School Profile – Northwood Schools

The four schools within the group – Broomwood Hall Lower School (co-ed 4-8), Broomwood Hall Upper School (girls 8-13), Northcote Lodge (boys 8-13) and Northwood Senior (co-ed 11-16) give parents both flexibility and certainty. Most children join Broomwood Hall Lower School at four, progressing automatically on to Northcote Lodge and Broomwood Hall Upper School at eight before leaving to a wide range of day and boarding schools at 11 or 13. From September 2020, the addition of Northwood Senior (co-ed, 11-16), gives parents another option: a smaller and local co-educational secondary school.

“Our schools have always had a strong reputation for high-achievement – the most recent raft of scholarships pay testament to that – but with secondary schools placing increasing importance on selection at age 11 – for both Year 7 and 9 entry points, in day and boarding schools, we have placed further emphasis on what is already a robust academic preparation for exams,” says Kevin Doble, newly arrived CEO of Northwood Schools.

However, this doesn’t change the fundamentals of what the schools offer – an education that is fully rounded and pastorally kind. Head of Northcote Lodge, Clive Smith-Langridge, emphasises, “Our focus on educating the whole child means engaging and stimulating them not only intellectually, but physically and creatively too.” Across the group, enrichment sessions, once the preserve of Scholarship candidates, have been added to the curriculum for Years 7 and 8, in the form of an Intellectual Acceleration programme to encourage enquiring minds and a more in-depth knowledge of the world. Louisa McCafferty, Head of Broomwood Hall Upper School says, “This is about giving children the opportunity to explore subjects they care about in greater depth and to develop the skills to apply knowledge rather than just learning the facts.”

The foundations for this broad education begin with the very youngest pupils at Broomwood Hall Lower School. “We harness a child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn and give them the opportunities to stretch and challenge themselves so that they are well prepared to move on to the more challenging and demanding prep stage with confidence,” says Jo Townsend, Head of Broomwood Hall Lower School.

Northwood Senior, led by Susan Brooks, formerly Deputy Head Academic of Broomwood Hall Upper School, has the same vision and ethos for a flexible and bespoke education. She introduced thematic learning as a way of helping pupils to apply knowledge and make connections, and has seen it transform attitudes to some subjects by awakening a thirst for knowledge and the development of higher-order thinking skills in a very short time. Masterclasses offer additional intellectual stimulation – further demonstrating how pupils can really shine when comfortable in a smaller space.

The arrival of new Group CEO, Kevin Doble signals exciting times ahead. Early plans are to build on the strengths of the group with more collaboration on shared activities to stretch intellectual attainment. His overarching view across the schools will ensure a common policy with academic ambition at its core which will manifest itself accordingly across the age groups