11 minute read
Education Corner Podcast Interview
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH VICE PRINCIPAL
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Mrs. Grace McCahery
Mrs. Grace McCahery speaks about The White House Preparatory School, which is also affiliated to Woodentops nursery. The school is situated in Clapham, South London and was established in 1985. It provides a warm, friendly and inviting place for children to discover, learn and grow in confidence.
Could you tell us a little about Woodentops nursery and how it is affiliated to the school (for parents with babies and young children)?
The White House Prep was founded nearly 40 years ago, and from that the Woodentops nursery was founded ten years ago. We began to see a demand from our parents at The White House Prep who wanted more childcare, especially during the holidays. We wanted to accommodate this by first creating an outstanding setting within our school grounds. This was a huge success, and led to us opening our second site a few years later. Both nurseries are rated as ‘outstanding’ as well, which is fantastic. The school and nurseries are all owned and run within our own family, so together with my mum and my sisters we have lots of fun. Many decisions are made over our Sunday lunches.
Our family Whatsapp chat goes from us sending photos of our children to what our next big strategic move is going to be. It is always very exciting and we are able to support each other with our different ventures. Family really is at the core of our school ethos as well. Family is the bedrock, and we are living proof of that. Working together, we have six of my mum’s grandchildren in the school now, including my baby, who is attending the Woodentops nursery. If you send your own child there, that is always a good sign. I also went to the school from age two and a half until the age of seven whilst we were still a small pre-prep. Through demand we were able to then evolve that into a prep school that went all the way to eleven plus. I think that more parents are starting to value the bigger picture and we are a school that is focused on strong academic outcomes. We are also very focused on how you do that journey and the nurturing environment that we create so that our children feel supported, unique and important. We want our children to feel listened to, so that they know that they will be heard. The young men and women that leave us are interesting, they are interested, they are kind, they have beautiful manners and they have a love of learning.
Could you tell us about how best to register for Woodentops nurseries?
Choosing a school is a huge decision for parents, especially with your first child. I know myself how nerve-racking it can be to put a young baby into the care of people that you don’t know. When you go on visits to nurseries it is so important that you have to have a good gut reaction, great interaction between the staff and the children. You might go to a nursery and there might be a few babies crying,
The White House School
that is normal, but it is about how the staff are responding to that that is really important to look out for. It’s about what really matters to you as a parent. Do you want them to be doing lots of activities such as yoga, going out to the park, going on trips, doing music. Have a look at the curriculum and timetable that the nursery is offering. Once you have decided on a nursery, how soon is too soon? Once your child is born, I think that that is a good time to register if you are looking at starting at one. If you are looking at starting at six months, then you will need to register whilst you are still pregnant.
Obviously, nursery is the first step to educating any child, what is the process for then going through from Reception into the White House School?
Within the Woodentops nurseries and The White House, we prefer the children who are in The White House family, that is children who are siblings, or children who are already attending the Woodentops nurseries. We offer our places to those children first. This gives our parents a lot of security, the parents are very committed to having a long journey with their children through a school, whether that be from 6 months, or age 2. What is lovely about our school is that our staff that teach in our nursery also teach in our school. Our PE teachers are the same, our Drama teacher is the same, our Ballet teacher is the same, our French teacher is the same (she has been with us for over 35 years), and our Music teacher is the same. The teachers get to see the journey of the children from age 2, where they might first start speaking French or kicking a ball, to playing fixtures for the under-11 team, which I think is really special. It gives children that familiarity. Children need to feel confident in their own environments, and if they are familiar with their surroundings and teachers, they develop a much more secure idea of what their boundaries are. As a result, they really thrive. We are seeing a lot more interest for both the nursery and the school because we offer that journey from 6 months all the way to 11. Our head girl now joined the nursery at eight months and she is an outstanding member of our community and she is now in Year 6. It has been a very special journey to watch.
Do you do any assessments?
No, we used to, but we took the decision that assessments at age four, and when you are assessing them, they are even younger, it is not quite right for the child. I think that it can create a stressful environment for parents and a stressful environment for children. We prefer to take a far more individualised and personable approach. When children are registered with the school, I will do sessions with them so that they can get to know me. Their class teacher might also come so that they can start to know them. We are meeting children in their environment, which is so important, because they will feel more secure to talk to you, to show you their work, you can see what’s interesting for them and what excites them.
How would you describe the ethos of The White House School?
Our ethos has always been to put children first and to offer exceptional teaching that is supported by nurturing pastoral care. Throughout our growth, we have stayed true to the founding vision of the school. We believe that it is a place where children should be children. That can be very challenging in London. We are definitely a school where children can remain children, we nurture an environment where they can learn and grow and exceed their own ambitions and make friendships for life within a very wide school community. We are dedicated to having excellent academic outcomes. This is achieved through our unique and supportive family environment. It is unique because not every school can offer such an invested approach from a family. It puts children at the heart of everything and creates a protective family environment that we want for all children. They have the widest range of opportunities to find their passions, their curiosities, and this equips them with what the wider world will require of them.
Family focus
Many children begin preparing from Year 4 for their 11+ exams. How does The White House School support children through this process?
When it is time for 11+ they are very well-prepared. When that preparation starts, they have a very good grasp of the curriculum. From this perspective, they enjoy the challenge that the 11+sets out. Often, they come out of the exams beaming, delighted with how they have done. Really, that is all that we ask of ourselves, we want to know that our children have done their best, and to know that we will be proud of whatever their best is. Our children love the interview process, and we have seen them achieve some wonderful results. We often get compliments from heads of other senior schools about our children because they are interesting, they are interested, they are not arrogant, they have a love of learning and are really excited by everything that school has to offer. The 11+ can be a really daunting experience, particularly for parents. These stresses can also fall onto children so it is really important to keep our children calm and to reinforce the message that they are doing their best to support their mental wellbeing during this time. That is largely through close pastoral care. Children feel that they can come to us with any worries. We achieve amazing results, and last year every girl received an academic scholarship. We always have over 50, 60, 70% of scholarships offered and receive multiple offers for our children. They are given a wide range of schools to choose from when they leave us at 11+.
We understand that there is a very exciting curriculum, such as enterprise lessons to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit, which is increasingly becoming a concern for many in education. Can you tell me a little more about this?
We brought enterprise onto the curriculum a couple years ago for our children aged from Year 3 to Year 6. It has been one of their favourite subjects. It runs a bit like a business studies and we set them different challenges termly. One has been to come up with their own school trip, another was to make and sell Christmas bags. It really teaches them how to work together, how to budget, how to create a marketing plan and how to pitch. This brings in maths, public speaking, creative writing, art and even more. It has really inspired our children, so much so that they have taken this spirit out of the classroom and onto the streets. One child recently made bespoke cards for people walking down her road, including one husband who had forgotten his wife’s anniversary card, so she did fantastically well with that. This term, the children are focused on making their own podcast, pitching to local businesses for advertising spaces, so there are some rival podcasts out there to look out for!
Family is at the heart of The White House School and is the only family run school remaining in this area. How does this make a difference to a private equity approach?
Being one of the only family schools left is really quite amazing. Between my mother and my sisters, our children, we are truly a family school. Our focus is on caring for each other and our school community and the wider world. This has always sat at the heart of our decision making. Working alongside our dedicated and passionate team and Headmaster Tony Lewis, we are able to be dynamic and fast moving. We were the first school in London to open after Covid because we were able to make really quick decisions, we were onsite ourselves, even Mary, our Principal, was temperaturing and hand-sanitising our children.
Our actions are all centred around the question of: what is best for our school? We believe that as a family school, we can answer this question honestly. We take a multi-generational approach that blends the best parts of tradition with a drive to find innovation. This is about whether it is in the curriculum, trying to create lessons such as enterprise, or through our learning styles. This will ensure the best outcome for our pupils.
We would like to thank the Vice Principal, Mrs. Grace McCahery, from The White House Preparatory School, for giving up her time to speak to us.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
www.whitehouseschool.com
TURN TO PAGE 48 to read about supporting children with Dyslexia
