Laying the Foundations for Excellence: The Archway Curriculum at Radnor Prep School
At Radnor House Sevenoaks, academic excellence begins the moment a child starts their educational journey with us. From the age of two, our Prep School and Archway Curriculum are deliberately designed to do more than deliver knowledge; they build confident, curious learners equipped with the skills, mindset and character required to thrive in an ever-changing world.
The Archway Curriculum reflects our belief that outstanding education must be both intellectually ambitious and deeply nurturing. It is a carefully structured, progressive framework that supports children as individuals - academically, socially and emotionally - ensuring that every pupil is challenged, supported and celebrated for who they are.
A School-Based Nursery: Education from the Very Start
Our Archway Curriculum begins in Pre-School from the age of two, within a school-based nursery environment. This distinction matters. Radnor’s Early Years provision is not a childcare setting that transitions into education — it is education, from the very beginning.
Children are immersed in a purposeful learning environment that prioritises language development, curiosity, independence and emotional security. Through play-based, inquiry-led learning, pupils develop early literacy and numeracy skills alongside confidence, communication and self-awareness. These early foundations are critical: research consistently shows that high-quality early education has a significant and lasting impact on cognitive development, social skills and long-term academic success.
At Radnor, children learn not just what to think, but how to think — asking questions, exploring ideas and developing a love of learning that carries them forward.
Academic Challenge with Individualised Support
As pupils move through the Prep School, the Archway Curriculum provides increasing academic challenge while remaining flexible to individual needs. Small class sizes, expert subject teaching and a deep understanding of each child ensure that learning is appropriately stretched without ever becoming overwhelming.
We believe that excellence is not about uniform outcomes, but about individual progress. Children are encouraged to set high expectations for themselves, take intellectual risks and view mistakes as an essential part of learning. Assessment is used diagnostically - to inform teaching, identify strengths and support next steps - rather than as an endpoint.
The Three Pillars of the Archway Curriculum
At the heart of the Archway Curriculum sit three interconnected pillars that give it both strength and coherence: academic excellence, Radnor’s core values, and our Discoveries framework.
Rigorous academics provide the intellectual foundation, ensuring pupils develop strong knowledge, skills and a love of learning across all subjects. Our core values shape who children are becoming - guiding behaviour, relationships and personal integrity - and are lived daily in classrooms, playgrounds and beyond.
Alongside this, our Discoveries framework deliberately cultivates the attributes young people need to thrive in life: inquisitiveness, tenacity, courage, compassion and inventiveness, alongside problem-solving, self-awareness, responsibility, communication and teamwork.
Embedded across the curriculum rather than taught in isolation, these pillars work together to ensure pupils are not only academically capable, but emotionally intelligent, socially aware and equipped to engage confidently with a complex and changing world.
Developing the Skills That Matter Most
Academic success alone is no longer sufficient preparation for the future. The Archway Curriculum is intentionally designed to develop the human skills that will remain vital as education, work and society evolve.
From the earliest years, pupils are encouraged to collaborate, problem-solve and communicate with clarity and empathy. Leadership opportunities, group projects and discussion-based learning help children articulate ideas, listen to others and contribute meaningfully to shared goals.
Critical thinking is woven throughout the curriculum, enabling pupils to analyse information, question assumptions and make informed judgments. Resilience is fostered through challenge and reflection, helping children develop perseverance, adaptability and self-belief.
These skills are not taught in isolation - they are embedded into daily learning, ensuring that pupils are academically strong and emotionally literate, intellectually curious and socially confident.
A Seamless Educational Journey
One of the greatest strengths of the Archway Curriculum is its coherence. Learning is carefully mapped to ensure progression from Early Years through to the senior phases of education, creating a seamless journey that avoids unnecessary repetition or gaps in understanding.
By the time pupils move on from the Prep School, they do so with more than excellent academic preparation. They are independent learners, confident communicators and thoughtful individuals - ready not only for the academic demands of senior school, but for life beyond the classroom.
Preparing Children for Life, Not Just the Next Stage
At Radnor Prep, we believe education should empower children to become the very best version of themselves. The Archway Curriculum reflects this belief by combining academic rigour with warmth, structure with flexibility, and ambition with care.
By starting early, nurturing individuality and developing both intellect and character, we ensure that our pupils are prepared not just for the next exam or transition point, but for university, future careers and an unpredictable world beyond.
This is education with purpose - and it begins at two years old.
