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About Wetherby-Pembridge School New York Wetherby-Pembridge School will be an independent school for boys and girls aged 3 to 11, located on the Upper East Side, in a superb building next to Central Park on East 96th Street. Our school vision is to awaken curiosity, cultivate high standards, celebrate successes and encourage children to continually question and create in the world around them. Our curriculum will marry the distinguishing strengths of the British and New York educational systems to offer a unique option to families that seek both academic rigor and a forward thinking approach to teaching. Tailored academic advice is at the heart of our school’s ethos and families will always be welcomed to participate as full partners in the education of their children.
Students will enter the school at age 3, in a co-educational setting, where they will spend their first two years in Nursery & Reception (Preschool & Prekindergarten). They will then progress to Year 1 (Kindergarten) and be entered into separate forms of boys and girls, which will run initially to Year 6 (Grade 5). The boys’ form will be called Wetherby and girls’ form will be called Pembridge Hall. The school will have a capacity of approximately 280 students growing organically with the first intake into Nursery (Preschool), Reception (Prekindergarten) and Year 1 (Kindergarten) in September 2017. We will also be open to considering applications for Year 2 (Grade 1). Wetherby - Pembridge School is part of the prestigious Alpha Plus Group. It will bring to New York the rich traditions and academic excellence that are at the heart of its thriving UK schools and world famous brands.
Wetherby-Pembridge School Management We are delighted to announce that Miss Kate Bailey has been appointed as the Founding Head of Wetherby-Pembridge School, New York. Kate has had 15 years of experience working in independent schools across London, including Westminster Under School, where she was Head of the Junior Department. For the last five years, Kate has been Senior Deputy Head at Wetherby Prep and was part of the management team when the school was awarded Tatler Prep School of the Year in 2012. Kate graduated from Edinburgh University in 1999 with an MA in English Literature and History and went on to gain her PGCE at The Institute of Education, University of London in 2001. In 2015, Kate was then awarded a distinction in the Enhanced Leadership Program from the Institute of Leadership and Management. Whilst Kate has greatly enjoyed her teaching experiences in other schools in London, it has been at Wetherby Prep that she has felt most at home in terms of ethos. Wetherby offers the chance to educate boys at all levels of ability, whilst still achieving outstanding academic results at 13+. The school has a strong focus on developing the students’ wider interests with a real emphasis on citizenship and community.
Wetherby-Pembridge Education & Curriculum Our ethos Our school vision is to awaken curiosity, cultivate high standards, celebrate successes and encourage children to continually question and create in the world around them. We aim to offer a unique experience combining all the merits of a single-sex education, whilst providing every student with outstanding co-educational learning opportunities. The unique balance between these two educational settings, offers diverse avenues for achieving personal academic fulfilment, social growth and for building the individual confidence of every student in our care. We will work closely with our students to develop competitive academic strengths in preparation for entry examinations and offer our families an open and supported path for the future of their children, whether that be in New York, London or internationally. We aim to develop a life-long approach to learning with a strong focus on intellectual curiosity, integrity and family values, whilst preparing each student for positive success and achievement.
We will ensure that the qualities of kindness, citizenship, resilience and good manners become the hallmark of all Wetherby-Pembridge students. They will develop into happy, secure, well-rounded and inquisitive learners. Our students will be respectful, thoughtful, sociable and motivated ambassadors for the school and our local community. We aim to create an environment where students can express their views openly and effectively in consideration of sound values, rights and responsibilities. We will work in close partnership with parents and carers to maintain excellent and welcoming channels of communication between home and school. Our philosophy is to celebrate and share each step of a student’s educational journey and to build a strong family culture and ethos. Finally, our philosophy is that success begets success. Every parent knows that a child’s sense of accomplishment gives them the self-assuredness and momentum to step further and higher. Children have achievements big and small each day and they thrive best when these are noticed and celebrated. For this reason, we uphold many traditions around celebrating accomplishments such as awarding Housepoints, Head of School’s Good Shows and Weekly Achievement Awards for citizenship, learning and extracurricular talents, all of which are recognised in Weekly School Assemblies.
Our curriculum Our curriculum will marry the distinguishing strengths of the British and New York educational systems to offer a unique option to families that seek both academic rigor and a forward thinking approach to teaching. We recognize the success of the English National Curriculum in best preparing young learners to enter an ever more competitive field of ongoing education and we will follow this at a challenging pace in Literacy, Mathematics and Science. This foundation will be complemented with core additions from the most exceptional schools in New York City, namely inquiry based learning, child- centered teaching and content that is immediately relevant to students’ lives. Nursery 3’s (Preschool) Our Nursery 3’s curriculum will be modeled on our thriving programs at Rolfe’s Nursery School and The Minors Nursery School in London. Children will learn in a co-educational structure in spacious and stimulating classrooms filled with multisensory learning resources. The curriculum will be founded on the principle that a child’s first experiences in the classroom are crucial in how they view and approach school life for years to come. We will operate a positive and nurturing environment in which child-initiated exploration will be warmly encouraged.
Alongside flexible sessions of productive play, structured lessons will also be offered. Children show clear signs of readiness for acquiring early numeracy and literacy skills by the nursery years and our curriculum will incorporate dynamic lessons from the start of our 3’s program. By following the English Early Years Foundation Stage program at a healthy pace, we will ensure that our young learners are ‘school ready’ by the end of their nursery year. Reception (Prekindergarten) By Reception, our students will be applying their foundational skills in literacy to their first adventures in creative writing, reading and discussing books. Numeracy skills will be applied to classroom activities, with challenges on paper for those that are ready. This will be complemented with practical use of mathematics in real life scenarios. Supporting physical development, social interactions and healthy habits are just as crucial as subject learning in these early years. A variety of physical activities will be offered through our Physical Education, Dance and Movement and Yoga programs as well as in daily classroom lessons. The children will also learn about healthy eating and life habits as specific strands of the curriculum.
Lower and Upper School Curriculum (Year 1 to 6/ Kindergarten to Grade 5) As our students enter our Year 1 (Kindergarten) program, they will be set into a boys’ form called Wetherby and a girls’ form called Pembridge Hall. All core classroom activities will take place in a single-sex structure, allowing students to reach their full potential alongside their peers. This will be balanced with carefully selected elements of co-education including lunch, Friday assembly, dramatic productions, musical performances, community outreach and charity programs, PSHEE classes (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) and selected play times. Our students will develop essential skills in English, Mathematics and Science under the English National Curriculum. History, Geography and Cultural Studies will be explored in a unique dual offering of World History and Social Studies. Our students will also have the opportunity to explore multiple Languages in Years 1 and 2 (Kindergarten and Grade 1), with the family choosing a single Language Track for Years 3-6 (Grade 2 to 5). We will offer exceptional enrichment programs in Music, Art, Speech and Drama, Dance and Movement and an extensive after-school clubs program.
Additionally, our students will benefit from cross-curricular units of study, which will be explored on Fridays by Years 1-5 (Kindergarten to Grade 4). On these learning days, students will have Literacy, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies lessons united under a common content theme. At the end of each cross-curricular study, families will be invited to enjoy the culmination of the unit by viewing the children’s collected work and presentations. Why the English National Curriculum in NY? We wish to offer choice for families, and believe that the English National Curriculum, combined with our own bespoke academic curriculum at Wetherby School and Pembridge Hall, will best prepare children for top onward schools in the UK, the US and internationally and will be appealing to many families in New York.
Admissions The school will take pride in following an informal yet thorough assessment process. At all points of entry into the school, parents will meet with our Head of School, or a senior member of our Team. For entry into Nursery 3’s children will join a child play session which will last for 30 minutes, in groups of 4-6 children, accompanied by one adult. For Reception (Prekindergarten) there will be a longer child play session lasting 45 minutes. This group experience will include age-appropriate classroom acitivities. Parents/guardians do not need to be present during the session. For Year 1 and Year 2 (Kindergarten and Grade 1) there will be a 60 minute child group session with up to 4 children. This classroom experience will allow time for children to explore age-appropriate material as well as participate in small group work. Parents/guardians do not need to be present during the session. From Year 3 (Grade 2) students will sit a formal assessment in English, Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning, followed by a short interview with our selection team. We will give priority to siblings.
A Confidential Recommendation Form, filled out by the child’s’ current school, is due to us by January 15th. The application deadline for entry in 2017/8 is December 9th, 2016. School Uniform There will be no formal uniform for the children in Nursery & Reception (Preschool & Prekindergarten). From Year 1 (Kindergarten) children in Wetherby and Pembridge classes will wear a uniform similar in design to the existing Wetherby School and Pembridge Hall uniforms. School tours The school is currently being refurbished and will be ready for summer 2017. As a result, we are delighted to be offering Open House events, which will take place off-site during the refurbishment period. These will be highly visual, informative and welcoming evenings giving you a real experience of the Wetherby-Pembridge ethos. They will also be wonderfully social occasions where you will have the chance to ask any questions you might have and to meet our Head of School and dedicated team. Please refer to the Wetherby-Pembridge School website www.wetherby-pembridge.org for full details on the application process and how to enroll your child.
Tuition fees Tuition fees include all school supplies (textbooks, school stationery, IT equipment), day trips, hot lunch and snacks and some school clubs. Tuition fees for 2017/8 - $ 45,500 Financial Aid Package We believe in supporting diversity in our school. To this end, we are already implementing plans for our financial aid provision. We expect that this will become accessible in the third year of the school.
The Building & Facilities Wetherby-Pembridge School will be located on the Upper East Side, in a superb building next to Central Park on East 96th Street. The Ogden Codman designed Beaux-Arts mansion, which dates back to 1913, will undergo a comprehensive multimillion dollar refurbishment and re-configuration tailored to our specific needs and to the highest standards. The refurbishment works will commence at the beginning of June with Montroy Anderson DeMarco design practice. We have worked very closely together to deliver an optimum learning environment for the students of Wetherby-Pembridge School New York. The landlord (who is undertaking the works on our building this summer) will have everything complete in good time for opening September 2017.
Classrooms and facilities The building provides 15,000 square foot of inspiring space and upon completion, there will be 16 classrooms and teaching spaces over its 6 floors. Each classroom will be fully equipped with diverse learning centers, specially designed educational furniture and the latest in educational technology. Our Art Studio, Science Laboratory and Music Rooms have been specially refurbished for the needs of these subjects. We are particularly proud to offer all students a community style, fully catered lunch, which they will enjoy in our spacious dining facility. Each day, students will enjoy their morning or afternoon playtimes in the safety of our private outdoor courtyard. Sporting facilities We will provide an extensive sporting and physical education program. Through partnerships with high quality external providers, we will have use of an early childhood playspace, multiple gymnasiums, a full size swimming pool, dance and gymnastics studios and tennis and basketball courts. Our close proximity to Central Park will also allow us to practise some of our sporting activities outdoors.
Lunch and catering All students will take part in a fully catered meal plan for lunch and morning snacks. We value what a shared meal provides in building community and opening opportunities for new friendships. Meals will be prepared in house in our full service kitchen and served in the basement dining area. All students will have 3-4 options of hot entrees for lunch each day along with a wide variety of hot and cold side dishes, fresh bread, fresh fruit and a health conscious dessert. All dietary constraints and allergies will be accommodated and comparable options made available to students with eating restrictions. Students will always be encouraged to eat a balanced meal and food will be served by trained catering staff. Some items will be self-service for students, however their selections will always be supervised by duty staff, in order to ensure healthy and reasonable eating habits. Wetherby-Pembridge after-school program There will be an inspiring range of after-school clubs and activities on offer each day from Monday to Thursday. These will aim to develop the creative, intellectual and sporting talents and interests of every student at our school.
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Alpha Plus Group Wetherby-Pembridge School is part of the Alpha Plus Group. Alpha Plus Group owns and operates eighteen first-class independent schools, nurseries and sixth form colleges throughout the UK. All of our schools deliver against our educational ‘Gold Standard’: • We provide first class learning which enables children and young people to achieve their full potential. • Our teaching combines the best of traditional and modern methods. • Pupils are provided access to the latest classroom technology.
Why have you decided to create a new school at this time? We believe there is a great demand in New York for the Gold Standard of education Alpha Plus Group provides and is reputed for, and are thrilled at the opportunity to expand our family of schools. We have confidence that the new school will provide a welcome choice to many families. We recognize the ever-growing demand for schools that prepare children with the well-rounded skills and academic edge to approach a now international choice of on-going educational options. We understand that our families move around the globe and want reassurance that their children are developing transferable and competitive academic skills. We will aspire for our students and their families to confidently pursue whichever ongoing educational path they wish, whether that be in London, New York or beyond.
Why are you using these two UK School brands? Wetherby-Pembridge is proud to come to New York. The name is derived from the long-established and highly successful Wetherby School for Boys and Pembridge Hall School for Girls in London. Their ethos of educational excellence, holistic curriculum and rich traditions has allowed them to develop an international reputation. We aim to establish a new chapter for these world famous brands in New York, whilst adding a fresh and progressive dimension to their journey in this new city.
What is your ethos as a School group? Our group ethos is how we define ourselves: the Gold Standard in education. We are committed to maintaining and improving this level of quality and whilst each school is encouraged to retain its own individual ethos and identity, all Alpha schools and colleges have a number of common characteristics that enable them to maintain and enhance the Gold Standard. These include: •• High aspirations and expectations for all students and staff •• Outstanding leadership at all levels and effective resource management •• Working in partnership with parents •• A focus upon and a passion for high quality teaching and learning •• A commitment to self-review and continuous improvement that is underpinned by the celebration of success.
Will the school be managed from London? The school will be managed by its Head of School, Kate Bailey in New York, who will report to our Head Office in London. This will enable the school to develop its own ethos and character, whilst benefiting from Alpha Plus’ broad education experience.
Image credit: Evan Joseph Images
Wetherby-Pembridge School, 7 E 96th St, New York, NY 10128 info@wetherby-pembridge.org | www.wetherby-pembridge.org