St John's School

St John’s School, Sidmouth is an independent day and boarding school in Devon for boys and girls aged 2.5 -16. The school is located on a hill overlooking the sea in the beautiful Regency town of Sidmouth and benefits from excellent facilities including beautiful historic buildings, extensive grounds and playing fields, indoor sports hall, adventure playground and tennis courts.

With its warm, happy atmosphere, St John’s prides itself on providing a caring and safe environment for all its students. Most importantly, it is large enough to offer a broad study programme yet small enough to retain a special family feel that is valued by our students, parents and staff alike.

Throughout their school life at St John’s, our students are encouraged to be inquirers. For us it’s not about learning by rote, it’s about teaching our students how to find things out for themselves, encouraging them, stimulating them, supporting them and then letting them fly. It’s an approach that starts at the very beginning of their school journey and continues long after they leave us.

Our Nursery caters for 2.5 year olds to 4 year olds, 8am to 5pm, term time only. Our team consists of; a nursery manager, along with a full time deputy and assistants. Our highly experienced, passionate and motivated team is supplemented by St John’s School PE, Swimming, Music and Spanish teachers, who provide age-appropriate learning. We are far more than a child–minding centre, and make up an integral part of St John’s School.

As part of the school, we are lucky enough to be able to enjoy all the school facilities including the sports hall, the extensive playing fields, Welly Boot Camp, in addition to a heated indoor/outdoor swimming pool. This allows our youngest children the opportunity to access fun lessons, which we consider essential with so many water hazards and amenities in the local area. Older children from the school often help within Nursery and this contributes to a smooth transition for those moving through to ‘big school’ in Reception at St John’s, which we would hope to be the majority! There is also a constant interaction between Nursery, Reception and Year 1, the sharing of resources in addition to team teaching, so that all children benefit from staff skills, enthusiasm and professionalism.

As well as a package of comprehensive care throughout the day, children receive a mid-morning snack, a healthy lunch in our nursery dining area and a light tea in the afternoon. There is a small charge for lunch and afternoon tea in the Nursery or you can bring a packed lunch for your child.

St John’s Nursery is subject to Independent School Inspections on a regular basis and receives glowing praise for the academic and pastoral support, along with the opportunity to enjoy the excellent school facilities.

As a small family-orientated school with international links, we enable our pupils to become better global citizens. Pupils have the opportunity to take part in regular fixtures, exchanges to our sister schools in Europe, our Forest School, trips and residentials as well as other experiences that enrich their learning and personal development.

Our pupils are encouraged to be inquirers, to take responsibility for their own learning and to be independent thinkers who will not shirk away from a challenge. We have high expectations for our pupils and we believe in the importance of not only preparing them for success in exams but also equipping them with the skills necessary to succeed in today’s fast paced global community.

The curriculum provides our pupils with a broad and balanced academic education, with a combination of classroom lessons, visiting speakers, workshops and tutorial time. The curriculum is delivered through the St John’s Clavis Programme. This incorporates the values of the International Baccalaureate whilst preparing pupils for the robustness and demands of the new IGCSEs.

A key component of St John’s is to promote a keen sense of enquiry and collaboration. The Clavis programme culminates in an exhibition that is planned and created by the pupils. A given theme is explored across all areas of the curriculum and pupils then present their ideas, performances and research to parents and invited guests.

The Clavis curriculum is further extended through our international exchange opportunities. These programmes encourage pupils to explore global issues and enjoy the benefits of being part of a worldwide network of schools.

For many years, St John’s has provided a wide range of flexible study options for international students including:

Short Course (ages 9-16)

Immersion (full inclusion in mainstream school from age 9-16)

Pathway to GCSE Programme (ages 14-16)

Most importantly, we aim to help students realise their potential, whether they are staying with us for one term or for the whole of their school life.

An intensive curriculum combined with first-class care and supervision will provide the best linguistic, academic, cultural and social preparation for admission to, and success in, UK schools and universities.

We welcome students from all corners of the globe and regularly have students from more than 10 different countries in our boarding house including Spain, China, Kazakhstan, France, Russia, Chile, Ecuador and South Africa.

Not only do we have a large number of students from overseas, we are also part of the wider organisation of International Education Systems (IES), whose mission is to provide education with an international perspective. Our links with our IES and SEK sister schools mean that we are a truly international community.

Vision
St.John’s School deliver a rigorous skills-based curriculum through relevant and real-life challenges that have meaning to learners and encourages them to take responsible action from what they have learned.

Our student-centred approach allows students to build on previous learning and to demonstrate this in a variety of ways which ensures personal success for each learner.

IES graduates are confident and independent creative problem-solvers with a passion for learning. They are empathetic, open minded and resolute; appreciate their own culture and respect the cultures of others.

They are future-ready global citizens who are prepared for the real world and want to make a difference.