Education Choices Magazine - Summer 2022

EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST

EDUCATION CORNER PODCASTINTERVIEW WITH HEADMISTRESS

Mrs. Louise McCabe-Arnold

FROM SURBITON HIGH GIRLS’ PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Mrs. Louise McCabe-Arnold speaks about her new role as headmistress, the ethos, supporting parents, bursaries and entrance procedures and even her school friendly dog.

Would you like to tell us a little bit about your career prior to joining Surbiton High Girls’? I spent the first part of my career in an all-girls prep school in Kent, before I moved to the Middle East. I spent six years there as Head of Maths, in a large co-ed British school in Abu Dhabi. I had a wonderful six years there, then I moved back to the UK and worked as the Deputy Head of a Girls’ Prep in central London before moving back to Kent again as the Deputy Head in another Girls’ Prep school. I have always followed that single-sex route. I have also always had a real passion for teaching Maths and PE. That was one of the things that attracted me to Surbiton: it was that mix of academic rigour and sporting success that is very much a part of me too.

In a previous interview you have spoken about loving that ‘light-bulb moment’. Can you tell us a little more about this and the philosophy behind your teaching practice? I think good teaching initially comes from passion and enjoyment for a subject. So much of Maths teaching, for example, is teaching children that they

can do it. It’s about making it relevant to real life. Every subject becomes more valuable when children see a connection between the content of it and their own life. I think that when that curiosity turns to interest, children become so much more interested in what they’re learning. I think that a teacher’s excitement for a topic is really contagious. Seeing a child suddenly grasp a concept is very rewarding.

What are you hoping to bring to the school to initiate in the academic year ahead? The Girls’ Prep is already an excellent school, so any changes I make will be small ones. I think the change that the girls have enjoyed the most is the introduction of the new school dog, Cona. Cona is a trained school assistance dog, she has just turned four years old and she has been with me in a school environment since she was eight weeks old. She is already making herself at home, she is getting to know the girls. They have enjoyed lots of cuddles and strokes with her. They are very excited about her being able to come into lessons and having the chance to work with her on a one-to-one basis.

I think in the new academic year I will predominantly focus on three areas…

Firstly, I’m looking at continuing the high level of academic provision, focusing on increasing that academic rigour across the school. I’m particularly looking at years 5 and 6, but I also don’t wish to

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Surbiton High Girls’ Prep

my counterpart at the Boys’ Prep to improve those collaborations.

Can you tell me a little about the ethos that drives Surbiton High School Girls’ Prep? Our motto, that I really love, actually, was something that I was really impressed with straight away when I joined the school. The motto is: ‘May love always lead us.’ I think that this really sums up everything that we do as staff at the school and everything that the children do as well. As a school, we really believe in not only understanding a curriculum, but it is also really important to us that we develop their emotional intelligence. We want to ensure that they are kind, supportive, and generous members of the community with both their words and their actions. As staff, we seek to inspire and empower the girls by encouraging them to achieve anything that they set their minds to. I think that one of our strengths is that we deliver a really rigorous curriculum, but we also place a huge importance on the girls’ wellbeing.

place undue pressure on the girls. I have previously worked in prep schools where the focus has been on school selection at eleven plus. I think that the wonderful appeal of Surbiton is that the girls reach that high academic standard, with an excellent education, but they get that without having to compete for a secondary school place. The eleven plus process is such a brutal process for them. I think that not having to focus on that means that we have a lot of time and effort to put towards giving the girls a really well-rounded education.

Secondly, I think that I will be looking to improve on our sports provision across the school, keeping our ‘sports for all’ mentality, but with a focus on providing every opportunity for the girls who have got a talent in a particular sport, whether that is individual or a team, looking at really giving them an opportunity to shine in those areas.

Thirdly, I will be looking at our collaboration with the Boys’ Prep. We have such a wonderful advantage here of offering a single-sex education, but with all the benefits that come from the Boys’ Prep. I am really looking forward to working with

What’s the best time, in your view, for prospective parents to initially visit for an Open Day and start thinking about registering their child? We hold open events throughout the year where prospective parents can meet with myself, meet with the other staff, and then they can have a tour of the school by our Year 6 girls. We generally recommend visiting about eighteen months prior to application.

Can you tell me a little bit then, about the application process? Our registration for Reception entry can be made any time prior to November, before their daughter would begin school. Once registered, the children will be invited to a small group Stay and Play session. This allows for the girls to explore our learning environment, get to meet our staff, get to know some of the other pupils, and it also allows

“I think that a teacher’s excitement for a topic is really contagious. Seeing a child suddenly grasp a concept is very rewarding.” »

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Scholarships and bursaries

us to observe the children in a particularly Early Years setting. As a part of that admissions process, everyone gets invited to the Stay and Play. We will also contact the child’s current nursery or preschool to request a confidential report. We also have the option of observing the children in their own setting that they may find more comfortable for them. We aim to inform the parents of the outcome of their daughter’s application as soon as possible. We offer places following our stay and play sessions.

We have a limited number of places at seven plus as well. We hold a Maths and English entrance assessment in early January. That is during the school year prior to entry.

What values and characteristics do you hope to develop in the girls in the time that they are with you? We are looking to develop dynamic and wellrounded girls. What is important is that there is no such thing as a ‘typical Surbiton Girl’. We want to celebrate every girl’s individuality and harness what makes them unique. I think that a really lovely part of the school is that we have our Surbiton High Learning Habit. These are the foundations of how we teach and how the girls learn. This is based around the four areas of: Thinking, Productivity, Involvement, and Emotions. This very much underpins everything that we do.

Scholarships and bursaries, as the children move on through the school, becomes a larger part of a consideration. I know that the Senior School is very generous with these. How do you support the families who may need additional financial support, or with children gifted in a certain subject? We do have a limited number of means tested Church Schools Foundation Bursaries. We have some that are awarded in the Prep School, and some that are awarded from Year 7 to 11 in the Senior School. These are reviewed annually. We don’t offer full bursaries, but we do ask that parents can make a contribution to the fees alongside those bursaries. We have scholarships in a range of subjects: academic, art, drama, dance, performing

“We want to celebrate every girl’s individuality and harness what makes them unique.”

arts, music, and sport. Our main sports are: cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, netball, tennis, and skiing. These are on merit from Year 7. We don’t have scholarships in the Prep School, but we do have that option as the girls move into High School.

In fact, we’ve sent a number of children over with both academic and sports scholarships in the last few years. Do you have a strong SEN department for the children? Yes. Although we are an academically selective school, we support the girls in a range of ways. Since joining the school I have been really impressed with our SEN department. They do a really fantastic job of ensuring that every girl reaches her potential and has access to a range of resources and specialist teaching. This could be an intervention for phonics, maths, or perhaps something more practical like needing a standing desk, or concentration breaks during the day. They are very active in making sure that all those things are available to the girls. Our focus on mental health and wellbeing is particularly strong. We have a really well developed programme

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Senior school

that allows our girls the access to staff members that they can share concerns and worries with. We also have Cona, who works with the class, both as a whole and on a one-to-one basis, where that might be needed.

Do the girls get an automatic place in the Senior School, or do they still sit an internal assessment? The girls do receive an automatic place in the Senior School, although we do monitor their academic progress throughout the time at the Prep School, just to ensure that they will be able to thrive at the Senior School. We have those conversations with parents as we go along, it’s not a shock when they get to Year 6, it would be a conversation that has been had along the way. All of our girls in Year 6 sit the Senior School entrance paper. They are also interviewed at the same time as the external candidates. This is to see where they place amongst the external candidates, whilst also allowing for them to be considered for scholarships. This year 20% of our girls from the Prep School received

an academic scholarship to the High School, and that was whilst comparing them to the external candidates. We also had a range of scholarships offered as well in different departments.

Do you have a sibling policy? Yes, we do. We welcome applications from children who have already got a sibling at the school. Places are always allocated on merit. All applicants still need to take the relevant age appropriate assessments. We do have a system where if any child has siblings attending any of the Surbiton schools at the same time, fees are discounted by 5% for the second sibling, and 10% for the third or any subsequent siblings.

We would like to thank Headmistress Mrs. Louise McCabe-Arnold, Surbiton High Girls’ Prep, for giving up her time to speak to us.

www.surbitonhigh.com/girls-prep/

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