Infrastructure

“Learning by doing” is our philosophy and to enhance the learning experience at a youngage, Somerville School provides Activity Rooms and fully equipped Laboratories for its students.

The school has a Physics Lab located on the second floor of the Senior Wing.The Laboratory has six tables with the arrangement of experimental set up. It is equipped with various apparatus and a black board. The lab can accommodate 25-30 students.The faculty is committed to nurturing the curious minds of the students. There is a well- qualified lab assistant, who helps the teacher in demonstrating experiments andarranging apparatus for the students.

The school has a well-equipped, spacious Chemistry Lab located on the second floor of the school. It has a separate room for keeping the potentially hazardous chemicals. The lab is well lit and fitted with exhaust fans. It has all the necessary chemicals, apparatus, centrifuge machine, chemical and electronic balances. The Lab is spacious enough to accommodate 24students. Facilities are provided for senior students toalso perform investigatory projects. The teachers and the lab assistant supervise the lab to ensure that the students work safely.

The Biology Lab of the school caters to the students of Classes IX-XII. It is well lit and spacious and can accommodate about 20 students. Equipped with facilities where students are exposed to the mysteries of the living world, it aims to encourage students to learn by doing. Precision instruments, an aquarium, digital screen, charts and models make learning fun and effective. Class XII students perform their investigatory projects here. The school garden is used as an extension of the Biology Lab and many field experiments are performed there. A qualified lab assistant manages the lab and helps the students perform the experiments.

Somerville School has two air- conditioned computer labs accessible to students from Classes IV to XII with advanced hardware and software to cater to the students’ requirements. Each laboratory has 20 to 25 systems. The internet is available at these labs and is used by students when required under the close supervision and guidance of their teachers.The school is well equipped with Smart Boards and LCD projectors from Pre-school to Class XII, to extend parts of the laboratory set up into the classrooms and make teaching and learning an effective process.

The Mathematics Laboratory at Somerville School brings technology in use to teach the concepts of Mathematics. It is an air-conditioned laboratory equipped with Smart Board, lab tools and computers. NIIT NGuru software and manipulatives are used by students and teachers to add to classroom learning. The Laboratory can accommodate 45 to 50 students. The Lab provides the students of Classes III to X an experience of learning the subject through visualising the problem, using 3D modelling and innovative activities.

The school has a Resource Centre enabled with internet connections, that gives our teachers an opportunity to keep in touch with the parents of their students, upload marks and prepare presentations and worksheets for the students. All records and academic reports are computerized and the teachers use the specialized software available in the Resource Centre for all academic work. It is from here that TataEdge modules and individualized lessons are transmitted to the systems in the classrooms for IT based teaching.

The Special Study Centre is for educating students with special educational needs in a way that addresses their individual requirements. Students with educational difficulties such as specific learning disability, below average intellectual ability etc., are given direct, specialised and differential instructions (either accommodations or modifications) as individuals or in groups by the Special Educator. Parents of children with special needs are counselled and involved in the teaching-learning process.

A School Library plays an integral role in teaching and learning and promotes wide reading, and motivates readers and learners for life. The school has two libraries one each for the Junior and the Senior School. The Junior Library for students of Classes I to V is located on the first floor. The Senior Library for students of Classes VI to XII is located on the second floor.
Both the libraries are well lit and have multifunctional space, where the students come and enjoy reading. The school library is enriched with wide variety of resources which includes books, periodicals, reference books, textbooks and Audio and Visual Cds to support the teaching and learning process.It has a collection of approximately 25000 books and other reading material.

The school has very talented Western Music Choirs at the Junior and Senior levels and the two Western Musicrooms usually teeming with very enthusiastic and talented young musicians and singers. Different styles and genres of music, both vocal and instrumental, are taught tothe students by gifted and committed teachers. While keeping the technical aspects in mind, students are encouraged to improvise and be creative. The rooms are equipped with quality instruments such as Drums, Guitar and Keyboard. The school orchestra and choirs are nurtured and built up through this activity.

Plato had said “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind., flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Keeping this in mind, the school has provided ample facilities to children to explore and hone their musical talent, both in Western and Indian Music, under the able guidance of our Music Teachers.

Indian Vocal Music and Tabla teachers in the Junior and Senior school nurture the young, enthusiastic and musically talented students in the art of Indian vocal and instrumental music. There are four rooms dedicated for this activity in the school, each equipped with a variety of musical instruments like the Harmonium, Tabla, Congo, Sitar and Tanpura.All students of the school go through training in these activities and many talents are discovered and nurtured through the competitions held in the school and at the Inter-School and Zonal levels.

Dance teaches the importance of movement and fitness through a variety of disciplines. There can be nothing better than dance to help our young pupils to de-stress and express their feelings in a productive and creative manner.

The School has a spacious, fully equipped Dance Room to teach various forms of dance. It has a smooth flooring, which has been especially designed for the soft, tapping feet of ourenthusiastic, youngdancers.Various dance forms, ranging from Indian folk and classical to freestyle and contemporary are taught to the students by our highly committed dance teachers.
George Bernard Shaw had said “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will”. Our school has provided our students with various facilities to help them to complete the journey between their imagination and their creation, be it in art, craft or cooking. Each child can select the art form in which they wish to develop their talent and learn under the expert guidance of their teachers.

Located on the second floor is the Applied Art Room. Neatly arranged artist desks beckon all the budding artists to learn the finer aspects of art and give vent to their creative impulses. They draw and paint Still Life, human figures, nature or give flight to their imagination through their creations on paper or canvas. They are introduced to the works of great artists and painters through the audio-visual screen available in the room. The wide variety of books on Art and artists add to the diversity of material available for the curious and enthusiastic artist.

Situated on the second floor is the Work Experience Room. It is the work station for not only craft work, but also for basic cooking classes. Students learn the art of candle making, glass painting, tile designing, paper quilling, flower and jewellery making and aesthetic management of waste.
This is also the room which guides our students in the art of baking and other culinary skills. Equipped with all modern amenities, the ambiance is encouraging with craft items displayed in glass wall shelves. Many a young, budding chef has perfected his/her cooking skills and created culinary delights in this room, which is also equipped with a microwave oven and a gas stove.

The school has a well- equipped,two-bed Infirmary that provides first aid in case of any emergency. The Infirmary is supervised by a trained medical attendant and has all the basic equipment required for emergency response such as Oxygen cylinders, Ambubag, blood pressure monitors, glucometers and steam inhalers. Wheel chairs and stretchers are readily accessible when the need arises. Through the Infirmary, students and parents are also made aware of health and safety precautions to be taken from time to time, especially during change of seasons. Careful records are kept of students with chronic problems such as diabetes, asthma or heart ailments and their special needs are catered to in coordination with parents.
All the students undergo a general health check up and dental check up once a year by qualified medical practitioners. The school medical attendant also conducts checks of height and weight of all students of the school as part of their annual medical examination.

The School Marching Band, which was introduced in the year 2010,is an integral part of Somerville School. Under the able guidance of a trained band master, the students are trained to use different instruments like the Bagpipe, Snare Drum and Bass Drum. The band forms an essential part of various events and lead the marching contingents at the Annual Sports Meets and the Investiture Ceremonies. The School Band has also performed special programmes at these events and has creditably participated at the Inter-School Marching Band Competition.

It is rightly said that ‘A healthy mind resides in a healthy body’ and thus, our school places great emphasis on sports and physical fitness Students are encouraged and trained to participate and excel in competitions at every level, Intra-school, Inter School, Zonal and National events.

Our school has a host of facilities which cater to the students’ needs. Apart from a sprawling playground, special areas are allotted for different games:

  • A 28 x 15 m. hard cemented court for Basketball
  • A 18 x 9 m. mud court for Volleyball
  • A 78×36 feet clay court for Lawn Tennis
  • A 95x 40 yards Football ground
  • Two pitches (cemented and mud) enclosed in nets for Cricket practice
  • Indoor/Activity area for Chess, Carrom and Table Tennis.

The school also provides coaching in martial arts, with students being trained in Taekwondo, which has enabled them to represent the school in various competitions and win several accolades.