St John's School

I’m a children’s author, who’s visited 100s of schools, and this is one of the very best.
Why? What was immediately striking about St John’s was the atmosphere – friendly, confident, and yet calm. I was welcomed first by a teaching assistant with a smiling warm welcome. (She was typical of the staff: a published history book writer, dressed on this Book Day, as a cat – empathetic, clever, fun). Performing my assemblies, I was struck how the tolerant fun culture had spread to the pupils: they were creative, enjoying themselves, but respectfully quiet, when asked. Reading their stories, I was struck by the advanced levels: Year 3s were working at a level I’d expect from Year 5 – work that was correct, but creative.

How was this achieved? Often visiting schools, one is struck by an atmosphere that feels manic, tense, even a touch paranoid: St John’s was notable for the culture of trust and genuine respect. Sitting correcting stories, I was struck by evident friendship amongst staff, who talked with such enthusiasm about their pupils, and the ideas I’d brought in for the day. I particularly adored the dep head, who’d expertly managed me for the day, and the drama teacher, and the story-telling Class 5 teacher, but a wonderful goodwill had spread amongst the whole community.

What do you want for your children? If it’s highly qualified staff, who love their work, able to empathise with children, giving them space to grow into their own talents – then my sense is that this is as good a choice as you’ll find.