Grimsdell Mill Hill Pre-Preparatory School A GSG School
- 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 admissions@grimsdell.org.uk
- W www.millhill.o…paign=grimsdell
- A mainstream independent school for pupils aged from 3 to 7 with a linked junior school
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Barnet
- Pupils: 215
- Religion: Church of England/Christian
- Fees: £18,900 pa
- Open days: May, 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..
With a school that states boldly in its prospectus, ‘There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing’, you had better be sure your little darlings have a healthy interest in outdoor pursuits. But, as our last visit testified, there is a lot more to the school than that. ‘There was a lot of spoon feeding in the last curriculum. I wanted to throw it out and start again,' says the head. This has been a collaborative venture with parents working as a team – ‘lots of coffee mornings’ – to establish a programme which was...
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. Degree in English lit and drama from Sheffield; did her PGCE in Liverpool and cut her teeth working in ‘very tough’ inner city schools. Has known she wanted to teach since she was 14.
‘You have to live and breathe the job, you can’t fake it – it can be emotional and draining, but I love it.’ And she should know, having worked on both sides of the educational spectrum. This is a head who has taught in Stockbridge Village – ‘one of the most deprived areas of Liverpool’ – followed by a stint abroad at an international school in the Cayman Islands (‘beautiful but I missed my busy London life’). A headship of the junior school of the Royal School Hampstead followed between 2002 and 2008,...
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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 | Y |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | Y |
| Dysgraphia | Y |
| 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 | Y |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | Y |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | Y |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
Leavers' destinations
| School | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Belmont Mill Hill Preparatory School | 2023 | Grimsdell pupils moving up to Belmont for 2023/24 was 91% |
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