Old Palace of John Whitgift School

An Old Palace education allows our students to become capable, confident and connected individuals, well positioned for a successful and meaningful future. We call this the 3Cs.

Capable – Our students become capable in their academic subjects through the excellent teaching provided at the school and through developing their own independent learning skills. Through this capability, Old Palace students develop a love of learning and this allows them to fulfil their academic potential and succeed at the highest level. Capability is also developed through students building their skills in communication, teamwork and resilience through the developmental opportunities provided by the wealth of extra-curricular activities and events.

Confident – Our students’ confidence grows during their time at Old Palace through the excellent pastoral care and support provided by all staff, both inside and outside of the classroom. Old Palace provides a safe, supportive environment with small class sizes so that no student is over-looked. A wealth of different development opportunities can be experienced by every student through the wide range of extra-curricular activities such as dance, debating, drama, music, sport and much more and these also contribute to developing confidence in our students.

Connected –Our students benefit from the school being a smaller learning environment and on joining us they immediately feel part of the Old Palace family. Further opportunities to feel connected within the school are provided by the various form and House activities and extra-curricular activities. Our students also connect to the local community through projects, volunteering and charity work, to the John Whitgift Foundation through links with the other schools and care homes and also connect on an international level with the work the school does to ensure they have a global outlook.

At Old Palace, our students:

• Learn an instinctive, fundamental confidence that has nothing to do with their gender and develop a ‘can-do’ philosophy
• Assume that their opinions and ideas are of interest and do not expect that this is considered unusual, unfeminine or admirable because they are ‘only’ girls
• Take themselves seriously in the best possible way
• Are not taught to ‘play nicely’ because they are girls
• Do not face unspoken prejudices about subject choices and never assume they will be less talented at ‘male’ subjects like Maths and Physics
• Do not defer to male opinion within a classroom because it is more loudly expressed
• Hold all the student leadership positions in a school and are never marginalized
• Are protected from the harmful influence of sexual harassment
• Learn the values of genuine equality and their dreams and ambitions are not limited by subconscious expectations and women and structures

Preparatory and Nursery School