An exclusive interview with Mr Adrian Ellis, principal of St John’s Wood Pre-Prep
Published below is an exclusive interview with Mr Adrian Ellis, the very charismatic and personable principal & proprietor of St John’s Wood Pre-Prep conducted on 8th October 2015. Mums In The Wood is very grateful to Mr Ellis for both granting us permission to tour the school and for sitting down with us and answering our questions in such an honest and passionate manner. I hope the interview gives interested parents a flavour for what the school is about.
Question:
How do you feel the size of the school (i.e. having only 7o children) affects the experience the children have at St John’s Wood Pre-Prep when compared with that of a larger 7+ school? What are the advantages and disadvantages with regards to exposure, diversity and social relations? Do children struggle when entering much larger classes in much larger schools at 7+ ?
Answer:
One of the biggest advantages for the children here is that they literally have their teacher’s time on tap. For such young children, larger schools may be intimidating to deal with. Also, a lot of parents who come to the school don’t have family here and one of the biggest advantages of being a small school is that I (and the teachers) can have personal dialogues with all the parents at any time they want. They all have my mobile number and know that they can contact me at any time whether it be for advice, support or just to air any thoughts or anxieties. We live in a society that is fast and furious so I think that feeling like part of a family in a small school makes a big difference. I cannot see any disadvantages to it. We also have a system of the older ones going over and nurturing and helping the younger ones and there is support all through the school. We are also able to focus more on the individual needs of our children and we prepare them thoroughly for 7+ keeping those needs in mind. We can do this and invest the time needed because we are a small school. We are in fact more like a private member’s club rather than a school because of our size.
Question:
How do you respond to parents who have voiced concerns that compared to other pre-preps, the school’s focus on academics is very strong from the start?
Answer:
At the end of the day, a lot of parents are depending on us to achieve a lot in a relatively short space of time so yes, the focus on academics is quite strong but our focus on letting children be children is very well balanced within the school day. A Pre-Prep should not be a pressured environment for the children in any sense. There is less of an urgency at 7+ in a school that goes all the way to 11+ or 13+ but parents have high expectations of the 7+ schools so we do have to make sure that our children are up to scratch which they are and parents are fully aware of what they are buying into when they register their children with us. We do not test 3 and 4 year old precisely for the reason that we do not think there is any point. But we do have certain expectations of the child and parent. You cannot make a decision on a child’s ability based on a single assessment. We take children in and then nurture them and help them grow. We encourage creative thinking and imagination and there are a few occasions over the week that we don’t put toys out in the playground because we want them to use their imagination and be creative and think up games. We have excellent relationships with prep schools to the extent that should a child have a bad day, we may contact the prep to confirm their test results were not the child’s usual par. Of course, this would be done, only where appropriate to do so.
Question:
Due to the focus on academics early on, would it be correct to state that all the children at the school are of a certain type or have similar characteristics? Would, for example summer borns and late developers struggle?
Answer:
No. Not really. We have very different children who all work well together. Some children, boys in particular, just want to be boys. They want to run and jump and expel their energy. Some are quite academic from the start. Some have extremely enquiring minds. We work with each child depending on the pace at which they are proceeding. We do focus on academics but if they are struggling, we’ll ease back. There is no pressure. After all, you cannot push water uphill. If they are not ready to sit a competitive 7+ exam, we suggest they apply for places at a 11+ school and suggest schools who will make space for children at Year 3. Children move at different rates and what we often find is that it is the ambition of the parents that drive comparisons between children. This often leads to parents winding each other up. Sometime, parents do find that the school may be too academic for some children but there is a lot of movement within schools at this age so finding another place at a prep school for example, is not impossible. You have to think about the individual child. Push the ones who can be pushed and ease off the ones who are not ready. Something to bear in mind is that if you push a child too hard, too early, you are in danger of putting them off learning completely. We would never want that.
Question:
As the school is adjacent to the church, there are people who visit the church for a number of reasons. Does this pose a security threat and do you have to put in place extra measures to ensure that no one can enter the premises through the church?
Answer:
Entry from the church to the school is restricted. No unauthorised person can enter the school through the church and those who go to worship have access only to the church as the vestry linking the school are blocked during school hours. The Parish Office is on the side and when the bell is rung, no one is allowed in until someone from the office opens the door to them and accompanies them inside. Security and safeguarding children is paramount and is under ongoing review.
Question:
Some of the classes at the school are held in a wide corridor with glass doors. This raises two concerns.
a) that the noise from the class in the hall may disrupt the children in the corridor or
b) that they may become distracted by what is going on outside as the windows are floor to ceiling and facing the road
How does the school circumvent these issues?
Answer:
a) The noise doesn’t travel between classes and circle time is held in the relevant classes. The children who work in the corridor also have a classroom to which they go for carpet time and other lessons.
b) The classes in the corridor (Ambulatory) are for children who are between 3 and 4 years of age. We have placed all the equipment, shelves and toys at eye level for the children so that while it may seem that the windows provide a source of distraction to adults, in fact, what the children see and are engaged by are the toys, books and other learning resources that have been strategically placed at eye and hand level for them.
Question:
Does the school have an affiliation with St John’s Wood Church? Do children go for mass etc?
Answer:
No. There is no affiliation. On a Friday, the parents come in and we have an assembly and we celebrate everything. I often say the school is like the United Nations because we celebrate so many cultural events and religious festivals. Parent involvement in the school is high and often parents will come in and take assembly. Having so many different children from different ethnicities really helps the children to understand each other and grow. There is exposure to different religions and cultures.
Question:
What provision do you have for SEN children and children who are gifted and talented?
Answer:
We have a Special Need Co-ordinator on site. It often depends on the actual need of the child but we do provide support. We also have an ABA therapist who comes in at reception level. We have experience of autism , cerebral palsy and more and all are supported within the school as best as possible. I am a firm believer that every child should be able to access education.
We also have a Gifted and Talented list for internal use. We don’t release the names to parents as we prefer to concentrate on all individuals and their abilities..
We also do not stream children and there is a lot of movement between sets. It is all about the individual child and the school is small enough for us to be able successfully to differentiate the needs of each and cater to those needs as relevant.
My thoughts
Mr Ellis has a clear passion and love for the school he runs. He is warm and welcoming and his personality has clearly had an influence on the children who are bouncy, happy and eager to chat. Yes, the school is small and the out door premises are small in comparison to other schools, but, being small, the school has the advantage, not only of being able to cater to the individual needs of each child in the school but also, of being flexible in areas where other schools may not be able to be and in the summer it is not unknown for the teachers to teach their classes sitting in the sunshine, in St John’s Wood Park. Easter egg hunts are also conducted at the park and the children are often taken round to the playground there which more than makes up for the lack of climbing frames etc in the school yard. There is a lot of creative out put and school work decorates all the walls around. The children are clearly interested and engaged. They were eager to recite poems and share their story writing exercises and were confident, articulate and capable. The food is organic and cooked on the premises, the school has excellent exits and exudes a warm, friendly atmosphere. Mr Ellis knows the children by name and is clearly firm but friendly and kind and the children respond very well to him and the staff. All in all, a warm happy little school that has successfully balanced achieving good academic standards while making sure their children don’t lose their childhood.
