PREPARATORY SCHOOL - The Chelsea Magazine Company€¦ · explore key concepts.” Back in the classroom, pupils learn about gravity and air resistance. Huge windows that maximise

1LITTLELONDONMAGAZINE.CO.UKPrepared for everything

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Prince’s GardensPREPARATORY SCHOOL

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PRINCE’S GARDENS PREP

2 LITTLELONDONMAGAZINE.CO.UK

CONTACT DETAILSAdmissions Team: 020 7591 4620, [email protected], princesgardensprep.co.uk

Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School is part of the Cognita Schools Group

ALISON MELROSE, HEADMISTRESSPRINCE’S GARDENS PREPARATORY SCHOOL

BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE AUTUMN TERM IS ALWAYS A BUSY AND EXCITING TIME. THE EAGER FACES, SHINY NEW SHOES (SLIGHTLY uncomfortable on little feet after a summer in sandals), smart haircuts and brand new pencils always bring a smile to my face. � e start of a new academic year signals a fresh start, new friendships and a whole host of adventurous learning opportunities ahead.

As parents, we are fortunate to have many excellent schools in London to choose from, but what makes one stand out from the rest? Academic excellence is a priority with competitive 11+ entry requirements, but a school can provide

so much more with a broad curriculum and a wide range of enrichment activities. London itself is a fantastic classroom, with access to world-renowned museums

and open spaces. Prince’s Gardens Prep’s location in the academic hub of London provides on the doorstep access to all these resources, no buses required and just a � ve-minute walk even for little legs.

We cannot predict what the future holds for our young learners but we know that they will need excellent communication skills, to be � exible problem solvers, to be tenacious and ambitious, to be able to work independently and collaboratively and to have a responsibility to the community and the world around them.

� e relationship between home and school is so important, you are trusting us as teachers to look after your little learners and nurture them so that they � ourish and grow. As a prospective parent, visit the schools you are interested in to gain a real feeling as to whether a school is right for your family. Having pupils as tour guides is brilliant, you can ask them all the questions that might not be covered within a welcome talk, such as what are the lunches really like and how much homework is there?

I hope this magazine not only gives you a � avour of our vision and exciting plans for Prince’s Gardens Prep but also some guidance on how to approach the busy autumn term and going back to school. We will work together to be ‘Prepared for Everything’.

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mailto:[email protected]

3LITTLELONDONMAGAZINE.CO.UK

The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens is just a few minutes’ walk from Prince’s Gardens

A world-class EDUCATION ITS UNIQUE LOCATION IN CENTRAL LONDON

MEANS THAT PUPILS AT PRINCE’S GARDENS PREP SCHOOL WILL HAVE AN OUTWARD-LOOKING

GLOBAL MINDSET, WRITES CLAUDIA DUDMAN

The school premises in Prince’s Gardens, Kensington, occupy four Grade II listed townhouses

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S tanding proudly in Prince’s Gardens in the heart of Kensington, SW7, are four white stucco townhouses that will open as central London’s newest

school Prince’s Gardens Prep in September 2020. �ese impressive Victorian Grade II listed buildings stretch over ve oors and will, after extensive renovation, make up the school premises situated just o� the academic hub of Imperial College.

Walk ve minutes from the school’s front door – Headmistress Alison Melrose has even timed it – and you’ll nd yourself in Exhibition Road, which takes its name from

�e Great Exhibition of 1851. Held in Hyde Park, it was the rst of its kind to display the magni cence of British manufacturing post industrial revolution. Today, this half-mile stretch of “shared space” – which means that pupils can walk along it blissfully free of tra�c, bar the odd Black Cab or two – is home to some of London’s most striking and world-renowned galleries, museums and academic institutions. From the Victoria & Albert to the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, Royal Albert Hall and Imperial College, these are rst-class resources that less centrally located schools simply cannot access, and which provide stimuli for inspiring independent, creative and collaborative learning projects that bring together science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths.

Prince’s Gardens Prep, a co-educational preparatory school for pupils aged three-11, will bene t from all that London has to o�er on its doorstep, giving its pupils an outward-looking global perspective: an outlook that is crucial in a world that has so many challenges. Many of the careers that we know today will disappear thanks to arti cial intelligence and

a fast moving, changing jobs market, and many will be created in industries that don’t yet exist. It’s this sense of impermanence, and of uncertainty, which means that today’s children must be prepared for the world of tomorrow. “We want our pupils to develop the skills they need to thrive in every situation,” says Headmistress Alison Melrose. “A great education prepares children for the world. It gives them the options and choices, not just for immediate next steps, but for life. Quite simply, our pupils will be prepared for everything,” she adds.

So how will this all work? Samantha Gibbon, Deputy Head, says that highly focused weekly visits to the nearby attractions on Exhibition Road will allow pupils from nursery to Year 6 to relate their classroom learning to the world around them. She says,

Pre-prep pupils will spend two hours a week using the

gardens of Hyde Park as their outdoor classroom

The school’s garden provides ample green space where pupils can play at breaktime

The Serpentine Gallery



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“For example, a Year 6 visit to study the Supermarine Seaplane S.6B at the Science Museum looks at the racing seaplane that in 1931 became the fastest vehicle on the planet. Its ability to take o� and land on water presents a fascinating concept for pupils to explore key concepts.” Back in the classroom, pupils learn about gravity and air resistance.

Huge windows that maximise the natural light, high ceilings, original cornicing and ceiling roses, complete with grand sweeping staircases. In short, beautiful surroundings in which pupils begin their educational journey. �ese may well seem like an echo of the past but they belie the modern and unique learning spaces that have been speci�cally designed for pupils of the 21st century.

�ere are state-of-the-art science labs, creatively devised music and art studios where teachers will deliver inspiring lessons. �ere’s a Maker Space, a cutting-edge learning

zone where pupils can develop creative projects using both the latest and traditional technologies; the Innovation Lab is the ICT suite of the future. Here pupils will be able to use the latest augmented reality technology so that children can go anywhere in the world, and the Library will be a quiet yet exciting place for pupils to develop a lifelong love of literature across many types of media.

And just because the school sits right in the middle of this hive of creative and academic activity doesn’t mean it compromises on sport and green spaces. On the timetable are lessons in football, rugby, cricket and netball to be held in Hyde Park, and where match �xtures against Eaton House and Gems Hampshire will take place. Next door to the school, pupils can take advantage of Ethos, Imperial College’s sports facilities which house a pristeen 25-metre swimming pool and several sports halls. And of course, there is the garden where pupils can play or enjoy a lesson sitting among mature trees and rose bushes – and all under the gaze of the majestic Royal Albert Hall in the near distance. L

The next open event is on Monday 23 September at 10am at the premises of the Royal Geographical Society. Reserve your place at princesgardensprep.co.ukLO

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M65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up

working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist*

The Royal College of Music




A H E A D S TA R T

If you could wave a magic wand and create the perfect pre-prep for little ones in the heart of London, how would it look?

�e school would be designed to make those �rst steps on the learning journey packed full of wonder, excitement, challenge and variety. Inside, there’d be purpose-built spaces, some cosy, some high tech.

Outside, children would have the space to explore, learn, relax – or just let o� steam. And the sta�, of course, would have the expert knowledge, enthusiasm and – just as important – understanding of what makes younger pupils tick, knowing when to challenge them to go that little bit further and when to hold back.

Prince’s Gardens is set to provide all that and an awful lot more to its pre-prep pupils. It’s down to a team of highly trained, caring

teachers and wonderful facilities. �e pre-prep area – which will have its own

entrance but be interconnected to the rest of the school – will be home to children in nursery through to Year 2.

Talk to Headmistress Alison Melrose and what comes across is a palpable air of energy. Of course the school is ambitious for its pupils – academic excellence is taken as read, the goal of achieving success at 11+ never forgotten (even though it can seem a long way away at this end of the school). But pre-prep education is about so much more than that.

“�is is all about giving our pre-prep children skills for the future. It’s about thinking much more broadly, about the skill sets they need, about emotional intelligence, working as a group, creativity and adaptability and having a growth mindset. All those skills

are more important than ever,” she says. �e motto at Prince’s Gardens focuses

on being prepared for everything. It sounds like a big ask. �e key is ensuring that even the youngest children start acquiring the tools that will help them deal with failure, rise to challenges and embrace new ways of working. “�e �rst four years in the pre-prep are a crucial time,” says Katie Paynter, Head of Pre-Prep. “Lifelong attitudes and values are established with a focus on the equal importance of the social, emotional and academic intelligence.”

Facilities will range from a hall, just for the younger pupils, to generously proportioned classrooms where the two nursery and three reception classes can access their own, purpose-built terrace – a perfect outdoor learning space. Beyond that is the school’s

A solid pre-prep foundation with small class sizes, specialist teaching and dazzling facilities instils a love of learning that

lasts a lifetime, says CHARLOTTE PHILLIPS

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PRINCE’S GARDENS PREP*F

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Pre-prep pupils take learning outside 'on a bear hunt' – just like in the

much-loved children's book, We're Going on a Bear Hunt

two-acre garden – a paradise that is enclosed, hidden and completely unexpected.

Of course, there are the green spaces of Hyde Park, just a few minutes away, where nursery and reception classes will spend two hours each week. Children in early years will do everything from launching model boats to explore �oating and sinking, gather sticks and leaves, make sequences out of pine cones and learn how to work collaboratively – or develop independent learning skills.

With the abundance of museums on the school’s doorstep, London won’t just be these young pupils’ playground but their classroom, too. Making a universe of knowledge available, you can bring topics to life in a way that can’t help but be inspirational.

�e school terms it Inspiring Introductions, – a description that could serve as a neat description of what the pre-prep is all about. �ere’s nothing like being able to pack in a trip to a museum into the school day with ease to trigger a huge outpouring of creativity.

“�ere’s no other school in the country that will be able to take advantage of the museums in the way we can,” says Alison Melrose.

Take that best-loved of children’s favourite stories, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Why leave it at reading the book when you can go on

your very own bear hunt – with real bears – courtesy of the Natural History Museum?

�e children come to school dressed up as – what else? – explorers, complete with binoculars. After they’ve read the story, they head o� to the museum where they “count how many bears have black and brown fur, think about where they live, what food they might eat. �ey order them by height and maybe do a tally chart,” says Katie Paynter.

�e goal is to create learners with a natural curiosity for the world around them and it will all take place within a fast-paced curriculum, with specialists teaching even the youngest children. It bene�ts even three and four year olds, explains Katie Paynter, because “you get teachers who are so passionate about their subjects and that passion really ignites children’s interest and engagement”.

While nobody can predict how the world will look when this �rst class of nursery pupils are ready to join the workplace, the education the school delivers should ensure that they are – as its motto states – prepared for everything. “We’re equipping them with skills,” adds Alison, “so that if something unexpected comes along, they’re not going to be knocked sideways. �ey’re going to be all right, cope and be successful.”

FIRST STEPSFive top tips to get your child ready for school life*

Help them to recognise and write their own name by putting letters on the fridge door and encouraging them to find theirs.Teach them to use a knife and fork. Invest in a set of ergo grip cutlery. It’s tactile and comes in all sorts fun designs and colours. Expose children to a wide range of food – including vegetables. It doesn’t have to be hard work. Books like Oliver’s Fruit Salad and Oliver’s Vegetables show how much fun trying new ingredients can be. Help children get used to changing from their school uniform to their sports kit and back again by getting them to stand in a big hula hoop and seeing if they can keep all their belongings inside it as they change. Make it a game by using a stopwatch to time them. Get them used to fastening their own shoes and trainers but don’t be tempted by laces. Velcro is the answer. It’s quicker, easier and gives children confidence.

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TRIPS OF A LIFETIMEOne of the highlights of the year will be in the summer term when we will take many of our children on residential trips. They range from one night in Year 2 to four nights in Year 6 and are greatly looked forward to by the children. They will have the opportunity to take part in a range of activities ranging from abseiling to orienteering, fire building to canoeing and archery to cooking. These trips help to develop the children’s independence, confidence and resilience. They are a wonderful opportunity for children to stay away from home, often for the first time, in a safe and nurturing environment surrounded by their friends and teachers.

Top of the ClassSAMANTHA GIBBON, DEPUTY HEAD OF PRINCE’S GARDENS

PREP, SAYS THAT WHILE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IS A PRIORITY, A BROAD CURRICULUM IS ALSO KEY

P rince’s Gardens Prep aims to give each pupil an education that enables them to realise their potential and grow as individuals. �rough a

determined focus on academic excellence and character development, we prepare our children for all the exciting challenges and opportunities that life has to o�er.

As a school which prepares children for the 11+ exams, we believe that a prep- school environment gives parents the time with which to really consider their child’s secondary education and to choose the senior school to which their child is most suited. We help guide parents and pupils through the 11+ process to ensure that every child goes on to a school in which they will continue to thrive.

We aim to nurture a strong sense of community and family, an environment where children feel that they belong. One of the ways we will do this is through a dynamic house system: our houses, named after British

explorers include all children from reception through to Year 6 and will foster friendly, inter-house events such as sports tournaments and art competitions, house singing, poetry recitation and sports day, along with house fundraisers. �ese will occur every half term and the children are given the independence to consider and choose which charities they would like to support.

Woven into the very fabric of our school is the importance of giving back to the local community. We have built many links with charities through the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation and our children will choose ways in how to raise money for charities as well

as planning and implementing those ideas. Older pupils have the opportunity to go and visit some of those charities such as Age UK. For example, at Christmas, they might sing carols to residents in a care home or deliver homemade hampers to those in need and less fortunate than themselves. We will also have a wide range of speakers, for example, from the Guide Dogs for the Blind and Partially Sighted, come into school, and who we feel, will help to widen the pupils’ horizons.

�e curriculum is broad and balanced with excellent and inspiring teachers. Whether your child is a budding Leonardo da Vinci or Ariana Grande, Albert Einstein or Marie

Pupils will be encouraged to take up music and drama, both of which enhance confidence and self-esteem

The Natural History Museum is on the school’s doorstep

Lessons in reasoning from Year 4 and debating in Year 3 build on skills which are valuable in life as well as in interviews

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11+ entrance exams to top senior day and boarding schools in London and beyond. �is will be done in a carefully planned and measured way to ensure that the children are also able to enjoy all that their school life has to o�er. We will gradually introduce lessons such as current a�airs where topical issues, such as the plastic in our oceans, are discussed, enabling children to learn to articulate their thoughts and ideas, and to form opinions and views which are so important in the interview process.

Also timetabled are lessons in reasoning from Year 4 and debating in Year 3 to build on the important communication skills which are as valuable in life as they are for their interviews. By the time children arrive in Year 6, they will be having weekly lessons in exam and interview technique and weekly practice in exams which are focused to their needs. Weekly scholarship lessons also take place.

Once the children have �nished their 11+ examinations in the February of their �nal

year, there is an exciting programme of events and activities in store. �e objective for us is for them to remember these �nal two terms as the happiest days of their school lives. �e Year 6 play will be a particular highlight as well as �e Fiver Challenge where all of the children are given £5 each and asked to design, make, market and sell a product in order to try to generate a pro�t.

Our dynamic and varied programme of enrichment and extracurricular activities will enable each pupil to develop the skills needed for them to step out con�dently in every situation that they face.

We believe that children should be given opportunities to shine in music, art, drama and sports through their scheduled lesson activities as well as school productions, concerts, music ensembles and competitions.

All these challenges encourage their self-esteem and resilience, skills which will help them navigate the world around them and in life to come. L

Curie, we pride ourselves in being able to spot and nurture their talents. We have specialist teaching in music, PE and French from nursery as well as in drama and science further up the school. In our top two years, the children are encouraged to develop their organisational skills by moving round the school and going to specialist classrooms in science, English and maths. �is is just one of the many ways in which we prepare them for senior school life.

Children will be rigorously prepared for the

Learning in the great outdoors teaches just as much as in the classroom

Pupils can enjoy hours of fun learning and playing outside

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Prep schools make mental health and wellbeing a priority and are central to

t eir astora are offering


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5 WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S MENTAL HEALTH**

Consider the “Five Ways to Wellbeing”This includes connecting with people, being active and mindful, keeping learning and giving to others. Think about things you can encourage your child to do, or do together.

Talk about mental healthTalk about staying connected with others or being physically active, to take care of our minds; just as you might encourage your child to eat fruit and vegetables.

Model good habitsTaking care of your own mental health means it’s easier for your child to see good habits play out.

Think about technologyUsing phones and laptops can impact on our sleep, which is important to our mental health. We’re also more likely to listen to each other if we’re not distracted by technology.

Watch out for changes in your child’s behaviourYoung people tell us how they’re feeling in many ways, not always verbally. Learning what is normal for your child makes it easier to notice when things change.

Forget the old days of stiff upper lips and austere attitudes – prep schools are now havens of wellbeing, writes KATIE HUGHES

It is widely recognised that a child’s emotional health and wellbeing in�uences their cognitive development and learning,” says Public Health England.

It also a�ects “their physical and social health and their mental wellbeing in adulthood”.

Add to this the fact that over 50% of mental illnesses start before the age of 14 and that one in 10 children and young people currently has a mental health disorder*, and it’s no surprise that pupil wellbeing is under the national spotlight.

WHAT IS WELLBEING? �e Oxford English Dictionary describes wellbeing as “the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy”. �e Mental Health Foundation de�nes it as “a much broader concept than moment-to-moment happiness”. And the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families de�nes it as “not simply the absence of mental illness, but a broader indicator of social, emotional and physical wellness”.

De�nitions of wellbeing may di�er, but there’s little doubt about the part being played by schools in fostering it. �e mental health charity Young Minds explains: “A good education promotes health and happiness, not just good grades.” It says, “Schools play a crucial role in developing the skills young people need to cope and �ourish in today’s uncertain world.” �is is all the more important, says Young Minds, now that “children and young people are facing more pressures than ever before, including exam pressure, social media and cyberbullying and pressure over body image”.

LAYING STRONG FOUNDATIONS Prep schools are taking this message seriously; not just putting pupil wellbeing at the centre of their pastoral care programmes, but doing so from an early age. “As soon as pupils walk through the door to pre-prep, it’s important to prioritise wellbeing,” says Katie Paynter, Head of Pre-Prep at Prince’s Gardens Prep. “Because if they’re not happy, they’re not going to learn.”

In practice, this means gentle and

age-appropriate support from specialist sta�, who collaborate with other important �gures across a child’s life. “We talk about the power of three,” says Katie Paynter. “Parents, children and sta� all need to work together and communicate to get the very best outcome for a child.”

But happiness isn’t always something

“

H A P P Y DAY S

that comes naturally. “Most people would agree that wellbeing is something they strive towards,” says the Mental Health Foundation. And this makes it all the more necessary to teach children resilience and positive emotional habits early in their school lives.

GETTING PERSONALPSHEE, or Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education, can be an important part of wellbeing programmes in prep schools. “It helps pupils to develop the knowledge and attributes they need to manage many of the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face as they grow up,” says the PSHE Association. And, by fostering – among other attributes – self-esteem and resilience, it can support emotional health.

But, beyond the classroom, there’s no one size �ts all. Every prep school’s approach to wellbeing, like the children they educate, will be di�erent. And new initiatives, like the Wellbeing Award for Schools (WAS), are recognising these individual e�orts.

Some preps will o�er counsellors, yoga and mindfulness. Others, cuddly wellbeing dogs, buddy systems with older pupils and spaces to talk. Others still will look to online solutions such as iSpace Wellbeing to give children strategies and tools to help overcome setbacks and thrive in the face of failure.

But all will promote wellbeing with gusto, appointing trained sta� to oversee activity; either in pastoral or combined pastoral and academic roles. If they spot mental health problems on the horizon, they will refer to more specialist support. And the emphasis is always on the proactive; drawing on houseparents, matrons, teachers and others to both help with and prevent problems.

Experts endorse collaborative e�orts like these. “Evidence shows that interventions which take the ‘whole organisation’ or ‘whole system’ approach are more likely to have a positive impact in relation to outcomes,” says the Anna Freud Centre.

And for life after prep school? It’s over to senior schools to carry on the good work. L

Cognita’s Global Be Well Day is on Friday 27 September


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Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School, 10-13 Prince’s Gardens, London SW7 1ND

Our new preparatory school opens in September 2020Prince’s Gardens is a brand new independent preparatory school, in the heart of South Kensington, for children aged 3-11 years. A unique school where bright sparks and young explorers can excel academically, whilst developing the self-confidence, strength of character and independence of mind to see our challenging world from their own unique perspective.

To reserve your place at our launch event on the premises of the Royal Geographical Society SW7 2AR on Monday 23rd September at 10am,

or visit princesgardensprep.co.uk/belong Prepared for everything.

Prepared. To growsomewhere new.

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PREPARATORY SCHOOL - The Chelsea Magazine Company€¦ · explore key concepts.” Back in the classroom, pupils learn about gravity and air resistance. Huge windows that maximise