We strive to give all our children a wide and stimulating programme of learning. At Dolphin many subjects are taught by specialists from the age of five and from the age of six all our classes are taught in this way.

In the early years we provide a firm grounding in English-based skills within the humanities curriculum. French begins in Nursery, Latin is introduced at the end of Year Five and German, Spanish and Greek in Year Seven. Laboratory Science is taught from age seven, and in addition to the standard subjects, we stimulate our children by means of an expanded curriculum which includes Architecture, Astronomy, Philosophy, Thinking Skills, Current Affairs, and Environmental Studies.

At Dolphin our greatest resource is our highly qualified and dedicated staff. They are innovative and flexible and enjoy the challenge of teaching able children. They stay abreast of current trends in the teaching profession and of developments in their specialist fields. Although subject specialist teaching begins at the age of seven, there is an extremely high degree of integration between departments and no subject is taught in isolation.

Dolphin also provides a wealth of opportunities to be involved in sport and music and we stage two high quality drama productions each year.

Sport and general fitness are valued highly at Dolphin and there are opportunities to be involved in physical activities during the school day and at clubs after school. There are playing fields, all-weather tennis and netball courts and a swimming pool on site and cricket matches are played at Hurst, a nearby county standard cricket ground. Sporting activities include rugby, football, cricket, rounders, hockey, netball, tennis, swimming and gymnastics. Judo is available after school as a club. There are scholarships available for children who excel at sport.

Drama is an important part of life at Dolphin as are opportunities for public speaking in class or in school assemblies. We stage two high quality drama productions each year at Christmas and in the summer. At Christmas our Year Five children staged a unique, exciting, musical explaining the struggle of early astronomers. Summer 2007 we were treated to performances of The Pied Piper, a musical written and produced by our Head of Music, David Cooper and performed by all of the children in Years Four, Five, Seven and Eight.

At Dolphin children love to perform and express themselves in many ways. We celebrate the talents of the individual and music plays an important part in this. The children are exposed to many types of music, including classical and are encouraged to share their musical ability and interests with their class or even the whole school at an assembly. The Head of Music at Dolphin is also a composer and many of Dolphin’s productions have been written in house. There are internal and external scholarships available for particularly musically able children.

Children are given the opportunity to work in many different mediums within the Art Department and are encouraged to express themselves freely. Art also plays a part in many of the field trips where the children sketch such things as castles and views in the open air. Dolphin has had many extremely talented artists over the years and offers scholarships to the most able in this area. To see some examples of recent work please visit our Image Gallery.