EduCativ

The German School of London currently has around 885 pupils from more than 30 nations. We are an international, open-minded community that embraces diversity and the respectful exchange of ideas. We strive to empower our pupils, encouraging them to be self-reliant and to assume responsibility on a local level within an international context. We consider ourselves a learning organization in which all players – pupils, parents, and staff – work hand in hand. We are all committed to a trusting and constructive mindset. The DSL is part of a long-standing tradition of excellence in the worldwide network of more than 140 German Schools Abroad. All are independent schools accredited and supported by the Federal Republic of Germany. We cater to pupils from Kindergarten through the bilingual Abitur and the IB diploma. DSL offers an appealing and challenging educational program with a specific emphasis on the German language and culture. The German School London offers an excellent and broad education leading from kindergarten to Abitur/IB. Primary School is an integral part. The Primary School takes pupils in Years 1 to 4. We talk at length with both parents and children before admission. Knowledge of German is a requirement for admission to the Primary School at the DSL. Parents must actively support the use of German. For children who have reached the age of six by 30 September (i.e. one month after the start of the school year) school attendance at the German School is compulsory. However, parents may apply for “early enrolment” if their children have reached the age of six before 31 December of the new school year. All children who have applied for “early enrolment”, including those who already attend our Pre-School, will take a so-called "Kann-Kinder-Test" (test for optional future pupils) early in the summer to ascertain whether they are ready to attend school. Only after this can parents discuss possible enrolment with the Head of the Primary School. Kindergarten is exempt from the UK Early Years Foundations Stage Curriculum. Instead, our curriculum is based on the guidelines outlined by the state of Baden-Württemberg and forms the basis of our education in Kindergarten and Pre-School. We are a bilingual Kindergarten, teaching both German and English, with German being a priority, to support our children to access the curriculum of the German Primary School. In addition to our educational and learning program, we have a duty of care for the Safeguarding and Welfare of our children, as outlined by the Early Years Foundation Stage. The setting also aims to provide advice and information to parents and carers, thereby fulfilling an important role in complementing and supporting the child within the family. The first five years at Secondary School at the DSL are Years 5 to 9 and 10 respectively. Year 5 is an orientation stage at the end of which pupils are advised which school type is recommended for them. From Year 6 pupils are streamed into the appropriate school type: Hauptschule, Realschule, or Gymnasium. Hauptschule pupils finish school at the end of Year 9 Realschule pupils finish school at the end of Year 10. The DSL complies with the guidelines of the German Federal States Committee for School Education Abroad (BLASchA) and follows the educational standards of Baden-Württemberg. Since the academic year 2008-2009, the upper years of Secondary School have been Years 10, 11, and 12. Years 11 and 12 form the qualification stage, which is concluded with the leaving examination. This qualification enables students to go on to German and British universities. Pupils from Year 8 onwards can use the LRC’s five computers, a quiet zone with 12 workspaces, relevant reference literature, and other modern learning materials as well as find information about universities. The LRC helps to organize readings and book fairs, as well as presentations on topics such as “Academic Honesty” and competitions such as “DSL young jury for the German youth literature prize”. The German School has a network of external psychologists and other specialists. Appointments are made with them directly. Some of the tests can take place in the German School. The entire treatment will be invoiced in the end. As such tests can take several hours the appointments are carefully scheduled. Our Safeguarding team, as required by the English school system, is there to make sure that our pupils grow up and learn in a stable, safe environment and get the support they need should this become necessary. To reflect on our processes and procedures at the school, we have established various forms of feedback at the DSL. This includes, for example, feedback between pupils and teachers, among colleagues, or between pupils, parents, and colleagues. Teachers give feedback to pupils in the form of so-called quarter-notes, which inform the pupils about their performance in the middle of the semester and provide them with information on how they can improve their performance. In our regular parent council meetings, we record the results of the "Round Tables" (topic-related exchanges with pupils, parents, and teachers) in German and English and make these accessible to all parents. At the beginning of each session, we present further developments on these of the previous rounds. At the end of the year, there will be a plenary exchange on the very year. This also provides us with a first outlook for the coming year. View full school

The Garden is an outstanding school in the London Borough of Hackney offering education for 4-16 year-olds with highly specialized provisions for learners with autism. We believe that every child should be recognized and respected as unique and special. We place each child’s individual needs and goals at the center of our work. It is this ethos that underpins our bespoke child-centered curriculum specially developed to create optimal opportunities to nurture communication, learning, and independence, in a safe and inclusive environment. The Garden school is suitable for robust and mobile children and young people with a diagnosis of Autism who have severe learning difficulties. Admission to the school is through the statutory assessment process whereby The Garden school is named on a child’s education, health, and care (EHC) plan (previously Statement of Special Educational Needs). The welfare of our students and staff is of paramount importance to us. We adhere to safer recruitment procedures, and all staff is given regular training in child protection safeguarding. We have a designated safeguarding children advisor and a deputy. We have good partnerships with parents and relevant outside agencies, including social care. Our pupils develop skills to equip them for safer interactions in the wider world. At a basic level, this includes understanding the difference between private and public and building on this to develop safety in the community. At The Garden, we have a large multi-disciplinary team with specialist skills and expertise who work in collaboration with class teams to support pupils’ development. These include speech and language therapists who support communication occupational therapists who support sensory processing and emotional regulation and educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists from CAMHS who advise on learning and behavior. Professional development and training of staff is a key component of the success of our school. Our teachers are all trained in specialist, evidence-based approaches to teaching children and young people with autism including TEACCH, SCERTS, PECS, and Intensive Interaction. Each class team is led by a teacher with several dedicated support staff, many of whom are highly qualified and experienced in working with pupils with ASD. At The Garden, we have developed a bespoke curriculum to meet the learning styles of pupils with autism. Students follow a topic-based curriculum, designed to develop the key skills of communication, independence, personal and social skills, emotional regulation, physical development, and life skills. Our framework places the child at the center and ensures that the curriculum’s content and learning experiences are tailored to meet individual needs. Subject areas – known as ‘learning contexts’ – are based on the National Curriculum, and are carefully chosen to provide fun, motivating activities delivered through a multi-sensory teaching approach. The aim is not to fit our pupils into a national curriculum. It is to deliver aspects of the curriculum to meet their specific needs, whilst creating a wider curriculum that focuses on the development of key skills. The Garden provides a stimulating program of visits and activities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. These activities enhance the curriculum, providing enriching experiences to aid our pupils’ personal development. Pupils take part in on-site activities such as gardening and attend visits to markets, art galleries, museums, and places of religious significance. Furthermore, through our strong relationships with cultural organizations, pupils are regularly visited by dance, drama, and opera groups. The school uses a commercial software package Bsquared to track small steps of pupil progress in national curriculum subject areas and also a national data set CASPA which provides comparative data from similar schools that enables year-on-year benchmark of attainment and progress for individual pupils and groups within the school. Regular progress meetings are held to review each child’s achievements. If a child is not making good progress extra support or different interventions are tried. The school holds multi-disciplinary meetings once a term which includes representatives from the wider professional team eg school doctor and nurse, Speech and Language Therapists, and Educational Psychologists. They can support the teachers in problem-solving to address any difficulties in learning or behavior or provide support for health needs. View full school

Frances Bardsley is an excellent school and has provided an exemplary education for girls aged eleven to eighteen for over one hundred years. We are an academic school. Students will be taught how to learn and how to achieve the best possible grades in the subjects which they take. But this is only one part of an outstanding and complete education. We believe that our approach must be holistic that we must support the physical, moral, and spiritual development of our girls. So we offer support in many ways throughout and beyond the school day, and a wide and diverse range of clubs and activities which will enhance their learning. We have high expectations. Girls must be self-disciplined and motivated so that they can fulfill their potential. Our motto is "Gladly Lerne Gladly Teche" from The Canterbury Tales, and we aim to instill a love of learning in all who join us. The Frances Bardsley Academy’s motto Gladly lerne, gladly teche, and four key values Tradition, Innovation, Community, and Achievement together drive our vision for curriculum provision and delivery. We follow the curriculum guidance outlined in the National Curriculum to ensure that we provide a broad and balanced curriculum for our students, incorporating English, Maths, and Science qualifications along with the provision of religious education teaching for 11-16-year-olds. The Academy seeks to ensure that its curriculum is delivered via well-planned and engaging lessons which challenge all students whatever their ability or starting point. We are flexible in our approach to grouping students by ability some subjects are taught in sets whilst others are delivered in peer groups a student’s group is never static and individual progress is reviewed every half term and if necessary, move to a more appropriate group takes place. The Academy considers it critical that equal opportunities are promoted and realized at all levels of the curriculum and that this is integral to outstanding practice. Whilst there is an extensive provision of individual and small group withdrawal support, our curriculum celebrates inclusion at all times. The Academy has its Alternative Provision Base – The Village - whereby students who we believe may benefit from a more personalized bespoke part-time timetable will be accommodated. These timetables will involve GCSEs in core subjects and also incorporate other academic courses as appropriate. In addition, some students take up part-time courses on offer in conjunction with Havering College the Academy also incorporates long-term work placements were relevant and appropriate. View full school

We are a non-denominational primary school with a catchment area in Edinburgh and serve children from ages 3-12 years. We are excited about our vision as we, with all other Scottish schools, move into the new national curriculum, a Curriculum for Excellence. The school has extensive, flexible facilities in both traditional and modern buildings. The school grounds have recently been developed and are now zoned into areas representing the continents of the world. The different areas include an artificial grassed ‘heart’ area, a sandpit, an enclosed pitch, play equipment, a traversing wall as well as tarmac play areas. The present roll of 560 is divided into 20 classes. The Nursery has 120 part-time nursery places divided into two morning classes and two-afternoon classes. Our school is based within the thriving communities of Stockbridge and Comely Bank with excellent community links and several famous Edinburgh landmarks on our doorstep – The Royal Botanical Gardens, Inverleith Park, and Edinburgh Castle to name a few. Our High School is Broughton High School. We work closely with Broughton to ensure a positive transition for all our pupils. Flora’s has a wonderful nursery for 3-4-year-olds and a popular After School Club for pupils who require out-of-hours care. We are also the home of The City of Edinburgh Music School. Our learning community is also the home for the primary section of the City of Edinburgh Music School. Auditions are held annually to offer gifted musicians, from across the Lothians and beyond, the opportunity to further develop their musical skills. It is an expectation that our music school pupils will transfer to Broughton High School, which houses the secondary section of the City of Edinburgh Music School. It should be noted that children may see more than one teacher in their class. Teachers may share classes during the week with for example one teacher working 3.5 days and the other teacher 1 day. In addition, the National Agreement for Teachers states that each teacher will have no more than 22.5 hours of class contact during the week. This means that other teachers will take the P3-7 classes for the remaining 2.5 hours. We recognize that skills for life form a vital part of every child’s development. To ensure we give each child the best opportunity to develop their social skills, resilience, and adaptability, we intend to mix registration classes within each primary stage at Flora Stevenson’s Primary School on several occasions during the seven years at the school. The class organization of this type allows children to widen their friendship base whilst learning how to sustain previous friendships. Classes will be reformed sensitively, taking into account teachers’ professional knowledge of your child. Children will also be given many opportunities to work together. Your child’s wellbeing is paramount and we will always monitor children to ensure additional support is given as necessary. Teachers from all classes within any one stage will plan together so that all children are offered similar experiences. In Flora Stevenson Primary school, our vision is to be a caring, nurturing community where everyone can develop skills for life, learning, and work. This is where we are going as a school as we navigate our new curriculum, the Curriculum for Excellence. With a careful and thorough plan in place, and by working closely together, we know that we will reach our vision. We value… Good manners (respect for others). Fairness. Working hard and taking pride in our achievements. Honesty. Being considerate of others. View full school

We are an expanding school of approximately 640 pupils and provide education for children from the age of three to eleven. The school opened in 1969 and recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary. It is a successful and inclusive school. At the heart of our school life and curriculum is our Mission Statement. It colors all our aims and is reflected in the day-to-day running of our school. The Federation of St Elphege's Catholic Schools will give every child the best possible education because each individual is uniquely created and precious to God. As a Catholic community, guided by the Holy Spirit, we will follow the example of Jesus Christ in all aspects of daily life. With the help of God we will: Develop our children's faith, spirituality, and joy in the love of God. Teach our children to the highest standards thus realizing their potential. Give our children the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed and take pride in their achievements. Create a Christian community where we all behave well, have good manners, and learn tolerance and respect for ourselves and others. Prepare our children today to become tomorrow's responsible and independent individuals. Make school a happy, safe, and caring place where we all enjoy learning, work hard and do our best. Create a partnership of love, joy, and high expectations between children, their parents, the staff and the governors, the parish, and the wider community. The Federation is using Focus Education resources to deliver a Creative Curriculum which will challenge the children and ensure that all learners acquire knowledge, understanding, and skills in all non-core subjects as laid down in the new Nation Curriculum for Primary Schools. It is an approach to curriculum planning which is now being used in over 1,000 primary schools in England. The approach is based on securing greater learner involvement in their work. It requires deep thinking and encourages learners to work using a question as to the starting point. It has been described as a curriculum for ‘intelligent schools’. In designing the curriculum, teachers and learners are using a prime learning challenge, expressed as a question, as the starting point. Using the information gained from pre-learning tasks and the school’s context, a series of subsidiary challenges are then planned. Each subsidiary learning challenge is also expressed as a question. Importantly, the learning challenges need to make sense to the learners and be something that is within their immediate understanding. These learning walls provide reminders of learning and help children to develop an understanding of both the knowledge and skills of the focus subject area and the cross-curricular links made throughout the term. These walls develop and adapt to the children’s needs – never static! They display examples of children’s work as well as providing opportunities for the children to review where they have reached in their quest for more information to answer their questions. The Creative Curriculum aims to: Provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Encourages teachers to make learning vivid, real, and meaningful with many first-hand experiences. Build up children’s confidence and motivation to learn through the use of a range of learning and teaching styles. Embed key skills to prepare children for real-life and everyday situations. Provide opportunities to apply knowledge and learning in practical ways Develop an enjoyment in all their learning. Stimulate our children’s natural curiosity and give them the confidence to be curious. Provide ‘WOW’ moments that engage the children from the start of their learning. Engage children through the use of creative learning challenge questions. Involve children in the decision-making about their learning, allowing children choice and independence. Ensure children know what they are learning and why. Allow time to engage, reflect and review – including peer and self-assessment. Use a wealth of relevant resources – in the classroom, outdoors, in the local community, and the wider area including visits and visitors. Allow children to demonstrate their learning in different ways: posters, presentations, performances, historic and other themed days. Promote personal, social, and spiritual aspects of the curriculum. Encourage teachers to develop each child’s confidence, self-discipline, and understanding of their learning. View full school

The Falcons School for Girls provides independent education from three to eleven years. We offer a traditional nursery – year 6 girls’ school education, with outstanding preparation for 11 + examinations. We are a warm and caring school, taking great pride in developing our girls into happy, confident individuals ready to meet the challenges of their senior schools. We have a reputation for academic excellence, creativity, and a love of learning. We have high expectations of our pupils with learning tailored to individual needs. Our pupils win places at the country’s top Day and Boarding schools in the 11+ examinations at the end of Year Six and leave Falcons School for Girls as resourceful, self-aware, and inquisitive girls. The Falcons School for Girls became part of the Alpha Plus Group at the turn of the century and established a reputation for academic excellence, creativity, and a love of learning. Originally based in Ealing, the school moved to new premises in Putney in September 2014. We take pride in developing our girls into happy, confident individuals ready to meet the challenges of their senior schools. We have high expectations of our pupils and our mission is to raise girls to become high achievers, leaders, and lifelong learners. The Aims of the Falcons School for Girls. Leadership can be seen at every level of the school, contributing to a culture of excellence Teachers adapt their delivery of the curriculum to reflect every girl’s individual learning needs Parents are genuine and valued partners in the education process Girls are prepared for entry to the Senior Schools which will best meet their learning needs and future development. The Falcons School for Girls is a non-selective day school for girls aged 3-11, located in southwest London, situated between Putney and Barnes. We currently have the capacity for two forms of entry into each of our year groups. Usual entry is at 3+ and 4+ into Pre-Reception and Reception classes. However, we will consider occasional entry into other year groups, dependent upon available spaces – you should contact our Registrar directly if you wish to enquire about occasional spaces. Girls who apply for spaces in Year 1 upward will be required to participate in a taster day and assessment. Our girls are well prepared and perform excellently in the competitive 11+ entry examinations, graduating to some of the country’s top day and boarding schools, including St Paul’s, The Lady Eleanor Holles, Francis Holland, Putney High, Wimbledon High, The Harrodian, and St James. Our forward-thinking, knowledge-rich curriculum gives the girls the knowledge and skills required to thrive in modern Britain. The curriculum is designed to ensure girls are prepared to thrive in the Year Six 11+ external entrance examinations for London day and country boarding schools. The Falcons School for Girls’ curriculum aims to provide pupils with a rich experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic, and creative education. It ensures that girls acquire speaking, listening, literacy, and numeracy skills, and it is designed to provide stimulation and subject matter appropriate for the ages and aptitudes of pupils, including those pupils with special educational needs, ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to learn and make progress. The prep curriculum is delivered through lessons in English, Mathematics, Science, IT, History, Geography, Philosophy, Religious Education, P.S.H.E.E., French, Mandarin, Art, Design and Technology, Music, Drama and Physical Education, Dance and Games. In addition, girls in Years Four-Six enjoy lessons in Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. In addition to timetabled lessons, we collapse the curriculum for one-off challenge days. These have included a Climate Change Day and a S.T.E.M. Careers Day. The prep curriculum at The Falcons School for Girls provides effective preparation of the pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of life in British society, and actively promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Relocated to Putney from Ealing in September 2014, our new home in southwest London provides the girls with outstanding facilities in beautiful buildings. The school site is made up of four separate Edwardian houses at numbers 7, 11, 22, and 24 Woodborough Road, within a leafy conservation area. Fully refurbished before the move, the school is light, bright and lends itself to the optimum learning environment we strive for. The buildings at Numbers 22 and 24 Woodborough Road, adjacent to one another, are dedicated to the Prep school, sharing one generous playground, with a netball court and a lovely raised area which lends itself to the all-important social aspect of school life. At lunchtime, the older girls have playtime with their younger contemporaries at the Pre-Prep site, where they can access our famous pirate ship. We are fortunate to occupy specialist facilities for many of the subjects: a Science laboratory two fully equipped music rooms (one at each of the Pre-Prep and Prep sites) with additional spaces for peripatetic lessons, two Art studios (again, one at each of the sites), a Drama and Dance studio with ballet barres, a large, well-stocked Library/Learning Hub, state-of-the-art touchscreens in every classroom, and a laptop or an iPad for every girl. There is direct, secure gated access to Putney Park from the Prep school and we use the Bank of England Playing Fields, Roehampton, for sport and games as well as Barn Elms Playing Fields and Putney Leisure Centre for swimming. All locations are very close to the school, with the girls being transported by bus. View full school

We have a genuine investment in childhood where the wellbeing of the child is central to everything we do. We celebrate their diversity and provide a truly inspirational start in life. We provide a tailored experience for every child. The size and nature of our school give the comfort of an extended family feeling and allows us to enjoy small class sizes. Many staff bring their dogs to school and can be found in the classrooms and running around at break time. This also adds to the warm family feeling in the school. Our children are encouraged to aim to be the best they can be and to test themselves. The ‘can-do attitude is inbuilt in children who are at The Elms. Character is forged in the furnace of failure our children are not afraid of it as they understand that we learn most when things go wrong. We encourage each other and revel in each other’s joy. We are a rural school, but don’t let this fool you into thinking that we are anything less than aspirational, driven, and competitive. Our children are fiercely proud and loyal, be it on the stage, sports field, or in the classroom. Our school farm and equine center help to ensure our children are grounded and rounded. Whilst we deliver a personalized journey the children understand that they are key players in the community and that each of us has a role to play. “We are in an incredibly rural location and that allows us to harness childhood. It certainly struck me the first time we walked through the gates, that it was a place that we could imagine myself being a child. The boys wear shorts until they leave. It’s a sanctuary for childhood and that for me rings true to my values and my ideas of what prep school life should be about. We don’t have any screens here at The Elms the children don’t have phones or iPads and so when you wander outside, you will find them playing conkers or find them rollerblading up and down outside the theatre. It is proper childhood and we think first and foremost this is the most important thing to me. If the children enjoy themselves, they are going to achieve. It is helped by the fact that we are a small, independent prep school. We have a day, Flexi and full boarders. We harness boarding principles. What makes our boarding great is our deep pastoral care and a deep understanding of our children which is not limited to just the borders it is given to all the children in the school. We will never be home and replace a family, but what we do here is create a homely environment. We are in loco parents and we are here to care for these children. There is no greater responsibility than looking after your own and other people’s children. We don’t finish the job here. We lay the foundations that the next school builds on. We must send the children to the right schools. What we would say to any prospective parent is that you can listen to me, you can read our prospectus, you can look at our website but come and meet and talk to the children because you hear the enthusiasm in their voices and you talk to them about what they enjoy at The Elms, they will all have different things to share with you. This is all built on the same thing which is a real passion for life.” The celebration of childhood at The Elms leads to an education that ensures children are helped to grow into the young people they are destined to be. We believe in creating a culture and an environment where they can truly explore their potential. We are proud that children at the Elms are driven, ambitious, and aspirational. We are fortunate to be based in a beautiful rural location, where children can play in trees, learn the joy of being guardians on our farm, or learn to control their anxiety as they perform on stage or sit on a pony for the first time. We believe that this all contributes to a successful and happy education. Kind children support each other and give others implicit permission to explore potential and try without fear of failure. Small classes mean the children are known as individuals and lessons are taught in ways that excite the children and leave them wanting more. By the time they are ready to leave us they are prepared to go to the school we help parents select for them. When they arrive at their new schools, they will be the children who are chomping at the bit. With 53% of our children gaining scholarships to senior schools, and all children gaining entrance to their chosen schools, we feel that The Elms provides good value. View full school

The Elmgreen School is a very special school for many reasons. Firstly and most importantly we have a fantastic staff, who will enable your child to make the very best progress. Whatever the starting point, we as a school make sure that each young person is pushed and stretched. This is summed up in the Elmgreen Mission statement which reads ‘To be an inclusive community that works together so that all members achieve above and beyond their perceived potential.’ This sense of working together permeates everything we do and is best summed up by what we call, ‘The Elmgreen Way’. As the country’s first parent promoted school these values are integral to all the structures of the school. There is a sense when you walk around the school of the positive welcoming atmosphere of which we are so proud. Every school will say this, but we believe that there is something different, something special about the way ‘We look after ourselves, our school, our community and each other.’ Secondly, it is through a curriculum that not only meets the needs of each child but which becomes increasingly personalized as the young person develops. We have a highly innovative curriculum at all Key Stages which reflects our ethos of choice and inclusivity. It is also a curriculum that works. Finally and very importantly it is seen through excellent teaching and learning. Our staff creates an environment where students are pushed to do their very best and where lessons are exciting and creative. It is part of our ethos to expect students to also be responsible for their learning and to work beyond the limits of their ability and behave in a manner that ensures that outstanding learning takes place. The Elmgreen School is a special place to learn. It has strong core values of community and inclusivity but also of high results and high aspirations. Ensuring that all members of the school community learn and progress is a priority at The Elmgreen School. We are committed to ensuring that every student achieves above their perceived potential- we want all students, whatever their starting point, to succeed beyond what may be seen as their best. We at The Elmgreen School believe that the Elmgreen Way epitomizes all that is good about living in modern Britain and we are therefore committed to upholding those values in the school. View full school

EWS is a wonderfully diverse school, a microcosm of multi-cultural London with students and staff from a range of different backgrounds, faiths, and cultures. We have gained a variety of awards recognizing our strengths in areas from our success in adding value (Specialist Schools Award) to Investor in People (since 1999). We are particularly proud of the SSAT Gold Award for Cultural Diversity, the assessors noting that “the ethos of the school is an outstanding feature” and that there is “a highly cohesive and mutually supportive community where everyone feels valued and enjoys learning”. Our recent Ofsted report also recognized the girls’ outstanding personal development and well-being. The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls exists to provide the best possible education for all the girls that come here. The School is dedicated to providing excellent learning experiences for all pupils. Every pupil matters to us. All the resources of the School are focused on this end. Our School has a philosophy that everyone, irrespective of age, has an infinite potential for learning and a capacity for change. Within our school, there is an atmosphere that ensures that each person's worth and dignity are recognized. The School particularly values all adults that contribute to our pupils' achievements. The School prizes quality in all aspects of its members' lives. Girls leaving the School will have achieved outstanding personal success and have developed a love of learning. They will wish to continue education for life. Equally, they will leave confident and self-aware, and ready to take their place in society. The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls was formed in 1974 as a comprehensive school for girls. It was the result of an amalgamation of four schools: Ealing Girls' Grammar, Wood End, The Grange, and St Ann's Secondary Modern. It was named by the London Borough of Ealing after Miss Ellen Wilkinson. Ellen Wilkinson was the first female Minister for Education in the Post War Labour Government - she is remembered as the MP for Jarrow who led the Jarrow Marches to London to draw attention to the plight of the unemployed in the North East following the closure of the shipyard. She also introduced free school milk and raised the school leaving age to 15. The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls is Ealing's only all-girls comprehensive school. We currently take pupils from ages 11 to 18. In 1991, under the LEA's reorganization plans, it was proposed that we would become an 11-18 school in September 1992. It was as a response to these plans that the School sought Grant Maintained Status. This was accepted and we became Grant Maintained in April 1992. The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls was one of five Grant Maintained Secondary Schools in Ealing. In September 1999 we became a Foundation School. Pupils were admitted at the age of 12 years ie. into Year 8 until 1993. In that year, along with all Ealing Schools, we applied to the Secretary of State for a significant change of character to admit girls aged 11 (Year 7). This came into effect in September 1993 when the School had a double intake - 200 Year 8 pupils and 200 Year 7 pupils. In September 1999 we were granted Beacon Status. In 2002 we were awarded Science and Mathematics Specialist College Status. This award enabled us to develop our curriculum, extend and enhance our facilities, and continue to grow both in size (over 1400 students) and as a successful school. View full school

Edward Betham School is a two-form entry Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School maintained by the London Borough of Ealing. We currently have 455 pupils on roll (including 35 Nursery places). The school is located on a split-site in Oldfield Lane South on the south side of Western Avenue (A40) within a short walking distance of several bus and underground routes. The school was founded in 1780 by Reverend Edward Betham - Rector of the Parish of Greenford - whose generosity enabled the education of the poor. Although there have been several significant changes in the area over the years, the school has retained its traditional ethos and attractive location in a quiet, leafy corner of Greenford. The school benefits from close links with the local community and neighboring Holy Cross Church maintaining a sense of belonging and tradition. Our school motto ‘The cross is steady while the world is turning’ reflects our Christian values alongside readiness to embrace change. Learning is at the heart of all school activities. The excellent relationships and teamwork between different members of our school community make for a positive, welcoming environment where everyone’s contribution is valued. The school benefits from a low mobility rate – over 90% of pupils remain at the school from Reception to Year 6 - enabling good progress for all of our learners. In February 2015, Ofsted judged the school to be ‘Good’ and the Diocese of London graded the school as ‘Outstanding’ in the same year. The school is served by a committed, pro-active Governing Body whose members execute their duties in a highly professional and supportive manner. The governors’ dedication to the school ensures effective strategic management and accountability at all levels. The school’s parent community – the Edward Betham Friends’ Association – works with enthusiasm and generosity raising funds throughout the year to help support numerous projects at the school. Everything we do reflects our values: What we believe in What we think is important The kind of people we want to be The kind of world we want to create and live in At The Edward Betham CofE Primary School, we aim to provide a happy and secure environment in which every child feels physically and emotionally safe to help children acquire the appropriate skills to enable them to reach their highest potential intellectually, physically, emotionally, spiritually, morally and socially, and to ensure that all pupils have equal access to a balanced curriculum, incorporating the National Curriculum, which ensures continuity and progression in their academic development. We aim to maintain within the whole school community, a Christian ethos in which the Christian faith is shared, explored, and enjoyed to foster respect for, and knowledge and understanding of, their own and different religions, ways of life, languages, and cultures and enhance the children's understanding of the multicultural community in which they live. We aim to encourage all members of the school community to have a concern, respect, and a caring attitude for others, their immediate environment, and the world at large. We aim to encourage the children to become responsible and confident people through the fostering of positive attitudes which enhance self-esteem to become self-reliant, to have active and enquiring minds, be able to question and reason, and be capable of independent thought and action. We aim to encourage parents to become involved partners through the provision of clear, accurate, and useful information about their children's development, and to encourage parents to support the work of the school by assisting during the school day and in other appropriate ways. View full school

The Edinburgh Academy is a co-educational day school for pupils aged 2 to 18 that strives to release the potential of every pupil. As an outward-looking Scottish school, the attributes of the Edinburgh Academy Learner are resilience, curiosity, independence, collaborative attitudes, and creativity. These are nurtured in a caring environment through our exceptional academic offering but also the expressive arts, outdoor education, sport, and service to the community. With our excellent staff to pupil ratios, we believe that we offer each individual a holistic education that is second to none. We have a clear ambition for all our pupils. We want our students to be happy and we want them to be successful. We want to equip all those who are lucky enough to benefit from an Edinburgh Academy education with confidence, resilience, and creativity, such that they will be ready to embrace the opportunities of the modern global community, feeling themselves to be ‘Grounded in Scotland but Ready for the World’. We set out each year to challenge and encourage our students to be the best that they can be. They benefit from inspirational teaching and coaching, tailored to their individual needs. The strong relationships that are built within our community provide a nurturing environment for our students to learn about themselves and each other. Our many co-curricular opportunities help to instill and develop a range of skills, as well as allowing our students to experience success beyond the classroom. The ambition and purpose of our School are contained in the Edinburgh Academy Vision Statement. We are a school that aims to set standards to which all others aspire. At the Edinburgh Academy, we believe our pupils receive an education for life, not simply their next destination. We recognize the critical importance of guiding and supporting our pupils in their choices after leaving School. Our leavers move on to a diverse range of destinations in Higher and Further Education, art and music colleges, and the world of work, or seeking adventure during a year out. Each year the balance of leaver destinations adjusts to reflect the personal interests of pupils moving on. The attached pdf download gives an outline of that balance for our most recent leaver set. Across a wide range of subject specialisms, approximately two-thirds will progress to university courses in Scotland, with our most popular destinations in recent years being St Andrews and Aberdeen universities. We regularly see pupils enter a range of Russell Group universities across the UK. A unique opportunity for our leavers intent on an application to Cambridge University is our Cambridge Scholarship program, which funds tuition fees in undergraduate courses from between 33–100%. We aim to release the potential of all our pupils. We prize and celebrate high standards of scholarship and study and provide a challenging and enriching academic curriculum that stretches the abilities of all. Personal attention and flexible approaches to learning, mentoring and pastoral care put the child at the center of all we do. Our Nursery, Junior and Senior Schools work together with a shared approach in the best facilities available. Through a rounded education, Academy pupils enhance their social, emotional, and spiritual capacities, fitting them for citizenship in a challenging and changing world. We believe in a balance between academic and co-curricular activities and offer a wide range of opportunities to participate and represent the Academy in sport, music, and a variety of expressive and creative arts. Our school roll is set to offer the highest standards possible for a well-rounded education and close personal knowledge of individuals. The School is open to those with talent and ability irrespective of their financial position, through our Bursary provision. Our pupils, teaching staff, and the School engages meaningfully in serving our community through the use of our energy, time, creativity, and facilities to the benefit of our society. We build our values from the traditions of Christian principles and the liberal ideas of the Scottish Enlightenment. In our actions, we express the goal to be tolerant, welcoming, and respectful of all. We take pride in our traditions and history. We renew these through our relationships with our parent body, former pupils, and other friends throughout the world. In our staff, we support opportunities for career and personal development to provide the best education for our pupils. We link to schools, communities, and cultures throughout the world. We look to the best inside and outside of Scotland for inspiration in all that can be achieved in education and life. View full school

Our academic, vibrant community and emphasis on developing the whole student make us a popular and over-subscribed Academy. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum, with small class sizes tailored to our students’ needs. The guided choice at Key Stage 4 helps students access the pathway that is best suited to them. Our holistic curriculum supports the spiritual, moral, and social development of our students. The Academy’s distinctive offer provides students with a solid foundation for success as confident and respectful young adults. The Academy offers an extensive and diverse range of after-school activities including choir, football, film, creative writing, and boxing. Students enjoy a wide range of sports and leisure opportunities, including competitive sport in school, locally and nationally. Our Head Girl and Head Boy lead a team of prefects and are developing a thriving Student Voice committee. Working together to represent students’ views across the school, they deliver an inspirational program of social and charitable activities. The Education and Leadership Trust is a co-operative academy trust in Manchester, UK, which came into existence in September 2014. We are dedicated to promoting the emotional, physical and social well-being of our diverse and multi-cultural population and aspire to be a center of excellence for the education of young people. Whalley Range is a large 11-18 High School of 1500 girls located in the heart of inner-city Manchester. Levenshulme is a school of 1,000 girls. The East Manchester Academy is a mixed school of 970 students in the heart of Manchester’s regeneration area in Beswick. They serve some of the most deprived wards in Manchester and embrace and celebrate their cultural diversity. The schools receive their intake from over 75 primary schools from within and beyond Manchester. Whalley Range is the only community school in Manchester offering single-sex post 16 provisions. Over 90% of Sixth Form students are from ethnic minority backgrounds. The East Manchester Academy is a mixed school in the heart of Manchester’s regeneration area in Beswick. We were established in September 2010 and started our first academic year with a full cohort of Year 7 students, having been heavily oversubscribed. We have now grown into a very successful community Academy due to our commitment to ensuring the best possible outcomes for our pupils and the community we serve. Our move into the Education and Leadership Trust in 2016 has further strengthened our Academy, with the support and the sharing of best practices available between our partner schools. We are extremely proud of the broad and balanced curriculum we offer to all of our students. Please take a look at our overviews and faculty-specific information for more details. We are fully committed to providing a broad, balanced, inspiring, and challenging curriculum for all our young people which equips them with high quality, relevant qualifications, skills, qualities, and attributes to give them choices, a sense of ambition, and able to make a positive contribution as a 21st-century global citizen. At The East Manchester Academy, we are extremely proud of the broad and balanced curriculum we offer to all of our students. We are committed to building on the skills our students have previously learned to ensure all students make rapid progress. Homework is an important part of a young person’s development and will be set regularly. Sometimes homework will be the completion of work set online. Private reading remains important for all progress and academic success. Please encourage your child to read as much as possible – fact or fiction, books, magazines, newspapers. The Design and Create Faculty aims to prepare students for our ever-changing and fast-paced society. We want to prepare students with the skills needed to succeed: creative thinking, problem-solving, and resilience. The faculty aims to give pupils a clear focus on the understanding of how a computer works. This knowledge allows them to gain a deeper understanding of how systems work. There is a strong emphasis on the pupils using different programming languages to produce their outcomes, this we believe allows pupils to become fully autonomous with their learning and provides a clear opportunity for creative freedom. Studying this prepares the pupils with the knowledge and skills that they will need for study in Key Stage 4. In English, we strive to make every child a confident reader and writer of English. We will actively promote a love of English and aim to never leave a child behind. Pupils will feel safe, respected, and valued in their lessons, they will be encouraged to work independently as well as part of a team. We will actively encourage them to develop their vocabulary, speak in front of others, and become life-long learners. In Performing Arts we strive to make every child have an appreciation for the arts by inclusion, passion, and opportunity. We are dedicated to ensuring pupils’ develop socially, emotionally, and skilfully in the Performing Arts by developing confidence and skills. The curriculum area of Physical Education aims to give all students the desire and ability to be lifelong participants in physical activity. Innovative and exciting lessons will create informed and enthused students who will possess the motor skills, physical fitness, and understanding of concepts that foster healthy lifestyles. Leadership and autonomy will be promoted, as will competition with due consideration for fair play and sportsmanship. Students will be focused on celebrating differences in our local community with the theme of equality underpinning each session. Sessions include, ‘Strong Women in Islam’ and Asian Culture (complete with henna, dancing, and cultural dress). A careers talk about equality within the fire service, using VR and google to explore Spanish language and culture, a session on Zimbabwe and its culture as well as all students visiting our MCR LBGTQ+ Pride event. Additionally, our students will attend a session on Judaism and will be visited by a Holocaust survivor from the local community to speak with students about the dangers of discrimination and Prejudice. View full school

The Downs Malvern is a vibrant day, weekly, Flexi- and full-boarding independent prep school for girls and boys aged 3 – 13 years. The school is set within its impressive 55-acre campus on the western edge of the Malvern Hills and is part of The Malvern College Family of Schools. Children benefit from excellent teaching alongside superb extra-curricular, boarding, and sports facilities, including a multi-million-pound sports hall, art studio, IT suite, an all-weather sports pitch. The children at The Downs Malvern are wonderfully cheerful and their many excellent successes are as wide as the academic, sporting, and extra-curricular program that keeps us all so busy every minute of the day. The days spent here are undoubtedly some of the happiest of the children’s lives, as they grow into confident and responsible teenagers and move on to their next schools. We ensure this happiness through a well-balanced values program that encourages each boy, girl, member of staff, and parent to be respectful of each other and to care for each other. The Downs School at Colwall was founded in 1900 by Herbert Jones. He had been educated in Cambridge and was Headmaster at Leighton Park School when he and his wife Ethel Jones founded The Downs as a preparatory school for boys. It opened with four pupils and slowly expanded, having 40 pupils in 1918. The Joneses were Quakers, and The Downs was unusual in being originally a Quaker school. The Downs was also unusual in pioneering the inclusion of extra-curricular activities, such as music and hobbies, for its pupils. This innovation would eventually spread into mainstream preparatory schools. In 1920 the Joneses left and were succeeded by the second master, Geoffrey Hoyland. He arrived at the school with his wife Elsie Dorothea Cadbury. They used the Cadbury family's wealth to expand and improve the school during his tenure as Headmaster. Geoffrey Hoyland built new buildings, introduced student self-government and an innovative curriculum with an emphasis on science and the arts. It was under his supervision that the pupils built the miniature railway, the only one in any English school at the time and which is still in use today. Whilst Headmaster, Geoffrey Hoyland employed the painter Maurice Feild and the poet W. H. Auden as teachers at the school. Frazer Hoyland succeeded his brother Geoffrey as Headmaster in 1940. He increased the school's emphasis on music and drama. Shortly after the war, the poet James Kirkup taught at the school for four terms and wrote his first collection there. William Vaughan Berkley became Headmaster in 1952 and remained until 1969. In 1957, he was appointed as English master the actor Anthony Corfield, who sustained an active program in Drama for more than thirty years. James Brown, who had been assistant head to Berkley, became Headmaster in 1969. He wrote the history of the school, 'The First Five' (meaning the first five headmasters), published in 1988. Brown was succeeded as Headmaster by Christopher Syers-Gibson, D. H. M. Dalrymple, Ian Murphy, Andrew Auster, J. Griggs, and, in 1999, Christopher Black. By the end of the twentieth century, the school had become co-educational and included a nursery, kindergarten, and pre-prep as well as the original preparatory school. Alastair Ramsay became the next headmaster and, in 2008, the school merged with Malvern College prep school, on The Downs' existing site. In September 2009, Alastair Cook was appointed as Headmaster. The Downing Society draws its membership from former pupils of the school and is open to anyone who has attended any of the three schools which eventually merged to become The Downs Malvern. The Downing Society is open to anyone who has attended The Downs Colwall, Hillstone, or Malvern College Prep. Honorary membership is also offered to members of staff from these schools when they leave. The current Headmaster, staff, pupils, Governors, and parents are keen to build on much of the history that the three founding schools and their communities have established, whilst continuing to innovate and improve. The society currently has well over 1000 members. The archives have recently been rehoused in the main school building, and cataloging is still underway. We always welcome additions (donations) to our already extensive archives, particularly Badgers, as we no longer have a complete set. We also do not have copies of newsletters before 2014, and these could form an interesting addition. The society holds an annual Downian Day reunion, hosted by the school. The format can vary from year to year, but it is usually on a Saturday during the Summer term so that society members can see various hobbies in action, as well as visiting the archive room. Members are encouraged to attend the society's AGM, which precedes a buffet or picnic lunch. We are also hoping to resurrect the tradition of a cricket match on the day in which society members, current parents, and teachers - and indeed anyone connected with the school - are invited to participate. An annual newsletter is circulated electronically to society members, provided their current email addresses are on the membership database. Members can opt to receive a hard copy of the newsletter by post, subject to a small charge to cover print and postage costs. In addition to articles relating to the school and its pupils and teachers past and present, the newsletter is a means for members to share updates with their friends and contemporaries at the school. View full school