Hurlingham School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2020, Simon Gould, previously deputy head of Ravenscourt Park Prep and, before that, head of PE at Thomas’s. One member of his team describes him as ‘visionary’; the confident leadership of a PE teacher, a clear philosophy and big-picture thinking come across. He is not afraid to challenge the status quo, to try new things, and he wants the children to do the same. He feels that prep schools have too long traded on their reputation and now is the time to be agile to what’s ahead: ‘technology, political headwinds, the changing landscape of senior school and, not least, the individual child who must be given the confidence and self-efficacy to know how they learn best’.

Mr Gould is passionate about supporting teachers too. An innovative CPD programme gives teachers ownership to adapt their teaching to challenge every child. Parents appreciate head’s ability to think ‘outside the box’, and also his honesty: ‘We don’t do everything perfectly,’ he admits, ‘but when we do, we share it with other schools, and we learn from them too.’

Mr Gould wants ‘a clear distinction in the market’ about what Hurlingham is, and what it isn’t: ‘If you want a hothouse, you’re in the wrong place. We have a proactive partnership with parents, based on listening and trust.’ As father of three teenagers at both state and independent schools in southwest London, he knows how important this is. Mr Gould’s partner is head at Wimbledon High Junior School, leaving us in no doubt that, together with Hardy the school dog, he lives and breathes teaching and learning.

Entrance

Proudly non-selective. Register for nursery when child is two. Nursery pupils are guaranteed a place at the main school, where they will join children from other nurseries for three-form intake. First come, first served. Sibling priority. Care is taken to make children feel at home before they start, with informal stay and play visits and a charming bespoke book, James and Emily go to Hurlingham, with teachers’ faces and names to add familiarity. Occasional places arise for entry into older year groups, subject to informal assessment.

Exit

Most stay until 11 and leave to a wide range of academically selective senior schools. Two academic awards, five sports scholarships, two performing arts/drama scholarships taken up in 2023. Emanuel, Ibstock Place, Harrodian, Epsom and St John’s popular co-ed options; Godolphin and Latymer, Wimbledon High and Putney High for girls; Hampton and KCS for boys. Head and head of 11+ transfer work closely with parents to ‘build trust’ to find best possible fit for the child. The process has become ‘less of a dark cloud sitting over the turkey’, according to one parent; ‘frank conversations’ now begin earlier and exam preparation has become more rigorous. ‘Talking heads’ meetings, from day and boarding secondary schools, help reassure parents while also opening minds to wider possibilities.

Our view

When the family owners took over a small boarding school with 64 pupils in 2000 (the original school was established in 1947), they would not have guessed that it would grow to over 300 children and include a nursery nearby (with show-stopping indoor slide – a no-brainer if school choice were left to the children). Seventy-five plus years on, the school’s birthday continues to be celebrated – as witnessed by year 4’s lusty rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday to Ya! Children were full of ideas as to how old the school might be: ‘Definitely older than Google,’ says one, looking up to the rafters of the quirky church hall and eyeing the beautiful old grand piano in the corner.

The duck-egg blue blazer, matching cap for boys and beret for girls, and the school emblem – a hunting horn (no evidence of its use to in the playground) and golden wings – are a nod to tradition. Intrinsic Motivation, however, headline of the staff meeting on the week of our visit, is a forward-looking approach to learning. We were told about the benefits of an ‘adaptive classroom’ where the scaffolds for each child – the quiet one, the fidgety one, and everything in between – are in place. A ‘bounce effect’ is encouraged where children are motivated to throw out ideas to generate discursive debate, and the reward system recognises individual successes, rather than merely coming top in a test. We saw four teachers working together in a maths lesson for a core group of 8-year-olds, while smaller satellite groups were stretched or supported elsewhere. Teachers collaborate and move between classes as necessary to ensure every child is performing at the right level for him or her.

Technology is fully incorporated into children’s learning (individual Chromebooks from year 4), teaching children to be creators as well as consumers. ‘They live with technology in their personal lives,’ one mother explains, ‘it’s now incorporated into their learning: great preparation for senior school.’ English, science and DT come together when recording, editing and presenting a weather report video or creating a 3D scene for a storybook. Sustainability awareness is cross-curricular too: pupils made placards to draw public attention to litter in the park, they wrote to their MP, brought the spoils back to school, ‘with rubber gloves’, we are assured, weighed it and ultimately consigned it to Recycle Michael, a giant, sculptural fish recycling bin. Hurlingham is now officially a Plastic Clever School. ‘We need to take care of where we live,’ says a young conservation champion.

Hurlingham Enrichment aims to create lessons which teach problem-solving, team-building and critical-thinking skills to prepare them for senior school and beyond. Year 6s told us how they made tents in Wandsworth Park and, as well as learning Morse code and how to use a compass, described, with much excited gesticulation and waving of arms, how best to carry an injured soldier on a tarp. In addition to forest school on Wimbledon Common, a new outdoor classroom (a pre-teen festival experience with benches, tipis and pebbles) lends itself to open air performance or reading to younger children. In less clement weather, Enrichment may encompass debating, mindfulness or building links with the community: recycling books, working together on a music endeavour, or sweeping leaves.

With the diverse academic intake, emphasis is on inclusivity. One-to-one support with a specialist teacher outside the classroom is a last resort once other options have been explored: ‘It is not a deficit in the child,’ says the head of learning support and neurodiversity, ‘we need to look at ourselves and adapt.’ One parent, whose daughter needed extra help throughout Hurlingham, told us how it was so effective that no SEND intervention has been necessary in senior school. Early Birds meet before school in small groups for extra maths or English catch-up, and high achievers are also catered for with ‘discreet, not elitist’ extension work. ‘Hurlingham welcomes different chocolates’ is the clear message.

Children show unrestrained delight on telling us they won the Richmond Festival for singing. They enjoy every aspect, from the ‘fun choreography’ of unauditioned senior choir to the more serious repertoire of chamber choir. Parents appreciate the many performance opportunities and say everyone comes together to put on a great, bespoke, end-of-year musical. The hall is ‘unrecognisable’, and peripatetic music teachers elevate the production with live music, ‘rather than pressing play on a YouTube video’. Given the enthusiasm and the number of children who have private music lessons, there is a little disappointment that orchestra on a Saturday morning is ‘such a select group’ but live band, and electric band during the week are popular clubs, along with others to cater for all tastes, from private investigators to gardening. Karate and ballet (all the way up from reception) and LAMDA also popular, with external providers. Creative artwork is on display from floor to ceiling: self-portraits inspired by Jeans for Genes day, colourful animal mosaics, plaster cast sculptures of fantastic animals in every niche.

The sporty head has responded to a ‘huge cry’ from parents for more sport with a raft of specialist sports staff and a ‘totally inclusive’ co-ed approach: boys and girls all play netball, football, touch rugby, hockey and cricket. Teams are mixed with everyone wearing the same unisex sports kit – the football shirts a real hit with the lionesses. Everyone is encouraged to have a go, there are plenty of teams and head of sport says ‘everyone gets the experience of winning and losing’. While some parents feel it is the A team children, their skills boosted by outside clubs, who are more likely to experience a win, they recognise that there are now more opportunities to represent the school and there are always new initiatives emerging: a sports extension week where everyone tries a new sport – beach volleyball or ultimate frisbee – sounds fun.

The unprepossessing entrance on busy Putney Bridge Road does not prepare for the wow factor which lies behind it: bright and light classrooms, show-stopping library with jungle treehouse, and a hall which morphs seamlessly from gym to lunch hall (a full-time chef cooks lunch for all) to theatre – a stage on wheels is housed in a cupboard which must surely lead to Narnia. ‘We like the bricks and mortar,’ says one parent, mentioning in particular the former church hall where arts and crafts glass inspires art lessons, and dance and drama take place under the eaves. At break, the lower playground comes alive: children on trikes, scooters and skateboards (thank goodness for the crash barriers), would-be ballerinas practising dance routines in swirly circular character skirts, ice-cream-coloured beach huts lending a holiday feel. We are told there is play equipment within – buckets and spades and beach balls, we surmise. A further playground on the roof is more zen: buddy benches, olive trees and a vegetable patch for young green fingers.

Children are praised for expressing their feelings. Younger children greet their teacher in the morning with a fist bump or a hug depending on how they feel, and may deposit a different coloured pom-pom in a jar to indicate sadness or anger. Older children are encouraged to talk about anxiety and helped to manage stress in the run up to the 11+ exams. PSHE lessons cover the ‘difficult’ topics around risk and consent, and parents talk of ‘phenomenal’ wellbeing webinars. Difference is celebrated. ‘This is where children form their unconscious bias,’ says the head, ‘so we need to teach diversity by example.’ Mindfulness is part of the school day: the five-finger breathing exercise calms children down after break. Parents say with disarming honesty that 30 seconds of mindful breathing, for all ages we assume, is very useful at home too.

Most families live within a mile of the school and many walk or scoot to school. Busy parents say they feel supported in this inclusive community: wraparound care in nursery, drive-through drop-off and pick-up with extra provision for siblings, the effort the school makes to have meetings on Zoom for working parents. We were told of an ‘excellent’ PTA and ‘off the scale enthusiasm’ at quiz night.

Money matters

A limited number of means-tested bursaries are available to those wishing to join in years 2, 3 or 4. Financial assistance mainly reserved for existing pupils, in case of unforeseen hardship or temporary difficulty, to ensure continuity.

The last word

A ‘friendly, happy, wholesome’ school is the message we hear loud and clear. Teachers ‘wrap their arms around the children’ to give them the confidence to be themselves and ‘to know their own path’, say parents. The head has been innovative and agile, and has inspired teachers to bring out the best in themselves as well as their charges: ‘There’s so much opportunity and gentle nudging to be the best you can be.’ Parents appreciate excellent communication, progressive approach and increasing academic rigour. A refreshing buzz in the air.

Special Education Needs

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