It is still very early days but the first pre-prep schools have started releasing their 7+ results. This post will be updated as schools release their results.
Children’s House Upper School, Islington
tba
Eaton House Belgravia 7+ accepted offers
St Paul’s 3
Latymer Prep 1
King’s College Wimbledon 3
WCCS 8
Wetherby Prep 2
Westminster Under 5 8+ accepted offers St Paul’s 1
King’s College Wimbledon 1
Sussex House 6
WCCS 6
Westminster Under 1
Wetherby Prep 5
Garden House Boys’ School
prep school destinations include (7+ / 8+ / 11+ reported jointly) …
King’s College Wimbledon 2
St Paul’s 3
Sussex House 12 (8+ only)
Westminster Under School 5
Wetherby Prep 3 (8+)
Wetherby Senior 2 (11+ only)
Hampstead Hill 7+ exceptionally good results this year…
– Boys: 17 offers from UCS, 11 from Highgate, 2, 1 from Habs, 2 from Westminster Under, 1 St Paul’s Junior
– Girls: 10 Highgate, 10 Channing, 9 SHHS, 7 City of London, 2 Habs, 2 NLCS, 1 Bute
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.We have only just come back from half-term holidays and it is already time to start planning Easter activities! Most schools break up for somewhere between two and four weeks, with most activities concentrated in the two weeks preceding Easter (weeks starting April 3rd and April 10th). Some schools organise their own holiday activities as well. Here is an overview of Easter camps and activities that we can recommend or have been recommended by other parents across London:
Sports
The Richmond Gymnastics Association runs professional Easter campsfor children from Reception age upwards. The camps run on a weekly basis from 9am to 1pm. Henry Lamb Tennis offers Easter camps located at Putney High School, Kensington Prep and Newton Prep School. We are also big fans of Love Swimming fast track courses held at the luxurious Dolphin Square gym in Pimlico. Net-it campsfor Netball, Hockey and Rounders are highly recommended as well!
Drama, Music and Dance
Perform run drama courses from children 4+ to boost their confidence via fun and games. Theatrebugsrun drama camps for kids aged 3 – 7, ending in their own performance at the end of the week. Stagecoach is a well established drama programme for kids. While they run term time activities for children aged as young as four, their holiday camps are for children from 8 to 18 only.
For children aged 7+, the best camp in this category is probably the one offered by theSylvia Young Theatre Schoolin Marble Arch.
The English National Ballet Schooloffers courses for children aged 5+ from April 3rd to 5th. The Place near Russell Square runs great Easter dance courses for children of all ages 4+. The Strings club runs introductory music camps for a variety of instruments across London.
Science and Technology
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.For the serious techies, FunTech Camps in North London offer a variety of summer camps ranging from JavaCoding to Minecraft in several North London locations and Richmond. Firetechcampoffer technology and coding classes (including Robotics) for children aged 7 – 18 located at Imperial College in South Kensington. Mad Science camps are geared to younger children from 4 upwards and introduce children to the excitement of exploration and experiments. Camps are offered across London. Little House of Science Easter workshopsare another option for budding scientists. North Londoners may head to Mother Nature Science instead. Mini-Engineers run exciting themed LEGO camps in Central London for children between 5 – 11.
Of course there are also legendary Robotics camps offered by the London School of Math and Programming. For 9 to 17 year olds, a 2 day (or 6 day) introductory course: Saturday 1 to Sunday 2 April with option to continue 4 more days to Thursday 6 April. 4 day course: Monday 3 to Thursday 6 April for children with good previous experience of coding or robotics. All courses run from 10am to 3pm at their High Street Kensington School. For the 6 – 10 year olds, there will be an introductory robotics camp using a great robotics kits called Robbo. This will be a 4 day course from 10am to 1pm, running between April 10th – 13th.
If it is 7+ / 8+ / 11+ / 13+ prep crash courses you are looking for, head to Exampapersplus.co.uk and enquire about their Easter prep sessions.
Multi-activity, exploration and outdoors
If you’re looking for full day activity camps, Camp Beaumont offers summer camps at King’s College Wimbledon, Mill Hill and Colfe’s among others, while Supercamps runs Central London camps at St Nicholas Prep School in South Kensington, Putney High School and Latymer Upper School, among many others.
My children really enjoy the Youngstars camps aimed at 3- 7 year olds as well. They are held across SW London.
First Hand experiences offer varied outdoor experiences across London. For the full outdoor experience, Little Forest Folk are the experts but beware, their holiday camps sell out in no time.
Other activities
Of course, you may not actually be looking at camps or childcare and just need inspiration for what to do with your children during the holidays. Here are some of our top things to do with your child this London for the perfect “staycation” in London
book a Westend show like “Three Little Pigs”, “Mathilda” or “the Gruffalo”, followed by lunch or dinner in Chinatown
spend a day outside of London on a farm. Our favourites are Bucklebury farm in Berkshire and Bocketts Farmin Surrey. Horse riding at Vauxhall City Farm also highly recommended, especially their “Own a pony for a day”!
a day on the Princess Diana Memorial Playground (come early to beat the crowds!) and/or Battersea Park Zoo
a creepy crawlies session at the Chelsea Physic Garden or any of their other family activities
for preschoolers, the Music House for Children in Shepherd’s Bush always runs lovely shows and events
We are still awaiting publication from a few important prep schools – Thomas’s, Bute House and Hill House to name but a few. Below is a comprehensive list of schools that have published their 11+ results for 2017 already. This will be updated as soon as additional results are published:
City of London School for Girls 1, Habs boys 1, Habs girls 1, Highgate 2, SHHS 3, St Paul’s Girls’ 1, UCS 2, Westminster 1
Falkner House
Excellent results this year as always. 3 girls to boarding school (2 St Mary’s Ascot, 1 Downe House), 18 girls to London Day Schools. Of these 18, 5 accepted places at SPGS (out of 6 offers), 7 are going to Godolphin & Latymer, 1 to Henrietta Barnett School, 1 to Greycoat, 1 to Putney High and 3 to Queen’s Gate.
Glendower Prep
32 candidates this year, 21 going to Day Schools, 11 going to boarding schools as in 2016.
Day school destinations: St Paul’s Girls 6, Godolphin & Latymer 5, NLCS 2, Putney High 2, SHHS 2, various others 4
Boarding School destinations: Wycombe Abbey 6, St Mary’s Ascot 2, plus 1 each to Benenden, Downe House, Woldingham
Kensington Prep
Offers for the 40 candidates include:
St Paul’s Girls’ School 4 offers
City of London Girls 4 offers
Godolphin & Latymer 14 offers
Putney High 18 offers
Henrietta Barnett 1 offer
Wimbledon High 5 offers
Wycombe Abbey 4 offers including 1 academic scholarship
St Mary’s Ascot 1 offer
Cheltenham Ladies College 2 offers
Kew College
Excellent results from this co-ed prep in Richmond as always. Highlights:
Co-ed offers: Kingston Grammar 16 offers, Latymer Upper 8 offers, Ibstock Place 16 offers
Boys: St Paul’s Junior 1 offers, Hampton School 8 offers, Tiffin School 1 offer
Girls: 5 LEH, 8 Putney High, 6 Godolphin & Latymer, 2 St Paul’s Girls School
Knightsbridge School
SPGS 1, Godolphin & Latymer 3 offers, Latymer Upper 4 offers, Francis Holland SW1 5 offers, Harrodian 7, CLSG 1, City of London Boys 1, plus a variety of boarding and other London day schools
Pembridge Hall Below are places accepted by the 55 girls in Year 6
Godolphin & Latymer 9
Putney High 1
St Paul’s Girls’ School 3
South Hampstead High 6
Wycombe Abbey 2
Downe House 3
The Roche School, Wandsworth final destinations for the 34 candidates Dulwich College 2 Emanuel 5 King’s College Wimbledon 1 Kingston Grammar 1 Thomas’s Battersea 1 Wimbledon High 2
Queen’s Gate Junior School 11+
A huge congratulations to this year’s III Form 11+ pupils, who have been offered places at St Paul’s Girls School, Godolphin and Latymer, Downe House, St Swithun’s, Woldingham School, and Queen’s Gate Senior School, including two Academic Scholarships, one All-rounder scholarship, one Mathematics Scholarship, two Mathematics Exhibitions, one English Scholarship, two English Exhibitions, one Art Scholarship and two Sports Scholarships.
awaiting: Bute House, Hill House, Eaton Square, Ravenscourt Park Prep, Garden House, Abercorn, Thomas’s, Sarum Hall, Newton Prep, Devonshire House, Eaton House the Manor Girls’ …
Following separate posts on leading feeder schools to Westminster School and Eton College, below is the same information for St Paul’s School in Barnes. First, here are pre-preps that feed St Paul’s Junior School at 7+ / 8+, to the extent that they publish this information:
St Paul’s Junior School feeders 2017 7+ and 8+:
– Eaton House Belgravia 4
– Garden House 3
– Norland Place 3
– Hawkesdown House 2
– Hampstead Hill 1
– Wetherby Pre-Prep does not report detailed results but is a considerable (if not the biggest) feeder as well.
And here is a list of prep schools that feed St Paul’s School at 13+, based on available data for 2016. Please note the below list shows the number of boys who chose St Paul’s as their destination schools, not all those who received an offer and declined it. Also take into account that some schools have as few as 20 boys per year (Hereward House) versus 40 – 60 per year at the larger preps.
The summer holidays are in full swing, despite the weather, and it is time to do a roundup of summer camps and activities in London, for those of you who still need some ideas for what to do in August. I must add that this summer I have booked my kids in for far less activities than last year, as I wanted to have more time to explore London, take them to shows and parks. They are loving it, but it can get tiring after a while. But if you have the time, do take advantage of the opportunities that London offers, take your kids on the tube and buses, take them to museums, to watch performers in Covent Garden, splash in the fountains at Coram Fields or Central Saint Martin’s (King’s Cross), visit the Lego Store, Chinatown, Kew Gardens, take them swimming, play tennis with them. I always feel kids mature over the summer, as they tend to be in the same environment with the same kids every day during term-time, and it really helps them to get out of their bubble and see the rest of London during holidays.
My kids have been having a very sporty summer, doing tennis and swimming, plus a lot of times on the playground. They have both been trying to swing along a long monkey bar on our local playground for a while, and even my 4 year old has now got the hang of it, thanks to daily visits to the playground. But, for the rest of the time that you do need to work or take a break, there are of course endless opportunities to entertain kids otherwise!
Sports
The Richmond Gymnastics Association runs professional Easter campsfor children from Reception age upwards. The camps run on a weekly basis from 9am to 1pm. Hammersmith Gymnastics runs a few sessions from 10am – 12pm on select days as well. Henry Lamb Tennis offers Easter camps located at Putney High School, Kensington Prep and Newton Prep School. We are also big fans of Love Swimming fast track courses held at the luxurious Dolphin Square gym in Pimlico. Net-it campsfor Netball, Hockey and Rounders are highly recommended as well! Fulham FC runs football camps in Fulham throughout the summer, and if it is football you’re after, you can always check your local football club, or check Little Kickers if you have a very little one.
Drama, Music and Dance
Perform run drama courses from children 4+ to boost their confidence via fun and games. Theatrebugsrun drama camps for kids aged 3 – 7, ending in their own performance at the end of the week. Stagecoach is a well established drama programme for kids. While they run term time activities for children aged as young as four, their holiday camps are for children from 8 to 18 only.
For children aged 7+, the best camp in this category is probably the one offered by theSylvia Young Theatre Schoolin Marble Arch.
The English National Ballet Schooloffers courses for children aged 5+ from April 3rd to 5th. The Place near Russell Square runs great Easter dance courses for children of all ages 4+. The Strings club runs introductory music camps for a variety of instruments across London. London Children’s Ballet in Paddington is very good too, but aimed at ages 9+.
Science and Technology
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.For the serious techies, FunTech Camps (present in Hampstead, Richmond, Westminster, Dulwich and Canary Wharf) offer a variety of summer camps ranging from JavaCoding to Minecraft in several North London locations and Richmond. Firetechcampoffer technology and coding classes (including Robotics) for children aged 7 – 18 located at Imperial College in South Kensington. Mad Science camps are geared to younger children from 4 upwards and introduce children to the excitement of exploration and experiments. Camps are offered across London. Little House of Science Easter workshopsare another option for budding scientists. My daughter tried out Mother Nature Science this summer and absolutely loved it. I can highly recommend it. Mini-Engineers run exciting themed LEGO camps in Central London for children between 5 – 11.
Of course there are also legendary Robotics camps offered by the London School of Math and Programming. There are Maths and Programming courses for kids aged 7+. All courses run from 10am to 3pm at their High Street Kensington School.
Multi-activity, exploration and outdoors
If you’re looking for full day activity camps, Camp Beaumont offers summer camps at King’s College Wimbledon, Mill Hill and Colfe’s among others, while Supercamps runs Central London camps at St Nicholas Prep School in South Kensington, Putney High School and Latymer Upper School, among many others.
My children really enjoy the Youngstars camps aimed at 3- 7 year olds as well. They are held across SW London.
First Hand experiences offer varied outdoor experiences across London. For the full outdoor experience, Little Forest Folk are the experts but beware, their holiday camps sell out in no time.
Other activities
Of course, you may not actually be looking at camps or childcare and just need inspiration for what to do with your children during the holidays. Here are some of our top things to do with your child this London for the perfect “staycation” in London
book a Westend show like “What the Ladybird Heard”, “Mathilda” or “Aladdin”, followed by lunch or dinner in Chinatown
spend a day outside of London on a farm. Our favourites are Bucklebury farm in Berkshire and Bocketts Farmin Surrey. Horse riding at Vauxhall City Farm also highly recommended, especially their “Own a pony for a day”!
a day on the Princess Diana Memorial Playground (come early to beat the crowds!) and/or Battersea Park Zoo
a creepy crawlies session at the Chelsea Physic Garden or any of their other family activities
for preschoolers, the Music House for Children in Shepherd’s Bush always runs lovely shows and events
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.And the top secondary school in London is…. the King’s College Maths School, a selective state Sixth Form college in Lambeth! Pupils outperformed their peers at highly selective independent schools Westminster School, St Paul’s Girls’ School and King’s College Wimbledon, among others. These are just headline numbers and the picture will look a bit different if we go into the details of A-Level courses and subject choices, but it is nevertheless a very impressive performance.
We already highlighted Kings College Maths School London as a school to watch last year.The school offers pupils A-levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Computer Science and Economics only. 40% of its students are girls. 30% of their leavers got offers to study at King’s College last year, with a further 22% getting into Oxbridge this year. When reading the results below, please note a few schools have not published their results in terms of % of A*’s awarded yet, so a few important schools (St Paul’s, Godolphin & Latymer, City of London School, UCS) are still missing. The table will be updated once these results are published.
Top 20 London schools ranked by % of A*’s at 2017 A-levels
% of A*’s
1
King’s College London Maths Academy
state
Co-ed
58%
2
Westminster School
private
Co-ed
57%
3
St Paul’s Girls’ School
private
Girls
46%
4
City of London School for Girls
private
Girls
45%
5
Haberdasher Aske’s School for Boys
private
Boys
44%
6
King’s College Wimbledon
private
Co-ed
43%
7
Henrietta Barnett School
state
Girls
43%
8
Queen Elizabeth School, Barnet
state
Boys
41%
9
North London Collegiate School
private
Girls
39%
10
Alleyn’s
private
co-ed
39%
11
Highgate
private
Co-ed
38%
12
Latymer Upper
private
Co-ed
34%
13
Lady Eleanor Holles
private
Girls
33%
14
Hampton School
private
Boys
33%
15
Habs Girls
private
Girls
32%
16
Tiffin Girls
state
Girls
30%
17
Channing School
private
Girls
30%
18
JAGS
private
Girls
30%
19
South Hampstead High School
private
Girls
28%
20
Putney High School
private
Girls
26%
GCSE results 2017 will be released on Thursday 24th August, which will provide potentially more up to date info on the ranking of London secondary schools. Since some schools (such as NLCS, King’s College and Godolphin & Latymer, for example) offer their pupils a choice of A-Levels and IB Diploma and many schools accept external candidates into their Sixth Form, GCSE results tend to reflect the quality of a senior school more accurately.
When reading the results, it is also important to note that far more A*’s are awarded in STEM subjects such as Maths and Physics, and the lowest number of A* grades is awarded in the subjects English Literature and Psychology. This might have favoured some boys’ schools and co-ed schools in the league tables. The King’s College Maths School in particular benefits from this, as pupils here cannot sit A-Levels in humanities subjects. Once schools publish full results by subjects, we will check if King’s College Maths School really outperformed Westminster School or King’s College Wimbledon in Maths, Physics and Computer Science.
All that said, it is an exciting achievement for a new free school in Lambeth to be ranked top of the country a few years after its opening. It is also fantastic to see co-ed schools like Alleyn’s, Latymer Upper and Highgate moving up the league tables, busting the myth that you have to attend a single six school if you want the best academic school. As competition for places at co-educational schools continues, this trend might well continue.
Following last week’s publication of A-Level results, which featured some surprising new comers, here is the new ranking of London secondary schools based on 2017 GCSE results. Unbeatable St Paul’s Girls’ School is Number 1 (as always?), closely followed by Westminster School. NLCS, Habs and City are strong as always. The co-educational schools keep edging up, led by Latymer Upper and Alleyn’s. Wimbledon High has had another very strong year and enters the top 10 for the first time. Francis Holland Sloane Square has also had another great year. We’re awaiting the publication of results from St Paul’s and City of London School, who will likely be in the top 10. The table will be updated with full results in November.
A very interesting trend is the very strong academic performance of London Day Schools compared to schools in the rest of the country. In 2017, all top 5 schools in the country are London day schools. Only 3 out of the top 10 are based outside of London (King Edward VI High School for Girls, Magdalen College School and Guildford High School). Magdalen College School in Oxford is the only boarding school in the top 10, all others are day schools.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The North London Girls’ School Consortium, which is made up of twelve independent day schools, will replace their 11+ exam papers with a one-hour long “bespoke cognitive ability” test that they hope will reduce the amount of preparation children require.
Lucy Elphinstone, headmistress of Francis Holland, Sloane Square, which is a member of the consortium, said the move is in response to concerns about the well being of children “arising from over-tutoring and the dreadful prepping towards the tests”. She told the Tatler Schools Live conference in Knightsbridge, London that the group of schools will instead select students on the basis of cognitive ability, verbal reasoning and interviews.
This will likely mean the admissions process will move further towards an American model, with the academic potential taken into account, but more weight put on “soft” factors. The consortium, which includes Notting Hill and Ealing High School, Queen’s College and The Godolphin & Latymer School, said in a statement: “There will be no further written assessments at our Schools, and we will develop the creativity of our interview processes.”
It is an interesting development, given that research has shown that pure Maths and English tests actually predict future academic achievement better than cognitive ability tests (as they measure the ability to work hard and concentrate beyond raw ability). Some grammar schools have even gone in the opposite direction, replacing NVR and VR tests with Maths and English tests. But it shows that the leading secondary schools care about the mental well-being of poor 11 year old children more than about their league table position, which is clearly a good thing!
However, it might just make the outcome of an application more uncertain. If you know how you score in Maths and English, you can usually predict with reasonable accuracy which schools are realistic targets. If it comes down to interviews, group activities and creative problem-solving, who knows where you child will get in? But hopefully, the move will indeed reduce some of the pressure Year 5 and Year 6 children are currently under.
Here is Lucy Elphinstone herself, explaining the move:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.St Anthony’s School for Girls is offering children a fantastic opportunity for means-tested scholarships offered at 7+ in both this current academic year and that starting September 2018. Part of the Alpha Plus Group, the Golders Green based school has re-launched the initiative to make it possible for bright local girls, who otherwise may not have the opportunity, to achieve a place at a first-class independent school.
Applications are now welcome and the chosen individuals will be eligible for a percentage of their annual school fees to be covered, provided that they meet satisfactory academic standards. The school prides itself on providing first-class learning, where children and young people are able to achieve their full potential and academic excellence in a challenging yet secure and caring environment with access to the latest classroom technology and the very best in modern and traditional teaching methods.
Head Teacher Laura Flannery, commented: “I know that there are many young, local girls with strong academic potential who would flourish at this wonderful school.
“We are delighted that we are able to offer these scholarships to help them to thrive. We facilitate the achievement of academic excellence, in a caring and highly supportive, individualistic environment. This is greatly aided with our small, unrivalled class sizes.”
One of the first decisions you have to make, assuming you are going private, is between the British system and international schools. There are considerable differences between the curricula and approaches, but even practical considerations. First, let us consider the practical aspects, as they can be a deciding factor even before you look into theoretical issues.
First of all, there is the elephant in the room, school fees! British prep schools in Central London vary in cost somewhere between £15k and £20k per year, with a few exceptions in either direction. Most international schools, in turn, charge between £18,000 and £25,000 in the first years. International schools in Central London, such as the American School in London and Southbank International School, are obviously the ones with the highest fees. From an economic standpoint, British prep schools are definitely more attractive. At least this is the case for American / IB schools. Other international schools, such as most French schools and the German or Swedish schools, for example, tend to charge lower fees than British schools.
Then there is the issue of location. There is a wide variety of British prep schools in all neighbourhoods of London, as you would expect, but there are not many international schools in Central London, and children come from far and wide, often by school bus. The American School in St John’s Wood, Southbank International School in Kensington and Hampstead, and the International Community School in Marylebone are the main Central London international schools, but if you don’t happen to live nearby, you may not have much of a choice. You would have to go further out to ACS International School in Cobham (Surrey) or Hillingdon if you wanted an international school outside of London with excellent, spacious facilities. But unless you live in Richmond or Chiswick already, they may not be accessible.
Another aspect expats may be worried about is how welcoming and international the school community would be. Some parents new to London tend to assume that the expat kids are to be found in international schools, as is the case in other expat cities around the world, and that British prep schools are not diverse or welcoming. I would say that at least for Central London neighbourhoods, this is not the case, and even at a traditional prep school, as many as 80% of the children or more might be internationals. However, there tends to be a difference in pupil turnover. The population at international schools does tend to be more transient, with more parents on limited expat assignments, and you could easily see 20-25% of turnover per year. Being London, you would always see about 10% turnover even at a British prep school, so you will have some change in student body in both types of schools, although certainly you will see more of it at an international school.
Apart from these peripheral considerations, the key difference is the curriculum and hence the expectations the school will have for your child. The British curriculum is certainly more formal and traditional in the early years, and more specific about knowledge and skills that children would be expected to acquire in the first years of school. While the Reception year is part of the Early Years Framework and encourages learning through play, children would still spend around 2 hours per day (this varies by school, pre-preps would be more formal and more relaxed prep schools till 11 or 13 tend to be more playful) on more structured activities (reading, writing, Maths). In Year 1, children would already move to a structured timetable and have little time to play, apart from break time.
Many prep schools introduce cursive writing from the start, and your 4 year old will bring home worksheets to practice writing their cursive “f”s and “k”s, which many parents might well struggle with! They will wear a uniform, too, of course, and be expected to change in and out of it for PE lessons. Inevitably, many children rise to the challenge, but you have to ask yourself as a parent if you want your child to worry about how to button up their shirt fast enough or how to write in cursive at that age. The long-term benefit of pushing children to read and write before 6 is relatively questionable, so in a way you will have to forget what you know and believe in and go along with what the school is doing. You can’t really tell your child they don’t have to do their homework, so if the school gives you cursive writing sheets to fill in, you will have to ask your child to do it, even if you don’t believe in it yourself. I am making it sound bad now, just be aware that the style can differ enormously between all the British prep schools, with some on the very formal and some on the progressive end of the spectrum, so find out how the school approaches reading, writing and homework in the first years.
Even beyond the first year, British schools tend to introduce advanced concepts very early, potentially too early, at a time when most children probably don’t really understand them. For example, you may be wowed at first that your 5 year old is doing fractions at school when you didn’t find out about them until you were 11, but you will quickly see that they will be covered at a basic level and your child will not understand it in a way that you did when you learnt it properly as an older child. The same goes for story writing. I am not sure why the emphasis is on being able to write a coherent story with beginning, middle and end, by age 6 or 7. 6 year olds are taught about story maps and story constructions, character development. This all sounds very impressive, but why not focus on reading and ideas first, and worry about forcing a structure on it at age 9 or 10? Why the worry about the product and not about the process? Obviously, if you are applying for 7+ entrance, you need to be able to write a page that makes some sort of sense, but even prep schools that have time till 11 or 13 seem to require children to write perfect stories by Year 2. Are they really going to be better writers in adulthood? Or are they going to see writing as a chore that follows a specific formula?
International schools tend to be more progressive, emphasising ideas and exploration over specific knowledge. Of course, this might also mean they are not as challenging academically in the early years (or challenging in a different way?), so if your child is very advanced and mature for her age, a British school may be a perfect fit. At the secondary school level, the academic standard of the two systems converges, but you will still find differences. The British History curriculum, for example, is heavily focused on the British perspective of World War II, while you would expect to study World History at an international school, with a more global perspective. International schools might also offer more optionality in terms of senior school subjects. The American School offers modules in World Civilisations, Game Design and App Development, Anatomy and Physiology, Russian Literature, Journalism, Arabic and Microeconomics, for example. I know which option I am more excited about!
The exams are another consideration. Most international schools are all-through schools, so children can stay there from 4 or 5 till 18, if that is what you want, without having to worry about exams. At a British prep school, parents will soon start worrying about the 11+ or 13+ exam, and once they have finally gotten into a secondary school, parents worry about GCSE exams, and then A-Levels. It certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted!
If you are unsure which way to go, a safe approach may be to go for a relatively progressive or gentle British prep school in the beginning, and then keep international schools in mind in case things don’t work out or you want a change at a later stage. An international school would be the right choice at a young age if fees are not a constraint for you and you feel your child would not thrive in a more formal, academically accelerated environment.
For those of you preparing for upcoming 7+ exams in December and January, here is a helpful overview of very good past papers published by the top target schools in London, along with a few more from highly selective schools elsewhere in England. They vary in difficulty, so I recommend rather than going through paper by paper, to print a variety of specimen papers and sort the individual pages in order of increasing difficulty, getting your child started on the more straight forward questions. Also adapt it to the level of your child, there is no point giving them a paper covering three digit subtraction if they have no idea what that is.
If you child is still in Year 1 or not ready for the most challenging papers, you could start with the following very helpful Schofield & Sims Maths workbooks that cover the Key Stage 1 curriculum and are well aligned with the material tested at 7+:
Below is a list of links to 7+ specimen papers published online directly by the schools. Latymer Prep does not publish the past papers online but sends it out to those who have registered for the exam well in advance.
Three years after its inception, Ecole Jeannine Manuel London welcomes 365 pupils representing 40 nationalities from nursery
through Year 10. Next fall, the school will open
its Upper School on Russell Square, steps from its Primary and Middle schools. In Year 11, the Upper School will enrol the school’s current Year 10 pupils as well as new bilingual or Anglophone pupils.
Pupils entering Sixth Form will choose either the International Option of the French baccalaureate (British section OIB) or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB). Both tracks have coexisted successfully at Ecole Jeannine Manuel in Paris for over thirty years. Featuring a challenging bicultural curriculum in History-Geography and an enriched English Literature syllabus, the OIB is the most demanding French lycée
curriculum, requiring a native command of both French and English. Equally challenging, the IB programme is made up of a common core and a choice of six subjects distributed among STEM disciplines and the humanities. It is recognised for its academic rigour and emphasis on personal development. For Pauline Prévot, Head of the London school, “Both programmes are highly valued by the world’s most prestigious universities. Pupils will choose the baccalaureate track that best fits their talents and higher education aspirations.”
Higher Education Advisory
In Paris, Ecole Jeannine Manuel enjoys a long, successful tradition of university counselling. As highlighted by chairman Bernard Manuel, “École Jeannine Manuel sends more graduates to Oxbridge and to Russell Group universities in the UK, and to Ivy League colleges in the US, than any other school in France. We will bring this expertise to London so that each pupil can benefit from it.” Accordingly, a team including a French specialist, a UK university adviser and an American college counsellor will help each pupil decipher the higher education landscape, define goals and plan the application process.
An Educational Project for 3-18 Year Olds
“We are very proud to bring Jeannine Manuel’s vision to London and to see the school grow with its pupils. The opening of the Upper School will complete our 3-18 year olds’ education cycle and further our mission of international understanding,” emphasises Pauline Prévot. The new Upper School will benefit from several partnerships established by the Primary and Middle schools with London cultural institutions such as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre or University College London (UCL) for sports facilities. The school will also extend and expand its bursary programme for current and new Upper School pupils.
About Ecole Jeannine Manuel London
Founded in 2015, Ecole Jeannine Manuel Londonis a co-educational French, bilingual, international school for 3-18 year olds. Ecole
Jeannine Manuel in London is the sister school of its Paris namesake, ranked first lycée in France for the past five years. The London
school is registered as a British charity and shares the Paris school’s mission: to promote international understanding through the bilingual
education of a multicultural community of pupils and to foster pedagogical innovation. Accredited by the French Ministry of Education
and recognised as a Cambridge International School, the school is also an IB World School candidate for the IB Diploma Programme.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Headmistress, Mrs. Jenny Mackay, has today announced a change for the Pre-Prep School. Hawkesdown will now extend the educational provision through to the age of 11 and in so doing is delighted to be able to welcome girls. The School will become fully co-educational by 2022. This is in response to parental demand for the excellent education and warm, nurturing atmosphere at Hawkesdown to include girls as well as boys.
Mrs. Jenny Mackay, Headmistress, writes, ‘I have come to appreciate how many parents have very real concerns about the pressure on the boys, and on families, concerning the prep school exam stage. There are many ways of providing excellent education, but with the increasing preference for co-education at these young ages and the desire of so many for a continuum of schooling through to 11, we feel that this is the right change for our School. It will be lovely for Hawkesdown that families of brothers and sisters can come to the School together in their early lives, and that the school will continue to the age of 11.’
The School plans to grow organically so that the first Year Four class will be in 2022. The school be taking its first intake of girls into a Reception class in 2019 and will welcome girls into the Nursery class from this September.
The children will be now prepared for examinations at 11+ to the Independent London Day School and the Public Schools such as: Westminster Under, St Paul’s Boys, St Paul’s Girls, Godolphin and Latymer, Queen’s Gate and Latymer Upper as well as to the ever-increasing number of new senior schools opening up in the London market that are educating children from the age of 11 to 18, including Kensington Park School, Eaton Square Upper School and Fulham Prep Senior School. Parents may still decide to have their sons prepared for the 7+ and 8+ examinations to preparatory schools, and Hawkesdown will of course continue this provision.
Mrs. Mackay continues, “At Hawkesdown, we have succeeded in combining the joy of learning with very individual attention. In a world where everything has grown bigger, often at a cost, we concentrate on knowing each pupil and understanding what is important to every family. Parents are fiercely loyal to this philosophy: that it works is borne out in excellent results and in the open, thoughtful and happy nature of the children.
Following our excellent inspection in December, the Department for Education has been pleased to approve the application for this change. We are all thrilled at this new chapter for Hawkesdown House School.”
To arrange a visit to the School, please contact the School Office on 020 7727 9090 or email: admin@hawkesdown.co.uk
We are nearing the end of the 2018 admissions season, although some patient families are still lingering on waiting lists. Those who hoped for an easy ride thanks to Brexit or St Paul’s decision to increase their 7+ intake this year may have been disappointed, with many of the top schools reporting record applicant numbers. The trend I am seeing since several years is that parents are more willing to move for a top school, which means they tend to apply all over London, and then a small number of superstar candidates bag all the offers, while mere mortals or those who put half-hearted effort into their 7+ preparation end up on waiting lists or without any offers.
4+ offers are also out across London now, and we seem to be seeing the same trend: it has been an incredibly competitive year at the top schools, and I have heard many more readers this year report they did not get any of their top choices, even if they applied far and wide. On the other hand, I know of a few miracle kids who just moved to London, walked into the assessments jet lagged and unprepared, and managed to excel. Although parents try to prepare for 4+ assessments and some tutors make a living out of this, 4+ assessments are certainly less predictable than 7+/8+ exams. The brightest child can be too shy to speak, throw a tantrum during the assessment or simply catch a cough on the day. And a child with a very short attention span or a high energy level would likely not be picked, no matter how much effort parents have put into preparing them in some way. That is not to say that 7+/8+ exams are a sure thing, far from it! But slightly more predictable than 4+ exams. Still, a stomach bug, nerves, a cough can change everything. How many 6 year olds, no matter how bright, can endure 3 hours of non-stop testing? 7+/8+ exam measure stamina and sheer endurance as much as “ability”, which is what the schools are supposedly after.
The good news is that at 4+, there are many excellent non-selective schools, and I always encourage parents to consider these. After many years of studying and visiting a wide range of London schools, I have often been most impressed with non-selective schools that go the extra mile for each and every child. The most selective schools have a tendency to take children who are exceptional to begin with, regardless of what the school does, and take credit for their achievements. I don’t like to name names, but having spoken to a wide range of parents at the top 5 senior schools in London (and the country), I am more convinced than ever that they cannot do magic. They take exceptionally advanced children, put them and their parents under pressure (while publicly claiming to be well-rounded, championing mental health and decrying tutoring), and then constantly boast about their pupils’ achievements. Children who do not keep up in this rat race are kindly asked to leave the school before threatening a school’s top spot in the league tables.
To conclude, by all means, celebrate if your child got into one of your desired schools at 4+ or 7+/8+, but if they did not, please do not think for a second that their opportunities for the future are limited. There is a lot of movement between schools at 11+, 13+ and 16+, and what happens at the higher stages is far more significant than the beginning of the journey.
I look forward to reporting detailed 7+/8+ and 11+ results in the coming months. It is likely that schools will wait for reserve lists to move and publish results only in late March or April. 11+ offers by the top schools will be posted this Friday February 9th. Best of luck to all those hoping for A4 envelopes in their letter box!
TASIS The American School in England has launched a new, extensive range of scholarship and financial assistance opportunities, designed to enable ambitious learners from all backgrounds to flourish in the School’s diverse community of 57 nationalities. Announcing details of the generous package of bursaries and scholarships available, TASIS England’s Head of School Mr Bryan Nixon explained, “These new opportunities underline our desire to nurture the talents and enthusiasm of young people from across the UK and further afield. These initiatives will support our global community of learners as they undertake our world-renowned courses of study, and travel their learning pathways to universities in the US, the UK, and around the globe.”
TASIS England is looking for students who will help to carry its mission forward. The School’s new Global Community Scholarships, providing up to 25% of tuition fees to both day and boarding students, will be awarded to outstanding students entering Grade 8/Year 9 or Grade 11/Year 12. These awards are available to students who excel in their academic studies and demonstrate the potential to make an exceptional contribution to TASIS through the sports, arts, or extracurricular activities.
The scholarships will be offered in parallel with the School’s extended Financial Assistance and Bursary programs that include awards of up to 100% of tuition fees being made to qualifying students, subject to assessment of need. We are proud to continue TASIS England’s 42-year history of offering financial assistance to families who may not otherwise be able to take advantage of the School’s range of learning pathways, including the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) Diploma Programme and Advanced Placement courses.
Mr Simon Fitch, Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions at TASIS England commented,
“Local families can find out more about these opportunities at the School’s Open Morning on March 17, at our campus in Thorpe, Surrey. We look forward to welcoming children from age 3 to 17 and their families with taster sessions and presentations throughout the morning.”
TASIS The American School in England
Founded in 1976, TASIS The American School in England is a leading independent, coeducational school in Thorpe, Surrey, for day (ages 3-18) and boarding students (ages 14- 18). Students from more than 55 countries contribute to the School’s unique and dynamic learning
environment 20 miles from central London. In addition to a broad-based American curriculum with a global perspective, TASIS England offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and a wide range of Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.We have only just come back from half-term holidays and it is already time to start planning Easter activities! Most schools break up for somewhere between two and four weeks, with most activities concentrated in first two weeks of the holidays (weeks starting April 2nd and April 9th). Here is an overview of Easter camps and activities that we can recommend or have been recommended by other parents across London:
Sports
The Richmond Gymnastics Association runs professional Easter campsfor children from Reception age upwards. There is a junior camp for 4 – 9 year olds and a senior camp for 9+. For tennis, head to the Battersea Park Millenium Arena for junior and senior camps. The tennis pros might well head to Duke Meadows in Chiswick. We are also big fans of Love Swimming fast track courses held at the luxurious Dolphin Square gym in Pimlico. Those aged 7+ can perfect their swimming technique at the brand new Latymer Upper School swimming pool via Nautilus swimming. Net-it campsfor Netball, Hockey and Rounders are highly recommended as well! Those based in SW London can’t go wrong with Fulham FC for their holiday football camps.
Drama, Music and Dance
Perform run drama courses from children 4+ to boost their confidence via fun and games. Theatrebugsrun drama camps for kids aged 3 – 7, ending in their own performance at the end of the week. Stagecoachis a well established drama programme for kids. While they run term time activities for children aged as young as four, their holiday camps are for children from 8 to 18 only.
For children aged 7+, the best camp in this category is probably the one offered by theSylvia Young Theatre Schoolin Marble Arch.
The English National Ballet Schooloffers courses for children aged 5+ in April. The Place near Russell Square runs great Easter dance courses for children of all ages 4+. The Strings club runs introductory music camps for a variety of instruments across London.
Science and Technology
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.For the serious techies, FunTech Camps in North London and Westminster offer a variety of summer camps ranging from JavaCoding to Minecraft. Firetechcampoffer technology and coding classes (including Robotics) for children aged 7 – 18 located at Imperial College in South Kensington. Mad Science camps are geared towards younger children from 4 upwards and introduce children to the excitement of exploration and experiments. Camps are offered across London. Little House of Science Easter workshopsare another option for budding scientists. Mother Nature Science run fun and hands-on science camps in a variety of prep schools across London.
Our top pick for those aged 7+, however, would be the legendary STEM and Robotics camps offered by the London School of Math and Programming in High Street Kensington. The Easter camp will run from 9th – 13th April. This camp will be all about Science, Robotics, Programming and… Building your own Smart House! Classes will be divided by age and experience into small groups with a pupil to teacher ratio of 6 to 1. Capacity for this camp is limited to just 30 pupils. There is also an option for your child to take a further hour of olympiad style mathematics or extra coding by arriving at 9am rather than 10am. 5 days from Monday 9 to Friday 13 April, 10am to 3pm with an option to book additional session at 9 am, for ages 7 to 18. Language: English and Russian speaking groups.
Multi-activity, exploration and outdoors
If you’re looking for full day activity camps, Camp Beaumont offers summer camps at King’s College Wimbledon, Mill Hill and Colfe’s among others, while Supercamps runs Central London camps at St Nicholas Prep School in South Kensington, Putney High School and Latymer Upper School, among many others.
First Hand experiences offer varied outdoor experiences across London. For the full outdoor experience, Little Forest Folk are the experts but beware, their holiday camps sell out in no time.
Other activities
Of course, you may not actually be looking at camps or childcare and just need inspiration for what to do with your children during the holidays. Here are some of our top things to do with your child this London for the perfect “staycation” in London
book a Westend show like “Three Little Pigs”, “Mathilda” or “the Gruffalo”, followed by lunch or dinner in Chinatown
spend a day outside of London on a farm. Our favourites are Bucklebury farm in Berkshire and Bocketts Farmin Surrey. Horse riding at Vauxhall City Farm also highly recommended, especially their “Own a pony for a day”!
a day on the Princess Diana Memorial Playground (come early to beat the crowds!) and/or Battersea Park Zoo
a creepy crawlies session at the Chelsea Physic Garden or any of their other family activities
for preschoolers, the Music House for Children in Shepherd’s Bush always runs lovely shows and events
It is still very early days but the first pre-prep schools have started releasing their 7+ results. This post will be updated as schools release their results. Please see the summary of Westminster Under / St Paul’s / Sussex House feeders at the end of this post.
Awaiting results for: Children’s House Upper School, Eaton House Belgravia, Garden House
Hampstead Hill 7+ exceptionally good results again this year… they report offers (not acceptances)
– Boys: 21 offers from UCS, 8 Wetherby, 7 Lyndhurst House, 3 Habs, 2 Westminster Under, 2 St Paul’s
– Girls: 13 SHHS, 4 City, 3 Channing
– co-ed: Highgate 27 offers (!!!), Northbridge House 25
Golders Hill 7+
Final destinations of leavers: UCS Hampstead 5, Highgate 6, Belmont 1
Hawkesdown House
7+ destinations: Chepstow House 1, King’s College 2 (3 offers), St Paul’s 2, St Philipp’s 1, Westminster Under 1 offer (not accepted)
8+ destinations: St Paul’s Junior 1, Summerfields 1, Westminster Under 1, WCCS 2, Thomas’s Kensington 1, Sussex House 2 offers (not accepted)
Mulberry House School
list of 7+ offers
– City of London School for Girls 2
– Habs Boys 4
– Habs Girls 8 (4+ and 7+)
– Highgate 9
– NLCS 9 (4+ and 7+)
– SHHS 4 (4+ and 7+)
– St Paul’s Junior School 3
– UCS 5
20 boys took exams, obtaining the following offers, among others
Caldicott 5
St Paul’s Juniors (formerly Colet Court) 3
St Philip’s 6
South Bank International School 1
Sussex House 8
Thomas’s 1
Westminster Cathedral Choir School 2
Westminster Under 2
Wetherby Prep 13
St John’s Wood Pre-Prep
incredible results for this small non-selective pre-prep next to Lord’s Crickets Ground. 11 kids took the 7+ exam and they are heading to:
– City of London School for Girls 2
– South Hampstead High 1
– St Paul’s Junior School 2
– UCS 3
– Westminster Under School 2
Wimbledon Common Prep School (Squirrels)
7+ destination schools (figures in brackets show additional offers not taken up)
– Feltonfleet 2 (5)
– King’s College Junior School 20 (5)
– Shrewsbury House 10 (11)
– St Paul’s 4 (3)
– Westminster Under 2 (2)
If you are looking for the top feeder schools to the highly selective prep departments, here is an overview by destination school – these will be updated for 2018 once a few more pre-preps have published their results:
Sussex House feeders 2017 at 8+:
– Garden House 12
– Eaton House Belgravia 6
– Norland Place 6
– Hawkesdown House 5
– Wetherby Pre-Prep does not report detailed results but is likely to be a considerable feeder as well
St Paul’s Junior School feeders 2017 7+ and 8+:
– Eaton House Belgravia 4
– Garden House 3
– Norland Place 3
– Hawkesdown House 2
– Hampstead Hill 1
– Wetherby Pre-Prep does not report detailed results but is likely to be a considerable feeder as well
Westminster Under School feeders 2017 (7+ and 8+):
– Eaton House Belgravia 6
– Garden House 5
– Hampstead Hill 2
– Norland Place 2
– Hawkesdown House 1
– St John’s Wood Pre-Prep 1
– Wetherby Pre-Prep does not report detailed results but is likely to be a considerable feeder as well
Bute House
a very strong year again, although of course keep in mind that 40 out of the 63 girls are chosen via a rigorous 7+ exam, so their results are always going to be better than most schools that admit the majority of their children at age 3 or 4. Accepted offers include:
St Pauls Girls’ School 22, Godolphin & Latymer 9, Latymer Upper 7, Francis Holland 9, Wycombe Abbey 5, other schools 11. 8 girls received offers from Henrietta Barnett School, but none of these offers were accepted.
Falkner House Another very impressive year for Falkner House girls. There were 19 girls in the year group who accepted the following offers:
St Paul’s Girls School 6, Godolphin & Latymer 6, Latymer Upper 2, plus one child each off to Francis Holland SW1, Purcell School for Young Musicians, Wycombe Abbey, Ursuline High School, St Catherine’s Bramley.
Garden House
Lots of girls off to boarding schools this year: 1 Godolphin & Latymer, 10 Francis Holland SW1, 2 Queen’s Gate, 1 Thomas’s Battersea, Wycombe Abbey 4, St Mary’s Ascot 5, other boarding 13!
Glendower Prep
24 out of 30 girls are off to London Day School, 6 girls to boarding schools this year. The girls achieved 15 scholarships between them. Final destinations include:
St Paul’s 6, Godolphin & Latymer 5, Harrodian 3, Latymer Upper 2, Francis Holland 2, plus one each to a wide variety of other schools
Kensington Prep 41 girls achieved 32 scholarships between them this year (17 Academic, 14 Music, 1 Art scholarship). Number of offers per school:
– City of London 4, Francis Holland 22, Godolphin & Latymer 18, Latymer Upper 7, Putney High 20, St Paul’s Girls’ School 4, Wimbledon High School 7, Tiffin Girls 1, Henrietta Barnett 1, Nonsuch High School 1
– Boarding: Wycombe Abbey 3, Sevenoaks 1, St Mary’s Ascot 1, Tudor Hall 1, Benenden 1, Downe House 1
Newton Prep
reports leavers’ destinations only (not total number of offers). High amount of prestigious scholarships this year. 11+ results reported only, 13+ results will follow in June. 11+ leavers are going to the following schools, among others
– Alleyn’s 5 (3 scholarships), City of London School for Girls 1 (with scholarship), Emanuel 5, JAGS 3 (1 scholarship), St Paul’s Girls’ School 2
– Boys’ schools 11+: Dulwich College 2, Latymer Upper 1, Westminster Under 1, Whitgift 2, King’s College 1
– Boarding schools: Sevenoaks 2 ( 1 scholarship), Wycombe Abbey 2, Benenden 1
Norland Place
17 girls achieved the following offers between them: Francis Holland NW1 8, Francis Holland SW1 12, City of London 6, Latymer Upper 3, St Paul’s Girls’ School 1, Godolphin & Latymer 9, Holland Park School 2, Notting Hill & Ealing High 7
Queen’s College Prep
31 girls received the following offers, among others:
City of London School for Girls 7, Francis Holland 10, Godolphin & Latymer 7, NLCS 2, SHHS 7, St Paul’s Girls’ School 1
Pembridge Hall
awaiting full results, 60 girls received the following offers: St Paul’s Girls’ School 6, Latymer Upper 5, Godolphin & Latymer 15, South Hampstead High School 14, NLCS 3
Thomas’s Kensington
Boys: City of London 3, King’s College Wimbledon 3, St Paul’s 2, most off to Thomas’s Battersea till 13+
Girls: City of London School for Girls 4, Francis Holland NW1 8, Putney High School 6, St Paul’s Girls 3, Godolphin & Latymer 6
co-ed: Latymer Upper School 11 offers, Highgate 1, Harrodian 4, Emanuel School 5, Holland Park School 2
St Paul’s Girl’s School offers by prep school:
Bute House 23 (out of 60)
Falkner House 6 (out of 19)
Glendower Prep 6 (out of 30)
Pembridge Hall 6 (out of 60)
Kensington Prep 4 (out of 41)
Thomas’s Kensington 3
Newton Prep 2
Queen’s College Prep 1 (out of 31)
Prospect House 1
Hurlingham School 1
Norland Place 1
Orchard House 1
Latymer Upper School offers by prep school:
Bute House 20 offers, 4 accepted
Thomas’s Kensington 11
Kensington Prep 7 offers
Norland Place 3
Falkner House 7 offers, 2 accepted
Glendower Prep 2 (accepted offers – there may be more offers)
For parents with global careers who are likely to relocate every few years and UK parents seeking an alternative to a traditional British curriculum the International Baccalaureate (IB) has become increasingly popular. The IB is often thought of as a pathway programme designed to help students prepare for higher education – and that is where its origins began – but it is in fact offered to children as young as three years old. I recently enjoyed the opportunity of interviewing Shirley Harwood, Principal (Hampstead) and Jon Coward, Interim Principal (Kensington) of Southbank International School about the IB Primary Years Programme and asked them why they think parents ought to consider as an alternative to the British education system.
Can you explain the International Baccalaureate programme for readers unfamiliar with it?
Shirley Harwood (SH): Many people who have heard of the IB tend to think of it as something that students at international schools can choose to do instead of A Levels. It’s actually a much broader offering than that. It’s a whole educational programme that covers children of all ages, from 3 to 19 in fact. It’s also getting more and more popular. The IB is now taught at over 4,000 schools across the world and to over one million students.
For me, the IB is about developing young people to be open-minded and curious about the world and everything around them. We want our students to learn through real-world experiences as much as they do in the classroom. We want them to really develop a love of learning that goes beyond academic study. As they progress through their school life, we also encourage them to be active within their local communities.
What would you say distinguishes the IB’s Early Childhood curriculum with the experience a child might have at a traditional nursery?
Jon Coward (JC): We offer quite a strong learning-oriented environment and focus on reading, writing, art, construction, imaginative play, science and maths. Right from the start we give children a structured timetable with sessions led by qualified Early Childhood teachers and specialist teachers for subjects like PE and music classes. Essentially, everything is about giving a child the building blocks that will allow them to make a natural and easy transition into the next phase of their IB education.
SH: Our teaching follows, what the IB calls, ‘units of inquiry’. So for example when we study the unit called ‘How your body works’ we incubate and hatch chick eggs. Beforehand we encourage the children to ask questions and form a hypothesis about what they think will happen. Then we observe what actually happens before reflecting and drawing a conclusion about the cycle of life. Thanks to Kinder chocolates it no longer surprises me when someone suggests a toy truck might emerge from a hatching egg!
And how does the Primary Years Programme differ from a traditional Prep and Pre-Prep syllabus?
JC: The Primary Years Programme covers six overlapping themes. These are designed to help children gain a better understanding about Who We Are, How We Express Ourselves, How The World Works and Sharing The Planet. An IB teacher will use these themes to cover the agreed syllabus and subject areas of language, social studies, maths, arts, science, personal, social and physical education. For example, we might look at different works of art to talk about shapes and maths.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.What I think differentiates the IB from a more traditional British curriculum is that, even at a very young age, our focus is also really on helping a child develop their life skills. I mean things like developing independence, thinking for themselves, and gaining an understanding of the world around them.
SH: Yes, that’s right. We are always thinking about how we can promote children’s independence, encourage them to ask questions and find out the answers for themselves. Again, to give you an example, when we cover a unit of inquiry called ‘Who we are’ we’re really asking our students to start thinking about what it means to be human, the nature of the self, beliefs and values. All pretty weighty stuff. So we ask our children to find out about each other’s human relationships – things like their families, friends, communities and cultures. Then, to encourage them to develop their communication, personal and social skills we ask them to make a presentation about who they are. This type of activity really helps the children become incredibly articulate, reflective and confident even from a very young age.
Finally, Southbank is known for having students from a very diverse international background. How do you cope with such a melting pot of cultures and languages?
JC: You’re right, at the last count the students on our roll came from more than 60 different countries. All of our lessons are taught in English and at the lower end of the school EAL children from overseas adapt quickly to this. We really try to celebrate our diversity and draw on all the children’s various international backgrounds and cultural experiences. This helps develop open-minded and empathetic learners. That approach and attitude is at the heart of the IB philosophy after all.
Should you be interested in finding out more about the IB Primary Year programme at Southbank International School please call the admissions team on 020 7229 8230 who will happy to help answer any questions and assist you with you with every phase of the application process. You can also find answers to the most frequently asked by parents during the admissions process by visiting here.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Westminster School publishes a list of its 13+ feeder schools, and as a leading boys’ day school in London, it will give parents a very good idea about the top prep schools in London. There are 120 places at the senior school at 13+. About 45% of boys (about 50-60 each year) come from the Westminster Under School and its 7+/8+ and 11+ intake. Westminster Under School admits 20 boys at 7+, 20 at 8+ and a further 25 at 11+. About 5-10 of those move to Eton and Winchester (occasionally Harrow) at 13+, but about 55 boys move up to the senior school. Westminster School publishes its feeder prep schools annually in its admission booklet. You will find the information for 2017 below. The following prep schools sent at least 2 pupils to Westminster at 13+ in 2017, according to Westminster School:
Westminster Under School 54
Dulwich Prep London 7
North Bridge House 4
Arnold House School 3
The Hall School 3
Hereward House School 3
Thomas’s School, Battersea 3
Wetherby Preparatory School 3
City of London School 2
Eaton House The Manor, Clapham 2
Orley Farm School, Harrow 2
Sussex House 2
Thomas’s Clapham 2
Trevor-Roberts’ School 2
Plus the following schools sent one pupil each to Westminster in 2017, among others: Fulham Prep, Lyndhurst House, Hill House, Newton Prep, Notting Hill Prep, Rokeby, Shrewsbury House, Rokeby
Results can vary from year to year, therefore a look at the feeder list for 2016 will be helpful. This list is based on destinations reported by a wide variety of prep schools:
Westminster Under School: 54
The Hall School, Hampstead: 12
Hill House School, Knightsbridge: 5
Dulwich Prep: 3
Hereward House School, Hampstead: 3
Sussex House: 3
Thomas’s Battersea: 3
Arnold House School: 2
Eaton House the Manor: 2
Northbridge House 2
St Anthony’s Prep, Hampstead: 2 offers at 13+ but pupils chose other schools
