FAQs

Yes, seeing families arrive in the nursery and go right through the school creates a wonderful atmosphere. We get to know the children often before they start and we can watch them progress through the school. Parents and KG teachers always comment on how smooth the transition is for the children who come to our nursery. The positives of being on one site are hugely beneficial.

We have our own dedicated SENCO and team of Learning Enrichment department staff who are able to support boys individually and within the classroom. We pride ourselves on helping every child achieve their potential and on how well­prepared our leavers are for the demands of senior school.

We are able to offer support in maths and English, particularly for children with mild dyslexia. A visiting OT and Speech and Language therapist are also available to provide classroom support as needed.

We have peripatetic teachers who teach the following instruments -violin, cello, piano, drums, recorder, trumpet, baritone horn, saxophone, clarinet, flute, oboe and guitar.

We pride ourselves on having an ‘open door’ policy, and want to work collaboratively with parents in the best interests of the children. As well as regular parents’ evenings throughout the year, parents may pop in to chat to the form teacher at the start and end of each school day. In addition, parents are provided with staff email addresses so they can keep in close contact even if boys are making their own way to school.

There is a busy social calendar of events, in part organised by our form parent reps -volunteers who meet regularly with the Headmistress to plan events, and to run cake sales, the sale of second-hand uniform and other matters that make the school run smoothly as a community.

We only ask that children are potty trained, we will assess and observe them when they arrive and we will get them ‘school ready’ by the time they leave us.

Yes, they have a t-shirt and sweatshirt with our logo on. It isn’t compulsory but they must wear it on school trips and for photographs.

The girls primarily do netball and gymnastics in the autumn term, hockey, football and cross country in the spring term, and cricket, rounders and athletics in the summer term. They also swim once a week at Clapham Leisure Centre all year round for the seven years they are with us. From Year 3 (age 7-8), all the girls represent the school in competitive fixtures or in tournaments against other local prep schools.

During their first year with us, we focus on the girls taking reading books home from our reading scheme as we want them not only to feel great satisfaction from making steady progress but also to be able to enjoy sharing this experience with their parents. Whilst this emphasis on reading at home continues throughout the rest of their time with us, from Year 1 we begin setting the girls more formal written homework. Initially, this will only be 15 minutes’ worth of work twice a week and this will steadily grow over the years until the girls are doing an hour a night in Year 5 and Year 6.

As part of our extra-curricular activities programme, which runs from 4-5pm every day, some of our clubs are for the boys and girls together. Some examples include Junior Drama Club, Science Club and Choral Club.

We also have:

• Day trips and residential trips where the boys and girls do anything from attending concerts at the Royal Festival Hall to teambuilding activities in Norfolk
• Services, such as Harvest Festival, where the girls and boys sing together in Holy Trinity Church
• Events, such as assemblies and plays, where the boys and girls become the audience for their male and female counterparts
• A Social Committee comprised of boys and girls which organise social gatherings for different year groups

Sports training sessions where the boys and girls can learn from each other and compete in mixed teams

Boys take part in football, cross country, basketball, dodgeball, tag rugby, gymnastics, hockey, swimming, cricket and athletics. With weekly lessons in PE, games and swimming (from Year 2) as well as various sports clubs and squads, we aim to foster a love of being active and ensure that we cater to all our boys, irrespective of previous experience or ability. Our ethos is to build up the boys physically, mentally and emotionally through our sports’ programme, with character development taking just as much precedence as skill acquisition. House sport takes place throughout the year, giving plenty of opportunity for competitive play. Sporting fixtures are a feature across a range of sports and by Year 3 our boys represent the school on a regular basis.

All Eaton House Schools are non-selective at 4 years old. In order to measure progress in literacy, language and mathematics throughout their first year at school, boys are assessed when they enter Kindergarten using Baseline and Baseline Progress assessments.

Boys in Year 1 and above will be assessed regularly in English and maths. Boys in Year 2 and Year 3 will also take part in CAT assessments (cognitive ability tests) which identify a pupil’s developed abilities and likely academic progress, highlighting strengths, weaknesses and learning preferences. This helps teachers to deliver a truly personalised learning experience.

We celebrate the boys’ achievements with House points for good work and behaviour. There are also ‘Good Shows’ for exceptional work, manners and sportsmanship. At the end of every term prizes are awarded for attainment and effort and cups presented for academic subject areas. Colours, or high achievement awards, are also awarded for the arts and for sports.

In Year 4, the boys are divided into three classes alphabetically. By the end of their first term they will have been set for maths and English. These sets are reviewed regularly and are organised in such a way that each child is working at a pace appropriate to them. As the boys move into Year 6, the classes are rearranged to create one top set and two parallel sets. The parallel classes can be setted for maths, English and science if needed by their teachers. In Year 8, the three classes are further split into four groups to allow for smaller teaching groups in their final year. These are arranged to reflect the entrance procedures for the senior schools. Typically, we might have a scholars’ set, two Common Entrance sets and a January London day school set.