Prep 1-4
 
Atholl follows the same curriculum as the other Academy sites.  Class sizes at the school are smaller therefore there is more opportunity for individual attention.  The school also sits next to Barloch Moor, which the teachers use to support learning during topic work.

Prep 1

Prep 1 at Atholl is a wonderfully exciting year for the children and the parents.  Children enter Prep 1 sometimes not being able to hold a pencil correctly or able to button up their jackets and they leave writing sentences, reading books and counting their pocket money accurately.  We help this progression by providing a warm, safe and fun environment where learning includes constructive games and exciting activities and adventures.  
The children in our Prep 1 class benefit from small class sizes and the close attention of their teacher, Ms Sinclair.  Parents should feel free to drop in and look at the walls of the classroom.  They tell a clear story of the term's learning.  Throughout the year, the pupils have French and Music twice per week.  Drama and Physical Education are also incorporated into the curriculum.  In topic, some of the areas the class covers are, 'Seasons, 'Our Environment', 'The Sea', and 'The Farm'.  Prep 1 also enjoy showing off their phonetic knowledge, so if parents are passing, please let us show you the actions we use to remember our alphabet!
ICT skills are used in all subject areas.

Prep 2

Pupils in Prep 2 continue to further develop their core skills.  They focus on handwriting, full stops, capital letters and joining words.  In reading, we concentrate on fluency and pupils develop their comprehension skills in more depth.  Number bonds to 20 are also covered, as well as many other key mathematical concepts involving measure, fractions and money.  It is important to make learning in mathematics relevant for pupils, so many real-life contexts are used to teach skills in a fun, dynamic way.  Interactive learning is also widely seen in Prep 2.
A number of topics are covered.  Pupils begin learning about 'Large Animals' and 'People Who Help Us' during Term 1.  They move on to 'Katie Morag and the Two Grandmothers', which provides an excellent medium for learning about islands.  Prep 2 are also fascinated by the topic on 'Dinosaurs'.  Science is concentrated upon in Term 3 when topics include, 'Soils and Stones', 'Plant Growth' and 'Forces and Motion'.
ICT skills are used to facilitate the learning in all subject areas.

Prep 3

In Prep 3, the children build on becoming independent learners.  They organise their belongings and start to write in a homework diary.  The pace of learning has increased and they are moving more confidently from one area of the curriculum to another.  Work in exercise books is more detailed.  The pupils are joining letters and writing in clear sentences.  They are using a wider range of vocabulary and are starting to distinguish between Functional, Personal and Imaginative writing.  In Maths work, Prep 3 present their work neatly in jotters and are able to move between the workbooks and their own exercise books with ease.  Problem solving is a regular feature in the curriculum and pupils are able to work both alone and as part of a group.
The topics in Prep 3 cover the areas of Science, History and Geography.  Some of the themes are 'Houses and Homes', 'The Romans' and 'Minibeasts'.  Included in the topics are outings to museums and country parks.  At all times, the pupils are actively involved and encouraged to make choices in their learning.
ICT is a core area in Prep 3 learning and teaching.

Prep 4

The Prep 4 curriculum is busy and exciting.  The pupils learn all about Woodlands and enjoy an investigative walk on Barloch Moor.  They visit Stirling Castle as part of their 'Knights and Castles' project.  Term 2 takes the pupils to 'Polar Lands' to learn all about the two poles and in Term 3 they convert their classroom into a jungle to experience life in a tropical rainforest.
In Maths and Language, pupils' skills continue to be developed.  They now know the four basic concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and they put these to good use in challenging problem solving situations.  Shape, Position and Movement and Information Handling are also incorporated into the learning.  In Language, the pupils build on their Prep 3 skills and tackle more complex comprehension and pieces of writing.  The children are familiar with computers and these are used on a regular basis to support the curriculum. 
The pupils are well prepared for their transition into Kelvinbridge Prep 5 and are familiar with the site, as they visit their new school on a weekly basis.

Atholl Prep 1-4 pupils have specialist teachers for French, PE and Music.