Programmes

Three stages, one school.

From the first muddy mornings of the Infant Studio to the final thesis of our Sixth Form, a Circa education is one continuous arc — not three disconnected chapters.

01
Ages 3–7 · Infant Studio

A garden first. A classroom second.

The Infant Studio is the heart of the lower school. Children spend at least half their day outdoors — in the orchard, the woodland, the vegetable beds, or the covered outdoor studio. Indoors, our three permanent rooms are arranged around story, making, and quiet work. There is no uniform; there are wellies.

Literacy and numeracy are taught from four, in small, gentle groups. We are patient readers. We believe — and the research agrees — that children who learn to read a little later read more, and more happily, for life.

Outdoor learning Story & language Early maths Making & craft Music & song Forest school Gardening
02
Ages 8–14 · Middle School

The years of big questions.

Middle School is where Circa becomes properly rigorous. The core curriculum is taught in long, project-shaped blocks: a fortnight on the French Revolution, three weeks on probability, a whole half-term writing, editing, and publishing a collection of short stories.

Children sit eight GCSEs at the end of Year 11 — fewer than most schools, taught deeper. Our average grade sits at 8.1, but we are more interested in the fact that almost every Circa child moves into Sixth Form still reading for pleasure, still asking hard questions, still curious about something entirely their own.

English Language & Literature Maths Combined Sciences History Geography French & Latin Art & Design Music Philosophy & Ethics Computing
03
Ages 15–18 · Sixth Form

Where curiosity meets craft.

Our sixth form is a bespoke diploma. Each student studies three A-levels and completes three additional strands: an independent research thesis of 8,000 words; a service commitment of 60 hours a year with a local organisation; and a mentorship with someone outside the school whose work they admire — an architect, a novelist, a surgeon, a chef.

The result is young people who can write, defend an argument, work with an adult, and make something from an empty page. Ninety-two percent of our 2025 leavers received Russell Group or Oxbridge offers; more importantly, all of them are still in touch with their research tutor.

Mathematics & Further Maths English Literature History Biology · Chemistry · Physics Philosophy Economics Art & Design Languages Research thesis Service year External mentorship