We speak to Sebastian Hepher, principal of Eaton Square Schools

Eaton Square Mayfair is the only private secondary school in the area. Principal Sebastian Hepher says such a fantastic location provides students with wonderful opportunities to learn

Sebastian Hepher, Principal of Eaton Square Schools

You can’t beat Eaton Square Mayfair’s location. We’re the only independent, co-educational upper school in the area. We have Green Park on our doorstep, which we use for recreational activities, as well as the space of Hyde Park just down the road. The school building itself is a beautiful Grade I-listed townhouse, once home to Lord Coventry and the St James’s Club. It’s a truly inspirational place to be, particularly for pupils interested in neoclassical art and history. The wonderful setting provides a subtle, underlying feeling of intellectual wonder which permeates school life at Eaton Square Mayfair. Our location also makes life easier for parents, whose commutes are less convoluted – we’re highly accessible for all of London. Although, in fact, many of our pupils live walking distance from the school.

The Royal Academy is just steps from our front door

Just a couple of minutes from Green Park tube station, our access to some of the capital’s most impressive museums and galleries is unparalleled; the Royal Academy is just steps from our front door. For most schools, an excursion means a day’s lost learning, whereas for us a visit is easily doable in a morning. However, experiential learning does not solely rely on proximity to museums and galleries. Facilitation depends on highly skilled teachers who ask the right questions and guide reflective conversation before, during and after an experience. A trip to the British Museum to see Rembrandt’s drawings, for example, would be lacking without careful consideration of his paintings. Similarly, a visit to the National Gallery to see the Boilly exhibition would be remiss without discussing Parisian life in the 18th century.

In the last 10 weeks alone, we’ve had trips to the British Museum, the National Gallery, as well as the Natural History Museum and a cruise down the river Thames. Excursions mean pupils have exciting memories interwoven with academic concepts, which really helps to cement them. We find that children develop a deeper understanding of subject matter than is possible through classroom study alone, and they retain concepts more readily when they’ve had an active role in learning them. Experiential education also aids children’s ability to apply their knowledge in real life situations. While most of the excursions our pupils take part in are based in curriculum subjects, occasionally an exhibition will come up which is in town for a limited time only. In this sense, we’re able to really make the most of what London has to offer.