"Everyone is talking about Solefield." - quote from current parent
This year, Solefield School celebrates excellent success at the 11+ once again. 100% of pupils who start at Solefield in Reception, and take the 11+, pass.
Of the 14 pupils offered a grammar school place at Solefield this year, the average score was 368 - 36 points higher than the minimum score needed.
We are very excited that pre-schoolers, as well as both girls and boys benefit from the ‘Solefield Effect’. Demand for places in our pre-prep (3-7 years) is such that we are now full in several year groups and looking to increase the number of classes in these next year, to keep our promise of small class sizes and individualised care for each child.
We feed some of the best grammar schools in the country including The Judd School and Skinners' School as well as some truly outstanding independent senior schools – Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Caterham and, most recently, Epsom College. These schools are not only leaders in their fields but have all been given the ‘independent school of the year’ award. The way we do this is unique to us as we are a non-selective school, and proud of this. So how do we manage it?
We are ambitious for our pupils and provide them with the confidence and determination to believe that they can achieve anything they want in life.
Whether aged 3 or 13, our pupils learn in very small classes (maximum 16), with staff who are expert, dedicated, hard-working and have high aspirations for them.
We track each pupil’s progress carefully from their first day with us and ensure that each is given the level of challenge they need, and deserve, in the classroom, on the games’ field, stage, in the Art Studio, STEM area or Music School. No pupil can ever slip through the net as we know them all by name; every one of them is discussed at our weekly pastoral and weekly academic meetings.
We support parents and pupils to follow the route that best works for them whether it is leaving us at end of Year 6 for grammar, secondary or independent school or staying with us until the end of Year 8 to join an independent senior school. Many pupils who take the 11+ decide to stay at Solefield until they are 13 and join independent schools at this age. They therefore benefit from a tailor-made education until 13, giving an excellent springboard to GCSE performance as well as our unique Scholarship Path Programme and Senior School Diploma in the school they love, where no pupil ever gets lost or overlooked.
Over 50% of our Year 8 pupils gained As and A*s in their Common Entrance exams to senior school this summer. Every year, pupils from Solefield are awarded scholarships to senior schools in a range of subjects.
At Solefield, our pupils develop a long-lasting love of learning; this is something that is much more important than being good at passing tests. We want their experience at our school to be magical and memorable. Timetabled Chess, Swimming and Forest School complement a curriculum already rich with sport, drama, art, music, wellbeing, STEM, debating, public speaking and computing. Whether touching moon rock, reading to younger pupils or taking part in our reading cinema, learning at Solefield is exciting and adventurous.
Solefield pupils learn to collaborate, listen, take turns and speak in public from a very young age. Debating, Thinking Skills, Philosophy, Politics and Ethics lessons and targeted prep for English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning for exams at 11 and 13 begin very early on with coding and reasoning quizzes and puzzles and then build as children work towards the exams. We subscribe all children to the BOFA (Baines Online Formative Assessment) programme which allows them to work both at home and school towards exams at 11, with immediate feedback and an inexhaustible supply of adaptive questions. Familiarisation exams and mock interview practice build confidence in these without over-preparation. They learn to think critically, and question and we help them to prepare for their future lives, not just to pass exams. Maths and English lessons are timetabled early in the day for all, when children are fresh and most receptive to learning.
True academic success is founded on happiness and fulfilment. As a school, we were delighted to be both ‘Finalist’ and 'Highly Commended' in the Muddy Stilettos Awards again this year. Our pupils enjoy success in all areas and all of our pupils who have taken LAMDA exams (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) to date achieved the top grade of 'Distinction’. We have many published authors amongst our student body as well and many other national and regional awards including for Art, Basketball (national Under 11 champions and Under 13s selected for the NBA Championship), Chess (national), Climbing (regional), Creative Writing (national - 1st of 9000 schools), Debating, Eco Schools (national), Fencing, Fustal (national), Irish Dancing (national), Originality in Music & Drama Muddy Stilettos (national), Resilience Award (national), STEM Provision Muddy Stilettos (national), Swimming (regional), Tennis (regional), Table tennis (regional) and Wellbeing (national).
Every pupil is part of a sports’ team and performs on stage; no one is ever overlooked. A wide variety of over 40 clubs are available each term, most of them free and provided by our dedicated staff. Residential trips are a key part of the pupils’ learning experience, and our Holiday Camps are run by Solefield staff for Solefield pupils, their siblings and friends.
We consider that lunch is part of the whole school experience; our catering team know us all by name and prepare delicious, healthy, sustainably sourced lunches here at school, making sure that all pupils enjoy them. Committees, including one for food, means that pupils’ views are heard and respected.
The school is calm, and a culture of kindness and valuing peoples’ differences permeates everything. Solefield staff are caring and gentle; we do not shout, and we do not have loud bells punctuating the school day. Our values - ‘Value Yourself. Value Others. Value our World’ run through everything we do.
We value strong mental health. We help all pupils to manage stress through our reading initiative and attentive pastoral care. We have Wellbeing Hubs, Wellbeing Dogs, Talk Time and a School Counsellor available as well as a popular Lego Therapy Room. Pupils all have a Study Skills session ahead of exams where they discuss revision techniques and a healthy working, eating and sleeping programme.
Pupils invariably leave us assured, empathetic, independent young adults full of integrity and a love for learning. I am told very often that Solefield pupils are well-rounded; they are confident and comfortable talking to adults without ever being arrogant; they shake hands, make eye contact and listen well.
The Solefield Effect is tangible and sees our pupils develop from sometimes shy and uncertain 3 -year -olds to academically successful, confident, kind, world-ready young adults. I am proud of every single one of them.
Helen McClure
Headmistress
