The Hales Campus (age 8 – 11)

At the start of Year 4, when they are 8 years of age, pupils at Swallows transfer directly to Hales. There is no entrance examination to Hales for children who transfer from Swallows. They then spend three years at this site before finishing at King Henry VIII Preparatory School at the end of Year 6 (aged 11).  The intention is that at the age of 11 most children will pass into King Henry VIII Senior School for their secondary education. 

At Hales, children in Years 5 & 6 are taught in classes of 20 in a ‘pre-secondary environment’.  This means that children are taught by a range of teachers in subject specialist classrooms, with pupils moving in between lessons to their next teachers.  This method of teaching allows teachers to specialise in one or a few chosen subjects and enables the School to provide well resourced, specialist teaching rooms.  Able children are able to make very good progress in this system, having access to outstanding facilities and a range of teachers. 

The main building at Hales was constructed in 1996, specifically for junior aged children.  It has its own Sports Hall, suite of Music rooms, Science Laboratory, Library, Art & Design Studio, ICT Room and playgrounds.  Some sports and dining facilities are shared with the Senior School (although not at the same time), giving pupils access to a 25 metre swimming pool and other outstanding sports facilities.

All children in Years 4, 5 and 6 are placed into forms.  The composition of each form is based on a balance of children of various ages within the specific academic year group (e.g. children who are young and old for the year), a good balance of boys and girls, as well as a mixture of faiths and family backgrounds.  Each form meets with its form teacher at the start of every school day and it is the responsibility of the form teacher to look after the pastoral welfare of all children in his/her form.  Most of the lessons which children receive will be in their forms (as is the case at KHVIII Senior School).  However, children are ‘setted’ (placed into classes) across the year group for English (Years 5 & 6) and Mathematics (Years 4, 5 & 6) based purely on ability in these subjects; Games is also taught across each year group with boys playing different team games to girls. 

In Year 5 all children are assessed in English, Mathematics and Reasoning for a Guaranteed Place at King Henry VIII Senior School. In Year 6 pupils take 11+ examinations to gain entry to the KHVIII Senior School or other schools in the area. 

The subjects studied at Hales are: English, Mathematics, Science, ICT, French, History, Geography, Religious Education, PSHCE, Art & Design Technology, Music, P.E., Swimming, Games. 

History of the Hales Campus
King Henry VIII School was founded in 1545 at the request of King Henry VIII.  It was founded by John Hales, a learned man who had written several scholarly books and was well known to the King.  Hales was keen to earn Henry’s favour in return for being allowed to purchase land formerly owned by the church in and around Coventry.  King Henry VIII School was originally situated in Coventry’s city centre but towards to end of the nineteenth century moved to its present location on Warwick Road.  At about this time there were plans to create a Preparatory School but these foundered and a Junior School was not founded until the inter-war years of the 20th century. 

King Henry VIII Junior School was originally situated on the corner of the main KHVIII School site, where Spencer Road meets Warwick Road, but moved to its own purpose-built, modern accommodation in 1996.  This is now the Hales Campus.        

Famous alumni of the School include the poet Philip Larkin, the founder of the modern Royal Navy Admiral Sir ‘Jackie’ Fisher and the England rugby international David Duckham.