Education

The Merlin School

29/01/2024

Nurturing the ‘Merlin Spirit’

Choosing a school for your child at the age of four is an important decision providing a first opportunity to inspire a little learner and prepare them for the next stage of their education. Merlin specialise in these precious early years.

The Merlin, established in 1986, is a creative and nurturing co-educational pre-prep which does not assess on entry. You will find the school in the heart of Putney, in a beautiful Victorian house. They offer a warm and homely atmosphere where all staff take time to engage with their children, supporting the development of their independence and confidence. There is a vibrant buzz about the school, where the children thrive as part of a caring community. Corridors and classrooms teem with life and practical activities enhance learning and stimulate pupils’ imagination.

Their school song describes the attitude they aim to instil in the children, and they certainly do embody the ‘Merlin spirit, through and through’. The school motto is ‘have a go’ and they aim to evoke a thirst for learning, encouraging curiosity and perseverance. Whilst Maths and English underpin their syllabus, they pride themselves on the depth and breadth of their curriculum. They believe in the importance of delivering a wide range of experiences, providing children with exciting opportunities and encouraging a love of learning. Their individualised approach enables all children to make excellent progress. This is further enhanced by their small class sizes and high adult to child ratio, with their unique approach to teaching English and Maths creating even smaller teaching groups in these subjects. Their teachers are passionate and inspiring, and their school environment and curriculum capture the children’s imagination, firing their enthusiasm, and inspiring them to want to learn.

Over half of their timetable is taught by specialist teachers including Science, Music, Singing, Computing, French and PE. Pupils relish their first formal sports lessons, learning about teamwork and sportsmanship alongside the specific sports skills through Games sessions and fixtures, gearing them up to find their own sporting pathway. Their children bounce into Science lessons wondering what practical activity awaits, they master thinking and creating skills in Computing lessons and build confidence through giving presentations and taking part in assemblies and innovative drama productions. There is rarely a moment at Merlin where music can’t be heard in some form, be it a choir rehearsal, concert or performance, a peripatetic instrument lesson, or a weekly class Singing or Music lesson.

At the end of their school journey at Merlin, the children move on to their next schools with the confidence to build new relationships and the enthusiasm to learn, instilled with a positive attitude towards new challenges. Parents of Merlin children are given the unique opportunity to decide upon their child’s next stage school, based on him or her as an individual, and they are supported in finding the best fit. Despite being non-selective, Merlin children make excellent progress from their individual starting points, and go on to a range of prestigious schools.

Please do book on to one of their regular small school tours, via their website, to see for yourself – they look forward to welcoming you.