Broomwood Hall Lower School Prospectus

2021

PROSPECTUS

BOYS & GIRLS 4–8

Welcome FROM THE HEAD

Broomwood Hall Lower School has that incredible mix you find in all great schools: dedicated staff; an inspiring curriculum; beautiful buildings with excellent facilities; an ethos that is rooted in the very best of the tried and tested, whilst looking firmly to the future; but above all, happy children.

Added to this we have innovative and outstanding teaching, a myriad of opportunities for children to try new things, a real sense of community and outstanding pastoral care. It is a school filled with the constant buzz of laughter and happiness that comes from children who truly enjoy coming to school. In all this, our goal is to equip children with skills for life, not just the next school.

We are unashamedly non-selective, believing that it is far better to enable a child to develop their full potential at the pace that is right for them. Our teaching approach is tailored to this and our results are impressive.

If you share my vision of what education should be about, I do hope you will come and see us for yourselves.

We look forward to meeting you.

Jo Townsend HEAD

2019–

BROOMWOOD HALL LOWER SCHOOL | 2019–2021 PROSPECTUS

WHY YOUR CHOICE OF PRE-PREP SCHOOL MATTERS Your decision, their future Choosing the right pre-prep school for your son or daughter is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.

The early years lay the foundations for your child’s future educational and professional choices and achievements and help shape the person he or she will grow up to be.

WHY BROOMWOOD HALL LOWER SCHOOL Tradition meets modernity Our motto, ‘To do your best, to be your best’ exemplifies the ethos of our school. We provide a dynamic, rounded education in a traditional setting, tailored to the modern world, where boys and girls are nurtured and stimulated in a small, friendly environment with small class sizes. There are three pillars to our approach: a traditional ethos; a strong sense of community; and Christian values. Above all, we believe that a supportive but focussed environment – without undue stress or ‘hot-housing’ – is the best way to help children fulfil their potential, both inside and outside the classroom.

LIFE AT BROOMWOOD HALL LOWER SCHOOL More involving, more rewarding The Lower School day is a full but rewarding one. School opens at 8.20am, with classes starting at 9am. From then until home time children are fully engaged in a whole range of lessons and activities, punctuated by breaks for milk and biscuits or fruit, for a nutritious lunch and for morning and afternoon playtimes. We also have late-afternoon tea for children going on to after-school clubs. Between Monday and Thursday, home time is 3.15pm for Prep children and between 3.30pm–3.45pm for other classes, with a constantly evolving selection of after-school clubs finishing at 4.45pm. On Fridays the whole school goes home at 3pm.

A solid academic grounding as well as a joyful start to school life GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

BROOMWOOD HALL LOWER SCHOOL | 2019–2021 PROSPECTUS

Nurturing and enthusiastic environment with varied and engaging teaching methods and curriculum and extracurricular activities PARENTS

ACADEMIC Through curiosity to mastery The Lower School curriculum has been designed to provide children with a thorough mastery of the fundamental building blocks of education, delivered in a way that is inclusive, enjoyable and, above all, harnesses a child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn. We take pride in knowing that our children look forward to coming to school.

Our approach encompasses our five ‘Learning Powers’ which are embedded into school life: Confidence, Independence, Curiosity, Resilience and Communication. At this age, we don’t believe in giving children large amounts of homework, but we do encourage regular reading every day.

There is a substantial amount of sport on the weekly timetable GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

SPORTS AND PE Sport for all.

We encourage children to enjoy being active, as well as teaching them the important life skills of teamwork, communication, perseverance and resilience. All Lower School children take part in PE and Games for at least five periods per week. Children progress from learning basic skills to playing in competitive matches against other schools. Our main sports are football, netball, touch-rugby, hockey, athletics, rounders and cricket.

All children attend swimming lessons at local pools and can also attend various after-school sports clubs such as karate and fencing. From Class 2, children participate in fiercely fought inter-house competitions and in Class 3 they begin to have regular matches against other schools.

BROOMWOOD HALL LOWER SCHOOL | 2019–2021 PROSPECTUS

The school encourages all children to perform and participate. The art is good and the music teaching is excellent. It is a joy to listen to the junior choirs PARENT

BROOMWOOD HALL LOWER SCHOOL | 2019–2021 PROSPECTUS

THE CREATIVE ARTS Children are naturally creative, and we do all we can to nurture and foster this important human skill; we have a strong tradition in music, drama, art and DT. Music Music plays a vital role in the life of the Lower School with regular music lessons, ensembles and opportunities to perform to an audience. We can arrange lessons in practically any instrument a child wishes to learn and have bands, orchestras and three choirs.

Drama Drama builds confidence and teamwork and there are numerous opportunities for children to perform. Each child takes part in two plays a year - one within their class at a church assembly and one within their whole year group.

Art and DT From Preps (Reception) to Class 3, children experience both Art and DT through projects that support the thematic learning topic of that term. Each year, the Lower School children join the girls at the Upper School in putting on a whole school, ‘Celebration of the Arts’, showcasing many of the wonderful pieces they have created during the year.

An amazingly friendly atmosphere with wonderful teaching PARENT

A MANTRA FOR LIFE Education for life, not just the next school Our children are encouraged to become independent, articulate, confident learners; to feel the satisfaction of achievement through their own efforts and to recognise the importance of considering others. This is ‘the Broomwood Way’.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Making a difference locally – and globally Philanthropy is an integral part of a Northwood Schools’ education and we’ve always encouraged and assisted our pupils to make a difference to the world around them through local charitable and volunteer projects. Children learn the value of kindness and the satisfaction of helping others whilst also practising their entrepreneurial skills in raising money to help our two school charities: our local charity of the year, as well as NAEF, the charity founded by the school and parental community that is dedicated to building and running St George’s, a school for underprivileged children in Gondar, Ethiopia. Children regularly communicate with their counterparts in Ethiopia throughout their school years. Many parents, teachers and pupils have also been out to visit and lend a hand.

Each child is taught in a way that suits them and brings out the best in them PARENT

OUR ETHOS Children only achieve their full potential if they are both happy and confident and at Broomwood Hall Lower School, children work hard because they enjoy what they do and thrive in our supportive environment. We have a strong pastoral team which includes learning support, a full-time school nurse and a qualified school counsellor.

A strong moral grounding We are a Christian school and all children attend our weekly church services – to which parents are also welcome.

The house system Children join houses in Class 2, and are assigned to one of our four Houses which compete for house points. With its emphasis on loyalty and togetherness, the House system encourages a sense of camaraderie, belonging and healthy competition.

An ongoing dialogue: parental involvement As a Broomwood parent, you will be encouraged to keep in touch with the school and are welcome to make appointments at any time to discuss your child’s progress. We’ll also arrange twice-yearly sessions where you can have a one-to one interview with your child’s teachers to talk about how he or she is doing. We also have an active and thriving Parents’ Association.

AFTER BROOMWOOD HALL LOWER SCHOOL The Northwood family of schools offers an education from 4 to 16. Most children who go to Broomwood Hall Lower School move on to either our girls’ prep school, Broomwood Hall Upper School or our boys’ prep school, Northcote Lodge, where they are prepared for entry to some of the best and most selective boarding and day schools in the country both single sex and co-ed. The addition of NorthWood Senior, the group’s new co-educational day school for pupils aged 11-16, expands parental choice.

THE NORTHWOOD FAMILY Broomwood Hall Lower School is part of our London family of four schools.

The others are: Broomwood Hall Upper School (GIRLS 8-13)

Northcote Lodge (BOYS 8-13)

NorthWood Senior (BOYS & GIRLS 11-16)

NEXT S TEPS If you’re interested in finding out more our website, northwoodschools.com and our film may help to answer some of your questions. However, there’s no substitute for seeing our school for yourself. We hold an annual All-site Open Morning in October or you can contact the Admissions department to arrange a visit.

We look forward to meeting you.

Broomwood Hall Lower School Preps and Class 1 (Reception and Year 1) The Vicarage, 192 Ramsden Road London SW12 8RQ Class 2 and Class 3 (Years 2 & 3) 50 Nightingale Lane London SW12 8TE ADMIS S IONS T: 020 8682 8830 E: admissions@northwoodschools.com