New Head for Kew Green Prep School

Kew Green Prep School has a new Headteacher in Sasha Davies, who takes up her role at the beginning of the school yearSasha Davies will be the new Headteacher at Kew Green Preparatory School following Jem Peck’s retirement. Formerly Head of Sinclair House Prep, her appointment coincides with the arrival of the school’s Kew Green Nursery, which opens its doors this September.Sasha Davies…

School solutions – smart ways to protect school kit and the planet

Stop your child losing their school kit, and save money and waste by following our smart guide to putting a name tag on everything from sweaters to lunchboxSchool kit is expensive, so keeping everything from uniform to lunchbox from going missing makes financial sense – as well as saving waste and helping the planet.You will usually find your child's school or nursery has strict rules…

60 Seconds With Jody Wells, Head of Wells Cathedral Junior School

The new Head of Wells Cathedral School Junior School discusses his background and educational philosophyWhat is your background?It was a gap year in North Devon that first ignited my passion for teaching. Though sponsored by the Army’s Logistic Corp through university, it was a wonderful QTS year at Wells Cathedral Junior School that cemented my decision to enter the profession. As a…

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus entrance exam

The 11 Plus, also known as the Eleven Plus, 11+, 11 Plus Entrance Exam, or grammar school test, is a selective entrance examination taken by Year 6 pupils to ensure progression to selective state grammar schools and selective independent schools.The examination usually focuses on Maths and English, with some schools testing Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning too. Some schools may also…

Knightsbridge School and Place2Be’s wellbeing partnership

Knightsbridge School's pioneering Place2Be partnership prioritises good mental health across the whole community. Absolutely Education finds out moreChild mental health has risen up the agenda over the past decade. This is thanks, in part, to landmark work by the charity Place2Be. High-profile support – notably from HRH The Princess of Wales – has helped to spread the message about the value…

Bickley Park School on ensuring strong outcomes

Tom Quilter, Headmaster of Bickley Park School, on how a modern-day prep school can best prepare our children for a rapidly changing worldWhen considering the role of a prep school, something that I continually return to is ‘What exactly should we be preparing our children for in society today?’ Thankfully, the rather old fashioned and clichéd view of prep schools is largely outdated. Stuffy…

Elite prep schools in London for your kids

Prince George started prep school at Thomas’s Battersea, but what other establishments might have made it on to the HRH shortlist?The Hall In leafy Belsize Park stands The Hall, where parents must register before their son is one year old. The young chaps play rugby, football and cricket, and study Classics before whooshing off to all the best schools. It’s not just Eton, Westminster and St…

Colchester Royal Grammar School on changing schools at sixth form

John Russell, Headmaster of Colchester Royal Grammar School, discusses why joining a new school in the Sixth Form is a good ideaJoining a new Sixth Form might seem a challenge, but it is also an exciting opportunity and could have huge benefits. Importantly, it will be the first time that your child will have made their own decision about where they want to study and be fully invested in the…

Perrott Hill School on the benefits of a smaller prep school

Alex McCullough, the Headmaster of Perrott Hill Prep, explains why he thinks the school’s size is one of the key secrets of its successOur Somerset school has won multiple awards over the past few years, including Pre-Prep of the Year in 2019 and the BSA Supporting Junior Boarders Award in 2020. There’s no denying that the last 24 months have been tough on the whole independent sector, with…

Profile: Hurst College, West Sussex

For its Autumn/Winter 2019 cover story, Absolutely Education visited Hurst College in West SussexTim Manly doesn’t look much like a revolutionary. In fact, in his checked shirt and book-lined library one might go so far as to say he looks exactly as he should, as the headmaster of an esteemed public school in rural West Sussex. But make no mistake, Manly is a man who has moved…