The New Forest Small School

At the New Forest Small School we understand that if children have too many lessons each day this can become counter-productive. Children, like adults, can only absorb a certain amount of new information each day. They need time to process learning. If we overload children with learning then they will begin to lose interest, become frustrated and discouraged. We want to ensure that in every lesson the students have the optimal chance of being focused and ready to learn. Children also need time to develop other, equally important skills, such as personal and social development. In our Secondary classes, this is balanced by the need to prepare for the standardised assessments (GCSEs) which the children sit in Years 10 and 11. We aim to create a broad and balanced timetable which gives subjects the time they need for skills and knowledge to develop, whilst creating time and space for personal and social development. Hence the all the children in our Secondary class usually have 4 or 5 lessons a day, with half an hour for morning break and an hour and fifteen minutes for lunch and afternoon break.