Visits to Broomwood Prep Schools, Clapham

Broomwood is based between the green spaces of Clapham and Wandsworth Commons and provides an outstanding education for children aged 3-13. Pupils attend a co-ed Pre-Prep before moving seamlessly to Broomwood Girls or Broomwood Boys. Children at different sites come together for a range of mixed activities, from music, creative arts and sport to residential trips and academic extension programmes. 

With spring in the air and the magnolia in bloom, it was a great day to be shown the wonderful and nurturing environments of the Broomwood Prep Boys’, Girls’ and Pre-prep schools in Clapham.  The schools are mainstream with dedicated SEND staff, and treat SEND applications on an individual basis.

With matters of young people’s personal development and wellbeing so prominent in the news at the moment, the thing that really came across in our tour, was the School’s commitment to and focus on both the mental and physical health of their pupils.  As a whole, the school group is co-educational, but single-sex by site and by teaching class, and everything from the facilities and curriculum to the organisation of the schools, promotes this wellbeing focus.  

As we’ve come to expect from Dukes Education schools, the facilities are fantastic and give the children the best chance to thrive in accordance with their academic and creative strengths and personalities.  There are a wide variety of drama and performance spaces, from an amphitheatre to media suites, to enable children to express themselves in the modern world, augmented by specialist guest speakers such as sleep specialists, social media and communication coaches, the sort of things that many of us parents wouldn’t even have thought about in our own school days. 

The school conducted a wellbeing survey of the pupils, uncovering different thoughts and attitudes towards things like anxiety, sleep and discipline, leading to pupil input into rules, behaviours and consequences (rather than framing as punishments) policies, and giving a sense of ownership, personal responsibility and accountability.

There is a rich Afterschool programme, with emphasis for prep time, along with enrichment and extra-curricular activities.  School runs until 5.20 from Year 5 onwards, and though the days are long, it is felt that after the school day is finished, pupils are better able to relax at home free of the pressures of homework and school demands.  Many pupils go on to prestigious secondary schools, and the school are particularly proud of the numbers of pupils awarded scholarships in areas such as drama, music and sport.

If you are looking at schools for your child with Special Educational Needs, or are in need of a One-to-one teacher (either for school or homeschool), nanny or other specialist therapist, get in touch and let’s have a conversation about your situation and putting together a plan.