Unleashing Potential
At Oakfields, music and sport are part of our heartbeat, helping children grow in confidence, creativity and character.
Music is taught from Pre-Prep upwards, giving pupils the chance to explore everything from ukuleles and keyboards to hand-held percussion and instruments from around the world. It’s all about inspiring a love of music that will last a lifetime.
Our ‘sport for all’ approach means every child gets the opportunity to take part, try something new and feel the buzz of being part of a team. We host regular fixtures with other schools and work with partners including JW Tennis, Chelsea Football Club and Sabrina Mercury Swimming School to broaden our pupils’ skills.
Whether playing a melody or a sport, every child is supported to try new things, grow their abilities and find joy in what they do.
Sporting champions
From Nursery upwards, pupils take part in a wide range of activities, from swimming in our heated indoor pool to football, tennis, athletics and more. Lessons, led by specialist teachers, focus on developing skills, teamwork and strategic thinking, while fostering confidence and a love of being active.
We’re proud of our strong sporting tradition – many pupils go on to earn scholarships at leading independent schools. Highlights include our summer Sports Day, fixtures with other schools, and an exciting choice of sport-related clubs that keep children engaged all year round.
Nurturing a lifelong love for movement
PE at Oakfields is all about inspiring a love for movement from the very start. Through engaging games and challenges, pupils develop key skills, confidence and a positive approach to being active.
As they progress, children have opportunities to push themselves further, build leadership skills and excel in their chosen sports. Many go on to achieve success at county and national levels, with alumni often sharing how their time at Oakfields set the foundations for their achievements.
Instrumental excellence
Alongside curriculum music, pupils can choose to learn an instrument with our talented team of specialist peripatetic teachers. From strings and piano to singing for musical theatre, guitar (classical and rock) and drums, there is something to inspire every budding musician.
Children are encouraged to work towards graded exams with leading examination boards, celebrating their progress and achievements along the way. Our whole school choir meets weekly and our musicians perform throughout the year at assemblies, concerts, and special occasions like our much-loved Christmas Carol Concert.
Music curriculum
Music at Oakfields is carefully planned and taught by our dedicated music specialist, ensuring every child’s journey is inspiring from the very start. From the age of three, pupils explore songs, actions and activities that link closely to their learning in Nursery, building confidence and joy in music-making.
From Reception onwards, the curriculum grows with them, introducing skills such as reading music, playing instruments including the recorder, ukulele and keyboards, and experimenting with musical improvisation to spark creativity.
An example of how our key principles, Pitch and Rhythm, are used throughout our curriculum is provided below, showcasing how they are built upon and integrated throughout the curriculum:
Reception
Our children are introduced to the concept of very basic ideologies of music through music and movement, where they learn to recognise high and low pitches and respond to them in specific ways. They also explore stemmed rhythmic notation, recognising crotchet beats and their corresponding sounds.
Year 1
Children are introduced to dot notation and the concept of high, middle and low using glockenspiels. They create their own pitch patterns and learn to read given pitch patterns. Throughout the unit focused on rhythm, they begin to explore crotchets and quavers (Ta and Ti-ti) by creating their own rhythms and reading basic rhythms by sight.
Year 2
The idea of high and low becomes an introduction to the tonic sol-fa system where children are shown the first 3 pitches of a scale (Do, Re, Mi) and they use hand movements to pitch, sing and recognise the sounds. We continue to explore rhythm by sight reading and playing along to a drumbeat!
Year 3
Rhythmic notation is further explored as children create music using London underground tube stops to form patterns. They are given autonomy to compose, notate, and perform their own underground raps. Building on their knowledge of Do, Re, Mi, they begin to learn pitched notation and start playing the recorder.
Year 4
Traditional songs and the pentatonic scale are explored, with students using their understanding of pitch to work out traditional songs by ear. They create their own pentatonic pieces, incorporating their understanding of pitch and rhythm. The recorder unit is revisited, with a focus on developing a more challenging repertoire of pieces.
Year 5
The first unit focuses on rhythmic patterns, exploring ostinato pieces and composing, notating, and performing their own pieces inspired by "Connect it" by Anna Meredith from Ten Pieces. Students also use their knowledge of notation and pitch to create improvisations around melodies inspired by Chinese New Year, the Blues, and participate in whole-class performances.
Year 6
In their final year, students integrate their knowledge by exploring rhythmic ostinatos in a unit that examines the music and themes of Harry Potter. They also analyse and create cover versions of their own choice of music. Additionally, they explore becoming a class band and collaborate on putting together a piece of music as a class.