Pembridge Hall School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2022, Sophie Banks, previously head of Eton End School, Datchet. Before that, head of junior department at Beachborough, co-ed prep in Northamptonshire. No stranger to London, having previously taught and run a boarding house with her husband at Dulwich Prep. BA and QTS with specialism in music and drama from Warwick, and MEd in educational leadership from Buckingham. Before teaching career took hold, Mrs Banks had sights on becoming an opera singer, having attended Royal College of Music junior department when she was at school. Apart from the obvious advantage of boosting singing in assembly, she sings in the parent choir and, we have it on good authority, ‘has a beautiful voice’.

Believing strongly that a school can be both academically ambitious and nurturing, Mrs Banks emphasises the balance between hard work and outdoor play; healthy mind, healthy body. She aims to ‘prepare girls for life’: looking after their mental health, igniting a passion within them, and also drawing on the experience, from banking to shoe design, of proud, role-model mothers. ‘We don’t have a Pembridge Hall type,’ she says, ‘we adapt to them, giving every girl the opportunity to grow into a confident young lady at 11.’ Parents tell us she listens, is ‘hands-on’, ‘warm’ and ‘likeable’. Married to Jeremy, head of Caldicott, on the Bucks/Berks border, from where she commutes. They have three daughters.

Entrance

Non-selective academically. Up to 80 places into reception, main point of entry, selected randomly by calendar month to ensure even distribution of birthdays throughout the year. Names down as soon as realistically possible after birth; ‘within a week,’ advise the school. Sibling priority but register early. The year before a girl is due to start, those with confirmed places are invited to an open morning and tour. Subsequent meeting with head to ensure the school ethos matches parent approach to education as ‘constructive relationship’ with parents is highly valued. Occasional places higher up involve pupil chat with head, assessment in English and maths, and half-day visit to see whether ‘pace and rigour of curriculum’ is appropriate.

Exit

Impressive academic results, especially in light of non-selective entry. Since 2018 Godolphin and Latymer most popular choice, followed by Francis Holland (Regent’s Park and Sloane Square), St Paul’s Girls’, South Hampstead, Latymer Upper and Queen’s Gate. Typically around 20 per cent, and rising, go on to board: St Mary’s Ascot, Wycombe Abbey and Downe House most popular in recent years. ‘We love data,’ says head; academic tracking and assessment scores are shared from year 2. ‘Very frank’ conversation with head and senior staff in year 5 when senior school options are discussed. ‘There’s no smoke and mirrors,’ says a parent. ‘You have to trust the school to know what’s best for your child.’

Our view

Follow a bouncing tassel on a Wee Willie Winkie hat to find the beautiful Georgian buildings which have housed the school since 1979. Part of Inspired group, recently acquired from Alpha Plus, the stuccoed houses on this fine residential square boast high ceilings, large bay windows and thick-pile turquoise carpets worthy of any grand Notting Hill household. Neither has much outside space, but the use of Pembridge Square communal gardens (with permission of the residents) is a bonus and the playground areas come alive with girls in velvet-collared coats and velvet ribbons at playtime. Head has responded to strong parental interest around lunch; ethically minded caterer is now on board to cook healthy lunches and accommodate ‘a plethora of allergies’.

Excellent specialist teaching facilities, including French, drama studio, custom-designed science lab, and innovation suite. We watched the science teacher bring science to life with the ‘walking on custard’ experiment to explain viscosity: ‘They touch it, feel it, and love it,’ says one enthusiastic mother. The innovation suite was alive not only with bright-eyed children but also with eye-wiggling ‘Marty Robots’ to learn the basics of coding. Head of digital learning embeds ICT across all subjects, even art, music and drama, saying teachers embrace technology – a number of them are Microsoft Advanced Educators. Even as young as reception, VR sets are used for a rainforest topic. A developing collaboration with neighbours and siblings at Wetherby includes Lego robotics (building and programming) and green screen technology (year 4 girls teaching year 3 boys).

Focus on maths and English is inevitable, with ‘palpable change of pace’ in year 5 ramping up to the 11-plus, and setting from year 4 when parents ‘go through a cold shower’ of understanding where their child is at; it really is ‘game on’ in year 5, according to a realistic parent. Impressive maths enrichment, including visits to Royal Institution masterclasses, encourages girls to connect with other STEM enthusiasts and to think outside the box – Why is time measured in 60 minutes? How and why did counting systems work in Babylonian/Greek/ Roman times? PowerPoint presentations by the girls on female mathematicians inspire as well as boost public speaking skills. Critical thinking is timetabled for older pupils – a mock trial at the Royal Courts of Justice sees girls playing roles of juror, witness or lawyer, reviewing bundles of witness statements beforehand. Poetry, myth-busting and the Declaration of Human Rights come together in a six-week module on refugees, developing reasoning and open-mindedness.

‘Robust’ screening from the get-go aims to identify individual learning needs, most of which are met in class. Full-time SEN and two full- and part-time learning support teachers work closely with children and families and an occupational therapist is also available. Booster clubs before school are highly valued. Around two-thirds speak English as an additional language and there may be preliminary vocab/grammar sessions prior to starting a new topic in the early years. ‘We do not approve of tutoring,’ says head categorically, but parents say it is ‘ingrained in the culture’ and ‘there is general paranoia that they might be missing a trick’ if children are not tutored.

Head believes in giving as many girls as possible a chance to shine, so there are performance opportunities galore. We watched a charming drama class where year 3 girls practised picking a pretend flower with the right hand and an apple with the left. ‘Genuinely fabulous’ class assemblies at St Matthew’s church round the corner, middle school productions (gym and dance opportunities in, for example, Matilda), and performing arts coming together in year 6 play (Bugsy Malone in 2024) over two evenings at Tabernacle Theatre. LAMDA is offered as a paid extra. Every type of dance is on the menu, from street to ballroom. ‘Music is exciting here,’ says head. ‘We like to push girls out of their comfort zone in the best possible way.’ Plenty of talented musicians and numerous ensembles, string quartet, orchestra and choirs, including elite chamber choir tour to Lisbon. Breakfast concerts, tea concerts and everything in between. Music tech a popular paid extra for wannabe songwriters and, on the wish list of course, a recording studio for potential Pembridge Spice Girls. One parent described it as ‘a smorgasbord of opportunity in music, drama and dance’.

We saw innovative cross-curricular planning in music and art, exploring how Kandinsky saw colours when he heard music and how the girls could ‘hear colour’ in their own paintings. English, ICT, dance and critical thinking converge in the Dance Live! project: choreographed dance routines, based on a story championing the rights of refugees, are performed against the backdrop of a giant LED screen, each component created by the girls. Further enrichment comes from the range of clubs, from fencing and gymnastics to chess and coding.

Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park are a mere five-minute walk away, but even the youngest are bussed off site, to Holland Park or Paddington Recreation Ground, for organised activities – now two afternoons a week for older girls, responding to a request from parents for more sport. Six-week rotation of netball, lacrosse, football, athletics, cricket and tag rugby ensures that all girls try most things. Cross-country is not every little girl’s dream, but ‘amazing’ head of sport gets everyone involved and most of them love it. Swimming at Porchester Baths. Plenty of fixtures against other schools, boosted by additional squad training for swimming and netball; 7am whistle for the netball enthusiasts. Netball tour to Dubai in 2023, first-ever ski trip in 2024 and annual residential trips from year 3, culminating in exciting year 6 trip to Normandy.

All parents we spoke to enthused about head of pastoral – a ‘calming influence’, ‘good at spotting issues’, ‘aware of the pressure some girls put themselves under’. Mindfulness rainbow in reception sets girls on a healthy wellbeing path, complemented by overarching PSHE programme. Breathing techniques, self-regulation and stress management become part of the mental health armour. Drop-in sessions and worry boxes available for any young soul who would like a quiet word. Being ‘individual’ is one of six core values and diversity is celebrated across this international community. Mrs Banks leads assemblies promoting the core values, kindness and resilience among them. Girls are, we are told, ‘aware of their privilege’ and of the need to give back. Every attempt is made to keep them ‘grounded and humble’, including supporting a food bank, picking litter and visiting the local care home.

Catchment area is mainly Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea, extending to Fulham to the south and St John’s Wood to the north. Parents are described as ‘smart and aspirational’, ‘international but not transient’ and ‘generally very involved’. Workshops on all aspects of parenting, from sibling rivalry to managing expectations (of parent and child, we surmise) on the sports pitch. ‘School does a good job in managing opinionated parents,’ says one mother, suggesting they are a vocal bunch. Most parents expect great things of their offspring, so it was heart-warming to see little girls being little girls, curious and excited in their learning, but also happy and having a lot of fun at school. Early morning drop-off from 8am, and after-school sessions until 4.45pm. ‘Not all have second homes,’ says one parent, ruefully.

The last word

A well-oiled machine of an academic girls’ school (‘gender-neutral, not pink and fluffy,’ says head), constantly adapting to what lies ahead. Girls, like their parents, are focused, driven and excited about their learning but not at the expense of emotional wellbeing. No two girls are the same, but they skip into school, chatty, smiling and inquisitive.

Special Education Needs

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