FAQs

Your child may start in our Pre Prep class from 3 years old. There are several Taster Day activities in which children can become more involved including Forest School sessions and a morning spent at school with their new class teacher to ensure a smooth transition to school.

Although most children join at the start of the academic year, we do understand that a change of house or other circumstances can mean that a family may only be in a position to join us later in the year. Therefore, children are welcome to join us at any time during the year.

We have a breakfast club which runs from 07.30. The school gates open at 08.15 in readiness for registration at 08.25. Lessons begin at 08.30. The school day for children in Pre Prep to Year 2 finishes at 15.30 and, for children in Year 3 and above, 15.50. There are various after-school clubs and activities for parents to choose from; Free after school care is also available daily until 18.00.

Wandsworth Prep offers small class sizes to ensure that each child receives high quality individual care. In Pre Prep and Reception children are taught by a class teacher with the support of a teaching assistant. In Years 1-6, Teaching Assistants move around the school to support children’s needs and to extend their learning.

We are a local school. Our children come from the local area either within walking distance or a short car journey away.

Our School day is busy and productive, and homework usually reinforces material already learned in class. In their early years, the focus will be on reading and by Year 2 spellings and some practical maths activities will be included. During Years 3 and 4 reading, spellings, times-tables and an English activity are the general requirements. More structured homework can be expected in Years 5 and 6 where children begin to prepare for 11+ exams. Find out about our 11+ preparation and support on our 11+ pages.

All our children learn Spanish and French as part of the curriculum from Reception to Year 6. Languages are taught by a specialist Modern Foreign languages teacher.
Pupils aged between 6 and 11, whose mother tongue is French, have the opportunity to follow both the French and the English curriculum alongside one another. We do this by offering the CNED programme; a well-established programme validated by the French Ministry of Education to provide a French educational standard for students living overseas. Find out more here.

In addition to class music lessons, we also have a team of dedicated peripatetic teachers to take individual lessons in piano, violin, flute, brass, guitar and singing. Tuition is arranged through the music department. Children can be entered for examinations set by the Royal Schools of Music. There are also opportunities for children to perform at music recitals and concerts.

From entry to the school in Pre Prep, children benefit from specialist teaching in Physical Education. Our curriculum encompasses football, netball, hockey, cricket, athletics and swimming in Reception and Year 1. Fixtures against other schools take place during P.E afternoons. Prep Prep, Reception and Year 1 children learn PE on site, Year 2 go to Wandsworth common and children in Years 3-6 walk twice a week to our local PE facility at The Wandle Recreation Centre.

Our small class sizes allow us to challenge and support children as necessary and those who have been identified as able and talented are given opportunities within all subject areas and through extra-curricular activities to use and develop their gifts and talents to fulfil their potential.

We have an open door policy whereby parents may meet, e-mail or talk by telephone to teachers in order to discuss day-to-day concerns and their child’s progress. In addition we offer a weekly newsletter which details key dates and further details such as fixtures or events. A fortnightly i-letter allows parents to keep up-to-date with events and their child’s learning. More formal feedback is given through parents’ evenings and detailed, written reports.

We pride ourselves on enabling children to settle in quickly to our school. Before joining the school, each child spends a day with their new class; this is a chance to become familiar with new routines, meet new teachers and forge friendships with peers. Each child is assigned a buddy to take care of them during their first few weeks of school and there is regular contact between parents and their child’s Class Teacher. Read our Top 10 Tips to Help Your Child Settle into a New School.