Old Vicarage School

The carefully balanced education provided by the Old Vicarage, Richmond’s only independent preparatory school for girls, offers your daughter a first class start to life.With our non-selective entry, superbly resourced classrooms, excellent teaching and small class sizes we create an environment in which girls of all abilities can thrive. Reassuringly, if you ask any of our girls, they will tell you with perfect honesty that they love coming here. At the Old Vicarage we make school a very happy experience.

At the Old Vicarage, we ensure your daughter is given an exceptional start, both academically and socially, with happy memories of her time at school. We aim to fulfil her potential and exceed your expectations.
Our main point of entry is into Reception at 4+, in the September following your daughter’s fourth birthday. Occasional places occur higher up the school.The admissions process requires the early completion of a registration form, visiting the school – usually on an open morning and a meeting with the Head about eighteen months before your daughter is due to start.Girls entering the school start at the age of four and are not assessed. From Year 1, we ask girls to spend at least a morning with us during with which they may complete assessments in English and Maths. Reports from previous schools are also requested.

The Lower School, for girls from Reception to Year Two, forms the foundation for the education of our pupils.In Reception, we provide an easy transition from nursery.Girls are given a thorough grounding in phonics and reading and will be taught to recognise and use numbers with a real understanding. We also believe that the Reception year establishes a secure environment so that the girls enjoy coming to school and in which they will flourish and be able to learn easily.Our small class sizes and a teacher and teaching assistant in each class ensure the girls get the best possible start.

In Years One and Two, while they still have the security of a form teacher who teaches them most subjects, the girls start to apply the core skills learned in Reception in a classroom environment. They will have fun creating imaginative stories, explore many different books and authors and begin to explore poetry. We introduce the mastery approach to the teaching of mathematics, based on the approach followed with great success in Singapore and the girls are achieving excellent results based on the Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract approach, with the early mathematicians developing their understanding through all sorts of different practical approaches. They explore their local community in History and Geography lessons and learn about other countries and other times.We are so fortunate to have many local and London museums to bring the past to life.

By Year Two, the girls are introduced to more specialist teachers for Music, Art, PE, ICT, French and Religious Studies, some of whom also teach the girls in earlier years. In this way the girls both know, and are known by, so many other members of staff and really feel part of the Old Vicarage Community.

e use the National Curriculum as the basis of our teaching but extend the girls and broaden their education in so many ways. Whilst having a Form teacher, who will provide pastoral support and teach the girls at least one subject, the girls are introduced to specialist teaching and the knowledge and passion of real enthusiasts in each subject.They will also rise to the challenges of following a timetable, organising themselves to have the right books and resources at the right time and being where they should be – all excellent preparation for senior schools.

French continues to be taught throughout the school and Mandarin is added from Year 4.We challenge the girls to think laterally and creatively and to use the knowledge they are gaining in new and different ways.Our state-of-the-art ICT suite, interactive whiteboards in every room and iPads accessing our VLE, Firefly, allow the girls access to the enormous range of resources available in school and on the internet and for teaching materials to be presented in innovative and attractive ways.

Our aim is to equip girls for a changing world. We want them to think confidently and creatively, to take calculated risks and not to be afraid of making mistakes on the way to success. We are preparing them for a world that requires courage, resilience and flexibility.

The Old Vicarage School prides itself on being a non-selective school at Reception which achieves high academic standards. Our academic curriculum is delivered through superb teaching, first-rate IT facilities and modern approaches to learning. Small class sizes, a committed teaching staff and an emphasis on academic excellence, enable girls to set themselves high standards in everything they do. Teaching is tailored to girls’ particular strengths and abilities and subject specialist teaching increases as our girls progress through the school, becoming the norm from Year Three onward.

We have embraced technology, with Smart TVs in every classroom, a brand new ICT suite and the school VLE platform, Firefly, becoming an integral part of the education of every girl.Those in the Upper School have an iPad each, with Years 5 and 6 taking theirs home.Lower School have class sets available and the girls are quickly getting used to referring to instructions, additional information and challenges presented by their teachers.

These do not, however, replace the critical core skills nor the need to communicate fluently on paper. Our girls are given a thorough grounding in literacy and numeracy, leading to the study of discrete subjects such as English, mathematics, science, computing, religious education, history, geography, French and Mandarin.These are enhanced by music, drama, art and physical education at every age.

Outside the classroom, there are numerous opportunities for children to enjoy performing in assemblies, recital evenings, plays and concerts. Many girls take advantage of individual music and drama lessons with peripatetic teachers.Through timetabled PSHE (Personal, Social, and Health Education) and regular sessions with their form teacher, children learn how to be active inhabitants of the changing world in which we live, appreciating social issues and responsibilities.

We prepare girls not just for senior school, but for life and the demands of the 21st century. Our pupils are assessed regularly and internally in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, leading eventually to preparation for their choice of senior school, through the 11+ Consortium exams, Common Entrance exams and scholarship papers.