Welcome
A very warm welcome to Thomas’s Battersea, an independent, co-educational day school for pupils aged 4-13. We take immense pride in our steadfast identity, which encompasses:
• Our Values - with kindness at the heart
• Our Broad Curriculum - where every child is encouraged, challenged and supported to find their something
• Our Academic Success - excellent progress coupled with exceptional outcomes
We prepare pupils superbly for the next stage of their education and the lives that lie ahead of them. Our aim is that every child leaves Thomas’s Battersea with core values and a strong sense of social responsibility; inner strength and positive physical and mental health; academic success and a love of learning. We strive to ensure that a Thomas’s Battersea education equips all our pupils with optimism about, and preparedness for, the future, setting them on a path to become net contributors to society and to flourish as successful, conscientious and caring citizens of the world.
The following pages describe the Thomas’s Battersea identity in more detail, as well as the school structure, my vision for the school, and information about its day-to-day running, all of which we hope will become your child’s reality in the coming years. If you would like to know more or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or come and visit the school. We would be very glad to hear from you.
Rupert Hawkins Head
Our Values
Our Broad Curriculum
“The glory of God is the human being fully alive” St Irenaeus
Thomas’s Battersea has soul, where all pupils are given a wide array of opportunities and are strongly encouraged to develop interests, hobbies and passions both within and beyond the timetabled curriculum.
Art
Beyond formal lessons, there are opportunities at lunchtimes and after school to develop skills in 2D and 3D Art through a range of weekly clubs and ‘drop-in’ sessions. Pupils have the chance to exhibit their art throughout the academic year, enter competitions, and sign up to an art holiday club.
Clubs and Societies
We offer a huge range of extra-curricular clubs and societies through which pupils can discover new passions and explore their physical, creative, social, global, moral and cultural interests with other enthusiasts. These offer an ideal way for pupils to find new friends outside their year groups while enabling them to learn discipline, leadership and teamwork. Clubs and societies become increasingly pupil-led in the older year groups.
Dance
Both contemporary dance and ballet are taught within the curriculum. From the age of six, pupils can commit to additional lessons after school, working primarily towards the curriculum of the Royal Academy of Dance. Not only can pupils take exams, but there are also opportunities to participate in large productions. These productions often take place in the Grand Hall at the school, but pupils have also performed in cross-school performances at the Royal Albert Hall and, more recently, Cadogan Hall.
Drama
We fully recognise the power of Drama to develop oracy, presentational skills, confidence and teamwork and to encourage philosophical reflection on the human condition. Thanks to the legacy of Joanna Thomas, an actress and Founding Principal of Thomas’s, Drama takes a central place both in and outside the formal curriculum. Each Year group works towards an annual Drama production. From the age of eight onwards, pupils have the opportunity to participate in Extra Drama and to audition for small-scale and full-scale productions.
Music
There are very many musical opportunities in addition to Music’s place as a curriculum subject. Ensemble groups include formal and informal choirs, school orchestras, jazz ensembles, string groups, brass groups, singing groups and pupil-led bands. Participation is very strongly encouraged and appropriate performance opportunities are made available at every level of confidence and proficiency.
Service
In pursuit of our school values, and with the support of Thomas’s Foundation and many parent volunteers, we forge strong links with our local primary schools and local community and find mutually beneficial ways to involve our pupils, particularly in the lives of the very young and the very old within our neighbourhood. Pupils will also maintain and develop our commitment to global service by building on our long-standing support of education in Nepal through the CAIRN Trust, part of Thomas’s Foundation.
Sport
We are strongly committed to our pupils’ physical development, allocating significant time and resources within the timetable. Our skills-based curriculum in the early years prepares boys and girls for a wide range of team and individual sports. To complement this commitment, a wide range of opportunities is available at weekends, particularly on Saturday mornings, both for those who seek enjoyment and additional participation and for those who strive to engage in sports at an elite level. We engage in a busy fixture programme involving other schools, offering opportunities for those who are prepared to commit to weekend and holiday fixtures, tournaments, competitions and, for some year groups, national and international tours.
Thomas’s Outdoors
We believe in the benefits of learning beyond the classroom, recognising that outdoor education offers children unique opportunities and experiences which cannot be taught within the constraints of the school day and surroundings. We believe that every pupil should enjoy a broad range of learning experiences during their school careers. These begin in a child’s first year in Reception and progress to residential trips from Year 5 at Thomas’s Daheim, our own international outdoor learning and skiing centre in Upper Austria.
Trips
We believe in making the most of London and other locations to enhance our pupils’ learning and help them make real-world connections. Day trips beyond the boundaries of school start in Reception, with our first residential trip offered in Year 4, at the age of eight - providing many children with their first extended time away from home. As our pupils progress through the school, there is an increasing range of opportunities to participate in national and international trips, during both term-time and during school holidays, in support of the school-based curriculum.
A Biophilic School
Throughout its existence, education has gone through change. However, the pace of change today is unprecedented. Never before has it been more important, therefore, for schools to focus on what it is that makes us distinctly human. In this regard, we describe ourselves as a biophilic school. Biophilia literally means ‘what makes us human’, and our aim is to challenge pupils to be curious, to get stuck in, and engage with what it is that makes them who they are.
Our Academic Success
The academic success of our pupils can be measured in a variety of different ways:
Future Schools - We send our pupils to the very best schools at 11+ and 13+, both in London and across the country, as well as overseas. At the same time, for those who choose to explore it, we remain committed to opening up a pathway for pupils to benefit from the continuity of a Thomas’s education in the heart of London until the age of 18. Thomas’s College, located in Richmond Hill, opens in September 2025.
Progress - We collect and analyse data throughout the year, which demonstrates the progress of our pupils. This is shared with parents and staff, and we use it to put in place next steps, to raise areas for improvement, to implement interventions and support, and to stretch and challenge.
Character - We long to nurture kind, polite and engaging individuals who can walk into an interview, hold a conversation or grapple with a challenging task - all with confidence and charm. We believe in a broad curriculum which fosters an enquiry mindset and equips today’s pupils to become the adults of tomorrow. Links are made constantly between areas of learning and to real-world contexts.
AFourDimensi onal Curriculum
An enquiry mindset
A culture of thinking
Skills & attributes for life
Academic Success
Deep understanding
An attitude of awareness Engagement with others, ideas and action
Knowledge. Skills . Character .Metacognition
Active & agile learners
Our provision is four-dimensional:
Knowledge - Content taught is relevant, contemporary and engaging. Instead of simply imparting knowledge, our teachers encourage manipulation and synthesis, so that acquired knowledge can be applied to new situations.
Key Skills - Our learners develop a breadth of scholastic and societal skills. Thinking and questioning skills are highly valued. Societal skills are centred on the vital 4Cs: creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking.
Character - Our curriculum is underpinned by a strong set of values, which inspires learners to develop core character traits, such as resilience, along with key capabilities, including broad questioning and deep thinking. We encourage the belief that identifying and learning from mistakes is crucial.
Meta-learning - Through dynamic and captivating teaching and learning we encourage the ability to reflect and adapt and instil in our pupils a clear understanding of how they learn.
We place a strong emphasis on specialist subjects, often from the earliest years, including Art, Dance, Drama, Computing, Modern Foreign Language (MFL) & Classics, Music and PE & Games.
Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development is also given strong emphasis and underpins the aims and the delivery of the curriculum. Awe and wonder captures pupils’ imagination and makes them curious to learn more.
We have taken these ‘blue sky’ ideas and developed them into a ‘Learning Excellence Jigsaw’ (see page 15) which is used on a daily basis by teachers to ensure all lessons are planned and taught appropriately to maximise the opportunity to learn and make outstanding progress.
GROWTH MINDSET
CRITICALTHINKING COMMUNICATION CREATIVITY COLLABORATION
KNOWLEDGE
What we know and understand
Content and outcomes
CONTEMPORARY
TEACHING AND LEARNING
KEY SKILLS
How we use what we know
Scholastic, societal and innovation skills
CHARACTER
How we behave and engage in the world
Dispositions, values and habitudes
How we reflect and adapt in C21 Learning to Learn META-LEARNING
ENQUIRY MINDSET
© Center for Curriculum Design
©Thomas ’sLondonDaySchools
All school options
Group structure
Thomas’s Kensington 11+ preparatory school
Reception to Year 6
Thomas’s College
Year 7 to Year 13
Excellent preparation for 11+ or 13+ entry to all schools
Thomas’s Battersea 13+ preparatory school
Reception to Year 8
Thomas’s Clapham 13+ preparatory school
Reception to Year 8
All school options
Thomas’s Kindergarten
EYFS - Aged 2 1/2 to 4
Thomas’s Academy 11+ primary school
Reception to Year 6
Thomas’s Fulham 11+ preparatory school
Reception to Year 6
Leadership Team
Emma Maclean Bather Deputy Head Academic
Laura Spencer Head of Lower School (Reception - Year 2) Maternity Cover
Beth Newman Deputy Head Safeguarding & Wellbeing
Louisa Balmer Head of Middle School (Year 3 - Year 6)
Nick Darmon Senior Deputy Head & Operations
Emily Jenkin Head of Upper School (Year 7 & Year 8)
Caroline Kingston Assistant Head Academic & Future Schools
Rupert Hawkins Head
School Structure
The school is very much one school but with three sections, known as:
• Lower School (Reception - Year 2)
• Middle School (Year 3 - Year 6)
• Upper School (Year 7 & Year 8)
The Lower School is led by Laura Spencer, (Maternity Cover), the Middle School by Louisa Balmer, and the Upper School by Emily Jenkin.
Introduction to Lower, Middle & Upper School
Each stage of a child’s education is a unique and crucial part of their development, and we want to ensure that every member of our community feels valued and supported as they progress through our school.
Lower School
An Introduction to the Lower School:
The Lower School is a place of joy and excitement, both of which are tangible as you arrive in the classrooms where you will find children bursting to share their new learning.
The emphasis in the Lower School is on enjoyment and. This is embedded in our broad curriculum and our most important school rule of ‘Be Kind’.
The Lower School consists of the first three years of school: Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. There are three classes in each of these Year groups with a Form Teacher and Teaching Assistant supporting each class. Children quickly settle into the routines and expectations of the school in Reception, where the atmosphere is noticeably happy and yet stimulating in nature. Our foremost aim is to ensure that every child feels safe, happy and confident at school. We help to create an environment in which children are eager to learn and to take an active part in their own learning.
Pupils enjoy a busy and broad curriculum at Thomas’s, including English, Maths, Science, Understanding The World (UTW) (History and Geography), RS, French, PSHE, Art, Computing, Music, Ballet, PE, Games and Swimming (Year 1 and 2). Many of these
lessons are taught by specialist teachers. Every half term the children go off-site on a Woodland Adventure as part of Thomas’s Outdoor Education Programme.
We are proud of our creative curriculum and the children quickly become immersed in their topics and engage in all learning experiences presented to them. Progress is carefully monitored and supported by the form teacher, specialist teachers and teaching assistant. The children’s mental health and wellbeing is just as important as the broad curriculum and academic achievement and their strong relationships with the teachers ensure their needs are met. Children will learn when they feel happy and safe.
By Year 2, the children become the Leaders of the Lower School by taking on various roles such as: Lower School Leader, Kindness Monitor, Green Unicorn, Digital Unicorn. This increasing independence and maturity helps them to prepare for a smooth transition to the Middle School. I very much look forward to welcoming you to the Lower School and hope you will find the awe and wonder that we strive to create for the child day to day.
Laura Spencer Head of Lower School (Maternity Cover)
Middle School
Our vibrant Middle School encompasses Years 3 to 6 and is an integral part of every pupil’s journey through Thomas’s Battersea. Each year group consists of three forms made up of a maximum of 22 children.
Joining our expert teaching teams for each year, we have a TA and other support staff in place and, together, they offer invaluable support to our pupils. Lessons in the Middle School are focused on being dynamic and challenging whilst providing every pupil with the opportunity to succeed at their own pace and level.
The Year 3 and Year 4 form teachers in the Middle School deliver English, Maths, Science and Humanities lessons to their pupils with Art, Drama, Music, Games, PE and Modern Foreign Languages being taught by specialist teachers. In Year 5 and Year 6, the specialist teaching then extends to Science and Latin. This ensures that every pupil is experiencing learning of the highest quality delivered through highly skilled and dedicated teaching teams.
Our focus in the Middle School is on delivering an enriching, broad curriculum and this we achieve via teaching through exciting and relevant topics such as ‘Incredible Inventions’, ‘Through the Rainforest’ and ‘Women Who have Shaped the World’. This enables our pupils to engage in contemporary issues, sparking interest and developing vital knowledge of the world around them. The learning does not stop there, however. Our pupils also have the opportunity to venture out into that world and explore it for themselves through our comprehensive outdoor learning and residential programme, which stretches from the camping fields of Kent to the snowy slopes of Daheim.
The Middle School at Battersea is truly a place where pupils thrive, fostering the values of independence, resilience and perseverance. Our aim is always to ensure that we are preparing each and every one of them for what lies ahead in their senior school setting whilst maintaining a love for learning and a zest for life.
Louisa Balmer Head of Middle School
Upper School
Upper School pupils are academically stretched and challenged from the moment they step through the door. Pupils follow a broad curriculum, covering the core subjects as well as learning French, Spanish and Latin, Art, Drama, Music and Games. An innovative curriculum includes subjects such as Wellbeing which is delivered through our PSHE curriculum.
A key function of the Upper School is to prepare pupils for senior school, laying the foundations for future learning and success. To that end, we set pupils in English and Maths, and offer an Academic Scholarship route for those who wish to take it - something that is decided by subject teachers and supported by the Deputy Head, Academic and Assistant Head Academic & Future Schools. All pupils are prepared for Common Entrance examinations at the end of Year 8; and they are examined in English, Maths, Science and Languages.
During Upper School assemblies, we have guest speakers who deliver talks about the World of Work and this academic year these have ranged from an ultra runner, who works as a videographer for Go Pro
to a cocktail bar owner who overcame learning difficulties to find his niche. The World of Work lectures allow pupils to hear from real-life role models who can demonstrate the relevance and connection of what is taught in the classroom. They also allow pupils to gain an understanding of what different careers actually entail while bringing the curriculum to life.
In our Upper School, we nurture leadership qualities among pupils. Through diverse opportunities such as Heads of School and Prefects, pupils develop essential skills such as communication and teamwork, preparing them for challenges beyond the classroom. These roles foster a sense of ownership and pride, promoting a strong sense of community. We believe in shaping tomorrow’s leaders and fostering a culture of kindness and positive change within our school.
In short: A love of learning, academic challenge and a sense of determination are the seeds of success, and we seek to sow these in the Upper School.
Emily Jenkin Head of Upper School
Five-Year Vision
To ensure Thomas’s Battersea is a truly world-class educational community, we are focusing on four key interrelated domains that will help us achieve growth for every pupil. These are: Expert Teaching Teams, Beacon of Wellbeing, Intelligent Operations, and Proactive Sustainability & Budgeting. They will be the means by which we strategically plan and annually review our educational priorities.
From September 2024, the annual school development plan will incorporate this framework for our self evaluation and strategic planning. The timing, sequence and focus of these interrelated domains will change based on the needs of our school and the wider community at any point in time.
We are committed to this long-term plan for improvement and will update it periodically as we reflect on our own performance, community voice, as well as the ongoing changes in our world.
Full details of the Five-Year Vision can be found here.
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4 Expert Teaching Teams Beacon of Wellbeing Intelligent Operations Proactive Sustainability & Budgeting
Location
28-40 Battersea High Street has been in educational use since Sir Walter St John founded a school on the site in 1700. Thomas’s opened in Cadogan Gardens in 1977 and moved to Battersea High Street in 1990. The building is a Grade 2-listed former grammar school, with modern additions and plenty of playground space. The buildings are arranged around a courtyard garden and there is a one-acre playground, children’s play area and a quiet garden. Facilities include a Great Hall equipped as a theatre, a purpose-built dining hall and kitchens, a gymnasium and ballet studio, art rooms, a pottery room, a drama studio, two computing suites and a music school, which comprises two music recital rooms and nine individual teaching rooms.
School Day
0745 - Clubs start
0805 - Doors open
0825 - School starts
1520 - Reception finish
1530 - Years 1 & 2 finish
1600 - Years 3 to 8 finish
1700 - 1815 Clubs finish
Admissions
The main points of entry to Thomas’s Battersea are at the ages of 4 in Reception and 11 in Year 7. However, we also welcome applications for ‘Occasional Places’ in Years 1 to 6 and 8.
Please contact Lara Gargour, Director of Admissions, on 0207 978 0900 or lgargour@thomas-s.co.uk for further information.
