Prior's Field A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2015, Tracy Kirnig. State-educated in London, studied RE and philosophy at Aberystwyth before taking a master’s in education at King’s London and a PGCE at Lancaster. Taught at a variety of boys’, girls’ and mixed schools within the state and independent sectors before her last role as deputy head of co-ed Caterham School. ‘I love, love, love teaching!’ she exclaims, adding that she always knew she wanted to end up at a small girls’ school.

Warm and welcoming, she opines on the diverse ways boys and girls learn (girls need more narrative and reassurance) before concluding that ‘being head at Prior’s Field is a dream come true because we really are changing the world one girl at a time.’ The school’s founder Julia Huxley, an Edwardian pioneer of educating young women, constantly inspires her. ‘I would love to have met her. She was genuinely ahead of her time and actually I just follow her script.’

The challenges? ‘There is a danger girls’ schools can become bitch-fests, but I do everything in my power to make that not so here. Prior’s Field is a kind school,’ she insists. According to pupils ‘she’s so sweet’ and ‘very caring’. Girls who receive headteacher commendations enjoy hot chocolate and biscuits in her comfortable office which is adorned with impressive student artwork and a huge, framed photograph of a ram shackled old pig shed her children used to play in. ‘It reminds me of the importance of imagination.’ Parents generally supportive, describing her as ‘approachable’ and ‘ambitious for the girls’. We found her quietly assured and short on ego, which might explain why one parent reported, ‘She’s not a massive presence, I would expect to see her a bit more.’ ‘I’m a do-er. I love organising quietly in the background and empowering the people around me,’ she says.

An avid reader and keen walker in her spare time. Family is ‘huge’ and her biggest joy is time spent with her husband, two grown up sons, one foster daughter and three foster grandchildren.

To be replaced in September 2024 by Zoe Ireland, currently acting head at Farnborough Hill School, where she was previously deputy head academic for six years.

Entrance

A small school with three or four form entry at 11+ but it is often oversubscribed at this point. A further 10-20 join at 13+.

Look out for the scheduled open mornings or request a bespoke tour and meet with the head. After a small registration fee, pupils attend a preview day then sit the school’s own entrance assessment. School likes to take a broad range of abilities. Head has ambitions to grow sixth form numbers which have ‘diminished in recent years’ despite superb sixth form house, complete with its own resident puppy, life-size Zac Efron cardboard cut-out and a ‘motivational’ mood board of mainly shirtless men. Entrants at this stage need six 5s at GCSE, with a 7 in the subjects to be studied.

Exit

Partly a victim of its own success in bolstering girls’ confidence, school loses up to 60 per cent after GCSEs. Most are seeking co-ed or ‘real world’ options beyond puppies and men on mood boards. Those that stay benefit from nurturing but mature tutoring and bespoke next steps prep. Dedicated and impressive careers advice service includes guidance on apprenticeships. ‘We tell the girls that a degree is not a meal ticket to a successful career, but parents still need some convincing on the alternatives.’ There’s a Med Ahead programme for aspiring medics (one in 2023). The odd Oxbridge entrant peppers a steady stream of pupils who depart to a broad range of redbricks and aspirational art and fashion colleges. Cardiff, Exeter, Liverpool and Leeds most popular in 2023; two to US universities and one Rolls Royce degree apprenticeship with – well, guess!

Latest results

In 2023, 54 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 47 per cent A*/A at A level (77 per cent A*-B). In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 64 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 34 per cent A*/A at A level (59 per cent A*-B).

Teaching and learning

‘There’s no ranking, judgement or academic competing against each other here,’ insists head. Pupils work collaboratively. The spirit is creative and enterprising. Lessons are quiet and purposeful. ‘Let success make the noise!’ screams the motivational word art in the sixth form quiet study area. Average class sizes of 15 ensure teaching is tailored and knowledge gaps are plugged at catch-up workshops held every break time. ‘Honestly, we have the most helpful teachers, they are the reason I stayed on,’ enthused one sixth former. ‘They are always there for you’, added another. ‘We teach strategies to help girls cope in the real world in an environment that provides springboards and safety nets,’ school declares.

‘Academic achievement is certainly not the be all and end all,’ more than one parent told us. ‘It’s an easy-going place,’ added another. That’s not to say the most academically able aren’t stretched. Far from it, they are able to join the Huxley Squad where school advises on a bespoke package of co-curricular opportunities to challenge and engage. Through ‘rigour and tracking’ the school is beginning to ascend the league tables. Around a third of pupils take triple science. The long-serving head of chemistry tells us one pupil recently achieved the bronze award in the RSC UK Chemistry Olympiad. In A level biology we observed pupils enjoying a CSI-style exercise studying time and cause of death. GCSE maths is taken early with an option to bolt on extra algebra, statistics and further maths.

We heard a few grumbles from year 9 parents who were concerned to discover their daughters would only be taking nine GCSEs. They were swiftly reassured that pathways would not be limited thanks to a series of short courses including astronomy, classic civilisations, sports leadership and the HPQ, which run alongside more traditional GCSE options. French, Spanish and Latin available, though languages are optional at GCSE. More popular are the three DT subjects, food and nutrition, design technology and textiles which are taken on rotation up to GCSE. ‘The difference here is we give pupils unexpected and unusual starting points,’ explained a textiles teacher pointing out beautiful silk belt-bags inspired by the colours and patterns of microbiology.

Our guides show us two spacious and fully equipped kitchen classrooms complete with kitsch Cath Kitson aprons ‘which we always bicker over’ and a well-resourced DT suite. Pupils are encouraged to pop in at break times to potter on their projects; a most ingenious wooden and Perspex pinball-style drinking game one girl is making as a gift for her sister at university caught our eye.

Sixth formers choose from a broad range of subjects including criminology, music technology and psychology. In line with the school’s individual approach, A level courses are run even for singular students.

Learning support and SEN

‘We are very lucky to have such a diverse student body that the full range of learning disabilities are here,’ declared the head of learning support proudly. Almost 140 girls on the SEND register and the ethos is, ‘We support the disability to reveal the ability.’ Team of six specialists provide one-to one support and study skills sessions as well as working closely with class teachers who ‘have an excellent understanding of different needs’. Department is well resourced with a variety of assistive technology such as noise-cancelling headphones and reading pens available. An EAL department supports girls for whom English is not their first language.

The arts and extracurricular

Simply outstanding. Abundance of clubs offers something for everyone from funky food, coding club and bike maintenance to psychology and history book clubs, magic club and debating. ‘We are not afraid for them to be busy,’ says school – ‘our girls are good at trying new things.’

Art is valued and celebrated. The work on display is accomplished and absorbing. We were moved to find an A level student (working in one of the dedicated booths which sixth formers are assigned) depicting her autistic brother on canvas – intensity and emotion flowing from her brush. Affable head of art has been in role for 15 years and is often found working alongside students at evenings and weekends. Unsurprisingly, two-thirds take an arts subject at GCSE (with photography increasingly popular) and many girls go on to successful careers in the sector. The annual inter-house arts competition is a highlight enjoyed by the whole school community.

Performing arts warrants its own brochure showcasing recent years’ productions. From Alice in Londonland to Cabaret, Here Come the Girls, many unashamedly celebrate women. School appeared unnecessarily embarrassed by its more than adequate performance hall complete with tiered seating and professional lighting rig, explaining, ‘It’s not a showcase theatre and is definitely our next big capital project.’

Genteel and clearly well-respected head of music encourages all girls to try everything from the harp to the French horn through his ‘endangered instrument scheme’. There’s a 90 per cent take up and the long-standing 16 peri staff (who have been with him since he started 13 years ago) take over 185 lessons each week – though the less endangered violin and piano remain the favourites. Facilities are superb. There are six small study rooms, a recital room, music tech room and studio (aptly named Abbey Road). Freda the school cat prowls amongst girls composing scores for Rock Chic, the forthcoming school fashion show fundraiser. Along the corridor canvases sing out inspiring classic lyrics from I Will Survive to One Love and of course, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

Sport

The ubiquitous ‘we punch above our weight’ line actually rings true at Prior’s Field. Hockey and netball are strengths with the current year 7s finalists in the Sisters in Sport national netball competition and fifth in the county for hockey. A-D teams fielded in hockey and netball up to year 9. Swimming, cricket, gymnastics and cross-country also respectable. Football and judo recently introduced as lunch clubs following pupil and parent lobbying. From year 10 those that aren’t hockey or netball hotshots instead try a variety of physical activities from yoga and ultimate frisbee to tag rugby and HIIT bootcamps. Facilities are good. Large, well-equipped multi-sports hall, six outdoor netball and tennis courts, two grass playing fields and full-size all-weather floodlit Astro court. Girls are currently fundraising to build changing rooms next to the small training pool to save ‘running across the field in our costumes’. Due to its size, however, general swim lessons are off site.

Parents seem happy enough with the offering though a few pointed out it wasn’t sport that attracted them because ‘that’s not really the ethos’. One reported, ‘They don’t push sport further up the school, so it does peter out.’ ‘Individually there are some outstanding sports stars, but I wouldn’t say we’re known for it,’ another added. The talented are indeed well facilitated. One girl, an international ski champion, heads for the mountains every spring term where teachers set her virtual assignments, while another took every Thursday off one term to develop her gymnastic potential. ‘We adapt for those girls with exceptional sporting talent,’ says head.

Tennis academy is the jewel in the sporting crown. Run by a former Davis Cup captain for the UAE, it is an especially big draw for international students with championship potential and runs over 120 lessons a week. The elite enjoy a daily flexible programme of tennis coaching alongside a tailored academic education.

Boarders

Originally founded as a boarding school, Prior’s Field is largely a day school now with a small core of mainly overseas full-time boarders and larger cohort of weekly and flexi boarders. There’s a weekly boarding bus to and from London. Accommodation for 104 is usually full during the week when girls and staff alike describe the atmosphere as spirited. There are organised activities alongside lots of prep, crafting and ‘just hanging out’ in the central hub. Weekends might involve trips out but are overall ‘calmer’.

The junior boarding house is headed up by a young team who exude warmth alongside a sharp understanding of teenage girls. Rather compact rooms house between two and four girls and roommates are swapped round every term. Sixth form boarders are housed separately above the sixth form block, with upper sixth enjoying larger en-suite rooms. There’s a genuine family feel across both quarters and a palpable sense of sisterhood between the girls. ‘The depth of friendships you make mean boarding is a real highlight,’ said one, sounding suspiciously like the school’s boarding brochure.

Younger pupils hand their devices in at bedtime and undergo room inspections each morning before school. More freedom once pupils get to sixth form, though one girl was incredulous when it was suggested she might therefore have the opportunity to spend all evening scrolling social media – ‘Gosh, no I prefer a good book,’ she retorted.

Ethos and heritage

Founded in 1902, the school is deservedly proud of its fascinating history. There’s no shortage of sepia photographs of the grounds and forebearers along the winding corridors. Founder Julia Huxley was related by blood, marriage and proximity to the intellectual and educational giants of the Edwardian age. The niece of Matthew Arnold (the poet), granddaughter of rugby legend Dr Thomas Arnold and wife of Leonard Huxley (writer and Charterhouse schoolmaster himself). Her children, Julian, a scientist, and Aldous, philosopher and author of Brave New World, confirm she was perfectly qualified to start a school based on moral philosophy and forward thinking. After her untimely death at just 46, she was succeeded by Ethel Burton-Brown and in turn by her daughter Beatrice. The traditions of freedom of thought and expression planted by these formidable women underpin the ethos of the school to this day and are embodied in the school’s unofficial unicorn emblem which signifies ‘reaching beyond the limits’.

Set in 42 acres of tranquil gardens and woodland, just off the A3, the pretty Arts and Crafts original schoolhouse has been carefully replicated across other blocks as the school has expanded. The original building is homely and still displays many of architect Voysey’s classic features such a stylised keyholes and fireplaces, whilst newer blocks like the science, technology and music centre are bright and functional. All classrooms are sizeable.

There is a strong sense of community. Thriving old-girls network has just launched a Prior’s Field community website connecting hundreds of alumnae, former staff, teachers and parent members. It also publishes its own quarterly magazine packed with news, nostalgia and inspiration.

Ethos of kindness clearly extends out to the wider community – a local Facebook debate questioning the apostrophe placement on the school’s signage received over 120 comments politely correcting the original poster’s grammatical faux pas!

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Wordsworth inspires the school motto, ‘We live by admiration, hope and love’, which is carved into the school’s wooden welcome doors and emblazoned on everything from the cerise gratitude tree in reception to quite the prettiest and daintiest school mugs we’ve ever seen. Appears to personify the girls we met who are super smiley and supportive of each other, with solidarity across year groups and very little evidence of cliques. Absolutely no sign of the ‘bitch-fest’ head is determined to keep at bay. ‘It’s really easy to jump friendship groups, no one holds it against you,’ one girl assured us. An encouraging environment, parents all report that the school boosts girls’ confidence. One quiet pupil said, ‘You just get swept up and grow out of your shyness here.’ New starters receive a letter of welcome from an older student before joining the school.

School reports tangible benefits of adopting Goldie Hawn’s neuroscience-based MindUp curriculum. Girls in years 7 and 8 receive a one-hour lesson each week, where they learn skills and techniques to regulate and understand their emotions. Bar the odd sceptic, the year 7 mindful listening class we observe were blissfully immersed.

All pupils are clear on who they can go to with problems and there’s a dedicated pastoral team with open-door policy for pupils and parents alike. Posters across the school promote PAWS for Thought sessions. The acronym stands for Pastoral and Wellbeing Support with a nod to the pack of no fewer than eight school dogs. Reassuring to see numerous bereavement support groups run as well as an active student-led LGBTQ+ group which works to level up in areas such as uniform (trousers now allowed, working on ‘less pink’) and sport, which the head of the group tells us ‘used to be too feminine, now we have rugby and football’. She gave a rather awkward shrug and others nervously giggle when we ask what being gay at Prior’s Field is like. Head recently organised for transgender speakers to talk to parents – they say they appreciate the school’s diverse student body and ‘real world feel’. When Black Lives Matters hit the headlines, the school ‘looked at the whole curriculum and gave all of our policies and recruitment processes a proper shake up’. Head also personally asked every ethnic minority pupil (past and present) to share their experiences at Prior’s Field. ‘I’m proud to say there were not many negative ones,’ she says.

Overseas students are well integrated and valued. We hear how everyone from the head to the grounds staff made a huge fuss of a homesick Chinese pupil at Chinese New Year.

Behaviour ‘not an issue’, though one parent said school is not immune to the challenges of smartphones and social media. ‘They’re very quick to clamp down when situations arise and have no problem in removing phones and dealing with anything inappropriate,’ said one mother, adding there have been suspensions too.

Happy to report uniform is much smarter since last review. Girls say they love that it ‘brings us all together’ but wish they had more autonomy with hair, which must be worn tied up.

Pupils and parents

‘Parents are as varied as their daughters,’ says head. We’d characterise both as laid-back but ambitious. Just under 10 per cent international students from across the globe, mainly Spain, China and Hong Kong. Increasing numbers from London but majority still very local. School’s strong sense of community reaches out via the a ‘brilliant’ PTA which runs a coffee and quiz night style social scene for those parents that want it.

Money matters

Academic, sporting, musical, artistic and dramatic scholarships with up to 20 per cent off fees. One or two exceptional tennis players are awarded a place in the tennis academy, with coaching costs fully funded by the school. A handful of foundation awards (100 per cent bursaries funded by parents, alumnae and friends of the school) are awarded each year and a 20 per cent discount on the fees is given to the daughters of parents in the Forces.

The last word

Could be a little twee for some, but Prior’s Field is certainly not lacking in excellence or aspiration. It champions girls’ individual talents and fosters creativity in all forms. Parents seeking a rounded education within a gentle and kind community need look no further.

Special Education Needs

Prior's Field School has a whole-school approach to special needs provision. The majority of our special needs pupils have mild dyslexia/dyspraxia and typically, provision will include a session each week with a specialist teacher as well as sympathetic help in class.

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