Mill Hill Pre-Preparatory School | The Good Schools Guide

Grimsdell Mill Hill Pre-Preparatory School
Winterstoke House
Wills Grove
Mill Hill Village
London
NW7 1QR
Head: Kate Simon
T 020 8959 6884
F 020 8959 4626
E [email protected]
W www.millhill.org.uk/grimsdell
A mainstream independent school for pupils aged from 3 to 7 with a linked junior school
Boarding: No
Local authority: Barnet
Pupils: 192
Religion: Church of England/Christian
Fees: £7,125 - £15,492 pa
Open days: April, October and November
Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
ISI report: View the ISI report
Linked schools: Mill Hill School, Belmont Mill Hill Preparatory School, The Mount, Mill Hill International

What The Good Schools Guide says..

This is a cute, cosy school. Nothing grand and pretentious, despite the impression given by its exterior. Cursive handwriting is taught from the start and we were quite amazed with the standard of year 1 handwriting displayed on classroom walls. A firm believer in the great outdoors, Grimsdell has its own Forest School. Each session has a theme and activities can range from mini beast hunting to fire building and cooking outdoors. With a school that states boldly in their prospectus, ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing’, you better be sure...

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What the school says...

Grimsdell, Mill Hill Pre-Prep is situated in the Green Belt on the boarders of Hertfordshire and Middlesex and just ten miles from Central London. A part of the Mill Hill School Foundation which is set in 160 acres of beautiful grounds, we make extensive use of the outdoors in all subject areas and ‘Forest School’ has a firm place within our curriculum. We provide a happy, secure and rich learning environment for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. Belmont, Mill Hill Preparatory School, is less than a quarter of a mile away and educates pupils from age 7 to 13, the majority of whom move on to the senior school, Mill Hill, which educates boys and girls from age 13 to 18.

We pride ourselves on the exciting and creative curriculum we offer. The children who come here are inspired to learn whilst being encouraged to explore and enjoy their childhood. The boys and girls at Grimsdell learn through hands-on experience. With the support and guidance of professional, caring staff and excellent resources and equipment, each child is encouraged to reach their full potential. Our approach combines traditional skills of reading, writing and mathematics with the breadth and balance offered by an enhanced Early Years Foundation Stage and KS1 Curriculum. Every pupil can enjoy many opportunities offered by learning through Science, Technology and Computing, Art, Drama, Music, PE and French lessons.

The school is housed in a large Victorian building with its own secure play areas and adventure playgrounds, taking advantage of further facilities on the Mill Hill site including a Forest School area, sports fields, swimming pool and theatre.

The usual age of entry is at 3 and 4 years old, but 5 and 6 year olds are considered as vacancies occur. It is expected that most children will pass to Belmont at the end of Year 2. ...Read more

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Other features

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.

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2014, Kate Simon (40s). A Grimsdell parent, Mrs Simon is no stranger to headship. Between 2002 and 2008 she was head of the junior school of the Royal School, Hampstead (now incorporated into North Bridge Senior) and from 2008 was head of Girls’ Upper School at Garden House School in Chelsea.

Entrance

Heavily oversubscribed, due in part to it being non-selective at age 3 or 4. ‘I don’t feel comfortable with failing children at that age’, says the head. Most pupils come from within a five mile radius and there is a ‘multi-cultural mix.’

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Special Education Needs

Grimsdell has a Special Needs Co-ordinator who works with children individually and in small groups. The needs of the pupil may be identified by either the parent or the class teacher and it is the teacher's professional judgement, in consultation with colleagues and his/her understanding and awareness of the individual needs, which is central to the special educational needs provision at Grimsdell.

Condition	Provision for in school
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder	Y
Aspergers	Y
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders
CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia
Dyslexia	Y
Dyspraxia	Y
English as an additional language (EAL)	Y
Genetic
Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory
Has SEN unit or class
HI - Hearing Impairment	Y
Hospital School
Mental health
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Natspec Specialist Colleges
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty	Y
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Special facilities for Visually Impaired
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty	Y
VI - Visual Impairment

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