7 In brief
All of the latest news and developments
13 Leading the way
Why girls must be helped to develop leadership skills in the modern world
15 Country life
What to think about if you’re considering a move from the city to the countryside
16 Community spirit
Vertigal integration is key to helping pupils thrive at Broomfield School
18 Soaking up life lessons
Experiencing a range of activities fosters curiosity, making children active learners
20 Starstruck!
Studying the night sky fires up childrens’ imaginations and interest in the universe
24 Too much too young
Downtime is important – don’t try to keep children constantly busy and stimulated
32 Apply some pressure
How to navigate the senior school admissions process
38 In five pictures...
Welcome to this spring prep schools edition of Independent School Parent !
Forest School, where children are instilled with a love of the outdoors and the world around them, has become an intrinsic part of pre-prep learning provision across schools in the UK. Newcastle-under-Lyme Prep School in Sta ordshire has taken this to a whole new level, with its outdoor pursuits programme, Prep Adventures. Borne out of a combination of Forest School, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and elements of Combined Cadet Force (CCF), its aim is to provide adventure, instil self-belief and encourage ambition in prep-aged children, and you can read all about it on page 46.
Stargazing and astronomy are part of the STEM curriculum at St Margaret’s Junior School in Hertfordshire, and on page 20, Head Emma Gray explains the benefits of learning about what’s going on in our night skies. Who would have thought…?
If you’re looking for something to do for a weekend or a few days away, and which combines culture with a bit of fun, why not explore the city of Amsterdam? On page 72, Tracey Davies and her daughter Lola discover hidden gems in the Netherlands’ capital.
There’s also a competition to enter on page 81, where you can win a night’s stay for your family at The Grand, York: find out more at independentschoolparent.com/win
Channing School in North London
40 Nothing ventured nothing gained
If a school is right for your child, a bursary could make it happen
46 Into the wild
Newcastle-under-Lyme School has a fantastic bespoke Prep Adventures scheme
50 Ask the experts
Post-pandemic, how can schools reinforce a sense of fun and belonging?
54 Pulling together
Pupils undertake partnership projects with the local community at Blundell’s School
60 Work in progress
The importance of encouraging children to think about careers at an early age
64 Just giving
Helping others is a positive way to promote wellbeing and boost self-esteem
68 Movers and makers
Successful independent school alumni
72 Double Dutch
An educational and enjoyable city break in the Netherlands
75 Calendar
Spring fun for half-term and beyond
81 Competition
Win a luxury family night away and cookery lesson at The Grand in York
82 School memories
Television presenter Kirstie Allsopp remembers Bedales School in Hampshire
EDITORIAL
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Independent School Parent is for parents of children in prep and senior independent schools. The Independent School Parent magazine in prep and senior issues is published termly. Parents can subscribe for a free issue at: independentschoolparent. com/register
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Colin Bell, COBIS
Alison Fleming Newton Prep, Battersea
Aileen Kane, Boarding Schools’ Association
Rachel Kerr, AMCIS
David Moncrieff, Chairman
Sir Anthony Seldon, Commentator and author
Mark Stretton, HMC
Ben Vessey, Canford School, Dorset
Sue Woodroofe, The Grammar School at Leeds
Helen Wright, Educational consultant
Peter Young, Marketing/Brand Consultant
COLIN BELL is CEO of COBIS, which works with and supports students, teachers, leaders, support staff and governors from high-quality British international schools in more than 80 countries around the world.
ALISON FLEMING has been Headmistress at Newton Prep in Battersea since September 2013. Educated at grammar school herself, she started out her impressive teaching career honing her classroom craft in state schools.
AILEEN KANE is the Boarding Schools’ Association’s Chief Operating Officer, overseeing media, marketing, sponsorship, finance and HR facilities. Aileen is a member of BSA’s senior leadership team.
RACHEL KERR is Communications Manager for AMCIS, the Association for Admissions, Marketing and Communications in Independent Schools. Previously, she led
communications for the Girls’ Schools Association and has been director of external relations for a large independent school.
DAVID MONCRIEFF is a publisher specialising in education and heritage, having previously worked as Director of Marketing at Mayfield School, and for more than 12 years as Director of Marketing Services at the British Tourist Authority.
SIR ANTHONY SELDON is a contemporary historian and political author. He’s the Emeritus Professor of the University of Buckingham and was the 13th Master of Wellington College in Berkshire from 2006 to 2015.
MARK STRETTON joined the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) as Communications Manager in 2017, bringing with him more than 15 years’ experience in education sector communications.
BEN VESSEY joined Canford in 2013 as Headmaster from Christ’s
Hospital, where he was Senior Deputy Head. He’s currently Vice-Chair of the HMC’s Professional Development sub-committee.
SUE WOODROOFE has been a Head for 12 years, first at The British School of Brussels, and now at The Grammar School at Leeds. She has a particular interest in the three-to18-years educational journey, as well as the benefits of multicultural and international learning environments for children.
DR HELEN WRIGHT is a former President of the Girls’ Schools Association and Vice-Chair of the independent Schools Council, with three major headships under her belt. Since 2014, she has worked in international education and advises, recruits and coaches senior leaders in schools all over the world.
PETER YOUNG is an independent school governor and Chairman of the Business Marketing Awards.
COVER: MORETON HALL, SHROPSHIRE
Pupils at the Romsey school brought 2022 to a joyful conclusion and looked forward to the start of a new year, with both the Early Years and KS1 nativity plays being performed to families at the close of the autumn term.
Having rehearsed hard for their Christmas show, pupils were excited to be on stage in front of their loved ones. The Early Years children gave a wonderful rendition of Whoops-A-Daisy, while KS1 opted for the more traditional We’d Like to Tell You a Story. Both nativities were filmed for family members who couldn’t make the live event.
“We thoroughly loved performing these nativities,” says Mrs Fay, Director of Music at Stroud. “A lot of hard work, planning and rehearsals went into these productions, and we’re so pleased that friends and families could enjoy these festive performances.”
The school also celebrated the festive season with a carol service at Romsey Abbey for middle and senior school children and their families.
Northwood Schools, Greater London
The school group, which comprises Broomwood Hall Lower School, Broomwood Hall Upper School and Northcote Lodge, will unite under one name from this September: Broomwood. The rebrand will consolidate the three schools into one united brand that symbolises and confirms the seamless educational journey from pre-prep to prep. Drawing on the best of each institute, Broomwood’s exceptional model of collaborative single-sex and co-ed learning will be clearer than ever before. The pre-prep will also extend its excellent Early Years provision by opening Little Broomwood, a pre-school class.
• #Bekind
Latymer Prep School, London
The Diana Award team has named the prep its School of the Month. This accolade recognises the work that the school’s antibullying ambassador team has been doing to promote positivity and create exciting peer support opportunities in its community.
• Easy rider St Swithun’s School, Hampshire
Holding the reins of her beloved Mountain Moorland pony Hugo, 11-year-old pupil Izzy Williams took on the adults at Birmingham’s Horse of the Year Show and incredibly came within one mark of the winner in the Working Hunter Pony competition.
• Fair share
Cameron Vale School, London
The New School Exeter, Devon
The Exeter School group nursery and pre-prep has launched its new Forest School. The outside space has been repurposed, with a nature trail running around the boundary of the grounds and an outdoor classroom where the children take part in rope swinging and campfire singing. The weekly sessions, which promote self-esteem, creativity and independence, are led by qualified Forest School practitioner, Caroline Smyth.
Dixie Grammar, Leicestershire
Sheffield Girls’ School GDST, South Yorkshire
Children from the Chelsea prep – which also recently raised £5,000 through an art auction for charity Gold for Kids – celebrated Harvest Festival by collecting food items for UK Harvest, which distributes donations to refuges, shelters and youth centres.
Infant and junior pupils enjoyed the unique experience of performing a song in front of 20,000 spectators at the Rugby World Cup, promoting children’s rights and in support of the wider work of UNICEF. Aged five to 11, the choir took to the stage during half time to deliver a moving rendition of Right to be Loved, a song written and produced by the Song Academy.
• Well versed Sancton Wood, Cambs
Finalists took to the stage to compete in the Poetry Together 2022 poetry writing competition, facing an illustrious judging panel made up of Gyles Brandreth, Waterstones
The Market Bosworth allthrough school’s team of riders won the British Showjumping Just for Schools national championships this year at Stoneleigh Park. Comprising one year 11 student and two year nine students from the school’s equestrian club, the team finished on a clear round to take the title. This achievement adds to the success of the school’s younger riders at last August’s NSEA Festival. s
Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and award-winning poet Lucy Cuthew. The junior school winners were Benjamin Andrews and Georgina Wall.
Moon’ marked the Artemis missions and 50 years since astronauts stepped on the moon’s surface. A team of stellar scientists from Upper Prep inspired the school by leading assembly and demonstrating their passion for learning. e fascination and wonder of the moon inspired the STEAM activities and experiments across every year group from Reception, upwards. Pupils tested and trialled their innovative ideas using robotics and questioned each other with purpose and conviction. Enrichment opportunities such as these, expose pupils to interesting topics and o er a chance to learn new skills through practical, active learning. Whether it’s debating, coding, skateboarding, zendoodling, micro-bit development, or fencing, teachers and pupils play and learn together throughout the enrichment of the ‘everyday’ at Sydenham High Prep School.
The minute we are born, the world around us provides surroundings to explore and discoveries to make. e ‘learning’ that subsequently happens along the way is part of a lifelong process. Children are innately curious, beginning their early lives questioning and wondering about the world around them. e ever-present, “Why?” is a word uttered with a compelling conviction that to most adults can be staggering in frequency. Young children’s ability to nd joy in learning about the simplest things and feel accomplishment in conquering those early life skills; building towers; learning to write their name; tying shoelaces is a reminder to acknowledge the power of perseverance in shaping a child’s vision for their day ahead.
At Sydenham High Prep School, we want our pupils to always remain that curious and enthused about their learning everyday. Our singular vision for excellence is built upon the core foundations of an aspirational, creative critical thinking and innovative learning environment that allows pupils to experience the joy of learning rsthand. When children are lled with a love for learning, they develop
resilience, compassion for the world around them, curiosity, and communication skills.
e ability to ‘bounce back’ and persevere are central tenants to fostering a healthy approach to life and its inevitable bumps along the way. e modern challenges of the day beg of this at a more exponential rate than ever. Signalling the ‘everyday’ small moments of joy that exist and cultivating a community spirit of gratitude foster a connection between the girls at Sydenham High Prep School that is ful lling whilst grounding.
e joy of learning bubbles in the classrooms of Sydenham High Prep School every day. Enthusiasm permeates debates and discussions, whilst our teachers provide ambitious learning challenges for pupils and o en hands-on activities to better visualise and understand speci c subjects. O ering choices through challenges encourages pupils to look deeper to open up their own initial ideas. Play and imagination is encouraged at all ages, seeing the girls develop their learning together through spirited, active discourse.
Pupils learn joyfully all around the school. Recently, a STEAM day themed ‘Mission to the
Children are motivated in many di erent ways. At Sydenham High Prep School, we want every pupil to feel empowered and excited about learning. Our newly designed wall wraps capture the vast array of passions our pupils have and the creativity of young minds. Exposing children to a diverse, broad range of experiences and topics sparks their imagination and allows them to discover things that they eventually may become interested in exploring deeper.
Whilst children have a natural propensity for curiosity, there can be no doubt on the impact that we, as parents and educators, have on fostering a lifelong love of learning. Creating an environment where joyful learning ourishes helps children acquire knowledge and skills, but more importantly, gain con dence and pride in their own intellectual abilities as the young minds of the future. Girls at Sydenham High Prep School are encouraged to forge their own path, prepare for a future unknown; quietly con dent in the knowledge that they have all that they could ever need, within themselves. Our approach to learning at Sydenham High Prep School inspires and ensures that along this path, the girls develop the habits, skillset, mindset and the wellness to be successful wherever life may take them.
sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net
Gillian Panton, Head of Sydenham High Prep School, writes on the importance of encouraging curiosity
It’s all change for these schools
Beechwood Park, Hertfordshire will welcome Christian Pritchard as Head in September.
Pennthorpe, West Sussex
In September, Hilary Phillips will become Head of Hanford School, Dorset.
The prep unveiled its new state-of-the-art, all-weather multi-use games area (MUGA) with the help of Old Pennthorpian and World Athletics Championship gold medallist, Jake Wightman, who was on ribbon-cutting duties. The 70m x 35m sand-based Astro will accommodate a plethora of sport, namely hockey, football and netball all year round. It joins the school’s other sporting facilities, such as the sports hall, pavilion, football and rugby fields and cricket square.
Old Buckenham Hall, Suffolk has announced the appointment of Head, James Large Thomas Banyard will join RGS Dodderhill, Worcestershire as Head in the summer term.
The Oratory School, South Oxfordshire has appointed Dr Julian Murphy as Head, starting in September.
Cheltenham Prep School, Gloucestershire
In September 2022, the prep welcomed children into the newly built, dedicated nursery school facility on its campus. The school’s youngest pupils and their families were amazed at the new purpose-built nursery, complete with indoor and outdoor learning spaces to provide a supportive, state-of-the-art environment where they’ll enjoy creative play alongside French, music and mindfulness sessions.
Woodbridge School, Suffolk
Upon recognising that engineering is at the core of STEM learning, the Ipswich school has become one of the first in the UK to champion it as a stand-alone subject for students in years one to six. All lessons are delivered by a specialist engineering teacher, who has experience as a project engineer in a multinational manufacturing company. Class sizes of 10 allow for in-depth discussion and support for each child.
If you were asked to imagine a leader, who comes to mind? The majority of people would visualise an inspirational man. There is a global phenomenon ‘think manager – think male’ which effectively highlights that, even though huge strides have been made in relation to gender equality, our internal social bias is that men are the leaders. In the last decade, scientific findings have concluded traits such as humility, self-awareness, emotional intelligence and kindness are needed to make the most effective leaders. Findings also conclude that women outperform men in these key traits.
This presents us with a problem: women have huge potential as incredibly effective leaders, but our cognitive bias as a society about the gender we think leaders need to be and the traits we believe we need to see in them, presents a barrier to many
by female leaders across the school, acting as mentors, coaches and role models for our young women. Small group workshops and 1:1 coaching sessions are undertaken in areas such as strengths identification, finding your passion, leadership identity and effective reflection. We also have a programme of visiting speakers alongside this to inspire and empower our girls on their pathway to leadership. By creating this programme we are not saying girls need more leadership development than boys; it is simply an acknowledgement that, due to the continued gender imbalance in leadership roles and the cultural assumptions, as a society we continue to dissociate women in leadership. With this in mind, and as an educator of both boys and girls, we actively prepare our girls for these kind of challenges; so they have the best chance of overcoming them in their
women realising this leadership potential.
I am fortunate to work in a school where 85 per cent of senior staff are female. I have seen the benefits that female leadership can have on employee morale, passion, collaboration and a positive culture. As a Head and female leader in education, I have also, however, experienced the ‘think manager – think male’ phenomenon at play. It’s often subtle and subconscious, but it definitely continues to exist. Although there has been much progress in society’s view of women as leaders, a shift in a long-ingrained cultural mind-set doesn’t happen quickly or without specific action.
This is why, at Pennthorpe, we have created the ‘LeaderHERship programme’ for our girls in years six to eight. Research shows that exposing adolescent girls to leadership and actively developing their understanding and use of their leadership skills is critical preparation for them to undertake future leadership roles. The programme is specifically designed to empower our girls to believe in themselves, set their sights high and proactively seek opportunities to utilise their skills. LeadHERship is delivered
pursuit of future leadership positions. Running in parallel with these opportunities for our girls, is the consistent education and encouragement of our boys in their understanding of equal opportunities for all, thus bolstering their belief in their own abilities to thrive.
Leadership is not an inherent characteristic, but a set of skills and attitudes that can be nurtured and developed. One of the most powerful things we can do as educators is cultivate a generation of female leaders who value the qualities they can bring to leadership positions and have the resilience to withstand accusations that, because they are not dominant enough, forceful enough or male, they are not good leaders. The world would benefit from more leaders who focus on empowering others, lead with kindness and empathy and have the emotional intelligence to work with a wide variety of people effectively and get the best out of them. Although these qualities are seen as stereotypically female, we must work on instilling them in both girls and boys. These are the traits needed for effective contemporary leadership; let’s embrace them.
Girls need an equal chance to develop the skills and attributes to prepare them for leadership in today’s world, says Lydia Waller
THE PROGRAMME IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to empower our girls to believe in themselves, set their sights on leadership and proactively seek opportunities TO UTILISE THEIR SKILLS
Moving to the countryside has been absolutely the right decision for my family, although it did take us some time to feel ready.
My husband and I had lived in London since we were in our twenties, and we spent the best part of the last two decades in Chelsea. We loved our life in London and having everything on our doorstep, but I knew I didn’t want my children in London schools as they got older.
Gloucestershire had been our weekend home for the last 12 years, so we knew the area well, and we were lucky enough to have a few friends who had also moved out of London in the same direction. It meant our transition between town and country was a lot smoother, as we switched from weeks in London and weekends in the country, to full-time
be bleak), and I’d also recommend joining a few fitness classes with other mums, getting stuck into the school community or working with a charity. I started volunteering with the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals which has helped me build my life here as well as giving my family what they need.
When considering country prep schools, we knew we wanted Tabitha to go to Beaudesert. We had friends with children there and knew it was the place for us, but we didn’t realise how amazing it was until we joined.
The space is unparalleled. Both my children loved their London school while they were younger, but it was just one building with no playground or outdoor space. Whenever they played sports, they had a 15-minute walk or a coach journey to local
country living. After lockdown – and with my eldest moving to Marlborough College – I lost the love for London life.
Moving full-time to the countryside is very different to spending the weekend here; when you are visiting, you can dip into the country lifestyle of roaring fires and village pubs. When you are here full-time, all the everyday chores still need to be done and the mud…there is so much mud!
We also found it extremely difficult to find a house here. Over a year on from our move, and after three years of searching, we are only just completing on a property – although, it was definitely worth the wait.
If you are considering escaping to the country (this term makes me laugh as it really is ‘freeing’), I would recommend going slowly. It can be a bit of a culture shock and you might find you aren’t ready to leave the city permanently; my husband is still hanging on to London by his fingernails!
It’s definitely worth renting in an area first, and make sure you have something to anchor yourself to, whether that’s family, friends or a school you know you want to join. Think about the time of year you are moving in (doing the school run in the darkest depths of January and February can
facilities. It was a happy school, but I knew they would outgrow it.
Beaudesert has acres of space, with so much land for the children to run around in and climb trees! It has so many more facilities for the children to enjoy: science labs, cricket pitches, art studios, AstroTurf for hockey, tennis and football and a performing arts centre, to name a few.
For us as a family, the move has been the best thing. Tabitha has excelled. She spends much less time on a screen than she would have done in London, and instead she is out in our garden (yes, we have a garden now!), or at school, building a den in the trees or constructing a mud oven with her friends at break time.
We are both riding again, which is a wonderful bonding experience for us. She loves her sport so much more and is playing with and against children of a higher calibre, purely because they do so much more of it out here!
I would recommend the move to anyone. Instead of crowded streets and busy commutes, two deer crossed in front of my car this morning as I was doing the school run. You can’t get more quintessential than that! Make sure you are ready for the move but do it and enjoy!
Jill Bradley swapped living in London for Gloucestershire and says it was the right decision for her family. Here she writes about what to consider if you are planning on doing the same…
THE MOVE HAS BEEN THE BEST THING. Tabitha has excelled. She spends much less time on a screen than she would have done in London, AND INSTEAD SHE IS OUT IN OUR GARDEN (YES, WE HAVE A GARDEN!)
Broomfield is a family school. We all feel it, pupils, staff, parents, even the team of ISI Inspectors who recently visited felt it. Their report noted:
“The school’s implicit culture and sense of family… underpins the pupils’ desire to do their best.”
Founded in 1876, Broomfield was owned by a local family who ran the school for over 50 years. We are now part of a much wider family, Dukes Education, but determined that this core element of our school isn’t lost in the bigger picture.
So, how do you make and sustain a family school? It’s important to embed values that foster partnerships in our school community, and instil a culture of kindness and mutual support.
But how the school is structured matters too.
to be upstanders not bystanders, empowering them to share responsibility with the whole school community to make sure it is a happy, safe space. Vertical integration makes it more likely they will choose to be proactive, to interrupt a playground game to take care of a younger or older friend.
Personal development: our house system brings children together in sports, academic competitions and charitable endeavours. Elections within houses bring dynamism to our pupil council, where classes in KS2 are represented. They canvas opinions, debate ideas and make proposals to influence school developments; they even have a budget to spend, courtesy of our fabulous PTA. We have implemented some terrific ideas, from introducing trousers to the girls’ uniform options to managing competing
Vertical integration is a key plank in Broomfield’s strategy to create this sense of family. It might sound formal but, in essence, vertical integration simply maximises every opportunity for the children to engage in learning and play with other year groups. Thousands of interactions take place every day in school and we want these to be supportive moments where older and younger children benefit and learn from each other.
To achieve this, our pastoral and academic initiatives are aimed at creating constructive relationships across the school years which result in a number of important outcomes.
Role models: small children love older ones to pay them attention and vertical integration allows our older children to play a key role in modelling positive behaviours with the younger ones.
Social skills: hands-on experience of supporting more junior children gives opportunities for senior pupils to influence school life for the better. They learn to challenge poor conduct and help each other make better choices going forward. Encouraging children to tell a teacher if they see any unkindness means we can address issues when they occur. We ask children
demands for different games at playtime. There are many other ways in which we encourage vertical integration. Trained antibullying ambassadors in years four and five assist others in the rest of the school in handling tricky social situations. Year six pupils take on prefect roles, which reflect their personality and interests. They escort younger classes to assemblies and run activities with them during wet play.
Year one is a lovely moment, when the class transitions into the more formal school uniform and important new skills are required. They are championed in this by year five, who help teach them to do up shoelaces and ties.
As Deputy Head of Pastoral, I see the benefits of this family culture daily. Confidence grows, social skills develop and the ability to work with others increases. Children can adapt to new experiences and find ways to solve challenges by thinking in different ways. The vertical links also benefit year six in their 11+ interviews, when they are often asked how they contribute to life at school. They have real life experience of leadership, motivating others, tackling challenges and building a sense of community and shared endeavour.
A structure based on vertical integration encourages engagement and collaboration across the year groups and helps to maintain our founding ethos as a family school, writes Jo Pache
VERTICAL INTEGRATION MAKES IT much more likely they will choose to be proactive, TO INTERRUPT A PLAYGROUND GAME TO TAKE CARE OF A YOUNGER OR OLDER FRIEND
