More House School (London)

More House has recently started taking pupils into years 5 and 6 (ages 9-11). Entrance via a taster day, an informal interview and assessments in maths and English. Open mornings throughout autumn and summer terms and private tours for girls looking to take occasional places in year groups.

Part of London 11+ Consortium. The entrance process at this stage consists of a test (this year the ISEB test was used), a head’s reference and there is great emphasis on activities morning that all applicants are invited to which includes STEM challenge, creative task and an individual interview. For the next round of admissions, the London 11+ Consortium will be changing the exam board they are using but for More House the assessment process ‘will always look beyond the exams’. The school says, ‘Every child has a gift and at More House we celebrate these gifts and let pupils carve out their own unique path.’ Note that increasing numbers of applicants every year. Normally 32 places available (two forms of 16) – girls are either offered a definite place or put on the wait-list.

For entry into sixth form, candidates need five GCSEs at grade 5 or above and at least a 5 in English language and maths, plus at least a 6 in subjects to be studied.

About half stay on for sixth form. The rest mainly to co-ed establishments or local sixth form colleges. Post A levels, girls head to universities all over the UK, though London universities are popular. One to film school, one to specialist music college and one to study in S Africa in 2024; no Oxbridge or medics. Subjects include maths, criminology, law, music, psychology and classics. . 'The school isn't striving to get everyone into university. That’s not what they are about. They try to support the girl in finding out what is best for them,' said one parent approvingly. Even if a girl is deemed to be Oxbridge material, there is no pressure on her to apply if it’s not the right course for her.

‘A fantastic cohort of creative thinkers,’ said the previous head about her staff team, adding that she only recruits teachers who are ‘dynamic’, ‘kind’ and who have a ‘vision’. ‘We recognise that every child’s learning is different. We want to build confidence in pupils that might think in a different way.’ ‘Really genuine and always willing to help,’ say pupils. Small class sizes help to foster this bond.

Wide range of academic ability. As one parent put it, ‘There are less intellectually confident girls here who are nurtured and there are also some very clever girls whose parents have chosen the school because it is Catholic.’ Another told us the school ‘suits both my daughters – a very academic one and a less academic, more arty one.’

All girls take two languages with Spanish, German, French and Italian options available; pupils who are bilingual can take a GCSE in their mother tongue early. Maths, science and languages are taught in ability sets. RS compulsory at GCSE and many continue with it at A level. School favours the philosophy and ethics course as it ‘encourages girls to question their spirituality’. Pupils take between eight and 11 GCSEs.

Psychology currently popular at A level, though subjects wax and wane depending upon the cohort. School happy to have only one or two pupils taking a subject at A level and class sizes are seldom above six. Timetable built around what girls want to do and school tries to be flexible. Eighteen subjects currently taught at A level, plus EPQ.

School has tightened up on academic rigour, making some significant changes in recent years. Feedback from teachers is detailed and there is constant dialogue between staff and pupils. Academic monitoring is excellent, with assessment points four times a year to ensure those not making enough progress are quickly identified. Staff appraisals take place more regularly and twilight sessions help ensure staff are on board with changes being implemented. ‘As a small school, pupils are known, noticed and nurtured in both academic and co-curricular endeavours,’ claims school.

Be More, the school’s innovative gifted and talented programme, is newly launched and run by two teachers. Anyone from top performers in public exams to brilliant debaters to arts and music based scholars can be nominated for this programme by teachers or from outside the school. ‘It is a way of making sure individual students are stretched and challenged with trips and podcasts aimed at them. However, we are very careful to tread the line so that other girls don’t feel excluded.’

Blended learning approach has become the norm post-Covid, with all pupils having a personal Chromebook or laptop that they use for some of each lesson.

‘They nailed my daughter in understanding her very particular needs and she has really thrived in their nurturing environment,’ one parent enthused. The learning support department comprises a full-time (and very hands-on) SENCo who has ‘loads of contact with parents’, plus two learning support teachers, a part-time speech and language therapist, art therapists, a school counsellor (who visits four times a week) and an educational psychiatrist. CBT also offered. Mild dyslexia accounts for half of those on the SEN register, but the school can also support girls with dyscalculia and dyspraxia, and EAL girls have extra English support until it is up to scratch. About 25-30 girls receive one-to-one support, with others having help with maths and English in small booster groups. Everyone is dealt with as complete individuals. ‘We don’t do generic,’ says SENCo, who adds that 'it's about supporting the girls’ emotional needs as well as getting them the very best grades they can.’

Creative arts have always been at the heart of this school, which well deserves its strong artistic reputation and currently boasts a textiles specialist, a painter and a mixed media artist. Numerous visits arranged to London galleries.

‘Exceptional and inclusive,’ said a parent about music. All year 7s play an instrument (brass, string or woodwind) and three-quarters of girls have individual music lessons. Strong choral tradition, with girls encouraged to belong to either choir or chamber choir. All musical tastes catered for. Impressive alumnae to music colleges. One recently to Julliard in New York.

Drama is a strength - a legacy from the previous head, an actor in a former life. Biennial musicals staged in a professional theatre – next up is The Addams Family, which will take place in a theatre in Kensington. School says it tries to give everyone a chance and that it’s not just about those with more obvious talent.

‘Amazing selection of clubs and extracurricular,’ enthused one parent. ‘Definitely something for everyone,’ said another. Takes place before and after school, and during lunchtimes too. Thriving debating club (which parents are welcome to listen to), plus clubs in eg handwriting and calligraphy, photography, dance, running circuits and aerobics. Enviable overseas trips to Tuscany for choir, Germany and Spain for exchange students and Vermont for skiing (to name but a few). Some trips are subsidised for those who can’t afford the costs, and alternative trips are also organised in London.

Big on environment and sustainability. More Green, the whole-school sustainability group, recently launched an award at prize-giving - pupils were invited to come up with a green initiative with a £50 budget and ideas were assessed on impact and longevity. The winning idea was a pupil-led weekly gardening club which is now growing fruit and vegetables in the school courtyard.

‘PE is being taken a lot more seriously than in the past,’ said one delighted parent and sport is currently bolstered by a partnership with Lions Sports Academy. For the first three years all girls participate in netball, rounders, hockey, athletics and tennis as well as a healthy active lifestyle programme. Years 10-11 can also do circuit training, fitness classes, spinning and climbing and sixth formers do boot camp. School is aware of the onsite space limitations, so takes the girls to Hyde Park or Battersea Park. Parents say school has ‘broadened the range of extracurricular sport too’ – eg fencing, rowing and yoga now offered. Mixed results for sporting fixtures with some of the other local and bigger schools. ‘If your daughter wants to do sports on a competitive level this might not be the right school for her, but it is highly inclusive and every girl gets the chance to have a go,’ felt a parent.

Pastorally among the best we have seen and the reason many parents choose this school over others. ‘Absolutely phenomenal,’ said one parent, another that ‘my daughter has been encouraged every step of the way. She literally comes home bouncing off the walls. Fully inspired.’ The school motto of ‘a greenhouse not a hothouse’ is evident in the way they nurture their young people and because of the size of the school, issues big and small are picked up straight away and ‘nipped in the bud’. Lots of support in place - two form tutors for every class of 16. Students we spoke to said it was a lovely close-knit community with emphasis on kindness and respect: ‘I’m able to shine a lot more than in my last school,’ said one. We loved the idea of the sixth formers’ ‘friendship hour’ which takes place every Tuesday in the common room.

Strong Catholic ethos. The school has its own chapel and mass once a week. Girls are prepared for confirmation. Currently 30 per cent Catholic although there are girls of all faiths and none. Charity is seen as an important part of the girls’ education and decent sums of money are raised for various causes. School is also big on good deeds, eg girls wrote letters to residents in care homes during the pandemic.

‘Quite strict’, some parents felt, but nobody seemed negative about it. ‘It helps with the positive vibe and the great behaviour of the girls, which is often commented on by members of the public,’ commented one. School says it doesn’t like to punish, rather to view students as ‘whole people’ - foibles and all. Exclusions rare, with school feeling it’s not the best way to deal with girls especially during Covid when ‘much of the time was spent behind their computers in their bedroom.’

Roughly 70 per cent British with a large international contingent from Spain, France, China, Russia, America and the Middle East. Girls travel from all over London for the school – can be a bit frustrating, said a parent: ‘My daughter lives in Fulham but her best friend lives in Putney. But many of the girls just meet near school, at Harvey Nics, and go downstairs for their bubble tea!’ Most girls come from professional families, some with ‘seriously wealthy parents’ and others with dual income parents who make considerable sacrifices to send their girls here. Parents told us ‘nobody is showy’ and that ‘everyone is friendly’. ‘The really snobby ones probably wouldn’t choose this school anyway,’ reckoned one. Small but active PTA recently helped to fund specialist talks on nutrition and social media, among other things.