The syllabus will help develop students' physical skills, stamina, creativity, expression and musicality.
On top of this, the children will have PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education) lessons. According to the curriculum, the subject - which also covers their anti-bullying policy - "embraces the five outcomes of Every Child Matters which state that all children have the right to; be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being". Thomas's Battersea school's website details the importance "to be kind" as well as boasting a teaching framework based on "enjoyment, learning and achievement".
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