We're featured in IAPS School in the Spotlight

Eton End chosen as IAPS School in the Spotlight

This week, the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) has chosen Eton End for its School in the Spotlight. Posts have been shared on social media channels and as part of the collaboration, we had to complete a Q&A session. Below is our take on the questions that were asked.

What was the school’s highlight of the past year?

Children’s wellbeing and academic education are at the very heart of everything Eton End does. The aim is to teach the ‘whole child’, ensuring that they have a genuine thirst and love of learning, ensuring that all the children who leave Eton End are rounded individuals who are well prepared for an exciting future on the next stage of their educational journey.

Our new Head Rachael Cox joined the school last September and has been looking at ways to further enhance the opportunities that Eton End offers and to ensure that it continues to be a forward-thinking Prep school at the heart of the community. A key focus has been to provide more targeted wellbeing and mental health support for pupils, and we have implemented several initiatives to ensure that this is a top priority going forward. One of our most exciting initiatives will be the introduction of calm classrooms across the whole school. These new innovatively designed classrooms will provide a calm, comfortable learning environment, helping to ensure that children are happy, relaxed and ready to learn.

Are there any innovations you want to highlight?

We pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking prep school at the heart of the community and work hard to continually innovate based on educational research. We have many projects ongoing but the highlights are probably our Digital Media and Robotics Lab which opens in September 2023 and our Calm Classrooms project.

We recently extended our core hours so that parents have wraparound care until 5.15pm everyday if needed. The change recognises that these are difficult times, with the cost of living constantly rising and we hope that the new arrangements will make life easier, particularly for working parents who often struggle with shorter core school hours. 

Another key focus has been to provide more targeted wellbeing support for pupils, and we have brought in a number of new initiatives to support this, the most significant being the calm classrooms and compassionate teaching approach. We are proud of our school’s nurturing ethos. Our academic standards are high, and pupils excel because of our compassionate approach. The children are confident that they will arrive every day knowing that they are valued and loved by those who are working with them in a fantastic educational environment where learning is collaborative, fun and pupil focused.

Does your school have any wellbeing initiatives?

We know that the pandemic has increased mental health issues and anxiety in all children. We developed our Sunny Selves initiative several years ago, focusing on the importance of enjoying solid sleep, fabulous food, a love of learning, real relationships and mindful moments. We have recently added Weekend Walks, Saturday Socials and West End family theatre trips to the calendar. This offers families and staff the opportunity to spend time together in a way which builds our school community and enriches lives. We have been working with an expert in children’s mental health to redesign our teaching spaces, creating calm classrooms, to ensure both physical comfort and psychological safety and to reduce cognitive load.

What does IAPS mean to you and your school?

It is important for us as a school to be a member of IAPS because, it is a mark of quality within the sector. IAPS schools are world leaders in education and innovative practice. We are proud to be part of a body which represents world-class head teachers who all deliver excellent standards of education and care to their pupils.  It is also a network of support for our staff who are able to access excellent CPD and be inspired by their peers across the country.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

At Eton End, our core mission is to allow our pupils to thrive and achieve as highly as possible while protecting and celebrating childhood. We have created a calm and creative environment where pupils flourish and challenge themselves to be the best they can be. We nurture confident, kind, resilient young people who can contribute positively to the wider community intellectually, ecologically, and economically. Children and parents aspire to be part of our flourishing community because it enhances and enriches their lives.