Absolutely Education Prep&Pre-Prep Summer 2019 Preview

ABSOLUTELY EDUCATION PREP & PRE-PREP • SUMMER 2019

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P &EP E PR -PR E PR

OPEN MINDS

Helping learners to succeed

Green Teams

Meet the school eco-warriors

MUSEU M

m arvels

London’s summer highlights

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Bright SPARKS SMART SCHOOL CHOICES FOR EARLY YEARS & PREP

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SUMMER 2019

CO N T E N TS upfront

14 WHAT'S ON

Fun family events for summer

16 SCHOOL NEWS

Out and about in the world of education

20 FOOD WARRIORS

A London school has harnessed pupil power to reduce waste, by Libby Norman

24 BRIGHT FUTURE

Mentoring is on the rise. Flora Thomas talks to some of the agencies leading the way

pre-Prep

30 BOTTOM OF THE CLASS

How can struggling children be helped to succeed?

Absolutely Education investigates

34 LIVING LEARNING

A new prep school will take a different approach to learning outside the classroom

36 GREEN FINGERS

Schools are learning to make the most of their outdoor spaces, reports Libby Norman

88 Prep

44 MAKING AN ENTRANCE

Schools are reviewing their 11+ and CE procedures, says Dr Lisa Freedman

52 GET APPY

Tech can help us, says the CEO of Cypher Coders

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60 WHAT'S WRONG?

Coming to terms with the fact that your child is wired differently can be hard, says a parenting expert

62 BLOCK BUSTER

Could retrained reflexes be at the root of your child's dyslexia? Pendle Harte reports 6

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EDITOR

Libby Norman  EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Amanda Constance  EDITOR I A L A SSISTA N T

Flora Thomas 

GROUP A DV ERTISING M A NAGER

Nicola Owens

MEDI A CONSULTA N T

Donna McCafferty 

GROUP SA L ES DIR ECTOR

Craig Davies

SPECI A L IST CONSULTA N T

Andy Mabbitt 

COMMERCI A L DIR ECTOR

Leah Day 

SENIOR DESIGNER

Pawel Kuba 

MID-W EIGHT DESIGNER

Rebecca Noonan 

M A R K ETING M A NAGER

Lucie Pearce 

FINA NCE DIR ECTOR

Jerrie Koleci  DIR ECTOR S

Greg Hughes, Alexandra Hunter, James Fuschillo  PUBL ISHING DIR ECTOR

Sherif Shaltout

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S c h o o l’ s O u t

70 CAMP FIRE

A new scheme aims to make the camping experience affordable for all children, says Libby Norman

74 SUMMER FUN

What's on in London's museums for the holiday

74

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82 BEN FOGLE Q&A

The broadcaster, writer and adventurer on mixed feelings about boarding-school days at Bryanston

84 BOOK REVIEWS

A round-up of children's books for the summer,

by Jasmine Robertson

90 MOOMIN LANDING

Zoey Goto heads to Finland to discover the home of Tove Jansson's timeless creations

92 INTO THE WILD

Absolutely Education investigates Camp Wilderness' summer camps for kids

F R O N T C OV E R Sydenham High School, GDST, is an independent day school for girls aged 4-18 sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net

SUMMER 2019

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CON T R IBU TOR S Each day, discovery

Ben Fogle Adventurer, author and broadcaster

Ben Fogle describes himself as an accidental explorer – never having excelled at sports at Bryanston. In this issue, he discusses his love-hate relationship with his schooldays and our exam system, and his new series of books for children.

From September 2020 Eltham College will become a fully co-educational day school when we begin to welcome both girls and boys for entry in Years 3 and 7, as well as our existing co-educational Sixth Form.

Elaine Halligan London Director of The Parent Practice

Eliaine Halligan is a specialist at The Parent Practice. Having faced the challenge of a son with undiagnosed learning difficulties herself, she makes it her mission to help other parents. She writes about key aspects of SEN.

For more information and to find out about our upcoming open days visit www.elthamcollege.london

Elizabeth Tweedale Founder of Cypher

Grove Park Road, London SE9 4QF

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Elizabeth Tweedale studied computer science and architecture before founding kids' coding company Cypher.

A mother of three, she’s a firm believer in starting children coding young. She writes about how tech can benefit us all.

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Boys & Girls 3 - 11 years old

Please join us for our

Open Morning - Tuesday 4th June Tour our beautiful new building on Worship St (EC2A) and hear all about our wonderful school.

Book your place online today!

www.lyceumschool.co.uk Lyceum.indd 1

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FROM THE

EDITOR

C

hildren are natural environmentalists, and with a very clear sense of responsibility, so any positive initiatives that harness their enthusiasm to do something for people and planet have to be good news.

The Small Change Big Difference schools programme, piloted in London schools by Groundworks, ticks all boxes. Not only does it look set to be a model for how schools and communities can reduce food waste, but it has also inspired healthy eating. Read all about it on page 20. We’ve also taken a look at what urban and country schools get up to in their gardens. From growing veg for school lunches and home table to auditing local wildlife, it turns out that smallest and largest green spaces are a hive of activity (page 40).

Many parents and educators are becoming anxious about what they perceive as an increasingly ‘hothousing’ school atmosphere. We look at the changing nature of testing and assessment for children moving on to senior school on page 48 and, in Bottom of the Class (page 34), we explore what happens lower down the education ladder when a child is not keeping up with their peers.

Finally, with summer stretching ahead, we’ve included a guide to what London’s museums are offering in the way of family entertainment. From manga and Lego to the first moon landing, there’s an exhibition or event to suit the even the pickiest young critic.

L I B BY N O R M A N Editor

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Book your visit today!

Nursery School, NW3 11 June

Pre-Prep School, NW3 14 and 21 June

Prep School, NW1 20 June

North Bridge House Book an open event today – northbridgehouse.com/open admissionsenquiries@northbridgehouse.com 020 7428 1520 North Bridge House.indd 1

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Up Front W H AT ' S O N p . 14 • FO O D WA R R I O R S p . 2 0

PUPILS AT BEAUDESERT PARK SCHOOL

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W H AT ’S O N

Artistic afternoon tea and polo fun are among our summer highlights

Baby steps 24 - 30 June Dudley Zoo The Barnado’s Big Toddle is back. The short sponsored walk for toddlers is in aid of the country’s most vulnerable young children. Each year, thousands of toddlers take part and every single penny helps. Dudley Zoo’s event is animal themed – so don your favourite jungle prints and get involved.

barnados.org.uk

EDITOR’S PICK

Cinderella ON POINTE

6 - 16 June • Royal Albert Hall

An enchanting kingdom awaits as Cinderella-in-the-round comes to the Royal Albert Hall. This inventive production combines magnificent sets and costumes, over 90 dancers and the magical tunes of Prokofiev’s original score performed by the English National Ballet Philharmonic. royalalberthall.com

Where’s that bear?

Until 2 June Southampton

Join an intrepid bear-hunting family and their musical dog in this mischievous production based on the much-loved picture book by Michael Rosen and Helex Oxenbury. A lovely theatrical treat for families with children aged from 3+.

nstheatres.co.uk

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Up Front

HORSING AROUND 9 June Fulham Chesterton’s Polo in the Park is back, with more family-friendly activities than ever. It promises to be a fantastic day out and features Sharky & George – who will host west London’s biggest kids’ party on the polo field throughout the morning. This is also perfect sporting fun for horse-mad children, and under 10s have free entry.

polointheparklondon.com

EVENTS

GET CREATIVE Unleash your creative side with these fun arty events

PA P E R P R E DATO R

16 June - 8 September Dulwich Japanese cut-paper artist Nahoko Kojima is set to erect Sumi, an enormous eight-metre-long crocodile, at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Carved from just one sheet of paper and suspended from the ceiling, this promises to be a spectacle you won’t want to miss. dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

TA STE O F I N D I A

2 and 3 June West Kensington Fancy a family art day? How about a meditation-based mandala painting lesson? Or you could create pictures with knives. Head to the Birla Art Gallery to explore your creative side through a series of workshops run in conjunction with Supriya’s Art World. bhavan.net

BRAVE HEART 29 June The Cockpit Theatre

ild Wilma is a weird and wonderful family show written by children’s author, Rachel Lyon. A young girl is sold to a circus and struggles to meet the strict expectations of the mistress. On a quest to discover her identity, she finds the courage to be wild and free through her friendships with others. thecockpit.org.uk

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ARGH WE THERE YET? 22 - 23 June Underbelly Festival, Southbank swashbuckling adventure in which three acrobatic pirates hit the high seas in search of treasure, only to find haunted waters and scary storms. Every aspect of pirate life and lore is turned upside-down, from walking the plank to cooking ship’s rations for the crew. underbellyfestival.com

A

A R TF U L TE A TI M E

Ongoing Rosewood London There’s a children’s version of the wonderful Art Afternoon Tea inspired

by Van Gogh. Expect finger sandwiches and special pastries – even paint tubes filled with jam and lemon curd to let children spread their own sweet toppings with a palette knife. From £35 rosewoodhotels.com

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SCHOO L N EWS Top Story

SCIENCE E X P LO R E R S St Benedict’s celebrated British Science Week by conducting around 40 experiments at the annual Science Fair. Stalls across the school’s nine labs offered hands-on participation, plus answers to burning questions such as: can you charge your phone with fruit and does the colour of food affect its taste?

RIDING HIGH Cumnor House, Sussex equestrian team secured first place in the U14 70cm category at the National Schools Show Jumping competition at Felbridge Showground, which means they qualify for the NSEA National Schools Championships in October. Cumnor also saw individual success in the 60cm category, securing qualification to the South East Grass Roots Regional Championships in November.

P R I N C E LY ADDITION Planning permission has been granted for a new school at 10-13 Prince’s Gardens, Kensington. Opening in September 2020, it will take the name Prince’s Gardens Preparatory. The school will feature state-of-the-art facilities, including science labs, music studios and a ‘maker, space’, plus a superb two-acre enclosed garden and access to nearby Hyde Park. The next launch event for the school takes place at 7pm, Thursday 27th June at the Mandarin Oriental. princesgardensprep.co.uk

Space odyssey

RIBBON CUTTING

Queen’s College Prep launched a teddy bear version of the school dog Kona into near space. The launch, delivered by Sent into Space, was part of the girls’ STEM learning programme and pupils were able to watch a live link. It took roughly two and a half hours for the brave bear to complete her ascent and she travelled 33km above earth.

Aatif Hassan, Chairman of Dukes Education, presided over the official ribbon cutting ceremony for Lyceum School.

This celebrated the Shoreditch school’s move into new premises round the corner in Worship Street. The new five-storey building with large playground includes specialist classrooms in art, science, drama and yoga, as well as an impressive library.

PRIZE IDEAS Two Felsted teams were recognised at the Big Bang Science and Engineering Fair.

Year 7 pupils Freya Perry, Grace Boroughs, Ava Readman and Anna White won an award for their ‘Sanitary Shark’ invention to remove waste from oceans. Year 8 pupils Shesh Abu-Jabir and Hamish Baumber won a prize for ‘The Pro-Hand Way’, a 3D-printed prosthetic hand.

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Up Front

NEWS

New Head Glendower Preparatory School, in Kensington has announced Nina Kingsmill Moore as its new Headmistress from September.

Kingsmill Moore joins from Lambrook School in Berkshire, where she holds the role of Deputy Headmistress.

E A R LY LEARNERS

WO R D O U T The Hay Festival was broadcast live to schools countrywide this May. The line-up included appearances from children’s favourites Michael Rosen, Kate DiCamillo, Cressida Cowell, (pictured) Chris Bradford, Abi Elphinstone, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Chitra Soundar.

Snap happy

Hawkesdown House School has opened The Walnut Tree Nursery this term. Located within the main school premises in Edge Street, just off Kensington Church Street, this means Hawkesdown now offers continuous education for girls and boys from age two through to 11.

Pupils at six Croydon primaries were given cameras to capture their area through a photographic lens. The workshops were funded by the Whitgift Foundation and led by Richard Chivers and Dr Paula Owens. The winner will be announced at the Old Palace of John Whitgift School on 5 July.

C o m m u n i t y awa r d In this year’s Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Awards, Forest School in Waltham Forest was shortlisted in the category of 'School Community' for exhibiting an outstanding level of impact, passion and innovation in championing mental health support for students.

Francis Holland School was shortlisted in the Award’s 'Progress' category.

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Up Front

NEWS

SPORTING LIFE

M AT C H P O I N T King Edward’s Witley has partnered with Premier Tennis.

The school, which has 15 tennis courts, became a Lawn Tennis Association registered tennis venue in 2017. Already 12 of its U14 players have entered the 2019 Road to Wimbledon, which gives winners the opportunity to play on grass at the hallowed club. Director of sport Phil Miller says: “Our link with the LTA and Premier Tennis will expand the variety of tennis competition within the School”.

Hazelgrove Prep had a whole host of sporting achievements last term. Highlights included third place for the first VII in the National IAPS U13 Hockey Finals and an under 12s boys team won the National Prep School Cross Country Championships at Malvern College. Riders qualified as both a team and as individuals for the National NSEA Show Jumping Finals.

Under 12s were crowned champions in the Schools Biathlon Finals and judo stars took home bronze and silver at the National IAPS Judo Finals.

KENT NURSERY M I N D F U L DAY On 10 May, children joined in the world’s biggest mindfulness and meditation class. The initiative – called ‘A Mindful Moment’ – saw children across the globe set aside 30 minutes of their day to learn to meditate and also raise money for mental health charities. The event was organised by ClassDoho, a school communication platform for teachers, students, and families now used in over 180 countries.

The New Beacon Prep in Sevenoaks is opening a nursery in September 2019. It will accept both girls and boys in the term they have their third birthday.

With access to facilities across the 22-acre site, they will also have an early years outdoor learning area, adventure playground and access to outdoor classroom. Specialist teachers will be on hand in areas such as music and swimming.

HEAD NAMED

Top Story

BOOK FEST Children at Barrow Hills School near Godalming celebrated 22nd World Book Day with a whole week of literary-themed activities. These included a sponsored read, an evening bedtime story hosted at the school and a visit by author of the Mariah Mundi novels G.P. Taylor. Pupils went all out on dressing-up day, with brilliant costumes representing their favourite fictional characters.

Edgbaston High School for Girls (EHS) has appointed Clare Macro as Headmistress from September 2019.

Macro succeeds Dr Ruth Weeks to become the 11th head teacher at Birmingham’s oldest independent school for girls. Currently Deputy Head at Tudor Hall, Macro joins EHS with a wealth of experience in an independent school setting.

GIRL TECH Women make up only 15 per cent of people in STEM roles – less than half work in leadership roles. To redress this, Fire Tech – a tech camp for 9-17-year-olds – has introduced courses for girls only, alongside its co-ed courses. The aim is to build an environment where girls can explore their interest and build skills in tech in an environment that is empowering specifically to girls.

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FOOD WARRIORS A campaign piloted in London schools has been harnessing pupil power to reduce waste and inspire a rethink of food shopping, eating and recycling.

Now its ideas are set to go Europe-wide

Wo r d s L I B B Y N O R M A N

G

etting children to eat a balanced diet can be hard work.

But teach messages about sustainability alongside nutrition and they may start to make positive choices, as Small Change Big Difference has discovered. The pilot, which ended in March, has been run in 24 schools across eight London boroughs for two years, using workshops for years 4, 5 and 6.

Part of an EU-funded pilot targeting the capital’s schools, households, communities and businesses, Small Change Big Difference has brought together leading sustainability organisations under the TRiFOCAL London banner. Two years on, the schools element, delivered through social and environmental charity Groundwork London, has been named one of the world’s ten most inspiring sustainability projects for young people by education non-profit HundrED. What is so brilliant about Small Change Big Difference

is that it has created a virtuous circle, getting a young army of pupils aged between eight and 11 engaged in delivering sustainable food ideas to school, home and community. Caroline Chapman, the education specialist who delivered the six-workshop programme for Groundwork London, says children have enjoyed the experiential design and the feeling of being in charge. “From Day one, the children have been really responsible,” she says. It has also worked for schools because they were involved in workshop design via a teacher panel – enabling the programme to tie in with lesson plans and the curriculum for each year group.

The programme has provided measurable results in a six-week schedule of weekly workshops. The starting point has been teaching children about avoiding waste and recycling. A dry and sometimes worthy topic, but not if you add in games – including a hugely popular food waste version of snakes and ladders. Armed with key facts, children have become ‘food

warriors’ in school lunch halls, collecting and weighing edible and inedible food waste by year group. Next task has been to investigate foods being wasted and ask why. While adults might find poring over leftovers less than palatable (especially the early ‘show and tell’ where a whole bin of kitchen waste is tipped onto tarpaulin), Chapman says the pupils have relished the challenge, using bar charts and other tools to measure, analyse and then reduce. “It has meant competition between year groups to achieve the most waste reduction, also encouraging pupils to finish their plate,” says Caroline Chapman.

The results have been dramatic, with some school year groups reducing their lunch-hall food waste by 87 per cent over the six weeks. Children’s analysis of what was being wasted has gone further. In one school, ‘food warriors’ found consensus that portions of some meals were simply too large to finish. Inspired by the pupil poll and findings, catering staff adjusted food orders, meaning much less waste. School caterers, notes Chapman, have been hugely supportive.

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Up Front

FOCUS

“ TH E RE S U LTS H AV E B E E N D RA M AT I C , W I T H SOM E SC H O O L Y E A R G R O U P S RED U C I N G FO O D WA ST E BY 87 P E R C E N T OV E R S I X W E E K S” S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 | 21

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‘ Enjoying childhood and realising our imagination.’

“My favourite thing about Dallington School is that the teachers and students are very friendly and positive, there is a brilliant atmosphere in the classroom” - Johan “I think Dallington teaches you in a way no other school does and I really enjoy that” - Alex Dallington is a family-run co-educational independent school, with a nursery, in the heart of London.

Personal tours each day of the week, except Wednesday.

Headteacher: Maria Blake Proprietor and Founder: Mogg Hercules MBE Email: hercules@dallingtonschool.co.uk Phone: 020 7251 2284 www.dallingtonschool.co.uk USE.indd 1

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Up Front

FOCUS

recipes with leftovers. The final goal for each school has been to design a campaign day. Here, children were incredibly creative – planning and then promoting an event that involved the community. Among the many brilliant ideas have been a school smoothie bike using surplus fruit and school cookbooks of recipes using leftovers. One school created a community fridge to share surplus food. After each campaign event, pupils have held assemblies, organised video links and embedded a school-wide action plan, giving the initiative longevity.

Small Change Big Difference is now inspiring the design of other food sustainability projects across major European cities, from Dublin and Oslo to Sofia and Milan. And a schools information pack will become available across the UK this autumn, so hopefully many more schoolchildren will be championing delicious food with less waste – and getting parents and community behind their brilliant ideas.

SMALL CHANGE BIG DIFFERENCE HAS BEEN NAMED ONE OF WORLD’S TEN MOST INSPIRING SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Campaign events have united school and community

Chapman says that messages to pupils have focused on positives. “To make the project more relevant to children, the school workshops were called ‘Yes to Taste, No to Waste’, which pupils loved chanting in each workshop.” Although children were initially more engaged by ideas around sustainability, they then made the connection back to eating well. “After learning about healthy and sustainable eating, where they sampled different smoothies made using leftover and ‘wonky’ fruits and vegetables that they might not usually eat, children became excited by trying new foods and the majority started making smoothies at home.”

Pizzas made with leftovers

In fact, taking the workshop lessons home has been integral to the programme’s success.

Children received a workbook and were asked to achieve one or more pledges each week in their own home. These included trying a new fruit or vegetable, managing the family fridge using FIFO (first in, first out), cooking with leftovers and composting or recycling. Then there’s the family shop – children were encouraged to think about foods using a game called ‘good for you, good for the planet’. This looked at food in terms of energy to produce (transport, CO2, and so forth) versus nutritional benefit. Armed with this information, they could then help choose the best foods for the family shopping trolley.

Home pledges were fed back to year groups to keep the challenge going. “Pupils have taken pride in being given responsible roles,” says Chapman. “Some were pledge monitors, counting how many different pledges each pupil achieved and adding a star to the ‘pledge chart’.”

Parents bought into pledges too. A starting point was children going home armed with bottom-line statistics about the cost per London household of food waste (up to £800 per year). Parents were asked to cosign their child’s workbook each week. Some started composting or had creative cooking sessions with their children – devising new

smallchangebigdifference.london groundwork.org

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M A MENTOR WITH A STUDENT AT OPPIDAN EDUCATION

The Future's

BRIGHT Mentoring is on the rise. Absolutely Education talks to some of the agencies leading the way Wo r d s F L O R A T H O M A S 24

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entoring as a practice is not new, but mentoring in education is a relatively new phenomenon which is fast gaining popularity with parents. It’s often hard to pin down exactly what a mentor is. Those running mentoring companies are often quick to say they are not tutors, who all too often are perceived as a cash-quick, tick-box option that fails to address the full needs of a child. Instead, a mentor sits somewhere between a tutor and a counsellor. A truly brilliant mentor teaches skills which will outlive the course of the relationship with the mentee, such as resilience and self-knowledge. The result of the work may be improved exam results, but improved academic attainment is not the explicit aim.

West London-based Oppidan Education is a pioneering education mentoring agency.

Borne of a frustration with traditional tutoring, and perhaps in recognition of a gap in the market, ex-Etonians Walter Kerr and Henry Faber set up Oppidan as an alternative to the prescriptive focus of the tutoring sector. The pair concentrate on ‘soft’ skills and their programmes are based on seven key attributes they say all high achievers excel in: desire, commitment, self-belief, gameplan, focus, teamwork and resilience. Kerr and Faber believe that children flourish without specific academic goals, that they need space to identify and explore their interests outside of the pressurised school and home environment.

According to Kerr, when the onus is placed upon the child to achieve a goal it is more likely to be successful. That’s why Oppidan mentors don’t work with children who don’t want to be there. Whereas tutoring is very often remedial, prescriptive or has an end date, mentoring doesn’t. Oppidan mentors explain to each child they work with that everyone would benefit from a mentor, including adults – something he says children like to hear. When I ask him if, it’s a little like therapy, he says: “No. We work with a set of distinct characteristics, and although we are not doing past papers with the children, we don’t pretend to be uninvested in their academic success." He says that if children are actively involved in a

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Up Front

Mentoring

MENTORING IN ACTION

game plan, they’re much more likely to enjoy the mentoring and be proud of it.

So who are these magical mentors, where do they come from? Oppidan mentors aren’t exclusively Oxbridge graduates, although Kerr admits many are. “We live in a gig economy – people like having more than one job. Our turnover, however, is very low. One of the criteria for working here is that they already have a job – otherwise they leave the minute they gain full-time employment.

Oppidan mentors are old enough to be an authoritative figure, but young enough for the child to associate with.” They accept just one in seven applicants. “The selection process is personality-driven, and the training is rigorous. Mentors have at least two interviews and take part in two training days. And we are invested in their

“ WH E N YO U H AV E A C H I LD W H O LOOKS FO R WA R D TO T H E SE SS I ON – AND MOST D O – T H E N W H AT YOU CAN AC H I EVE W I T H T H E M I S LI MI T LE S S” professional development, the skills mentors hone are easily transferable.”

The biggest challenge for educational mentoring companies is, unsurprisingly, parents’ expectations. But, say Oppidan, it’s the transformation of children’s selfexpectation which is most rewarding. “When you have a child who looks forward to the session, and most do, then what you can achieve with them is limitless.”

While girls in particular suffer from perfectionism, an emerging culture of near constant personal-improvement has led to an entire cohort of stressed-out children.

Some are stretched between yoga on Mondays, after-school art on Tuesdays, a nutritionist on Wednesdays, and so on. Is it possible that adding yet another after-school activity, even if it is mentoring, might just add to the noise?

Charis Elphinstone, the founder of mentoring agency Ludowide, says otherwise.

“Our mentors don’t turn up laden with past papers. They might meet the child in an art gallery, or go swimming or go for a walk

in the park.” Ludowide mentors seek to establish a ‘safe space’ in which they can encourage children to talk about how they feel. “We hone in on the opportunities afforded by the unique nature of mentor/ mentee relationship.”

Elphinstone started out as a private tutor herself and found parents’ expectations baffling, “They want you to achieve specific academic goals – usually getting their children through exams with good results, or into a specific school.

But the children are coming home from school exhausted, and they are not getting the downtime they need.” She says that falling behind at school is often a symptom of a deeper problem. “Parents can often overlook the underlying cause of a child dragging their heels in an educational setting.” It can take time to shift parents’ expectations, so the company ‘coaches’ them too. “We arrange a fortnightly session for the mentor and the parents. The mentor’s role in those conversations is to provide insight without simply relaying

everything the child had said in their sessions. “Trust is key,” Charis says. “But it’s important for parents to be kept in the loop.” (Especially important as they are paying £60 an hour for the service.)

Ludowise is the second arm of Charis’ organisation – an impressive team of academics researching the world’s best practice in developmental psychology.

They’re building an archive of in-depth case studies, showcasing how Ludowide has helped children and their families.

The mentors work on the basis of these case studies. The mentors’ training is also focused on how to sense when is and – importantly – when is not the right time to push a child academically. In this, they are informed by the state of young people's wellbeing. “The Ludowise team are examining where the recent rise in anxiety has come from. Of course, we recognise the need for professional help, but we look at prevention rather than intervention, and that’s where we’re different from other companies,” says Elphinstone.

Whether anxiety is on the rise, or conversations surrounding it are becoming more commonplace, it seems every child could benefit from a mentor. If parents can be persuaded that supporting children holistically by instilling self-belief and confidence will ultimately lead to longer-lasting success, then surely the educational mentoring arena is set to grow exponentially.

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Prepared. To grow somewhere new.

Our new preparatory school opens in September 2020 Prince’s Gardens is a new independent preparatory school, in the heart of Kensington, for children aged 3 - 11 years. It will be a school where every one of our pupils is prepared to step out into the world with confidence, assurance and an open, inquisitive mind. To think for themselves whilst exploring their ideas and creativity. To develop not just all-round academic excellence, but the all important strength of character essential for success in our fast changing world.

To reserve your place at our launch event Search...

PGPREP

or visit princesgardensprep.co.uk/education

Prepared for everything.

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Up Front

TA L K I N G

OPINION

Bright

FUTURE

The new head of Dallington, Maria Blake, discusses the legacy of its brilliant founder and her vision for the future of this outstanding East London school

D

allington holds a unique place in the constellation of outstanding London schools – a vibrant oasis of creativity, proudly and fiercely independent.

Established and led for over 40 years

by Mogg Hercules MBE, it has been the school of choice for many parents seeking an exceptional education for their children. Taking over the headship presents a formidable challenge: how to celebrate and develop Mogg’s legacy while bringing to bear my own style and experience?

Yet I am quietly confident that I have a huge amount to bring to the Dallington community, not least my 30 years of teaching and leadership. This has been gained in many diverse schools around the world, and always flying the flag for progressive, inclusive and outwardlooking education. All my work and innovation has been underpinned by my belief in every child’s fundamental right to experience an education that nurtures a belief in themselves, and to be valued, empowered and informed.

Children should also be encouraged to expect the best of themselves, and to expect the best of the adults in their lives – in school, in the home and in their communities.

Many of the children I have taught have been destined for positions of

great influence in their countries – nurturing these minds and helping them to deeply understand the world they will inherit has been the greatest responsibility. Yet some of the professional experiences that I most treasure took place in the forgotten corners of Islington and Hackney. I reflect with incredible pride that I was able to work as part of committed teams who worked tirelessly to bring the world and its myriad opportunities into those disadvantaged classrooms and then

“All my work and innovation has been underpinned by my belief in every child’s fundamental right to be valued, empowered and informed”

HEAD

MARIA BLAKE Head Dallington School

witnessed the impact on those young lives.

Naturally, I am honoured to become part of the incredibly strong and established Dallington team that led the school to an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ award in January 2018. When I joined the team in September, as Director of Teaching and Learning, I knew that I was among kindred spirits, and there is so much excitement as we embrace the journey ahead. We bring to bear our collective experience and vision as we address the challenges of educating the children of the 21st century. We look forward to developing new initiatives that recognise the importance of outdoor learning, of encouraging student voice and critical thinking, of nurturing wellbeing, responsibility and global citizenship, as well as building upon the timeless foundation of an excellent curriculum.

The children we are teaching today at Dalllington will carry the torch of their learning into the future. Our job is to ensure that they will illuminate, inspire and care for the world they will inherit.

DALLINGTON PUPILS

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Bottom of

THE CLASS

Every parent wants the best for their child, so to discover they are not making the grade can be devastating. Absolutely Education ďŹ nds out what can happen to the pupil who is bottom of the class, and how they can be helped to succeed B y LIBBY NORMAN

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Pre-Prep

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no one can argue against success and competition is often healthy. Our schools have a duty to foster endeavour and the will to be the best, but there are children who struggle to achieve in an environment where reliance (or over-reliance) is placed on exams, testing and frequent benchmarking. The problem is, in any competitive environment someone has to come last and no one wants it to be their child.

For Jane, the realisation that her son William was going to struggle academically came quickly. “We were told within the first six weeks of reception class that he was behind.” This was difficult to hear, and she says she left her first parents evening wondering why the teacher could not find one positive thing to say about the happy and cheerful child he was there to teach.

There had been early warning signs.

William was late to speak, so Jane and her husband knew they had to watch that. But he was a happy and engaged child and, as a late summer baby, he had an age advantage. They had reassured themselves that he was a late starter and things would even themselves out by the time he started school. They didn’t and, as time rolled on, Jane and her husband realised the problem was real. William was at the very bottom of his class.

The situation was made harder because Jane works in children’s publishing and, with expert knowledge, she also has a passionate commitment to doing everything a parent can do to instil a love of reading and learning. William also has a younger sister who aced every development milestone he had struggled to attain. William was aware that he wasn’t keeping up. Jane says a particularly difficult moment came when his younger sister overtook him in reading – made obvious by the colour-coded home reading books issued to pupils as another marker of achievement.

One danger in situations where children are not keeping up with peers is disengagement. It is harder for them to even have a go when they expect to fall short, yet again. Emily-Jane Swanson, who works with Tavistock Tutors, says that she sometimes encounters this – perhaps entering a family

home where there is already a question mark around a child’s progress (‘is it extra help they need or is there a SEN issue?’).

“What I do see, after a decade working in education, is that the targets are being set younger and younger,” she says. “There is a more prescriptive way of learning in the classroom, with more exams and tests, and this does impact some children.” Swanson says even young children are keenly aware of where they are at. “Children are so much more sensitive than many adults realise."

Certainly, repeated failure to match the class standard took its toll on William. Jane recalls him coming home from another frustrating day at school and, when she tried to engage him in a chat about his day,

“THE PROBLEM IS, IN ANY COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT SOMEONE HAS TO COME LAST AND NO ONE WANTS IT TO BE THEIR CHILD”

FO C U S

he responded by telling her everything was all right, concluding: “I just want to go out and get a job and be a carpenter or a tree surgeon”. So, by age nine, William had effectively decided that he was done with school and now needed to focus on his future earning power.

Cath Lowther, a practising educational psychologist and spokesperson for the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP), says that this disengagement is not uncommon. “Children switch off quite quickly and it’s easy to put off children at a young age”. Lowther, who works with Local Education Authorities, says that there are usually clear signs that a child is not succeeding. In some cases, they express frustration or show challenging behaviour, or they may become very quiet and simply shut down. “There are also happy children who try their very hardest,” she adds. “They may even love school, but they are just not achieving.”

This was the case for William, who tried his best and was not disruptive in any way. Jane says that his teachers’ only criticism was that he frequently seemed

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