Northbourne Park School

Northbourne Park is a day and boarding preparatory school for children
between the ages of Nursery and 13. Set in over 100 acres of beautiful
park and woodland in rural Kent, the school is close to Canterbury and
within easy reach from central London, Eurostar and Gatwick Airport.
Northbourne Park provides children with a first-class education focussing
on the individual needs of every child, inspiring them to succeed across
a wide range of learning experiences. We are a school that offers each
child freedom and space, together with countless opportunities to grow in
confidence and succeed.
The ISI Inspection in 2017 graded the quality of the pupils’ academic
and other achievements and also the quality of the pupils’ personal
development as excellent. In 2018 we were also awarded a Top 20
Nurseries award in the South East of England.

Academic
From the Nursery and Pre-Prep through to the Prep School, Northbourne Park
is an environment where each and every child can flourish. All our pupils gain
confidence in their learning and through inspirational teaching from dedicated
staff, the pupils adapt well to an engaging and stimulating curriculum with a
real sense of achievement. Although non-selective we consistently achieve
100% pass rate in entrance examinations to top Independent Senior and local
Grammar schools (Common Entrance and 11+), London Academy of Music and
Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
(ABRSM). Many of our pupils gain scholarships to prestigious Senior Schools.
The school’s unique Language Programme helps every child develop foreign
languages in an integrated learning environment. The result is a clear advantage
when they move on to Senior Schools.

Sport
We are passionate about sport and through an excellent sports programme
the pupils develop key skills and learn the importance of teamwork and
leadership. There are many opportunities to try a variety of sports from
Northbourne Park School
traditional sports to the more diverse such as archery, gymnastics and
trampolining.

Creative arts
We nurture a love for all the Arts. Many pupils learn one or more
instrument in our purpose-built Music suite, and have the opportunity to
take part in the choir, band, orchestra, string and brass groups performing
regularly within the school and in the local area. Other opportunities
include LAMDA lessons, regular drama productions and Public Speaking
that ensure the pupils are articulate and confident in their performances.
Artistic talents are encouraged through a range of media including
sculpture, 3D printing, costume design, film-making on iMacs and pottery.

Community
Pupils are provided with a first-class level of pastoral care in a safe and
nurturing environment with a real family atmosphere. Our welcoming
boarding community provides a home-from-home environment and a
continuous boarding service at weekends throughout the term. Boarders
enjoy regular excursions and activities, and the accompanied services
to London and Paris provide opportunities for weekends at home.
Northbourne Park School is a Student Sponsor for international pupils
requiring visas under the UK Visa and Immigration Service scheme.

Extracurricular
We provide the pupils with a fun and extensive programme of afternoon
clubs that help develop their interests and skills in hobbies that can endure
long into adult life. Love of the outdoors and respect for the environment
begins in the Pre-Prep and develops through into the Prep School with
fun physical adventures. Whether they are playing in the woods, camping
out overnight or following our pioneering Outdoor Education Programme,
children love Northbourne Park life.
All prospective pupils are welcome and we offer a wide range of
scholarships.

Scholarships and Bursaries Northbourne Park School recognises that all children have gifts and talents in many areas of school life. The school sees its role as developing all of these to enable children to achieve their potential in whatever field in the pursuit of high standards of excellence. The School also wishes to attract children of special talents into the community of the School and recognises the beneficial effect of the talented on the achievement and learning of their peers. The School therefore seeks to provide individual support for, and development of, any such special talents, as well as providing an all-round education of excellent quality for those children, a special provision which may not be available elsewhere for them. Scholarships Scholarships are available at the Headmaster’s discretion to those with particular academic, musical, sporting or artistic talents, and also to those who have ‘all-round’ capabilities. Academic scholarships are based on performance in the Scholarship Days, normally held in February or on assessments which can take place at any time of the year by arrangement with the Headmaster. All scholarships are subject to regular review to ensure that pupils’ performance continues to justify the holding of a scholarship. Information on how to apply for a scholarship is available from the School Office. Bursaries Northbourne Park School seeks to ensure continuity of education for all its pupils, and to provide opportunities for those who have the potential to benefit from attendance at the School but who, without some financial assistance, might not be able to take up a place. To this end financial support in the form of bursaries may be given on entry to the School or to existing pupils only at any time subsequently. Parents will be invited to complete a financial assessment form, based on a model provided by the Independent Schools Bursars’ Association. The scale of bursary awarded will be based on the information provided and the financial criteria which the School applies to all bursary awards. All bursaries are reviewed annually to ensure that parental relevant income continues to meet the published financial criteria. More information on Northbourne Park Scholarships is available on the school website or by contacting the School office.

Mirko When I was 10 years old I came to boarding school in the UK. My brother had already been to the school so I knew what to expect. At first I was only going to come for a year but I loved it so much that my parents decided I could stay until the end of Year 8. I found it very easy to settle in to the routine of the boarding house and to school, partly because I knew what to expect but also because the staff worked hard to make sure that we were all happy. I was also looking forward to coming to boarding school so that I could do more sport and learn new things. Boarding life is a lot of fun. The food at our school is very good and we can eat as much as we want. I have made lots of friends and the boarding staff are very friendly and helpful. There is no typical day at my school as there is always so much to do here. All our days are a lot of fun but also interesting and extremely busy. I really enjoy our geography lessons because our teacher makes us work very hard but makes the lessons very interesting. I also really like Science as we get lots of opportunities to do practical experiments, which we didn’t get to do in Spain. After school, which finishes at 18:00, we have some free time and most days the boarding staff organise activities for us. We also get to use our electrical items (ipods, etc) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The best days are when we get tuck which happens two or three times a week. We have school every other Saturday. On weekends when we don’t have school I sometimes go to London to see my mother, who lives there. If I stay in school I take part in the activities that boarding staff organise. We do all sorts of activities such as going to the Skate Park or Laserquest. At school I take part in lots of different extra-curricular activities. I take drum lessons and play percussion in the school band. This term we took part in a big swing band concert which was a great experience. I also play in the local rugby team. The boarding staff take a group of us to training and to the matches on Sunday. I was also a pirate in this year’s school play, the “Pirates of Penzance”. I hope to take part in the play next year too as it was very thrilling to perform in front of all the parents and pupils. One of the best activities we do is Leadership and forest school. We learn how to light fires, build dens and basic survival skills. We spent a night in the forest doing lots of different challenges and then slept in the dens we built. This year I have been on quite a few trips. We went to London, Chessington Park and Canterbury with the boarding team and in June I am going to Wales with my class for a whole week. We are going to go Canyoning and canoeing. It should be very exciting. It is very easy to keep in touch with my family. I can contact them using face time when I have my Ipod. If no they can call me on the telephone and we can also Skype. I’m lucky because I get to see them quite often. When I finish year 8 next year I will return to an English school in Spain so I will no longer be a boarder but I hope to study in America when I am older. I really enjoy boarding because I have made lots of friends from all over the world. I have also become more independent with my studies, more social and definitely a lot more confident. Doing all the sports has made me lose weight and have more muscle and be fitter. I would definitely recommend boarding to my friends because it has been such a great experience. My English has improved immensely and I am a lot more independent and focussed.   Charles Antoine I was 10 years old when I started boarding. I became a full boarder straight away as my family do not live close to school. I was excited to come to boarding school as I had seen all the sports I could do at my new school which was something I was not able to do in my old school. My father also told me that I would make lots of friends and that it would be fun and he was right! At first I found the school routine a bit difficult to get used to as it was very different to my old school. It was also a bit stricter than I was used to but it’s not so bad now. The boarding house is very pleasant and cosy. It is big so there is a lot of room to play and relax in. Each day is different but there is always a lot of sport involved and although we do a lot of things it never seems rushed and everyone is always calm. I play on all the teams so I always have a lot of matches and team practices. My favourite lesson at school is maths because I am good at it and because the maths teacher is very funny and a great teacher. In the evenings we have supper, when school has finished and then we do lots of different activities. Sometimes we go to the top pitch to play football or cricket; sometimes we go to the sports hall and play badminton or dodge ball. On Tuesdays and Thursday we get tuck and our electrical items so we can play video games or listen to music. On Friday nights it’s movie night so we watch a film and eat popcorn. At the weekend we usually have a wider range of activities on offer. We can cook in the forest over a campfire, or build dens in the woods. Sometimes we go on walks with Chuck, the boarding dog. These aren’t ordinary walks because he likes to get muddy and step in puddles. We put our boiler suits on and are allowed to get muddy too. There is usually a trip out at the weekend. We sometimes go to the cinema or shopping. My favourite trips are when we do something active such as tobogganing at Folkestone or outdoor Laserquest at Quex Park. We also get plenty of free time to relax and play with our friends. The school offers a lot of different extracurricular activities. I take part in a lot of sporting activities as I am very sporty. The highlights this year was running cross country for the school team and being a member of the XV rugby and XI football. I also took part in the school play which was lots of fun. Even though I don’t take any instrumental lessons I also got to take part in two concerts singing with my classmates which was pretty cool too. Although sometimes I do get homesick I am able to talk to them often as they can phone the house whenever they want to. I can also Skype them from time to time if I want to see them. We all have our own email accounts so I send them lots of pictures and tell them how my matches have gone. When I finish Year 8 I am going to go Ardingley for a secondary school so I will continue being a boarder. It will be quite different I think because Ardingley is a much bigger school. I enjoy being a boarder because I get to spend time with my friends and do all the things I enjoy doing. Boarding has given me independence, confidence and maturity. Since being here I have become fitter and learnt to concentrate in lessons so that I can get my prep done quicker. I would definitely tell my friends to come to boarding school as it a great experience. NPS are like my second family and I really think it was the best choice for me.