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We are parent-owned, founded by a group of parents and teachers in 1970 who was inspired to create a school that would educate children while simultaneously encouraging them to flourish creatively and enjoy the process of learning. We hope you enjoy looking through our website which captures the spirit of Unicorn. Unicorn is a co-educational, independent prep school situated opposite Kew Botanical Gardens. We provide a friendly, creative, and stimulating learning environment for boys and girls between the ages of three and eleven. Class sizes are small, with a one-form entry of usually no more than 22 in each year. Uniquely, we are a parent-owned school and have several second-generation Unicorns as pupils. Please register your child soon after birth and then arrange to visit the school. We give priority to siblings and the children of past Unicorns. Other places are offered to children on the waiting list at the discretion of the Headmaster. Teaching methods are thoughtfully planned to encourage, accelerate and support each child’s abilities. The school’s approach helps the less able, as well as the more talented, through small separate groups in reading and maths. We cover all areas of the National Curriculum and more besides so that every child can find areas of personal strength. Our broad curriculum includes computing, science, music, creative arts, French, and PE, all taught by specialist teachers and often in small groups. All classes have a specific time each day for reflection and to develop their thinking skills. In the Junior Classes, Blue and Indigo have ‘Brain Time’ and Violet and Ultra Violet also enjoy philosophy lessons. Unicorn School covers more than the National Curriculum so that every child can find areas of personal strength. We encourage children to learn through active, enjoyable discovery. We’ve held some wonderful drama productions and concerts. Visit the school at any time and you will see fantastic art from every class. All children have music lessons and can take private lessons in ten or so different instruments. Unicorn School has established and maintains close links with many well-known day and boarding schools. Alternate spring terms, we hold a ‘Future Schools Evening’ to which Heads from a range of schools are invited to talk to parents. Leavers are thoroughly prepared and gain entry to schools to which they are well suited. We are very proud of the scholarships achieved. Former Unicorn children, parents, and teachers maintain close contact with the school. Some past pupils even return as parents, thereby helping to perpetuate the original ethos and we even now have second-generation Unicorns. Unicorn School is a parent-owned, co-educational, independent prep school, founded in Kew, Richmond, by a group of parents and teachers in 1970. It occupies a large Victorian house and redeveloped coach house, overlooking Kew Gardens, with well-equipped, bright, and airy classrooms. Class names are based on colors of the rainbow (Red for our nursery, through to Ultra Violet Class being Year 6). Unicorn School is recognized by the Department for Education. As an IAPS school, it is inspected regularly and accredited by the Independent Schools Council. We are always grateful for help on class outings and Infant classes appreciate help with reading, cooking, and computing. Parents assist Junior classes with reading and helping to run some of the Thursday clubs or providing transport. Parents are welcome to attend assemblies, especially if their child is taking part in their class assembly. Prize-giving and final assembly are held at the end of each term. During Harvest Festival assembly, each child is asked to bring in non-perishable food items which our School Committee then distributes to charity. At Christmas, Infants put on a Christmas show and Juniors hold a carol concert at the Barn Church. In spring, we have the Unicorn Arts Week and an assembly with a particular theme. The grand finale is the year-end production by Ultra Violet Class (Year 6), in which parents provide invaluable help with costumes, scenery, and staging. Parent meetings are held at the start of the autumn term to meet the class teacher and assistant. A copy of the timetable is provided and what to expect during the year ahead is explained eg homework days/matches/music lessons.Parent/teacher interviews are held in the autumn and spring terms. In the spring term, you can book to meet with all the teachers your child sees, eg games, French, special needs, etc. Individual parent meetings for Violet Class, to discuss senior schools, are held in the summer term. Each class has at least three reps. Part of their job is to sit on the School Committee, which meets once a term. Being a rep is a great opportunity to get to know other people and how the school operates. Reps assist at school events, eg. Harvest Festival, Christmas and summer fairs, help organize fund-raising events and plan social ones. As a parent-owned school, the Governing Body consists of elected representatives of the parents and certain non-parental individuals (usually, but not exclusively, having educational experience) who are invited by the other Governors to stand for election. View full school

We are constantly pleased with the very positive reaction we receive from parents, children, and visitors to our school. Our excellent staff and governors are an enthusiastic, dedicated team of people who are committed to achieving the very best for every child within our care to help them reach their full potential. Children are at the center of everything we do at Unicorn Primary. We aim to provide a stimulating learning environment in which children are excited to learn and are given the confidence to achieve their potential. We pride ourselves on encouraging a child's enthusiasm and nurturing a love of learning. We want children to enjoy school life and we work to achieve this in an environment that fosters the traditional values of respect, reliability, and responsibility. This is demonstrated in our Unicorn Promise: Strive to achieve Believe in me Respect me and others Solve my problems I can do it Challenge me In our relentless drive for excellence, we foster strong links between home and school, actively encouraging parents to be closely involved in their child’s education. As part of Compass Academy Trust (please find the link to the Compass Academy Trust website at the bottom of this page), Unicorn Primary School benefits from working closely with four other local primary schools and has the opportunity to collaborate and share good practice whilst still retaining our identity and ethos. We try to develop pupils as excellent learners, with social and emotional skills that help them to reach their full potential in life. Unicorn Primary School has much to offer other than purely academic, sporting, and musical success and we would be delighted to welcome you to our school. Please contact the school office direct (the details can be found on the “Contact” page on our website) with any queries you may have or to make an appointment for a school visit to experience our exciting, vibrant and happy environment. Children are at the center of everything we do at Unicorn. We have high expectations for every one of the children within our care irrespective of their ability or background. All our children are expected to work hard and challenge themselves to be the very best that they can be. We intend to ensure that our children develop a love for learning that will remain with them throughout their life. To this end, we make learning fun wherever possible. We encourage our children to understand that it is alright to get things wrong as making mistakes is an important part of the learning process. Praise and positive encouragement are key elements of our approach as we believe that children with high self-esteem and a ‘can do’ approach to learning achieve more. High standards of behavior are also a key factor to life at Unicorn. Our children understand that good manners, respect, and tolerance are essential and their behavior is excellent. We place a strong emphasis on personal responsibility and use praise and positive encouragement to help each child to be able to ‘make the right decisions for themselves. Unicorn Primary School is part of Compass Academy Trust, along with Oak Lodge, Marian Vian, and Wickham Common primary schools. We opened in 2003 accepting 30 reception-aged children and through phased development grew year on year, becoming a full one-form entry primary school in 2009. From 2010 we have been accepting 60 children into our reception year group and we have continued to grow year on year until 2016 when we became a full two-form entry primary school. Our school is an inspiring place to be in! We are fortunate enough to be able to boast that we are a rural school in an urban setting. We are situated just off South Eden Park Road and our grounds not only adjoin a nature reserve but also enjoy views over a lake. We work hard to ensure that this exciting outdoor location plays as important a part of our learning environment as the school building itself. Planting has been ‘zoned’ to match the different world continents and our playground is home to three rather large dinosaurs, an African hut, and a seating pavilion that overlooks the lake. In addition to the amazing location in which our school is set, each of our classrooms has been furnished to provide bright attractive learning environments. Information Technology systems are an integral part of the school design with interactive whiteboards, tablets, and laptops in each year group. Wireless technology is available throughout the school. In addition, our modern building includes a large well-equipped hall, six shared learning areas, and an attractive modern library that adjoins a quiet internal courtyard, which is home to our rabbit Cookie and Fluffy! Access to the school is via a footbridge over a stream thus ensuring the children’s safety. In addition to the tarmac and grassed playing areas directly attached to the school we also have the luxury of a large playing field. View full school