Absolutely Prep & Pre Prep: Prince's Garden Preparatory Supplement

P R E P A R E D. f o r

E V E R Y T H I N G

EXPLORE OUR NEW SCHOOL

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Prepared. To grow somewhere new.

Our new preparatory school opens in September 2020 Prince’s Gardens is a new independent preparatory school, in the heart of Kensington, for children aged 3 - 11 years. It will be a school where every one of our pupils is prepared to step out into the world with confidence, assurance and an open, inquisitive mind. To think for themselves whilst exploring their ideas and creativity. To develop not just all-round academic excellence, but the all important strength of character essential for success in our fast changing world.

To reserve your place at our next open event visit princesgardensprep.co.uk 2

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E D U C AT I O N P R E P & P R E PPrince’s REP

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Prepared for everything.

Gardens Preparatory School, 10-13 Prince’s Gardens, London SW7 1ND

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in partnership with

Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School princesgardensprep.co.uk

We're going on a bear hunt p.8

Welcome

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STEM for the future p.14

rince’s Gardens is an exceptional new preparatory school for children aged from 3 to 11 years old. The school opens its doors in September 2020 and offers a world-class education in a prime central London location. Cultural treasures on our doorstep include Exhibition Road, home to wonderful museums that we visit regularly to engage young minds and foster a love of learning. We offer a nurturing and inclusive environment where children enjoy playtimes in our secluded garden, and nature watch in Hyde Park.

Through our extensive enrichment programme and community-focused activities, we encourage our pupils to broaden their horizons, develop a global mindset and understand the value of empathy, collaboration and team working. We work in close partnership with parents to ensure that children develop the self-belief, independence and resilience to thrive.

As a member of the Cognita Schools Group, Prince's Gardens is part of a diverse yet connected network of worldwide schools. We are proud to share a common purpose, which is to deliver a rounded education that goes beyond grades. Our school’s guiding values, underpinning everything we do, are: delivering academic excellence, developing character and nurturing a global perspective.

This special publication gives insights into what makes us unique, how we deliver teaching and learning and why we believe we offer the most inspiring and innovative preparatory school environment in central London. We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful new school.

Mrs Alison Melrose Headmistress BA (Hons) Ed QTS Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School

Building character p.4

Inspiring minds p.6

Teaching to inspire p.10

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Building Character At Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School academic excellence is just one strand of an approach that seeks to build character and give young people a global perspective, says Headmistress Mrs Alison Melrose

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he curriculum at Prince’s Gardens is designed to provide an allround education, and implicit in that is developing children’s character, says Headmistress Mrs Alison Melrose. This is a three-pronged approach. “We encourage academic excellence through the curriculum and cutting-edge facilities; we foster a global outlook by enabling collaborations between our pupils and the world outside the school gate; and we work with each child to develop their resilience. All these elements are an essential part of character development.”

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

The curriculum at Prince’s Gardens gives pupils agency, with teaching designed to ensure pupils understand and reflect on their own knowledge – a process known as metacognition. Mrs Melrose says: “We teach pupils how to learn rather than simply 4

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teaching to test.” Acquiring knowledge is usually easy for curious young minds but learning how to learn means developing an extra ‘muscle’ – an ability to look back at what you have achieved so far. “A reflective learner is one who asks: ‘how did that go?’ and ‘how do I feel?’, but also ‘how do I do better next time’. What we encourage is resilient learners who take responsibility for their learning.”

Here, the school’s location is a huge asset.

Pupils explore and engage in sciences and the arts at the great museums on Exhibition Road and then take things further in their Connected Classrooms and in the Maker Space. “Our facilities and proximity to wonderful museums foster self-directed and personalised learning, with our teachers acting as guides,” says Alison Melrose.

While the school’s ‘make and do’ learning spaces – rather like the incubators that have become so vital to technology startups – are a perfect place to build knowledge for future careers, Prince’s Gardens also

“We teach pupils how to learn rather than simply teaching to test”

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factor in giving children a global mindset.”

Access to the great outdoors is another part of character development and there is a comprehensive programme of exciting residential trips from Year 2 onwards.

Mrs Melrose says that children sleeping in tents face other challenges – getting wet, getting dirty – and for some this is completely outside their comfort zone.

“They also learn about cooking their own food, supporting each other, being selfreliant and having empathy for others.”

RESILIENCE AND INDIVIDUALITY

sees them as a place to teach skills for life.

“We teach children about the importance of collaboration and team working, as well as communication and presentation skills.”

The challenge of preparing children for future jobs that haven’t been invented yet is often discussed by educators, but Mrs Melrose is certain that some hallmarks of a prep school education will be just as important – if not more important in a relentlessly digital age.

“It is vital to teach children the traditional life skills – how to present yourself well, look people in the eye and shake their hand.”

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

A well-rounded education teaches children to look beyond their own environment.

“Local community is vital, which is why the school’s enrichment programme has a focus on stepping up to challenges. We do this in multiple ways, such as fundraising, a school eco-council and other similar communityfocused activities,” says Mrs Melrose. “Within the school, enrichment develops individual and group skills and interests – be it through chess club, debating society or sport.”

Prince’s Gardens’ cutting-edge digital resources are also a means to connect to the wider world, including global schools in the Cognita family (there are 70 plus across Europe, South America and Asia). “Understanding other cultures and people is vital and our facilities and connections enable us to share experiences and perspectives – an important

Tenacity and resilience are a crucial part of character development, and the earliest lessons provide vital foundations for lifelong well-being. “Prep school years are a crucial age – you are, in effect, setting children up for life,” says Mrs Melrose. She believes that nearly all children will face challenges at some point in their school career. “Most will hit a buffer at some stage. Maybe children who shone at the start suddenly get overtaken, and this tests them. This is why it’s important to build a love of learning and a resilience of character that will see you through.” Then there is the experience of moving on post 11+ and discovering that you are, as she puts it: “a small fish in a big pond again.” Building up children’s reserves of strength helps them navigate change and the unfamiliar landscape of a new environment.

During the key prep-school years, children learn about industry – the importance of working hard and the value of work for its own sake. At Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School there is also focus on overcoming children’s natural fear of getting things wrong. “Fear of failure curbs children’s creativity and stifles their ability to learn,” says Mrs Melrose. “Our role is to find out how each child learns. We work to overcome any hurdles they face, help them to achieve and give them the confidence and resources they need to succeed.”

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Visitors at The Natural History Museum

Opening minds

The combination of exceptional teaching and facilities and a dynamic location – with the riches of London’s great museums on the doorstep – set Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School apart

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rince’s Gardens Preparatory School has a highly focused approach to maximising both its superb central London location, and its exceptional school facilities in order to bring learning to life and inspire pupils to make connections between different subjects. “There is always emphasis on developing children’s learning and focusing their thinking on practical applications in real life,” says Deputy Headmistress Samantha Gibbon.

Thanks to its location, the school has the unique advantage of being able to go for short and highly-focused visits to world-renowned learning institutions, including the Science Museum, Natural History Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) – all of which are a few minute's walk away. These visits are designed to inspire further self-guided learning and also maximise children’s concentration time.

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“The Maker Space is designed so that children can develop creative projects using both the latest and more traditional technologies”

Visits are integrated into the curriculum from Nursery up to Year 6 – with each trip linked directly to current learning – and may last as little as 30 minutes.

This makes visiting museums a natural part of pupils’ approach to acquiring new knowledge and ideas. “At the start of a topic, the museum visits are introduced, and are referred back to as each project or theme unfolds,” says Mrs Gibbon.

Following this, pupils take the ideas further using Prince’s Gardens’ specialist facilities. For instance, a visit to a William Morris exhibit at the V&A may then be used as springboard for art and design projects, including 3D designs, virtual reality and filmmaking projects. Similarly, a visit to an early seaplane at the Science Museum can be the starting point for considering gravity and aerodynamics before developing modelling skills. Easy access to Hyde Park, as well as the treasures in the Natural History Museum, offers countless opportunities to consider biodiversity, ecology and life sciences.

Learning is always reflected upon. As projects evolve there are opportunities to work in more detail in collaborative group projects, thereby allowing the children to expand upon their knowledge by taking themes further. It is always important to reflect and review the outcome of the learning journey, providing pupils the time to evaluate and share what has been

Prince's Gardens Maker Space, their exciting learning zone for children

achieved. The opportunity to revisit the museum where the learning journey began at any time during the process adds an extra and dynamic element to acquiring knowledge.

WO R L D - C L ASS FAC I L I T I E S

The curriculum is designed to fire children’s enthusiasm for learning, and to enable guided, self-directed and collaborative learning.

The school’s Maker Space is an exciting learning zone designed so that children can develop creative projects using both the latest and more traditional technologies. The Library is there to both inspire a love of reading and give children the opportunity to explore a whole host of media. Books (of the paper, audio and e-book variety) are in the mix, of course, along with listening stations, mobile technologies and collaboration zones so that children have the option for quiet time or discussion time.

Connected Classrooms are spaces to learn as a class or join forces with other schools. These inspire pupils to share and consider subjects or themes through other eyes. These facilities give children every opportunity to find their own passions and enthusiasms. “Whether a child is a budding da Vinci or Madonna, Einstein or Marie Curie we pride ourselves in being able to spot and nurture their talents” says Mrs Gibbon.

B E I N G P R E PA R E D

The focus is on being prepared for everything, and that means a strong emphasis on an academic curriculum that is not only rich and varied, but also instils high standards and fires children’s imagination and ambition to succeed in any path they may choose. The school provides rigorous preparation for the 11+, supporting pupils and their parents and helping to ensure a successful transition to Senior level. “We help guide parents and children through the process to ensure that every child goes on to a school in which they will continue to thrive,” adds Mrs Gibbon.

Prince’s Gardens prepares children for their future – and this is why the focus is not only on giving pupils the best teaching, facilities and learning opportunities, but also the transferable skills and global outlook needed to thrive in tomorrow’s world. Above all, the school works to ensure pupils enjoy childhood, forging friendships and growing in confidence and self-belief. “We nurture a strong sense of community and family, an environment where children feel that they belong,” says Mrs Gibbon. The dynamic House system fosters friendly inter-house events, while competitions – from poetry and sport to art and singing – give every child the opportunity to shine in and out of the classroom.

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We’re going on a

BEAR HUNT What better way to explore the wonderful gardens at Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School than by recreating the bear hunt from the beloved children’s story by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

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“We’re going on a bear hunt.

We’re going to catch a big one.

What a beautiful day!

We’re not scared.”

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t Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School the expansive garden is a treasured nature resource that is enjoyed throughout the year for lessons, at playtimes – and even for bear hunts.

Big enough for proper exploring missions, the garden means that Pre-Prep children at the school can experience truly imaginative group play as they act out the children’s book We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Created

by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, this classic adventure is a favourite of Nursery and Pre-Prep classes at the school.

Equipped with special tracking binoculars and sturdy shoes – as required on any serious expedition – brave young explorers ‘swishy swashy’ their way through the long grass as they attempt to track down the elusive bear.

And if the bear is not in residence on this particular day, then there’s always the chance of spotting him next time.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, was first published by Walker Books in 1989 and remains one of the most treasured children’s stories. jointhebearhunt.com

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Making music memories

Making music gives children memories for the rest of their lives, says Head of Music Mark Batten

I Teaching to inspire Four department heads at Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School discuss what inspires them, and how the curriculum they teach brings learning to life for their pupils

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hope that the positive experiences of making music are the memories that children will carry with them.

Certainly, I can still vividly recall every piece of music I sang or played at school. Children are naturally curious, so it’s important to give them the opportunity to try as many instruments as possible. Our pupils will have the opportunity to learn violin in Years 1 and 2 and the recorder in Years 3 and 4. This extends to wind instruments in Year 5 and then brass in Year 6. They also have the opportunity to be introduced to rock and pop styles via the ukulele and drumming.

A lot has been written about how playing an instrument benefits the brain. However, I prefer to focus on directly observable benefits, such as co-ordination and fine motor skills.

Learning to read music notation also supports literacy and numeracy.

I try to encourage children to reflect on what can be achieved by working together.

Whilst most people appreciate the educational value of this in sport, we don’t always acknowledge it in music. Composer Paul Hindemith wrote that, ‘People who make music together cannot be enemies, at least not while the music lasts’. I think that’s a great lesson to teach to children.”

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Maths is beautiful Engaging children with Maths is about showing them the excitement of working things out for themselves, says Head of Mathematics Melanie Lewis

Storytelling and self-expression

Storytelling engages children, teaches empathy and builds a love of the written and spoken word, says Head of English Gary White

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eaching English always starts with storytelling and it is amazing to see the delight and self-expression that quality texts generate, even for very young children. When you ask children to learn a poem and perform it amazing things can happen. Some of our pupils have even learned and performed Shakespeare sonnets.

All these things help build a love of language. Grammar understanding comes most naturally through textual study, and also through games.

Creativity and ideas can be scaffolded – we call this ‘magpieing’ – and it’s a process where you take ideas and develop them to make them your own. We use story-maps to help children build a narrative and develop their planning skills.

Great children’s literature tackles the big issues – friendship, loss, displacement – and enables children to process things in their own lives in a safe way. Stories, and especially those told in the first person, allow children to experience being someone else. This helps with emotional development and empathy as they discover what life is like for other people.”

Sport is for everyone

Children of every ability can access the lifelong benefits of sport and physical activity, says Head of PE Dan Wood

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remember all my PE teachers. They gave me so many opportunities, even in sports I wasn’t good at, and this inspired me to go into teaching.

Our curriculum is designed so every pupil can access and enjoy sport – and all abilities get equal attention.

We offer an exciting variety, plus clubs and enrichment opportunities. It’s really important to expose children to new games, especially when they are young, and they love learning rules.

We have a huge advantage, thanks to our superb facilities, including a sports hall and gym. We offer swimming every Friday and football, rugby and athletics in Hyde Park.

We also have our huge back garden.

These facilities ensure consistency of sports lessons throughout the year, whatever the weather.

In sport everyone fails, but outside a classroom setting children don’t perceive failure in the same way.

They learn that the very best athletes have failed many times on the way to achieving and that teaches important lessons about the value of persistence and practice – sport helps build resilience.”

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aths is beautiful, but not abstract, so it is important to make the connection with other things children see around them. I love teaching the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio. I show children how it is found in nature – in pine cones, DNA, flowers. Even very young children are attuned to symmetry and patterns.

While I always loved Maths, I tell children that it’s OK to be scared of a subject because you think it’s hard or you won’t like it, but then we will work on it together. In my classroom we repeat a refrain: ‘I’m a mathematician’. Children love chanting this when we solve a problem.

To stop children focusing simply on right or wrong, I often give the question and the answer – this removes fear.

Then children work out the steps in between. What they discover is that there may be multiple ways to get to that answer. Sometimes, to my delight, they find a way I hadn’t thought about.

This is the beautiful thing about Maths – we may develop our own methods, but it is a universal language.”

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Green learning From learning through play and meditation to live science, Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School uses its wonderful garden to support children’s learning and build understanding of the natural world

A The expansive and enclosed garden gives pupils a safe space for outdoor play

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ccess to two wonderful green spaces is central to daily life at Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School. The expansive and enclosed garden is a rare treasure for central London and gives pupils a safe space for creative outdoor play, for active learning, for quiet time and for letting off steam in the fresh air.

In addition to the school garden, Prince’s Gardens pupils enjoy one of London’s great outdoor environments – Hyde Park – the largest of London’s Royal Parks and extending to some 350 acres. Located just across the road from the school, the park is utilised for sports and athletics by older children.

For Nursery and Early Years classes, the school garden promotes children’s development by enabling them to explore the great outdoors in all seasons of the year using creative play and games. Encouraging young children to embrace physically active play helps them to learn about the ever-changing environment and gives them the opportunity to use their whole body and develop their gross motor skills. It can meet their multisensory needs and promotes significant

The garden allows children to play outside all seasons of the year

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The garden is the ideal place to build on classroom learning

“ The school’s expansive and enclosed garden is a rare treasure for central London”

health and well-being benefits. Whether it is messy play, creative play or role play, it is an essential part of learning.

Daily ‘garden time’ is part of school life at Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School for all pupils and, as the children grow, so their exploration of this muchloved outside space develops. The garden becomes a place for building on classroom learning – whether it’s observing wildlife and learning about ecology for science classes or looking for patterns and symmetry in plants to support maths teaching. It is also wellused for sports and team games, as well as enjoyable enrichment activities such as school clubs and meditation sessions.

Garden time isn’t all about organised activities. Simply splashing around in wellies on a rainy day or reading an adventure story under the canopy of a tree can be every bit as beneficial to children’s sense of well-being and belonging – offering them a familiar, tranquil and relaxing space.

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STEM

for the future Head of Science Douglas Napolitano-Cremin explains why STEM subjects – taught in exciting and innovative ways – are core to the curriculum at Prince’s Gardens

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e all know that science and technology are critical to future careers, but these are also core subjects that have huge benefits for young children, harnessing their natural curiosity about the world around them and developing other key skills, says Head of Science at Prince’s Gardens, Douglas Napolitano-Cremin.

The school's approach is to bring STEM subjects to life. “Our brains have limited capacity to take on new knowledge when it’s delivered in classroom settings. It is the whizzes and bangs that we remember from our early science lessons. These are the things that inspire us to ask the really big questions, the ‘how and why did that happen?’ questions,” says Mr Napolitano-Cremin.

While the foundational knowledge pupils need is, of course, core to

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curriculum design, Prince’s Gardens is inspiring next-generation scientists by offering outstanding resources and innovative teaching approaches.

Here, the school’s location is key. With world-class museums on the doorstep, pupils have the opportunity to build their knowledge and enthusiasm through live science experiences.

“We want our pupils to not be afraid to enter museums, to want to find out more and to ask questions, so visits are a core part of our lesson planning, with the benefits lasting long after the lesson has finished.”

Opportunities to kick-off a project with a visit to places such as the Science Museum brings the topic to life. Back at school, pupils take experiments further via the school’s Maker Space. These cutting-edge science and technology zones are also an opportunity to invite specialists and scientists in and undertake activities with pupils that enrich learning further.

Mr Napolitano-Cremin firmly believes that we are all born scientists, which

is why it is important to tap into this natural curiosity early. “If you think about the process of learning to walk and talk children are using scientific methods – making mistakes and then adapting their approach. This is what teaching science also fuels, our instinctive desire to experiment.”

Science and technology teaching is designed to inspire children to take their learning further and, says Mr Napolitano-Cremin, teaches children skills and approaches that are vital for life and future careers.

“Science teaches children to approach problems and challenges in an analytical and reasoned way – and to constantly ask questions.”

While their resources are worldclass, the magic part of the mix are the responses. Mr Napolitano-Cremin says that the most inspiring thing when you teach children science is their sense of wonder. “You are spending all day with people who are interested in everything about the world around them. Their sheer enthusiasm is very uplifting.”

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“Science teaches children to approach problems and challenges in an analytical and reasoned way”

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Prepared. For the challenge.

What better proving ground for your child, than a school committed to enriching every step of their journey of self discovery? To meticulously prepare them for their 11+ exams, whilst providing them with specialist teaching in languages, art, drama and science. So they approach the next chapter with courage and confidence.

Scholarships Scholarships are available to pupils who achieve outstanding results in our 7+ and 8+ assessments.

To apply, please contact the admissions team on 020 7591 4620 or email admissions@princesgardensprep.co.uk or visit princesgardensprep.co.uk

Prepared for everything.

Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School, 10-13 Prince’s Gardens, London SW7 1ND

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