St John’s is the only school to have been awarded national Best Prep School and national Best Prep School Head awards. It is the only Prep School to have its teaching rated ‘inspirational’ by school inspectors, to have achieved the coveted ‘Exceptional’ grade for children’s attainment and to be described by the Good School Guide as ‘magically happy.’ What is it that makes St John’s unique?
The answer may seem strange to some. It lies in asking ourselves ‘What should a childhood be?’, ‘What should a childhood in school provide?’ and ‘What will make our children strong, for themselves and for others?’
Childhood is not a fixed and given thing. It changes over time and from culture to culture. As a society we need to choose what kind of childhood we make. As parents and as teachers we must choose what kind of childhood in school we want for our children.
At St John’s, we believe in a childhood filled with affection, a childhood in which children know that they are known and valued, in which they learn to trust themselves and each other, in which they find and express their voice, discover the difference they can make for themselves and others, learn to think for themselves, to question, to collaborate, to be independent, to own and take charge of their learning and their lives.
There is a St John’s way of growing through a childhood in school.