Sydenham High School Prep A GSG School
- Sydenham High School Prep
15 Westwood Hill
London
SE26 6BL - Head: Gillian Panton
- T 020 8557 7000
- F 020 8557 7071
- E admissions@syd.gdst.net
- W www.sydenhamhi…chool.gdst.net/
- A mainstream independent school for girls aged from 4 to 11 with a linked senior school
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Lewisham
- Pupils: 242
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Fees: £18,799 pa (last updated on 21/01/2025)
- Open days: See website. To book and for details of Taster Days, please see our website
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Linked schools: Sydenham High School
What The Good Schools Guide says..
The prep’s mascot is Fina the giraffe, an imaginative idea that really resonates with the girls. The thinking behind it is that Fina perfectly encapsulates the ‘Sydenham Spirit’ – standing tall, sticking your neck out for other people and aiming high. Giraffe pictures are dotted all over the school, the front entrance has two striking metal giraffe sculptures and a giant giraffe mural graces the main stairs. There are so many giraffes that children visiting for the first time call the prep...
What the school says...
Our Prep School is committed to delivering first-class experiences for every pupil which instill a belief that our girls can reach for the stars.
Our Prep School mascot is Fina, the giraffe. Fina perfectly encapsulates the ‘Sydenham Spirit’ and, as such, each Prep School pupil is invited to become a Giraffe Girl. Together, we stand tall, stick our necks out for other people and aim high.
Whilst children have a natural propensity for curiosity, there can be no doubt on the impact that we, as parents and educators, have on fostering a lifelong love of learning. Creating an environment where joyful learning flourishes helps children acquire knowledge and skills, but more importantly, gain confidence and pride in their own intellectual abilities as the young minds of the future. Girls at Sydenham High Prep School are encouraged to forge their own path, prepare for a future unknown; quietly confident in the knowledge that they have all that they could ever need, within themselves.
Our approach to learning at Sydenham High Prep School inspires and ensures that along this path, the girls develop the habits, skillset, mindset and the wellness to be successful wherever life may take them. ...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 2022, Gillian Panton, previously deputy head. Educated at Eton End in Datchet and, when her family moved to Scotland, St Columba’s in Kilmacolm. She studied international relations at St Andrews – ‘which I absolutely loved; my friends from there are still my best friends now’. After university she worked for an events company and a philanthropic organisation but she was increasingly drawn to teaching. She did a PGCE at Cambridge and joined Sydenham High Prep in 2010, teaching at every stage of the school, from reception through to year 6, and becoming subject co-ordinator and director of studies along the way. At one stage she planned to move out of London but is so passionate about the school that she’s stayed. ‘I really believe in giving the girls the best education,’ she says....
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Special Education Needs
The school's special needs policy follows the recommendations of the Code of Practice (2001). At admission each pupil is looked at as an individual case to see whether the school can effectively meet her needs. A girl would only be refused entry if she was unable to attain the required academic standard or if the school was unable to cope with the child's difficulty once every effort had been made to accommodate her needs. The school has a Learning Support Department run by a qualified dyslexia teacher. Individual difficulties (eg mild dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, Aspergers) are handled as appropriate by the Learning Support Department. Pupils whose difficulties form a significant barrier to learning may have an Individual Education Plan and some targeted help from the Learning Support Department. Pupils with specific learning difficulties should be able to cope in mainstream classes but the school offers a supportive environment in which staff are made aware of the ways in which these students can be supported within the classroom. The Junior School also has access to well qualified perpatetic special needs teachers who can give long term individual support during school time and parents may wish to use this facility for which an extra charge is made.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
|
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
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