Kew Green Prep on wellbeing in action
Kew Green Prep's Head of Data, 11+ and DSL Amy Kinross on the importance of keeping curriculum breadth during 11+ preparation to support wellbeing, creativity and joyFor many, the 11+ has become a symbol of the burial of childhood: the beginning of hothousing and the end of curriculum breadth. The mouse-clicks of silent pupils navigating various online platforms are like church bells, tolling…
Gordon’s School on the co-curricular advantage
Sandra Radford, Head of Sixth Form and Careers at Gordon's School, discusses the importance of gaining extra skills and experiences for wellbeing and onward careersExam results may gain that place at university or a job interview, but increasingly employers are looking for the added extras – the participation in a sports team, dramatic arts or Duke of Edinburgh's Award – to separate one…
Writers’ room – two competitions for creatives
Two competitions taking place this spring give budding young writers, poets and lyricists an opportunity to make their literary markYoung creatives are being offered to opportunity to have their talents celebrated in two writing competitions taking place this spring. This is a good opportunity for individuals or class groups to have some creative fun while writing to a tight brief. Both…
How to tell if your child is anxious about returning to school and what to do about it
How to tell if your child is anxious about going back to schoolYoung children have experienced a tumultuous time over the last few months. Many will be overjoyed to be returning back to school or nursery to see their friends but, for some, this could be an anxious time as they have become used to being around parents or carers, every day, at home. The Montessori approach knows children…
Real World Ready: a Berkshire Prep School reimagines learning
Even before the pandemic, the world was changing in so many ways that will have a huge and exciting impact on the next generation. A shift in the way we live and work will see businesses become global, enabling people to transcend cultural and geographic borders; global movements have set in motion a long overdue shift in our view of the world and the last two years have highlighted the…
Foreign languages – the state of play
Foreign languages are in decline as a subject choice, but not all schools are following that curve. Absolutely Education spoke to three independents that go out of their way to inspire and develop young linguistsThe teaching of foreign languages in the UK is in a parlous state. Half of Year 10 students were not studying a second language in 2021. While Brexit sometimes gets blamed, this is…
Mayfield School | Emily Starr on her route into cricket teaching
Emily Starr is the cricket coach at Mayfield School. Here, she talks to AbEd about her journey into the professionIt was my grandparents who first inspired my passion for sport, encouraging me and watching my matches whenever they could. My grandfather played football in his youth with the late David Frost, journalist and media host, so our family is football-mad, and by the time I was a…
Question Time: The experts at Gabbitas Education answer your questions
The experts at Gabbitas answer all your questions about educationQ: My son is struggling at school and his teachers have flagged up a potential learning difficulty. Can you advise on how we get an independent SEN assessment and guidance on next steps, including (potentially) the right school to help him?A: The first thing you should do if you or your son’s teachers have flagged up…
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…
Burlington House Prep on bridging the gap
Nicola Lovell, Headteacher of recently opened Burlington House Prep School on its mainstream approach to help children with specific learning differences to thriveBurlington House Prep opened last September on Fulham High Street. The school takes pupils from 7 to thirteen (Years 3-8) and, most excitingly, is for children with a specific learning difference such as dyslexia or dyspraxia.…