The Good Schools Guide Review
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Emanuel is clearly on the up and there is a tangible buzz about the place. Pupils and staff are proud of their school, and parents rave about the ‘newly aspirational culture’. Thanks to superb leadership, dedicated staff and animated pupils, Emanuel starting to fire on all cylinders.
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Headmaster
Entrance
Since September 2017, Robert Milne, previously deputy head (pastoral) at KCS Wimbledon. Taught English at Oundle, housemaster at King Edward’s Birmingham and head of English at Magdalen College School. Read English at Leicester, followed by a Masters at King’s College, London. Keen sportsman, playing cricket at university level and the lure of the squash court remains strong. Married to a doctor turned biology teacher at KCS, with whom he has two children. His toddlers can often be found by his side on the touchline when supporting school matches. Parents love the chance to have a quiet word in his ear on these occasions. A Yorkshireman who relishes the outdoors, being equally at home watching Leeds United to walking in the Dales. Comes from teaching stock. While maintaining the school’s DNA and respecting its traditions, head has modernised it and set the place firmly on a more ambitious path. Determined that pupils should make the most of their talents, for themselves and for the good of society. A dynamic, energetic head, with a warm sense of humour.
Annually, Emanuel carries out over 1500 twenty minute interviews with prospective pupils, across all entry points, demonstrating its genuinely holistic approach to selection. At 11+, beyond being good eggs who will fully participate in school life, pupils need to perform well in maths, English and verbal reasoning. Performance is competitive. Unusual in having a 10+ entry point, for around 50 pupils. Current parents delighted: it helps with family logistics and avoids the need to become entangled in London’s 11+ circus. Great for talented 10 year olds who can access specialist teaching a year earlier than their peers. At 11, of the 144 who are accepted, the intake is roughly 50:50 between state primaries (including Honeywell and Bellevue) and independent preps (including Hornsby House, Hurlingham and Thomas’s Clapham). Head notes that some of the very best pupils come via the state route. Around 30 pupils join in the sixth form.
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A dynamic, energetic head, with a warm sense of humour.
Emanuel has maintained its sibling policy, though brothers and sisters still need to meet the entrance requirements, perform satisfactorily at interview, present an excellent school report and a positive reference from their current head to be offered a place. Occasionally siblings are turned down, but school does so with sensitivity, often suggesting more suitable establishments. Sibling policy reflects Emanuel’s desire to keep families together, rather than cherry-picking only the academic stars. Refreshing approach to admissions in the sometimes cut-throat world of south-west London schools.
Exit Head has removed the formal hurdle of pupils needing minimum GCSE grades in order to progress into the sixth form. He wants pupils to feel secure here from 10-18, and aims to avoid unnecessary anxiety. School wants those who will thrive and achieve success at A level, but staying on must be a positive choice. Not good enough just to coast; all pupils need a 7 at GCSE in their A level choices. If aptitude and attitude for sixth form study is lacking, conversations with parents and pupils begin in year 11 and other routes are explored together. Most head to Russell Group universities with Exeter, Nottingham, Leeds and Edinburgh currently popular. Increasing numbers to USA (around 10 a year, including Ivy League), Canada and mainland Europe. Pupils embark upon over 100 different courses, ranging from Astrophysics to Religious Studies, with a couple of medics most years. Numbers applying to Oxbridge have trebled recently, but no one is forced down that route. Oxbridge application support programme begins in year 10, comprising weekly mentoring, seminars, practice exams and mock interviews to ensure full-bodied applications. Roughly a third of those who apply receive offers. Talented, creative pupils favour respected art foundation courses including at Royal Drawing School and Central St Martins; prestigious drama schools such as RADA, Guildhall and LAMDA, and elite music schools including the Royal Conservatoire and Royal College of Music.
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Genuinely holistic approach to selection.
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Latest results In 2020, 77 per cent 9/7 at GCSE; 50 per cent A*/A at A level (82 per cent A*/B). In 2019 (the last year when exams took place), 71 per cent 9/7 at GCSE: 47 per cent A*/A at A level (82 per cent A*-B).
Teaching and learning Emanuel has had a meteoric rise in the league tables, leapfrogging 100 schools and scoring particularly highly on ‘value added’ data. Academic standards have improved across the board, with energetic teaching and learning in evidence on the day we visited. Complaints from some parents about too many assessments, and homework becoming onerous from year 8. Lots of tracking of progress and effort using the latest bespoke software, so head and staff can instantly access pupil performance and wellbeing at any time. Head and staff keep their fingers firmly on the pulse. Most take three out of the 24 different subjects offered at A level, including recently introduced film studies and photography. No Greek for potential Classicists. Around 70 per cent take the EPQ, with over half scoring A*/A. Recent essay topics have included the effectiveness of dementia treatments and an exploration of the erosion of American democracy. English is made fun through an annual poetry slam, literary quizzes and visits to the West End, NT screenings and the Globe. At A level, 20-30 regularly opt for English. The library, at the heart of the school, houses nearly 30,000 books. It also boasts separate rooms for periodicals, archives and careers, as well as a silent reading area. Current head of maths, described as ‘inspiring’ by one parent, has turned the subject into the most popular A level choice. Pupils voluntarily give up lunchbreaks in order to go beyond the syllabus; more girls take further maths than boys. Good proportion goes on to study maths-based courses at university including computer science and engineering. Science inspiringly taught, with plenty of experiments from growing crystals to dissections, and even a science bake off. Learning continues away from the labs with trips to the velodrome to assess forces, and to CERN to study nuclear physics. A third of pupils study a science-
related subject at university, including veterinary science and dentistry. All pupils bring in their own laptops, though still lots of work done on the old-fashioned way. Innovative coding and robotics programme from year 7. Coders can even run a computer programme on the international space station. Ethos lessons for the lower school concentrate on rhetoric, philosophy and debate. Aristotle would be proud. Teachers are top quality, with very few weak links these days. Alongside some long-servers, head has introduced some young blood onto the staff, some of whom have been swiftly promoted to heads of department. Staff are expected to buy into the spirit of the school, and to participate fully though the wearing of multiple hats.
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Teachers are top quality.
The arts and extracurricular The Dacre Building, a three-storey centre for the arts, houses separate studios for painting, printing, sculpture and ceramics, as well as a dark room and acid baths for etching. On the day we visited, we saw tray loads of psychedelic milkshakes with a Caribbean vibe, made from coloured sand and paint. Talented sixth formers exhibit at a Chelsea art gallery. Also a film studio, complete with cameras, sound system and lighting rigs, from where Emanuel News is broadcast. Pupils become camera operators, anchors, reporters and technicians, as well as post-production editors. This high-tech equipment is no white elephant. Drama is taught as a discrete subject at KS3, and can also be taken at GCSE and A level. Each year group has an annual production. Recent musicals include Oliver!, Made in Dagenham and We Will Rock You. Fiennes theatre opened by Ralph Fiennes and Mike Leigh. Hall for a whopping 500 spectators. Small groups perform at the Edinburgh Fringe alternate years, playing to packed audiences and receiving five star reviews. Some pupils are already starring in Netflix dramas, BBC adaptations and treading the boards on the West End stage. A talented bunch. Emanuel’s music provision is top notch, offering a breadth of opportunities from the traditional to cutting edge. School choirs perform at St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Those of a more edgy disposition perform in rock and pop concerts, and learn how to mix in DJ lessons. Almost 40 per cent learn at least one musical instrument; ten per cent learn two or more. All are encouraged to perform on stage, either individually, in ensembles or in bands. On the morning we visited, there was some pretty impassioned practising going on.
There are over 60 clubs and societies, many of which take place in the long lunchbreaks. There are clubs for all appetites, whether Dr Who aficionados or drone enthusiasts, croquet devotees or Warhammer buffs. An extensive programme of lectures also offered, with recent speakers ranging from the founder of Wikipedia to Arctic explorers. Fairly universal parental criticism of the food: ‘not enough choice’ and ‘never-ending pasta’ were a few of the gripes.
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Emanuel’s music provision is top notch, offering a breadth of opportunities from the traditional to cutting edge.
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Learning support and SEN
Sport
Three well-qualified staff make up the learning support team. No universal screening on arrival, but set in motion if a pupil is not progressing. Visiting hearing and speech and language therapists. Pupils with ed psych reports are given a ‘learner profile’ which identifies their learning preferences. Small groups and 1:1 support offered, usually for six week periods to help with specific difficulties. Spelling club and daily homework club for those on learning support register. School is able to support pupils with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD, Asperger’s and mild visual and hearing impairment, but they need to be able to keep up with the lively pace of the school. Historic buildings do not have lifts but there is reasonable access for wheelchair users across the ground floor, including a lift in sports hall and theatre, ramps in the refectory and Hampden Hall, and disabled parking spaces. Modern buildings all have lifts and wheelchair turning points.
Boys row, and play rugby, football, cricket; girls play netball, cricket (hugely popular), row and play football in the summer. Rugby and cricket particularly strong, with recently-introduced football now coming into its own. Rowing is v popular, and pupils can be found on the river before most Londoners have woken up. Current head girl rows for Team GB. High-octane stuff. Again, extraordinary facilities including outdoor tennis courts, 25m indoor swimming pool (albeit described by one parent as ‘extremely tired’), sports hall with physiotherapy area, playing fields, mini Astro pitches and own refurbished boathouse on the Thames for 75 boats. Wandsworth Common used for cross-country. Another fourteen acres of rugby and cricket pitches near Raynes Park, with a further sports facility down the A3. Numerous sports-based trips including ski-ing in the Alps, rowing at Henley, rowing camp in Italy, Sri Lankan cricket tours, rugby tours to Ireland and Spanish hockey tours. Three-pronged approach to sport here: performance for the competitive elite; development where pupils are encouraged to find a sport they love and can play beyond school; engagement to promote well-being (such as yoga and Pilates, which boys and girls do together).
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Rowing and cricket particularly strong, with recently-introduced football now coming into its own.
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Ethos and heritage Established in Westminster in 1594 for 10 boys and 10 girls in the will of Lady Ann Dacre, cousin of Elizabeth I. School has adopted the Dacre family motto ‘pour bien désirer’ (the noble aim). Granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1601. It has switched from co-ed to single-sex and back to coed again in 1995. The current Victorian building, in the midst of the 12-acre site, was originally built as a Crimean War orphanage. At the heart of the school is a tranquil courtyard, dedicated to three Elizabeths: Queen Elizabeth I (who was on the throne at school’s foundation), Queen Elizabeth II (who visited in 1994), and the Queen Mother (who planted a tree here). Much building work has gone on in recent years, though new and old buildings mesh together very successfully. A stylish-looking school. The 1988 Clapham Junction rail disaster is remembered through the Memorial Bridge. Boys and staff were among the first on the scene and one sixth former was commended for his heroic role. Emanuel is an outward-looking and community-minded school that wants to be of use to the local population. As part of the school’s thriving Battersea Rise Trust, it helps increase social mobility for families and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Sixth formers also teach children from 25 local state primaries as part of the ‘Primary Ambitions’ programme. Every Friday afternoon, year 5 and 6 state pupils are offered modules in everything from filmmaking and Greek mythology to printmaking, Latin, physics and drama. Head believes Emanuel pupils benefit as much as the children they teach, through increased confidence. The primary pupils feel they have landed at Hogwarts. Plenty of fundraising for the partner school in India, where sixth formers can teach for 3 weeks over the summer. Head’s
intention is to involve lower and middle school pupils more fully in these ‘social mobility’ ventures, which currently revolve around the upper-school pupils. Despite being spoilt with superb facilities, one parent we spoke to described ‘the grounded kids and staff.’ According to one parent we spoke to, pupils emerge well-balanced, and mostly without a sense of entitlement. Sir Tim Berners-Lee is an Old Boy, though surprisingly few big names among alumni given its long history.
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Despite being spoilt with superb facilities, one parent we spoke to described ‘the grounded kids and staff’.
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Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline Superb pastoral care, much of it put in place by current head. Form tutors are first port of call, for parents as much as pupils. Generally successful at nipping issues in the bud, partly because everything is so transparent. Three external counsellors offer support five days a week. Pupils mostly have a good rapport with their teachers, with whom they are ‘quite familiar’ according to one parent. Classrooms are ‘cheerful places’ with a ‘positive energy’ according to another. As well as caring staff, there is a vertical peer mentoring system in place. School encourages creativity and sport as aids to good mental health. Pupils appear less stressed than in some neighbouring hothouses, partly because it is not A*s at all costs at Emanuel. Emanuel is an Anglican school, with Christian values. All pupils attend weekly chapel assemblies, led by the chaplain (who doubles as a RE teacher). Religious element described as ‘a light touch’. School is inclusive. Archer Advisory Group, named after first black mayor of London, reviews the school’s curriculum ‘through the lens of the diverse members of the Emanuel community.’ Black History Week celebrated enthusiastically. Inter-faith discussion groups. Assemblies and lessons cover topics around Pride Week. Pupils know their place in the school is in jeopardy for involvement with drugs of any class, theft or systematic and prolonged bullying. Head believes all three are highly corrosive to the school community, and that pupils need firm and clear guidelines.
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Pupils appear less stressed than in some neighbouring hothouses.
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Pupils and parents
Money matters
Head believes it is important to ‘go to a school you can get to on a bicycle,’ and more than half the pupils walk, cycle, scoot or run here. Clapham Junction is just ten minutes away, so no need for a school bus.
Emanuel is aiming to make the school as accessible as possible. Currently 30 pupils on fully-funded places, three of whom are in sixth form. Aims to increase this to 43 places by 2024. Academic, sport, music, drama and art scholarships also available, all of which can be worth up to 25 per cent reduction in fees. Increasing numbers of funded and free places ‘has resulted in a more diverse range of families being welcomed into the Emanuel community every year.’ Funded places are over-subscribed so local heads often called upon to decide which of their pupils would benefit most from the opportunities. School says,‘We look beyond the exam results,’ making awards to those with potential. Donations come from current parents, past pupils (OEs) and over 80 per cent of staff. Staff are overwhelmingly supportive of Emanuel’s emphasis on outreach.
Mostly a down-to-earth, multi-cultural parent body. English as an additional language is fairly uncommon, though dual language status is not. Tons of Europeans, particularly French, Italian, Russian and German. Parents are supportive in terms of giving lectures, and offering careers advice, internships and work experience (often in the fields of media, medicine, accountancy and law). Online portal allows current pupils to access parental knowledge. School is savvy in tapping into this valuable pool of talent, from the start of year 7. Alumni also return to offer insight into less mainstream careers.
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Staff are overwhelmingly supportive of Emanuel’s emphasis on outreach.
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Battersea Rise, London SW11 1HS 020 8870 4171 www.emanuel.org.uk Emanuel_School emanuel.school