All posts tagged: schools

Oakfield Prep School bids farewell to the wonderful Mrs Davey

Published by Ben Golden

You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that after 40-plus-some years in a profession you’d more or less seen it all. What a strange time it is then for Oakfield Prep School to say goodbye, at the end of this term, to one of its most treasured and longest-serving staff, Jill Davey. She has been a teacher here for 42 years, and like Oakfield itself, has truly become part of the fabric of the community and Dulwich life. Even in the midst of this pandemic-interrupted swansong Jill remains as astute, child-focused and overwhelmingly positive as ever; “This has been the most unusual year but when the children came back after lockdown, they came in, washed their hands, stood for a while, looked around the classroom, re-engaged with their environment and then just got on with their activities.” They have clearly learned something from Jill who seems to blend non-stop enthusiasm with an insatiable work ethic: “This period has helped me to think about the next stage in my life. I’ve been on a crazy rollercoaster of …

Oakfield Prep School release video in tribute to the NHS’s ‘Heroes in Blue’

Published by Around Dulwich

We have all been taking part in clapping every Thursday to show our support for the bravery and dedication of NHS and frontline workers at this time. Over the last few weeks Oakfield Preparatory School in West Dulwich decided to go one step further and recorded an original song, ‘Heroes in Blue’, in tribute to all NHS staff. The video for the song, which you can find on their YouTube channel, was written, recorded and filmed entirely in lockdown. It features Oakfield staff, pupils and their families singing, dancing and dressing-up as part of the moving singalong. Mr Sam Howes, Oakfield’s Director of Music and writer of ‘Heroes in Blue’, said, “We wanted to do something to demonstrate our appreciation for all that frontline workers are doing to help those in need, and hopefully bring these real-life heroes some much-needed cheer. We hope this song reaches as many of them as possible” Mrs Moyra Thompson, Head of Oakfield Prep School, is in awe of the solidarity and community spirit, “Oakfield has always been a warm, …

Partnerships between state and independent schools celebrated in parliament

Published by Around Dulwich

Dr Joe Spence, Master of Dulwich College and Co-Director of the Southwark Schools Learning Partnership, and Morgan Haines, Headteacher of City Heights E-ACT academy, the College’s educational partner, joined ministers, shadow ministers, MPs and peers in the House of Commons this week to celebrate the thousands of successful partnership projects taking place between state and independent schools across the UK. The ‘Celebrating Partnerships’ event, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Independent Education on Tuesday 11 February, recognised the diverse range of ways in which schools from different sectors work together to create learning and development opportunities for all pupils and staff involved. Projects include subject support in Maths, Science and MFL (Modern Foreign Languages); teacher training; the promotion of sporting and cultural projects between schools; and careers and higher education workshops and advice. Speakers at the event included Lord Agnew, parliamentary under-secretary of state for the school system; Layla Moran, education spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats; Andrew Lewer MBE MP, chairman of the APPG on Independent Education; and Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent …

Mrs Alex Hutchinson named as new Head of James Allen’s Girls’ School

Published by Around Dulwich

James Allen’s Girls’ School has appointed Mrs Alex Hutchinson to be the next Headmistress from September 2020. Alex is currently Headmistress of Woldingham School. She will replace Sally-Anne Huang who has been Headmistress at the school since 2015. Speaking about the appointment, Alex has said, “It is an exceptional privilege to have been invited to be the new Head at JAGS and to continue the outstanding work of Sally-Anne Huang. JAGS is a school at the heart of its own community and I have such happy memories of my time here teaching Chemistry. I very much look forward to getting to know everyone and working with girls, staff, parents and governors to further embed our vision for a unique and outstanding education.” Alex will join JAGS at an exciting time as the school continues to champion girls’ education in a variety of innovative ways, including building further on close ties with local state schools and community groups and extending its bursary provision. David Miller, Chair of Governors said: “Alex’s wealth of experience clearly demonstrates her …

Education news: Sharp Thinking Skills

Published by Around Dulwich

Matt Neil, teacher at Alleyn’s Junior School, tells us how to encourage sharp thinking skills in our children. How many uses are there for… a brick? I recently showed my form a picture of a house brick and asked them to think about different possible uses for it. The variety of responses was astonishing. Alongside the more obvious suggestions were a plethora of abstract and imaginative possibilities, including using it to squash (juice) fruit or heating it up to make a bed warmer! I asked this question to stimulate thinking skills. Learning lists of facts can be impressive but actually, knowledge-based learning techniques require the least amount of thought while good thinking challenges children to take their minds beyond what they already understand. Most children love the chance to think creatively and in doing so they will have to use more ‘brain power’. There are so many ways to do this: Get creative Encourage your child to invent a machine or a new product, design a building or a book cover, write a TV show, …