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Independent School Open Day Dates
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At a time when many nurseries are expanding their numbers and opening their doors to more children, St Lawrence College in Ramsgate has changed its Nursery to become smaller, more exclusive and more personal.
The remodelled Nursery offers a modern, calm and focussed classroom environment balanced with plenty of fresh air, muddy knees, creativity and messy play. Kindness and respect are considered important and, with a freshly-prepared hot lunch available with every session, children are also taught good table manners. The Nursery curriculum focusses on developing core literacy and numeracy skills alongside the school’s established outdoor adventures’ programme.
Head of the Junior School, Ellen Rowe, says: “Having an experienced Early Years’ Qualified Teacher in the Nursery ensures that every child in our care receives the very best start to their academic school life. With a smaller number of children there are more opportunities for one-to-one learning, giving pupils a real head start before they move up to Reception.”
Find out why more and more local families are turning to private education and choosing St Lawrence College. Established in 1879, the school provides a high quality education for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 years in a welcoming, family-focussed community with acres of outdoor space and unbeatable facilities.
If you are looking for a school place for your child, book an Open Day tour of the Nursery, Junior or Senior School at St Lawrence College: Junior School: Fri 5 Oct and Senior School: Sat 6 Oct. www.slcuk.com
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editor@familieseastkent.co.uk or 07789 882467
Open Days at Junior King’s and The King’s School, Canterbury
The King’s School, Canterbury and Junior King’s schools are steeped in history, their teaching methodologies are advanced, innovative and modern. Founded in 1879 as the preparatory school to The King’s School, Canterbury, Junior King’s expanded to the stunning eighty-acre countryside location at Milner Court in 1929. The Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep departments at Junior King’s provide a very happy, caring and nurturing environment for pupils with the majority moving on to The King’s School, Canterbury, Britain’s oldest day and boarding school at the end of Year 8.
Open days are an ideal occasion to explore the opportunities on offer at Junior King’s and The King’s School for your son or daughter. The schools offer natural entry points at Pre-Prep, and years 3, 5, 7 at Junior King’s and years 9 & 12 at King’s and welcome enquiries for both day and boarding pupils.
Scholarships and generous bursaries are available for talented pupils. For more information about Junior King’s call 01227 714000 or visit www.junior-kings.co.uk and The King’s School call 01227 595501 or visit www.kings-school.co.uk
Think Differently. Think Dover College for exceptional independent nursery and junior education
The Junior School at Dover College offers boys and girls aged 3 – 11 a unique education, with a creative curriculum and forward-thinking approach to individual learning and academic results.
Competitively priced nursery education, with 30 hours of funded provision to those eligible, is available within the early years setting. Here, children develop an understanding of phonics and numeracy from the age of three and like their peers in Years 1-6, benefit from specialist PE, music and language lessons.
Early years and junior pupils take advantage of superb facilities, and the spacious and stimulating indoor and outdoor learning environment within the beautiful and secure Dover College campus.
More than a third of parents think homework is unhelpful
According to a recent Ofsted report, more than a third of parents said homework isn’t helpful to their children in primary school. Many parents said homework was a huge cause of stress for the whole family and had a negative impact on home life.
Nearly three quarters of parents thought allowing children more time at school to plan and get ready for lessons through research was a better alternative to homework.
Parents gave some very clear messages about homework, both negative and positive. Those who spoke positively said that homework enables them to feel part of their child’s learning and that it helps them to support that learning with other activities, such as visits to museums and home projects. The discipline, planning and time management skills that homework gives children were welcomed and homework was viewed as a way of promoting independent learning.
More information available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-parentspanel
Making the best of school open days
This autumn, state and independent schools will be opening their doors to prospective pupils and their parents to give them a flavour of life at their school. Claire Winter has the lowdown on how to get the best out of these Open Days and tours.
What is an open day?
School open days help you decide what school you want your child to go to. During an open day, prospective parents are shown around the school, often on a school day, to give them a flavour of the working life of the school and the school environment. You will be able to see the children in lesson and talk to the teachers and pupils.
Sometimes pupils are given the task of showing parents around the school. This is a great opportunity to ask them how they enjoy being at the school. How settled, relaxed and confident these children are can give you an idea of how happy the children are there. Usually, the head teacher or a senior member of staff also gives a talk which includes a general overview of the school and its values and ethos. This is often followed by a presentation by the head of admissions or the relevant head of the section of the school (for example, head of reception, or sixth form).
When are they held?
State schools generally hold Open Days in September and October aimed at children and families looking for a school place for the following year. It’s a good idea to start looking a year in advance. So if your child is starting school, start looking at schools when they are three. If you are looking for secondary school places, start looking in year 5 (when your child is nine or ten). You can then revisit the schools you are most interested in with your child the following year.
Independent schools often hold Open Days throughout the Autumn and Spring terms. They can have waiting lists for Receptionage children or require children to take a school-specific 7+ or 11+ exam to gain a place, so you need find out the criteria for entry to the school and visit well in advance.
How are open days organised?
Schools organise Open Evenings as well as days to allow working parents to visit the school too. Some schools (mainly independent) hold Open Days on a Saturday. All schools put a lot of care and organisation into the events and they all want to show their school in the best light. However, there may be a lot of people attending so do be sure to turn up on time and follow the school’s directions during the event.
Tips for visiting an open day
• Take your child with you. There is no point in falling in love with a school only to find your child does not want to go there.
• What is your general feeling about the school? Your gut reaction is very important. Do
• the pupils look happy and engaged?
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Make sure you ask the pupils what they think of the school.
• Don’t make decisions on individual teachers. They often move on and large departments have a variety of teachers that will rotate every year to teach your child a particular subject.
• If your child has a particular interest in a subject, make sure you visit the department and look at the kind of work they will be doing.
• What extra-curricular activities do they have? Are there clubs that will engage your child and allow them to pursue a broad range of interests?
• While exam results aren’t everything, every parent wants their child to do well. Academic performance is a top priority for many families. It’s a good idea to see how the school is performing compared to other local schools, using exam league tables and Ofsted reports.
If, after the all your initial visits, you are still undecided, go back and visit the schools on your shortlist again during a normal working day.
Finally, in making your decision, don’t be afraid to trust your instincts; you know your child and you are best placed to ascertain what is right for them. If your child is older, do take account of their preferences too and include them in the decision making process. The best decision will undoubtedly be the one you all agree.
Independent School Open Days
Ashford School
East Hill, Ashford, TN24 8PB 01233 625171 Thurs 27 September, Prep School Open Day Fri 14 & Tues 25 September, Senior School Open Day
Dover College
Effingham Crescent, Dover, CT17 9RH 01304 244 522 admissions@dovercollege.org.uk Saturday 29 September - Whole School Open Morning, 10am - 1pm
Junior King’s
Milner Court, Canterbury, CT2 0AY 01227 714000 office@junior-kings.co.uk Saturday 13 October Open Morning
Kent College Canterbury
Canterbury, CT2 9AQ 01227 762436 Sat 29 September - Senior school Open Morning 9am - 12.30pm
Northbourne Park School
Betteshanger, Deal, CT14 0NW 01304 611 215 admissions@northbournepark.com Saturday 6 October, 9.30am - 12.30pm
Spring Grove School
Harville Road, Wye, TN25 5EZ 01233 812337 office@springgroveschool.co.uk Early October - whole School Open Morning
St Edmund’s School Canterbury
St Thomas’ Hill, Canterbury, CT2 8HU 01227 475600 info@stedmunds.org.uk Saturday 6 October Whole School Open Day
St Lawrence College
College Road, Ramsgate, CT11 7AE 01843 808080 info@slcuk.com Friday 5 October, Junior School Open Day, 9.30am - 12pm & 1.30-3pm Saturday 6 October, Senior School Open Day, 10.30am - 2pm
The Duke of York’s Royal Military School
Dover, CT15 5EQ 01304 245023 admin.office@doyrms.com Saturday 6 October, Open Morning 9am - 12 noon
The King’s School
Canterbury, CT1 2ES 01227 595501 Saturday 22 September - Sixth Form Entry Saturday 6 October - 13+ Entry
Wellesley House School
114 Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs, CT10 2DG office@wellesleyhouse.net 01843 862991 Please call the school to arrange a tour.
