Hallfield, founded in 1879, is a day preparatory school for 430 boys and girls aged 2.5-11 years. The school is divided into three sections, the Nursery, the Pre-Preparatory Department for children aged 3.5-7 years and the Upper School for children aged 7-11 years. Hallfield's first girls, aged 2.5-6 years, started in the Nursery and Pre-Prep in September 1995. Numbers of girls will increase each year as year groups move through the school. The first girls entered the Upper School in September 1997. The school occupies an attractive 20 acre site in the pleasant area of Edgbaston. Pupils are prepared for entry to local selective day schools at 11, as well as entry to a wide range of boarding schools. The school has a fine academic record, including an impressive list of Scholarship successes, and sets as its goal 'striving for excellence' in all fields.
The major sports are soccer, rugby and cricket. Other sports include athletics, swimming, rounders, basketball and netball. Music is given a high profile and many pupils learn musical instruments.
A wide range of extra-curricular activities is available. At the moment these include: Choir, orchestra, wind band, recorders, computers, table-tennis, art, athletics, basketball, badminton, rock-climbing, bridge, chess, life-saving, bird watching/nature, Science club, lego club.
Recent developments have involved the creation of new rooms for Art and for Design Technology, both of which subjects figure prominently in the curriculum, together with the usual range of academic subjects. The wide curriculum satisfies and goes well beyond the demands of the National Curriculum proposals.
In 1995 a major building project was completed which has provided two Science laboratories and a new entrance hall (1991), a new Music School (1993) and in 1995 a Sports Hall, a new block of 6 classrooms and major refurbishment of Pre-Prep, a new Nursery unit and a room for Information Technology with a network of 18 computers.
