The Old Vicarage School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2023, Clare Strickland. Raised in Oxford, Froebel trained, MA (Oxford Brookes) and PGCE (Cambridge). Currently doing an educational doctorate and ‘loving being back to being a learner’. First job at St George’s Ascot followed by a stint at Millfield senior school. Thereafter, Dragon School, Oxford, rising to deputy head before moving to Richmond as head of OVS. There is no doubt that her experience gives her a useful insight and understanding of the journey on which her young charges are embarking.

The head has ‘remarkable energy’ and ‘numerous, sometimes slightly bonkers, ideas,’ according to colleagues and parents, very much said as a compliment. ‘She’s a believer in pushing boundaries, in experimentation’, but will also adjust her ideas to ensure good outcomes. Balancing a traditional education with the innovation needed to ensure girls are prepared for the future is key.

Hobbies include running, walking and reading. Hockey, her preferred sport, has had to take a back seat as she has ‘no time now.’ Two adult children, one a teacher, the other a lawyer.

Parents are delighted. They describe the head as ‘super refreshing’, ‘solution based’, ‘positive and proactive’. Girls think she is great too, telling us, ‘She is always smiling’, ‘She’s friendly’ and, importantly we feel, ‘She’s not scary’. It no doubt helps that she is very hands on, reads with the little ones and knows all the girls by name.

Entrance

Many pupils very local (within walking or scootering distance - handy as parking near the school can be a challenge) but catchment area extends to Putney, Barnes, East Sheen, Kew, Hammersmith, Twickenham and Isleworth.

Non-selective with two main entry points: Little Vic (the nursery) and reception (two classes of 15). Girls can join Little Vic immediately after their third birthdays and have priority when it comes to reception places. Thereafter, sibling priority and then it’s first come, first served. For occasional places in other years, maths and English are gently assessed during a morning spent at the school.

Exit

For a non-selective school, massively impressive leavers’ destinations. Numerous offers with a healthy number of scholarships. Lady Eleanor Holles, Epsom College, Godolphin and Latymer, Surbiton High School and Putney High School the most popular over the last four years with Ibstock Place School not far behind. Also, Francis Holland and Downe House. One or two a year to Wimbledon High, St Paul’s, Kingston Grammar School and to boarding schools. In 2024, 24 girls with no fewer than 16 scholarships, heading off to ten different schools.

Our view

Located close to Richmond Park in a cream-coloured grade 2 listed castle complete with arrow slits, battlements, towers, crenelations, arched windows and a studded front door. All that’s missing, really, is a portcullis, a moat and a knight in shining armour.

Buildings can be complicated to navigate, especially those with multiple staircases, but our guides aced it, all the while waxing lyrical about their school. The interior does not disappoint with detailed panels, cornicing, beautiful ornate door surrounds and tall windows set in deep bays – perfect for displays or as small reading nooks. Displays (‘changed really often’, sometimes under the supervision of year 6 subject prefects) are bright and cheerful. On one large board, self-portraits: carefully crafted collages made with wool, pieces of fabric, cupcake cases and doilies (cut into quarters they make effective skirts, we discovered) and, of course, a few jewels and sequins to add a little sparkle.

Columns of books outside classrooms with some challenging titles, we noticed. The girls happily pointed out the ones they had read and talked enthusiastically about books generally. The timetable allows ‘plenty of time’ for reading and every class has a dedicated lesson in the library each week. A well-organised space with sections dedicated to the lower school, the upper school and non-fiction reading. Reading challenge for years 4 and 5 in the summer term: read as many books as you can. Winners get tea ‘with brownies’.

DT projects displayed halfway up a staircase. Our guides pointed, with pride, to theirs and explained how they worked in small groups to plan and construct playgrounds using levers and pulleys. There were slides, seesaws, swings, climbing walls, monkey bars, zip wires and spring riders. Imagination had run riot but with some serious design and technology skills involved too. And it had evidently been tremendously good fun.

The playground, blue tarmac rather than the traditional green, marked out with games and with a large wooden castle alongside the real one. A climbing wall for those seeking a vertical challenge.

We saw some wonderful teaching and girls, sponge-like, absorbing information, building skills and taking risks. ‘Wrong answers don’t matter,’ a year 6 girl told us, ‘so long as you try.’ Classes are small (maximum 15) so ‘the girls are known, understood and noticed’. Specialist teachers from reception for music, drama, sport, art and French and from year 3 for all subjects. From year 5, streaming for English and maths.

In reception, the girls (one wearing a beautiful, bejewelled crown in recognition of her birthday) were ‘counting on’. Serious and focused they watched as a classmate carefully added four more circles to the five displayed on the white board and announced there were now nine circles.

In year 1, girls were busy sequencing the events in the story of the three billy goats gruff and were using adjectives, ‘to make our writing exciting’. Elsewhere, classes were mastering irregular plurals in English, using original sources to research the history of the school (the intention being to produce a museum-type display later in the term), and planting seeds at the start of a junior petunia competition in science. In the ICT suite, Year 6 were busy using HTML to create web pages, coding and learning how crucial accuracy is to avoid the computer saying ‘no’.

One of the most remarkable post-11+ activities this hack has witnessed was the Catalyst programme, by Winchester College, in which the year 6 girls were deeply involved when we visited. Having investigated the impact of technology on modern society, they were researching global problems and how these might be tackled both on a global and a local scale. The next step would be to present their ideas effectively. They discussed the concept of ethical decisions, catalysts and, before long, were using terminology such as deontology and utilitarianism like regular philosophers. All the while, soft skills were being honed.

Parents we spoke to were unanimously happy with the preparation for the 11+ describing it as ‘steady and thorough’ and ‘nurturing’. The consensus is that girls ‘get into the school that is right for them.’ Tutors, we were told, are not needed. ‘Some do. Most don’t.’ One parent told us, ‘Pressure comes from the parents. The school provides the balance.’

Just down the road in a spacious church hall, Little Vic is a relatively new addition. Very small girls in smocks and plimsolls (they change out of their outdoor shoes on arrival as ‘soft soles are less noisy’) busy getting involved in creative activities, structured play, phonics and maths. Some had been predicting what would happen to flowers that had been placed in water with red and blue food colouring. Most had come up with feasible ideas. A couple, perhaps not so much. Outside, a small but perfectly formed playground down a fire escape with quite the muddiest mud kitchen we have ever seen, complete with giant-sized plastic minibeasts and mini-sized garden tools.

Learning support room is on the top floor. Relatively few girls have a formal diagnosis, but plenty access support (occasionally or regularly). The setup is ‘very fluid’ and holistic. Needs include neurodiversity, sensory processing issues, and social and communication difficulties. Two Helen Arkell qualified members of staff work one-to-one with girls and ensure their needs are catered for in lessons. External specialists are accessed when appropriate. One parent described the support given to her daughter as ‘transformative’, not just for her, but for the whole family. School has accepted, and will accept, EHCPs but there are limitations in terms of adjustments that can be made to cater for the needs of children with physical disabilities due to the listed status of the building.

From the displays, it is clear art forms a part of many lessons, not just those timetabled as art per se. A small art room (‘perfect for small classes’) where industrious girls were bent over, creating mosaics using tiny ceramic and glass tiles. Above them, Picasso style portraits in oil pastels brightened up one wall, winter landscapes in acrylic another. Looking at work done and work in progress (on display, in sketchbooks or drying on racks) it was hard not to be impressed. Success in competitions testament to the girls’ talent and the quality of the teaching.

Across the playground, the hall and, up a steep and narrow wooden staircase, the music and drama rooms. Singing came in for a special mention and, having observed a choir practice, this comes as no surprise. An orchestra, senior and junior choirs and an ‘infant choir’ for years 1 and 2. Opportunities to perform are seized, both locally and further afield, with the senior choir recently reaching the finals of the GSA Choir of the Year competition.

Drama, a new addition to the curriculum and currently being rolled out throughout the school, is proving massively popular with ‘amazing, emotional and inspiring’ teaching. Rehearsals were underway for a cabaret evening showcasing the older girls’ talents in French, drama and music. The hall, transformed into a café with French flags and checked table clothes, would later fill with parents, wine, cheese and the odd baguette.

A wide range of clubs before, during and (mainly) after school: girls code, sew, sing, fence, dance and debate, they create films, play chess and instruments. They do judo, Lego robotics, MTech, art and LAMDA. Residential trips from year 3. Year 6 girls were eagerly anticipating their imminent trip to France which was to involve a visit to a snail farm and to a market where they would be given three euros and compete in teams to source ingredients for a sandwich making competition.

Much praise for the sport provision. ‘It’s brilliant despite this being a small school in a small space,’ we were told. Onsite hall and playground for PE, but facilities at King George’s playing fields in Ham and Barnes hockey club ensure these girls get plenty of exercise. Swimming for every pupil once a week throughout the year.

In PE, lower school pupils focus on key skills (agility, balance and coordination). When we visited, year 1 were in the playground, throwing beanbags. A couple were struggling a little with the direction of their throws, but all were enjoying themselves and some had truly impressive range and accuracy.

Early morning games, PE and a games afternoon each week from year 3. All get opportunities to represent the school in netball, football, hockey, cricket and athletics. Some teams and individuals compete at tournaments and at borough, county or national level, often with considerable success, especially in swimming, netball, cricket and cross country.

The school values are curiosity, ambition, resilience and empathy (producing an appropriate acronym). Girls understand how they can demonstrate these in and out of school and we saw evidence of all four. There is plenty of tradition here (including the velvet collared coats, boaters and blazers) but also a huge amount of innovation. Links are being forged with a local boys’ school, Tower House School, with workshops and, possibly, a combined ski trip in the pipeline. Head is adamant that things must keep evolving and staff must keep learning. ‘If, in education, you stand still for a year, you’ve gone backwards,’ she told us.

Wellbeing is prioritised and ongoing staff training ensures there is expertise. The wellbeing hub is currently based in the deputy head’s office but two small rooms are soon to be transformed into sensory rooms for any girls who need a little space. Effective communication and positive relationships underpin much that is going on. Pupils are encouraged to identify and understand their emotions and to develop strategies to self-regulate. A few pupils are trained as wellbeing ambassadors each year while a carefully implemented buddy system sees each of the younger girls is assigned a buddy who is three years ahead of them. They ‘do lots of things together’ and we observed many little waves of acknowledgement and the occasional hug between buddies. Comfortable relationships. The four houses to which girls belong meet biweekly and there are ‘loads’ of interhouse events and competitions.

Pupils and parents are not very diverse: but then neither is this particular corner of south-west London. Mainly professional and increasingly both working, they are grateful for the wraparound care on offer. The parents’ association (FOVS) is enthusiastic, active and productive. The parent social scene is ‘big’ we were told with friendships formed that go far beyond quiz evenings, school fairs and other fundraisers.

Money matters

Fees are competitive and all inclusive. No charge for in-house learning support.

The last word

So much going on - we couldn’t help but wonder whether the girls here possess Hermione Granger style time-turners which enable them to do more in a school day than would normally be possible. The Old Vicarage is a ‘happy little haven’ where the best of traditional values combines with a positive and progressive education. Inspirational teaching, loads of variety, engaged, enthusiastic and engaging pupils. Great results. What a gem.

Special Education Needs