Wilmslow Preparatory School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headteacher

Since 2020, Bradley Lavagna-Slater. Grew up and educated in South Africa, studied psychology and education at the University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg. Taught for 10 years in SA before moving to the UK, building up nearly two decades’ of experience in preps including as deputy head at St Ambrose Prep and nine years as head at Runnymede St Edward’s Prep.

Has always worked in small schools, which he sees as offering a 'bespoke education' and where there’s 'no place for pupils to hide'. Being a teaching head has always mattered too – currently maths to years 5 and 6, allowing him to get to know the children 'inside and out’. Sees his role as an authority figure that children are happy to go to speak about any issue: 'I want them to be respectful but not fearful.' Parents think he gets the balance just right: 'They adore him but have a healthy respect for him too.’ 'Firm but fair as a headmaster,’ we also heard, 'and an unbelievably inspiring teacher'. After seeing him in action, swashbuckling his way through a maths lesson, with pupils using pirate treasure maps to learn how to plot and read co-ordinates, we wholeheartedly concur.

Has high academic expectations of the pupils, but sees school’s main job as making sure they are guided to the right destination at 11+, where the personality of the child matters every bit as much as their grades. Talks a lot about children as individuals and a ‘personalised approach’ – and ultimately this is what parents love about the school: 'They really find out who each child is,' said one with three children at the school, 'it’s not one-size-fits-all.'

Entrance

Most join kindergarten at 3, the rest are accepted into all school years (waiting lists in some years when we visited), following visit to school and informal assessment in English and maths.

Exit

Year 6 pupils typically sit entrance exams for three senior schools. King’s Macclesfield, Stockport Grammar, Cheadle Hume, Alderley Edge School for Girls and Manchester High School for Girls all popular, plus a few to the Manchester Grammar School and the Trafford grammars. Scholarships numbers vary - one in 2023 but eight the previous year.

Our view

After starting life in 1909 above a butcher’s shop, Wilmslow Prep moved to its current location in 1912. A modern low-rise entrance leads into older, but bright and spacious, classrooms arranged around a central playground with outdoor kitchen, water play, sandpit and trikes for the little ones – alongside some imaginative play equipment, including a tricky looking agility course and a willow tunnel (‘our twigloo,’ as the pupils call it).

The school is small, with one form entry throughout and around 15 -16 pupils per class (the maximum is 18), with one class of just seven when we visited. Some parents had initially wondered if the friendship pool might be too small – but said that was far from the case in reality, and we noticed lots of playing and friendships between year groups.

All pupils take English Speaking Board exams from year 3. ‘It gives them amazing confidence, we see it when they’re going for interviews,' says the head. We saw it paying off too - the children we met were articulate and bubbling over with enthusiasm as they told us what they most enjoyed about school (a project on the construction of the Empire State Building; a science experiment involving stale bread; and mapping the books they’d read on the ‘reading river’ displays on each classroom wall). They were polite too, taking turns to speak, listening to their peers without interrupting. They only hesitated when we asked how the school could be improved: 'But that’s what the school council is for,' said one after a slightly indignant pause.

Subject specialists for PE, music and French from kindergarten, art from reception and science, computing and drama from year 1. Maths and English added from year 5. ‘They push you a lot, but they make it fun,’ said one year 5 pupil. We observed lively lessons - a reception class was getting to grips with phonics by energetically rowing pretend boats (‘It’s oa, oa, it’s toad in a boat!’) before settling down to letter formation. Meanwhile, in a year 4 art class, a raft of hands shot into the air when the children were asked to explain the science behind their watercolour paint’s reaction to oil-based pastels. Work begins on VR and NVR in year 3, with weekly practice for entrance exams offered before school from year 5. Mock interviews with form teacher, head and a school governor. Glowing praise from parents about the whole process, one saying her daughter went into the exams 'cool as a cucumber, totally prepared'. But 'very much not an entrance exam factory', said another.

Ipads used in all classrooms and new Chromebooks in the ICT suite. We saw a class of year 5s absorbed in code writing, making handheld devices react with sounds or flashing lights. Nobody was giving up, determined to learn through their mistakes and calling the teacher over with a satisfied cry of 'It worked, it worked!' when they mastered it. Homework is differentiated to stretch the most capable. Daily reading expected but - to the relief of busy parents – spelling strategies are taught in class, so no spelling lists sent home.

Approximately 10 per cent of pupils are on the SEN register, currently three with EHCPs. The school has experience in mild to moderate autism, global learning delay, dyslexia and ADHD. Parents praise adjustments such as visual timetables and plenty of warning around transitions. One parent described the school’s approach as 'fantastic – it’s absolutely always the child first’; another was full of praise for the help and support they received to secure LA funding. The school has an additional ‘monitoring register’ – updated termly to include those who need extra support or coaching. ‘There are probably more than need to be on there because we want to push everyone to their full potential,’ explained the SENCo. Interventions for those on both registers are delivered by TAs in small groups or one-to-ones (mostly included in fees) in classrooms, the library or other quiet spaces dotted around the school.

The art studio, which doubles up as the DT classroom, is nice and bright, and includes a kiln for ceramics. Music is also valued – two-thirds of children learn an instrument and there are several choirs and an orchestra, plus termly recitals and an annual house music festival. Curriculum music takes place in a large airy room with plenty of keyboards for the children to play and compose on. We caught the chamber choir rehearsing for an upcoming festival, keen to bring the silverware home for a third year running. This year’s offering is a sea shanty sung in French (in previous years they’ve sung in Portuguese and Mandarin, a tradition that began as a celebration of the different languages pupils speak). It was a toe tapping performance full of verve and a real musicality – they’ll be a hard act to beat. Drama on curriculum from year 1, with school plays each term (younger years at Christmas, year 3 and 4 at Easter, year 5 and 6 musical production in the summer). Highlights from the year’s performances showcased at speech day. ‘It makes you realise just how much they do, it’s amazing,’ said one parent.

Four or five clubs on offer each day – Lego, craft, STEM and coding all popular and run by school, along with fencing, yoga, lacrosse etc run by external providers (at an extra cost). Plenty of visits and trips to extend horizons (York and Lake District residentials, plus trips to Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, Chester Zoo, local places of worship etc). The school has also formed a partnership with King’s Macclesfield, with pupils visiting their campus a couple of times a year for outdoor education, sporting or curriculum events.

Hockey, netball, cricket, athletics, football and rugby are all taught to both boys and girls together. The school makes the best of the space onsite, and the spacious sports hall and Astroturf are (almost) next door (pupils are escorted there for informal breaktime football too). When a bigger pitch is needed, pupils hop on the school minibus to a local sports club. Pupils take part enthusiastically in ISA regional and national competitions, with the whole year group taken to some fixtures. Plenty of praise from parents about the sport on offer, but most added a caveat about ‘for a school of this size’. One said that ‘boisterous, sports-mad children’ might think about one of the other local schools with ‘a bigger sports facility on hand’.

Parents describe it as a traditional school. Children stand up when an adult enters the room and hold doors open for each other as a matter of course; we were also on the receiving end of some great handshakes. 'It’s about treating everyone equally, with respect,' says the head. Manners, he believes, are simply another aspect of emotional intelligence, the good interpersonal skills 'that will get you far in life'.

Occasional playground fallings-out, as at any school, but parents are happy with the way they are resolved, saying the school keeps them informed and ensures children 'understand the “why”' of their actions. Six simple school rules ('we are kind, we listen, we work hard’ etc). Two reward systems, one for academic effort and achievement and another for courtesy, both leading to house points, stickers and badges. Dining room manners – impeccable during our visit – are given extra encouragement with a weekly 'golden table' award involving special place settings and a glass of milkshake or squash instead of water. We loved the lunchtime chit-chat on the mixed year group tables, with oldest children sitting proudly at the head of each table. Jacket potatoes, with a choice of fillings, was followed by rice pudding.

Some parents worried how their child might cope with the transition to an inevitably much bigger senior school, but those who’ve come out the other side said their fears were unfounded – these pupils have the secure foundation they need to succeed in any new environment, plus bags of confidence. A large part of this comes with the multiple opportunities to take on responsibilities, they told us. Even the youngest children play a part in school council and everyone in year 6 has a role such as house captain, subject ambassador or befriending new starters. One parent said her son had been very shy when he started school, 'but now their confidence is such that I sometimes ask myself, “Do I know this child?”'

There’s a fair bit of wealth among the parent body (this is Wilmslow after all; there’s an Aston Martin showroom round the corner), but most are dual income and need both salaries for the 'big commitment' of fees. 'It’s not a yummy mummy type of place – there are other options for that locally,' insisted one. Good ethnic diversity, plus a sprinkling of international pupils. Active PA raises funds and organises all the usual social events, and there are class WhatsApp groups. School is 'very open to feedback', according to parents – one telling us that they have now replaced an itchy item of uniform and updated IT facilities on the back of their suggestions.

Parents praise school comms, which include regular emails – ‘and it’s easy to arrange to speak to someone when necessary,’ we were told (although they’d like more notice for sports fixtures and ad hoc events). We were impressed with the detailed booklets sent to parents every term setting out what their children would be covering in each subject.

The last word

A gem of a school, intent on getting to know every child to find out how best to help them shine. Children thrive in the family atmosphere where they know and are known by almost everyone in the school. 'It produces happy, confident children who love to learn,' said one delighted parent.

Special Education Needs

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