Barfield School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2019, Andy Boyle BA. Grew up in Yorkshire (still detectable in his dulcet northern tones) where he attended Ashville College in Harrogate. Loved every moment of school life – excelling at sport in particular – but dreams of playing professional rugby were thwarted by injury and he left the line-up to study sports psychology at Leeds.

A placement at his former school ignited a passion for the classroom and steered him along the teacher training route, with his first teaching position back at Ashville. Left the north to travel the Americas before settling in Oxfordshire, where he took up a position at Chandlings, part of the Prep Schools Trust (along with Barfield), and stayed for 12 years. Rose quickly through the ranks to head of boys (pastoral) then deputy head (pastoral). In search of a new challenge, he took up headship at Barfield when numbers were down, morale was waning and school needed some fresh thinking.

Fast forward five years and Barfield is double the size (whilst retaining the family feel). Parents agree that his fresh energy has ‘transformed the place’, calling him a ‘caring’, ‘approachable’, ‘grounded’ head who ‘knows every pupil and parent’. Proving he’s also ‘pretty cool’ and well deserving of the respect the pupils speak of, he loosened his tie, donned a backwards cap and pulled off a surprise rap performance on speech day with his emotive lyrics about ‘the Barfield family’ – ‘a mic drop moment for everyone in the audience’, we were told.

He meets and greets in the mornings, supervises break duty in the ‘sandy play’ and accompanies pupils on trips whenever possible. ‘He’s often reading to pupils in reception, when I collect my children,’ a parent told us. His love of sport and outdoor activities equates with school’s ethos of the importance of outdoor learning, and he teaches games most afternoons.

What next, we asked? ‘It’s time to enjoy what we’ve achieved!’ he told us. But he’s not complacent, admitting that some facilities need upgrading and there are partnerships to explore. But ‘looking after our families and making sure staff love being here’ will always come first, he says.

Lives on site with wife, young son (who attends the nursery) and Koby the cocker spaniel. Spare time is ‘all about the family’ with playgrounds, bike rides and dog-walking dominating his weekends.

Entrance

Into nursery at 2+ – around 75 per cent stay on. Gently selective, two-form entry in reception with maximum of 18 pupils per class – priority to those attending nursery. Will accept applications into other year groups if places available. Older applicants come for a taster day (or two), light-touch assessments in maths, English and science and a meeting with the head. It is important that all feel it is ‘the right place’ for the child and only those whose needs can’t be met would not be accepted.

Exit

Pupils move to a range of local state and independent schools at 11+, including Churcher’s College, Farnborough Hill, Guildford High School, King Edward’s Witley, Lord Wandsworth College, Priors Field, RGS Guildford and St Edmund’s. Nine scholarships in 2024. Parents say head works closely with them from year 4 to identify the best school for each child.

Our view

The school is set in an idyllic 12 acres on the fringes of Farnham, where it boasts a treehouse classroom, vegetable garden and its own outdoor pursuits department (Three Peaks) with climbing wall, quad biking track and zip wires. No wonder parents ‘instantly fall in love’ with Barfield and its ‘adventurous famous five vibe’ – also frequently mentioning its ‘warm and welcoming family atmosphere’.

Buildings are a mix of old and new – the original, red brick Victorian house with steep, narrow staircases and imposing fireplaces rubs shoulders with a timber-clad, eco-friendly dining hall. The intervening years have a smart new science lab and a food technology room.

First stop for us was the year-round nursery, a boon for working parents. Bright and spacious classrooms with free-flow outdoor space and sleep rooms for the youngest. Lots of play and forest school activities (pond dipping, vegetable picking, hot chocolates around the log circle) mingled with specialist teaching in French, music, sport and swimming. Very much part of the school, the littlies attend whole school assemblies and make regular visits to library, food tech room and treetop classroom. In summer term, reception teachers read in the nursery and children spend time in reception classrooms to ease transition.

Head says his biggest fear is children leaving school ‘having passed their exams but without the character strengths needed to excel at secondary school and beyond’. The expansive curriculum therefore includes a skills-based strand that encourages pupils to ‘put their pencils down and use different parts of the brain’ with timetabled lessons for adventure, current affairs (year 3 upwards) and life skills (from table manners in reception to money management in year 6).

All pupils learn French. Spanish, German, Latin and Mandarin also on offer via the extracurricular timetable. Digital learning from year 1 in preparation for year 3 when every pupil has a Chromebook and uses Google Classroom. We observed year 4 pupils touch typing confidently and preparing slides for their ‘passion presentations’ in the well-equipped computer suite.

We saw warm relationships between pupils and their teachers who infused lessons with interaction and humour. Parents say staff ‘go above and beyond every single day’ – also approving of the focus on promoting and rewarding good behaviour including values badges, postcards home and (the ultimate honour) an acknowledgement on ‘Mr Boyle’s blackboard’ – an entire wall of head’s office dedicated to pupils’ achievements and efforts.

A full-time SENCo and two learning support teachers support the 19 per cent of pupils on the SEN register (five EHCPs), mostly with dyslexia, ADHD or autism. An additional two LSAs provide classroom support across the school, while ‘gappies’ (often old Barfieldians) read with pupils and help with phonics and numeracy skills in upper school. Some children receive small group or one-to-one support (the latter charged as an extra). Weekly visits from OT and speech and language therapists where required. ‘The improvement in my son’s written work has been exponential,’ claimed one parent, another praising an assembly about the creative benefits and strengths of SEN. ‘My son’s confidence has soared, knowing that dyslexia is his superpower.’ Scholarship programme offered to ‘gifted and talented’ pupils in weekly one-to-one or small group sessions.

Rehearsals for Christmas carol service were in full flow during our visit – one of the termly opportunities to perform. Around a third of pupils learn an instrument (from piano to electric guitar) in school, while class lessons involve percussion, ukuleles and clarineos. There is an orchestra, recorder and ukulele groups and four choirs.

Drama is taught from year 3 but included in English for lower school – and some take LAMDA or join drama club. Annual summer production performed by years 5 and 6, recently Peter Pan the Musical and Matilda.

Biannual arts week (alternated with STEM week) celebrates artistic endeavours of all pupils with grounds turned into sculpture gallery, displays across the classrooms and performances in the auditorium. Our tour guides were eager to show off a 3D printer in the DT classroom and the impressive projects on display – including a one-tenth scale model racing car in honour of former pupil and F1 world champion, Mike Hawthorn.

Sport is the best thing about the school, according to several pupils we spoke to. Four to five hours of PE and games lessons a week plus adventure sessions. Core sports previously centred on rugby and hockey (boys) and hockey and netball (girls) but the girls said ‘We want football!’ and they got it. Cricket and athletics in summer term. Weekly swimming for all in heated indoor pool. Other facilities include two hard courts, two rugby/football pitches, fields with athletics track and cricket square. School says everyone has a chance to represent Barfield and ‘results of fixtures are secondary to the experience they have’. ‘A bit frustrating for the sportiest kids’, according to some parents who felt the school could do more to exploit their talents.

From year 3, most pupils complete their daily homework at prep club before taking advantage of the many clubs on offer – from junk modelling and judo to bracelet making and synchronised swimming. ‘The biggest issue I have is getting my son to come home!’ quipped a parent. Wraparound care from 8am to 6.15pm (as well as most clubs) is included in fees. Trips include local days out (year 5 were studying rare plant species and creatures at the Living Rainforest on the day of our visit) through to residentials in the Brecon Beacons and a chateau in Normandy in the older years. As a school that champions the outdoors, pupils delight in the regular night camps on the headteacher’s lawn.

Parents say pastoral care is ‘exceptional’ and the sense of family really shines through – relationships between staff and parents are markedly strong. ‘My son’s TA texted the results of his spelling test after a wobble one morning just to reassure me.’ Parents say school values (integrity, compassion, tolerance, enthusiasm and resilience) lie at the ‘heart of the school’ and like that all children come together for weekly assemblies. Parents invited in regularly to celebrate efforts and achievements. In almost every room, we saw worry monsters and worry boxes where messages flagging up fears and concerns can be posted although pupils said they could ‘speak to their teachers about anything’. A year 6 pupil shared a time when friendships were making her sad: ‘I talked things through with the deputy head and felt much happier afterwards.’

Active pupil parliament (led by head girl and boy) is elected to raise issues and suggestions with the head. But apart from ‘installing a diving board’ and ‘letting year 2 pupils go to lunch earlier’, we struggled to expose any major grumbles. Certainly no complaints about food – from pupils or us. The tasty chilli con carne guaranteed clean plates all round for which house tokens were awarded – school’s attempt to be more sustainable and encourage pupils to take sensible helpings. (They are welcome to go back for more.)

Head says the school attracts a mixture of families who want ‘well-rounded, happy, inquisitive children’. We found them to be just that. Most parents live within a 30-minute radius, often both working and grateful for the wraparound care and holiday camps. ‘We all host our children’s birthdays at Three Peaks too!’ a parent added. The volume of emails, apps and platforms managed to ruffle a few feathers, but ‘better to over-communicate than under-communicate’, one felt. PTA described as ‘beating heart of the community’ – organises coffee mornings, colour runs, picnics, fundraising events and more to boost funds for school projects.

Money matters

Ten per cent armed forces discount available.

The last word

‘Barfield is our village,’ claimed one parent, in reference to the old African proverb. A school where pupils thrive in the nurturing environment and where staff know every child. Great focus on the outdoors too. ‘Learning really is an adventure,’ as one parent put it.

Special Education Needs

The school has a newly built Learning Support suite manned by three staff; two part time and one full time. The children are withdrawn from class for one to one or group lessons, depending on need.

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