Hornsby House School

At Hornsby House we want families to feel that our exciting and wide-ranging education is individually wrapped around their child. From getting muddy in reception forest school to surviving in the great outdoors of the Highlands, they will be provided with a floor but no ceiling. They are encouraged to give everything a go across our broad and balanced curriculum; learning is to be embraced not feared.

During their time with us, every child will act in major productions, sing in a choir, have their artwork displayed and play in sports fixtures. Collaborating, empathising, developing resilience, thinking critically and innovating are essential skills in this modern world and nurtured through a wide range of opportunities. Furthermore, the children in years 3-6 benefit from using one-to-one devices to support their learning and help them prepare for the future.

Children learn best when they’re safe and feel valued, so ensuring that the school continues to be warm, happy and nurturing is fundamental. Kindness is a central pillar of our core values, ‘head heart spirit’, which encourage both children and adults to show empathy and humility towards one another. Wellbeing clubs, eight specialist learning development teachers, a school counsellor and school dog all play their part in supporting the children’s happiness.

The children have a voice, whether that's representing their class on the school council or suggesting changes they would like to see within the school. The children were central to our recent modernisation of the house system, which involved the evolution of our previous houses, named after pioneering men and women, to a new group of names and emblems that will offer wider inspiration and connection for the children.

Always investing in the children’s education, we embark upon an ambitious and exciting project this summer to increase the capacity of the main hall by half, refurbishing our existing classrooms and building six new classrooms on the first floor to create distinct spaces for science, modern foreign languages and the performing arts.

The spirit of the school also needs to have an effect beyond our four walls and be felt in our local community. An ambitious diversity and inclusion programme runs alongside outreach initiatives, which support local primary schools. Staff meet weekly to discuss and debate matters relating to diversity and inclusion to ensure that the curriculum, our amazing school lunches and our events are reflective of our families and staff. The children understand what it means to live in our brilliantly vibrant and diverse city and all the opportunities that go with it.

Our year 6 cohorts continue to step up to the challenge of the 11+ transfer process, achieving a balance of work, rest and play as they secure their places for year 7 at some of the top independent schools in London. It is the culmination of seven years of nurture and excellent schooling in which the children are encouraged to take risks, try new ways of overcoming challenges and learn how to educate themselves. A Hornsby House education…individually wrapped!