Ballard School A GSG School

Other features

Music and dance scheme - government funding and grants available to help with fees at selected independent music and dance schools.

All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

Performing arts specialist school

Sports

Unusual sports

Equestrian centre or equestrian team - school has own equestrian centre or an equestrian team.

Sailing

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2018, Andrew McCleave, previously deputy head (academic) at City of London Freemen’s School. Educated at King’s College School, Wimbledon and the University of Manchester, where he read geography. After a PGCE and MA at UCL Institute of Education, he taught geography and economics at Notre Dame School in Cobham, then Emanuel School, King Edward VI Grammar School (Shakespeare’s school in Stratford-upon-Avon), Lady Margaret School in Parsons Green and Lady Eleanor Holles School in Middlesex, where he was director of studies. ‘It’s important that I’ve been a teacher, head of department, director of studies and deputy head,’ he says. ‘It means I intrinsically know what teachers should be doing and how I can support them.’

When he first visited Ballard, he was struck by the school’s friendliness and positivity. ‘Everyone is very warm and welcoming,’ he says. ‘I’m a big Chelsea fan and if the team loses, people swing by to see how I’m feeling.’ Under his leadership the school has grown by 25 per cent (several year groups are full) and there are ‘ongoing discussions’ about launching a sixth form in the future. He firmly believes that ‘happy, busy children do well in the classroom’ and encourages pupils to get involved in extracurricular activities. Parents say he strikes the right balance between authority and approachability.

Married to Catherine, who’s head of PSHE at Ballard. They have two children, both at university. In his spare time, he enjoys keeping fit and swimming. He’s also an avid reader – sitting in his study overlooking acres of parkland he told us his current choice was David Marquet’s Turn the Ship Around! He’s accompanied almost everywhere by Merlin, his very well-behaved cockapoo. Merlin was greeted like a rock star by all, especially the lucky year 8s who are allowed to take him for walks.

Entrance

Main entry points are reception, year 3 and year 7 but children join in other years too. Ballard isn’t highly selective but prides itself on its value-added scores (latest average value-added is 0.9 of a grade at GCSE). The head says the school is looking for children with lively minds who ‘will take advantage of the opportunities and throw themselves into school life’. Most prep pupils stay on for the senior school.

Exit

At 16 pupils head off in all directions, Peter Symonds College in Winchester, local grammar schools and notable independents such as Canford, Bryanston, Millfield or Ryde School on the Isle of Wight. The school gives parents ‘a lot of guidance’ on sixth-form choices. It boasts doctors, engineers and academics among its former students, alongside olympic and paralympic medallists and stars in opera and pop.

Latest results

In 2023, 40 per cent 9-7 at GCSE. In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 35 per cent 9-7 at GCSE.

Teaching and learning

Pupils take up to 10 GCSEs – all the usual subjects, plus options like business studies, computer science, design and technology, food preparation and nutrition, drama and dance. Setting for maths, science and English, with some taking three separate sciences at GCSE and others doing combined science. German, Spanish and French available, with French taught from year 1.

The teaching we saw was lively and inspiring. A year 9 history class was discussing ‘what was wrong with women’s rights before 1900’ while a year 11 DT group was busy making coffee tables, speakers, lights and bird-boxes. Classrooms are well-equipped ¬– interactive displays everywhere and an astonishing seven 3D printers in the DT department. Laptop leasing scheme for pupils in years 6, 7 and 8, with parents paying a termly fee. The head says children ‘aren’t overburdened’ with homework although the load increases during the GCSE years. Small class sizes (up to 16 in most year groups).

Parents say online learning was managed well during the pandemic but pupils were clearly delighted to be back in school. ‘We missed seeing each other,’ year 8s told us. Big drive on literacy, with children encouraged to read for pleasure. Three libraries jointly staffed by two librarians, one of them a published author. A 30-minute ‘drop everything and read’ session is held in tutor-time every week, where pupils read a book of their own choice. Lower prep pupils read to a member of staff every day.

The pre-prep is housed in its own building, with light, airy classrooms and loads of outdoor space. Nearly 40 children in the nursery and kindergarten and a similar number in reception, year 1 and year 2. We visited during the COP26 climate change summit and were impressed to find intrepid year 1 teachers linking it to a topic on animals. ‘We’re keeping it very simple,’ they said.

Learning support and SEN

Around 20 per cent of pupils get learning support from the DEL team (department of enhanced learning) – everything from ‘in-class adjustment’ strategies like using coloured paper or sitting at the front of class to one-to-one support. Dyslexic children are very well supported.

The arts and extracurricular

The performing arts are one of Ballard’s strengths – ‘absolutely stunning,’ said one parent, ‘incredibly good,’ said another. The school involves as many children as possible in its annual productions, whether they are performing on stage, playing in the band, making props or taking charge of sound and lighting. When we visited, 140 children were gearing up for a performance of Matilda in the school’s performing arts centre. A mother said that her shy daughter’s confidence had ‘shot up’ when she was encouraged to audition for a part and promptly got it. Some leavers continue their passion for the performing arts – a pupil recently progressed to the Guildford School of Acting while a former first XV prop forward achieved his master’s in musical theatre. Children have also sung with Gareth Malone at the Royal Albert Hall.

Nearly 40 per cent take individual instrumental or speech and drama lessons. In year 7 there’s a subsidised instrumental starter scheme, enabling children to choose the instrument they’d like to play (the school pays half the cost). Numerous chances to perform in choirs, bands and orchestras, including a carol service at Christchurch Priory and a classical concert at Beaulieu Abbey. Music is part of the curriculum. We watched the dynamic director of music and creative technology help a group of rapt year 9s analyse the theme tune from Dr No, the first James Bond movie, prior to composing their own film scores. The children were so engrossed that they didn’t notice us tiptoe in.

The school runs 130 extracurricular activities a week – everything from climate change club and beekeeping to raising GCSE attainment sessions and scholars’ clubs. Most take place between 4.15pm and 5pm but some are at lunchtime and morning break. DofE is popular – bronze in year 9 and silver in years 10 and 11.

Pre-prep and lower prep pupils have Forest School every fortnight. When we visited, lower prep children were having a whale of a time tying knots, moulding clay into mugs and cooking popcorn over a campfire.

Sport

Ballard believes in sport for all and every pupil gets the chance to represent the school (A to D teams in some years). Main sports for boys are football, rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics while girls play hockey, tag rugby, football, netball, cricket and athletics. There’s also a programme for less sporty year 10 and 11 pupils, offering kayaking, basketball and mountain-biking (including bike-repair sessions). Swimming in the school’s outdoor pool during the summer term. Girls’ football is growing. The school is part of the FA Girls’ Football School Partnerships programme, a nationwide scheme that encourages more girls to play football in school and beyond.

Ethos and heritage

Situated on the edge of the New Forest National Park, the main school building was built by the Ubsdell family in 1905 and retains many period features, including magnificent fireplaces in every room. The Ubsdells moved out in 1914 and Great Ballard School moved in, remaining in situ until the start of the Second World War. After the war, Edinburgh House School took up residence, later merging with two other schools. In 1995 Fernhill Manor School also merged and the combined school became Ballard School.

Today’s Ballard is a mix of old and new. We particularly admired the chapel, a calm space with shields dating back to the Edinburgh House days. One was gifted by the US Embassy in 1963 after the school sent a letter of condolence following the assassination of John F Kennedy.

With 34 acres of grounds and sports pitches, Ballard makes the most of its location. There are free-range chickens (the children clean out the coop, collect eggs and sell them in hand-decorated egg boxes), bees and an allotment. ‘It’s so good for their wellbeing to get out in the fresh air,’ a teacher told us. ‘We’re close to the forest and close to the beach so we’ve got everything on our doorstep. The children can climb trees and play in the adventure playground too.’

Ballard is based on Christian values and there are regular assemblies. The school plays its part in the community, inviting local care homes to concerts and donating to the food bank in Lymington (at harvest festival children brought in enough food to fill four minibuses). At Remembrance Day every pupil put a message on a poppy to display on the main staircase. Pupils like their uniform – smart navy blazers with crimson trim (yellow trim for head boy and girl and deputy head boy and girl) – although girls say they’d like to be able to wear trousers. Year 11s have their own common room in a wood cabin, complete with bean bags and a pool table. They’re responsible for keeping it tidy themselves – if they don’t, they forego its use for a few days.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Year 1 to 11 pupils have a PSHE lesson every week, learning about relationships, health and living in the wider world. Pastoral care is a top priority – ‘we want them to feel safe and supported and happy,’ says the head. The school is divided into sections – pre-prep (nursery to year 2), lower prep (year 3 to 5), upper prep (year 6 to 8) and senior (year 9 to 11) – with a head of each section leading a team of form tutors. Parents we spoke to praised the care taken with transition from section to section. The school nurse is on hand and a counsellor visits once a week. If children want time out, there’s a wellbeing zone where they can sit and relax. ‘The teachers are great,’ said a year 11. ‘If you have a worry there’s always someone to talk to.’

One advantage of not having a sixth form is that younger pupils take leadership roles. There’s a head girl and head boy, plus two deputies, and two tranches of prefects – year 8s and year 11s, all proudly sporting a colourful array of badges on their blazers. Four houses, named after different areas of the New Forest, with lots of inter-house competitions and fundraising for charity. Sensible policy on mobile phones. Pupils up to and including year 9 hand them in at school while year 10s and 11s must keep them switched off in their bags.

Pupils and parents

Some pupils are very local, others travel from Poole, Ringwood, Lymington and Sway, often using the school’s fleet of minibuses (‘we do a door-to-door service,’ says the head). New Milton railway station is a six-minute walk so a sizeable number commute by train. Particular praise for the member of staff who manages transport. ‘The trains weren’t running one day and she managed to lay on extra minibuses for everyone affected,’ said one parent.

Equal numbers of boys and girls. The children we met were keen to share their views on everything from the food (a firm thumbs-up) to their wish for an indoor swimming pool. Parents told us the school is ‘unpretentious and down-to-earth’, a place where children can do well academically but ‘get muddy and have fun’. One mother told us: ‘It was the best thing we ever did sending our son to Ballard. We didn’t want boarding or Saturday morning school and he is so happy here.’ Another said: ‘It’s a very caring school. My son really likes the positivity of the teachers. He’s come on leaps and bounds since he started.’

Money matters

Scholarships (maximum of 10 per cent discount) offered for ‘exceptional’ year 3, 7 and 9 pupils. Some means-tested bursaries available to help parents who wouldn’t otherwise be able to fund the fees.

The last word

A warm, friendly school in a glorious setting, where pupils enjoy their learning, throw themselves into a plethora of activities and have fun. The performing arts are outstanding and children seem genuinely sad to leave for pastures new at 16.

Special Education Needs

Who came from where