FACILITIES Pre-prep is housed in a charming purposebuilt building all geared up for children to hit the ground running. Before pupils even join, they are invited to weekly Pufflings play sessions with parents at the nursery area, a light, airy and spacious room with naturalthemed décor bursting with provocations. This allows a seamless transition once children join at age 3, as they’re generally familiar with the space and staff. As pupils move through towards Reception and Key Stage One, the environment becomes busier, brighter and geared up to support learning at every turn. Pupils are taught by specialist teachers and start young – Mandarin and French lessons feature on the curriculum (when Muddy visited children were enjoying a fabulous French sing-song) along with drama, music and sport in addition to the standard early years subjects. The philosophy around reading, Every Child A Reader, gets kids into books nice and early. Special mention goes to the quality of the artwork, which is in one word, exceptional. Work by Reception pupils wouldn’t look out of place in a GCSE art studio.
Classrooms are structured around a generous outdoor play area with lots of age appropriate free-flow space, and the lovely field out front where pupils play sport is a surprisingly generous green addition to this very built-up area of Brighton. The school is only a stone’s throw from the sea, however, and weekly Beach School sessions make the absolute most of the location. Prep (years 4 to 8) is a short walk away, right next door to the main college, in the most fabulous Regency-esque building with a rather ecclesiastical feel to the grand entrance. As Muddy walked in, a concert band in the adjacent hall launched into the theme tune from Game of Thrones – how’s that for a welcome? Walk through the stunning library, housed in the old chapel, and through the light and versatile hall space and the building becomes a delightful bustle of classrooms and playgrounds populated by busy and purposeful children. A food tech area resembles the tent from Bake Off, and emits the most delicious aromas to boot.
