The School is run on traditional lines, with a Christian philosophy and ethos. It seeks to provide unrivaled excellence of education, both inside and outside the classroom, with particular emphasis on:
- Self-discipline and confidence.
- A sense of duty and responsibility.
- Good manners, courtesy, and tolerance of others.
We offer a wide range of subjects that enables every child to shine at something. We encourage the involvement of parents, believing that this benefits both the School and the children's education. There is a representative Parents Association and we work in partnership with parents so that there is a close liaison and parents are aware of their children's marks and progress.
Broomwood Hall was established to serve the needs of parents living locally and we have always maintained a catchment area policy for children under the age of 8. Other than in unusual circumstances, we will not accept a child who lives outside a one-and-a-half-mile circle centered on the school, the idea being that it should be possible for children to walk to school. For girls in the Upper School, the catchment area policy is relaxed. Nevertheless, we feel girls shouldn't be faced with long journeys to and from school.
Children vary widely in their abilities and, whilst we set a high academic standard for able children, we also encourage the less able without applying undue pressure. We have a record of success at Common Entrance and scholarship examinations to senior schools that is second to none, and we achieve this without any of the 'pushiness' that is sometimes associated with day schools in London.
Broomwood Hall is well established now. The school I founded in 1984 has changed in so many ways, and yet — were any of those first twelve children, or their parents, to walk through the door today they would feel instantly at home, as though nothing had changed at all.
The Lower School curriculum is based on a thorough mastery, at an early age, of the fundamental building blocks of education reading, writing, mathematics, science, and ICT. We do not expect that the children will be able to read and write when they come to us (although some may), but by the end of the Prep class year all the children will have begun to master these skills. All children enjoy music and PE lessons with specialist staff twice a week plus wonderful sports afternoons on the courts or the common.
From the first day in the Prep class, we start learning phonics, encompassing reading, writing, handwriting, and spelling. Children learn to read and write the 44 spoken sounds using the 26 letters of the alphabet.
A love of books is an essential part of learning. We do all we can to encourage it and to ensure that the girls are exposed to the widest possible range of literature for all ages. All girls have a weekly Literature class with Lady Colquhoun and our librarian and can borrow freely from the more than 4000 titles in the Upper School library. Carefully structured reading lists are given to the girls, containing many recommended titles suitable for each age group.
