Welcome to RGS Redcliffe Gardens School Prospectus
PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AGED 21/2 – 11
“We offer a supportive, exciting, rigorous and creative learning experience, in which Redcliffe children flourish and thrive.” MR BENEDICT DUNHILL
A NEW
REDCLIFFE
Step into Godolphin and Latymer Redcliffe Gardens School and you will be struck by the energy, enthusiasm and warmth of the children and the staff team, and by just what a happy and friendly community this is. As a small school, everybody knows everyone and there is a very genuine family feel. Our teaching is modern, ambitious and inspiring and focuses on developing skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creative thinking and collaboration. Academic success is important, but so too are the opportunities for children to become rounded, interesting and interested young people and we foster curiosity and confidence through an enriching programme of sport, culture and the arts. We offer a supportive, exciting, rigorous and creative learning experience, in which Redcliffe children flourish and thrive and, most importantly, have a great deal of fun! They are sad to leave Redcliffe but do so as well-rounded individuals who are confident about taking the next step on their learning journey. I very much look forward to welcoming you to Godolphin and Latymer Redcliffe Gardens School so that you can experience for yourself what makes this a happy and successful school.
Mr Benedict Dunhill Head
Mr Benedict Dunhill joined Redcliffe Gardens School in January 2021. He is a graduate of UCL, began his teaching career in secondary schools, and moved into preparatory education as head in 2004. He ran Port Regis School in Dorset from 2010 to 2015 and then moved to London as Headmaster of Abercorn School in Marylebone. He has served as an ISI inspector for the past ten years.
A
LOVE OF LEARNING
The children at Redcliffe are inspired by specialist teachers who are passionate about their subjects. We believe in a growth mindset and an enquiry-led style of teaching where new topics are introduced with questions, to recognise and build upon prior learning. We like to answer a question with another question, to really get the children thinking and to develop a love of learning. This kind of figuring out and hypothesising is the ‘grey matter’ working. We continually promote working in small groups, in order to develop collaboration skills as well as peer and self-assessment. We think it is vital to build children’s intellectual confidence so that they can be independent thinkers with the confidence to ‘have a go’ and experiment with new ideas, without any fear of getting things wrong. We want the children to engage and ask questions, and to learn to think on their feet. We fundamentally believe that there is no such thing as failure, there is only learning. These are the hallmarks of teaching at Redcliffe where, by developing personal confidence, our pupils flourish.
A tailored and flexible approach to remote learning
We are very fortunate that as a member of the Godolphin and Latymer School Foundation we benefit from their teacher training and development programme M R B E N E D I CT D U N H I L L
“Excellent, enthusiastic and very well-resourced teaching.” INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE
“The genuine family atmosphere of the school is a huge advantage.” THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE
NURSERY THE ROBINS
Redcliffe Nursery is a safe, supportive and caring place where children take their first steps on their learning journey. Situated in the purpose-built, bright and modern undercroft of St Luke’s Church, there is a very happy and friendly atmosphere and children’s individuality, curiosity and imagination is nurtured and celebrated.
The Nursery Day Children can attend mornings, afternoons or for a full day. Morning Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 12:00 pm Afternoon Monday – Thursday 1:30 pm – 3:25 pm Full Day Monday – Thursday 8:30 am – 3:25 pm Friday 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Through enjoyable activities, Redcliffe Robins are encouraged to share, to improve their language, number, pencil and drawing skills and to discover more about the world around them. Children develop a love of learning through dance, exercise, games, action songs, rhymes, painting, drawing and wonderful hands-on messy and fun activities. There are regular assemblies where our Nursery children perform songs, poems and dances for their parents and the Christmas nativity play is definitely one of the highlights of the year. Nursery children are a valued part of our school community and benefit from joiningin with the other classes for lunch, daily assemblies and the extended programme of special activities happening across the school. We follow the Government’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) programme.
RECEPTION AND THE PRE-PREP Children, including boys and girls from the Robins Nursery, join the Reception aged 4. The Nursery, Reception and Year 1 are all housed in the purpose-built undercroft of St Luke’s Church which is airy, bright, modern and welcoming. Children come to school for the whole day and we also offer wrap-around Early Club and after-school Clubs. The class sizes are small and each class has a qualified teacher and a teaching assistant who work together to deliver a carefully structured Early Years Curriculum. Days are filled with a huge range of opportunities to enjoy learning, from reading and writing to art and painting to exploring the world around us. Subject specialists teach PE and Music. All Reception children enjoy their weekly visits to the well-stocked library. Children also start to develop important social skills, form friendships and work in small groups. From Year 1 we introduce specialist teaching in Drama and French; classes are supported with a teaching assistant up to Year 3. Our Year 2 students make the move up to the ‘big’ school at 47 Redcliffe Gardens, just a short hop, skip and jump away!
Year 1 and 2 Subjects Maths English Science History Geography French Art and Design Computing and Coding Music PE PSHCEE
“The pre-prep is not just about play, judging from some extremely neat writing and maths displayed on the walls, with an obvious emphasis on building confidence as well as academic skills.” THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE
“Redcliffe children leave with the full academic package.” THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE
PREP SCHOOL The Redcliffe Prep School for Years 2 to 6 is at 47 Redcliffe Gardens where our older pupils enjoy a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum which helps to develop their independence, thinking and leadership skills.
Prep School Subjects Maths
English
Science History
Geography
French Latin
Classics
Art and Design
ICT
Music
Sport
PSHCEE
Our teaching and learning methods use a combination of more traditional, tried and tested strategies and newer approaches based on research in learning theory. Pupils at Redcliffe are not streamed into separate ability groups but we are able to provide individual support to children who may require additional support or stretching beyond the regular curriculum. We aim to enable each pupil to achieve their own personal best, through a curriculum that develops knowledge, understanding and lifelong learning skills. Our pupils benefit from an increase in subject-specialist teaching throughout the Prep School including Classics taught from Year 3, specialist teaching in Maths, English and Science for Years 4-6 and Latin taught from Year 5, which thoroughly prepares them for the 11+ and Common Entrance examinations.
SPORT
Sport nurtures team players, independence, courage and resilience, as well as fairness, respect and sportsmanship. Both the Prep and Pre-Prep have their own playgrounds and the use of the sports ground at Ifield Road, five minutes’ walk away; all children benefit from five hours of timetabled sport per week. We can also use the sports facilities at Godolphin and Latymer. We focus on both participation and success: every pupil gets a chance to play in a team and children showing elite capabilities are steered in the direction of appropriate local clubs. In addition to scheduled matches with other schools, our annual Summer Sports Day, Swimming Gala, Cross Country Race and various sponsored challenges are very popular with all pupils and give every child a chance to join in.
Take part in: Athletics
Basketball Cricket
Fencing
Football
Gymnastics Hockey Judo
Lacrosse Netball
Rounders
Swimming
Tag Rugby Tennis Yoga
“This Chelsea co-ed offers a truly tailored education – plus access to great sports facilities now that they’ve joined the Godolphin & Latymer group.” TATLER SCHOOLS GUIDE
“My daughter is learning an enormous range of science and social studies as well as learning to play different musical instruments every year.” PARENT
MUSIC AND DRAMA
The Performing Arts are thriving at Redcliffe and are an important part of our ethos that every child should have the opportunity to shine. In addition to class music lessons there are a range of musical events throughout the year including the weekly Community Choir which is open to pupils, staff and parents. From Year 2 all children are encouraged to learn an instrument and we currently have seven specialist instrumental teachers. Children can join the school orchestra with parts adapted to suit the playing standard of the pupil and sing in the school choirs. Specialist instrumental lessons: Violin Viola Cello Guitar Harp Flute Clarinet Saxophone Recorder Trumpet Cornet French Horn Tuba Piano Singing
Other opportunities include:
• Our annual ‘Redcliffe’s Got Talent’ and range of in-house
instrumental concerts are hugely popular with both children and parents.
• Our ‘Music Week’ features workshops such as African drumming sessions, visits from professional musicians and an ‘Eisteddfod’ (a festival of literature, music and drama).
• Pupils frequently attend external musical events and workshops
including Opera Holland Park, Cadogan Hall, The Wigmore Hall, and Young Voices at The O2.
• Pupils are encouraged to take external instrumental ABRSM and Trinity Guildhall examinations. Aural practice sessions are given by the Head of Music.
• The choirs visit local care homes and support charitable events. • The orchestra joins with other schools for joint workshops and concerts.
• Every Friday a pupil is encouraged to perform a solo at the beginning of our Awards Assembly.
ART
Art and craft are important aspects of topic work in the Nursery, Reception and Year 1 and children are able to explore a wide range of materials and experiment with a variety of techniques and acquire practical skills. They also make their own interpretations of great works of art such as Gustav Klimt’s Birch Forest. In the Prep School, Redcliffe benefits from a dedicated light and modern art studio where pupils work on a wide range of different skills and techniques such as watercolour, collage and acrylic, and develop their creative talents. They are introduced to artists of different periods and styles as a means of developing their aesthetic appreciation, such as Magritte’s painting, The False Mirror and Claude Monet’s paintings of the Houses of Parliament. The Monday and Tuesday Art Clubs are particularly popular and the artistic endeavours of the pupils are celebrated in displays around the school and in end-ofterm shows and exhibitions. Pupils are also inspired by art-related trips and visits to galleries and exhibitions which are scheduled throughout the year. These have included Stella McCartney’s Studios, ‘behind the scenes’ tours at Selfridges, and numerous visits to The Wallace collection with whom we have a special relationship.
“The arts feature strongly in the life of the school and pupils benefit from the cultural opportunities within a capital city.” INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE
“Inclusivity is king here, with leadership roles for all, be it break captain or head of technology.” TALK EDUCATION
CLUBS, HOUSES AND LEADERSHIP Clubs have an important role to play in developing our pupils’ talents and passions and building their confidence in their abilities and in encouraging them to try new things. Clubs take place each day from Monday to Thursday after school and on Friday afternoon we run our sports clubs. Children can focus on developing their skills in particular areas or choose new clubs each term.
Popular clubs include: Homework Club
Art Club
Community Choir Lego Club
Table Tennis
Short Tennis and Cricket Club
Sphero Coding Club Plogging Club
LAMDA Ballet
All children are allocated to a House when they join Redcliffe and Year 6 pupils are appointed as House Captains each year. In addition to House Captains, we have a Music Captain, Sports Captain, Technology Captain and Leaders of the School Parliament. At our Open Assemblies and end of year Prize Giving ceremony we invite parents to join us to celebrate our pupils’ awards and achievements.
PASTORAL CARE Our pastoral ethos is based on caring for every individual child and personalised support is the cornerstone of our approach. We are an inclusive community where diversity is celebrated and where everyone is valued. We encourage our children to be kind to others and to be kind to themselves so that Redcliffe is a place where children feel happy, cared for, and safe. As a small school, our staff get to know all our children as individuals and are well-placed to identify any concerns. Through PSHCEE lessons, pupils learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly independent learners and all pupils undertake a mindfulness awareness course called ‘Paws 4 Thought’, E-Safety is taught as an integral part of the curriculum and every single member of staff understands their essential role and responsibility in creating a safe environment for our pupils.
We positively promote the Fundamental British Values: Democracy Individual Liberty Mutual Respect Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs The Rule of Law
“Pastoral care of the highest quality ensures that from the EYFS onwards pupils grow up in a nurturing, enriching atmosphere, surrounded by kindness and friendliness.” INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE
“There is a real emphasis on social responsibility: Plogging (litter picking-jogging) is the most popular club.” TATLER SCHOOLS GUIDE
SERVICE AND COMMUNITY
An important part of the Redcliffe ethos is to nurture a strong sense of service and community responsibility with the aim of encouraging our pupils to become considerate, compassionate and courageous young people who fully expect to take active responsibility for the community and the environment in which they live. We continually strive to improve our sustainability and eco-credentials and an example is our weekly Plogging Club where our Years 4, 5 and 6 jog around Redcliffe Gardens while picking up litter! Our community projects include:
• Our weekly Plogging Club. • Singing at the local care home, Ellesmere House. • Singing at the Royal Hospitals’ Trust carol service at Holy Trinity Sloane Square.
• Young Enterprise Business Development project run with our Year 6 pupils.
• Cooking at our local night shelter. Great for Community BEST OF THE BEST SCHOOLS GUIDE 2021
• Collections for the local Kensington and Chelsea Foodbank
MOVING ON
We ensure that over the seven academic years in the Pre-Prep and Prep Schools our boys and girls are thoroughly prepared for the next stage of their education. By the time they complete Year 5 they are already well-equipped for the different 11+ and Common Entrance academic entry papers for London senior schools, boarding schools, single-sex and co-educational. Our ethos of nurturing the individual, their talents and potential ensures that each child is able to be the best version of themselves, to run their own best race and importantly to move on to the senior school which best suits them. Every year we take great pride in our pupils’ achievements in senior school entrance examinations. We have strong links with all of the destination senior schools and Godolphin and Latymer Redcliffe Gardens is trusted by these schools year after year, in preparing our pupils to be independent, adaptable, resilient and creative young learners, as they make the move to the larger environment of senior school education.
11+ destination schools in the last five years have included: City of London School for Girls Downe House Emanuel School Francis Holland, Regent’s Park Francis Holland, Sloane Square Godolphin and Latymer Harrodian JAGS Lady Margaret School Latymer Upper School Putney High School Queen’s College Queen’s Gate Sevenoaks School St James Schools St Mary’s School Ascot St Paul’s Girls’ School Wimbledon High School
Historically some boys have sat the 7+ or 8+ for a school that goes up to 13+. Destination schools in the last five years have included: Dulwich College Junior Eaton House The Manor Fulham Prep Harrodian Latymer Prep School King’s College Junior School Northcote Lodge St Paul’s Junior School St Philip’s School Sussex House Westminster Cathedral Choir School Wetherby Prep
“Terrific hit rate to some great London Senior Schools.” TALK EDUCATION
“Family-focused prep that fits this community down to the ground… parents turn up to absolutely everything: assemblies, tea parties, choir practice, the lot.” TALK EDUCATION
JOINING REDCLIFFE Godolphin and Latymer Redcliffe Gardens School has a long tradition of welcoming local boys and girls and their families to our school and the first step is to contact our Registrar about coming to one of our Open Mornings or to organise a tour. Children join our Nursery aged 2½, Reception at 4+, and we also have occasional places for other year-groups.
For all admissions enquiries and to organise a visit to the school, please contact the Registrar: Mrs Henrietta Corbett Godolphin and Latymer Redcliffe Gardens School 47 Redcliffe Gardens, London SW10 9JH T: 020 7352 9247 E: registrar@redcliffeschool.com www.redcliffeschool.com
Children join the Nursery during the term of their third birthday with entry in September, January or April. Summer born children join in the September following their birthday. All Nursery places are nonselective and priority is given to siblings. Places are allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis and, given the popularity, we recommend that children are registered before their first birthday. Children in the Nursery have priority entry into the Reception class. To join at Reception, parents can register their children any time from birth onwards. However, children must be aged four by 1st September in the year of entry. Places are offered following a play-based assessment in the Autumn preceding entry which is designed to be enjoyable and stress-free. Occasionally, places become available in other yeargroups further up the school. Children at the top of the waiting list are offered these places following an informal assessment. Overseas applicants should contact the Registrar before registering their child.
@ red cliffescho o l Godolphin and Latymer Redcliffe Gardens School, 47 Redcliffe Gardens, London SW10 9JH
www.redcliffeschool.com