Admissions

A kind, welcoming, happy school with a strong sense of community and high expectations.

One who is willing to embrace the breadth of school life.

Contemporary, broad and academically successful.

‘Be kind’ is our overarching school ‘rule’. We focus on a positive behaviour management approach underpinned by a strong values focus. Policies and procedures are in place for all pastoral aspects of school life.

The majority of our pupils live locally to the school, around the Parsons Green area and the roads off Fulham Palace Road, most have SW6 postcodes. A number of our children live south of the river. Proximity to school adds to our sense of community although applications are very welcome regardless of address.

No, children come to us from a wide range of settings. We have good relationships with local nursery schools and this supports a smooth transition to school.

For Reception entry, children attend a group Discovery Session in the Autumn, a year prior to the year of entry. Older children looking for occasional places spend a day with us during which time they are based with a class and will have some short assessments in English and Maths. Please contact the Head of Admissions for more information on the full admissions process. This aspect is covered in detail at our prospective parent tours.

We are a family school and as such aim to offer to siblings unless we feel that we are not the right educational environment for them at the entry stage. This is rare and we would involve parents fully in this decision.

Our parent body are very supportive and engaged. We have PTA reps for each class and they help us to organise all of the charity and community outreach work that we do as a school. They also organise social events.

The gates open at 0815. Children should be in their classrooms ready to start their day at 0830. Children have a 20 minute break in the morning and an hour for lunch and break. Reception finishes school at 1520; Years 1 and 2 at 1530; Prep School at 1600. There is a late room facility for Lower School children who are waiting until 1600 to leave with a sibling.

Between 18 and the maximum class size of 22.

In all year groups, the boy/girl ratio is fairly even. We are a truly co-educational school in terms of our provision. We strive to ensure that all our children regardless of gender achieve highly and can access the curriculum fully.

Our Reception children have regular reading practice to do at home and homework activities gradually build. We ensure that homework is appropriate for each child and that it provides opportunities for practice and reinforcement and deepens learning. As children come towards the exit point, exam preparation is a component of homework. Homework is generally designed to be completed independently.

We are lucky to have a large playground and to be opposite South Park, both are used for our games lessons. We also have a Gym and Dance Studio. Curriculum swimming (at Fulham Pools) takes place for half of the year in Years 1 to 4. Children from Year 3 use a number of local sports facilities including Hurlingham Park. As part of our extensive fixture programme from Year 3, pupils travel to a number of schools and venues for matches and tournaments.

About a third of our pupils speak English as an additional language. A wide range of languages are spoken by these children. We value this diversity greatly as it adds a richness to the culture of our school. There is a member of our team who oversees EAL pupils.

There are a wide range of clubs (from our curriculum sports to multi-sports, gym, tennis, swimming, judo to art, lego, chess and coding) that children can join from Year 1 (in January) onwards. Most are after school although there are some early morning clubs and some at lunchtime for the Prep School. Years 3-6 can stay at school to do their homework three afternoons a week.

Our gates open at 0815 and there is an early room which opens at 0800 for children coming on the school bus or for children with a sibling who has an early activity.

On an occasional basis and with prior agreement, other children may use this service.
There is a wraparound service (with no connection to Thomas’s) based in the grounds of Hurlingham Academy around the corner, which is used by some of our families; children attending are collected from school by their staff.

Delicious – pupils and staff all eat well. Katsu curry is everyone’s favourite! We cater for every dietary requirement and no food is brought from home. Children have a morning snack, lunch and an after school snack if staying for an activity. Our kitchen is run by Harrison Catering and our Chef Manager has been with us for many years. We have both parent and pupil food committees.

We have a range of digital resources including a Computing Suite, shared iPads in the Lower School and a 1-1 iPad programme in Years 3 to 6. Use of iPads has to be intentional in teachers’ planning and balanced with more traditional methods, in many lessons they are not used. iPads go home minimally in Years 3 and 4 and such use for homework is carefully guided. The devices lock automatically at night so that they can not be accessed. We believe that technology should be used safely, productively and creatively, as opposed to consumptively, so that pupils become active not passive users of technology. We accept and embrace the benefits of technology while acknowledging risks and responsibilities. Pupils are not permitted to bring mobile phones to school.

We prepare children for entrance to senior school (whether day or boarding) at Year 7 (11+) or Year 9 (13+). Those wanting to stay at Thomas’s to complete Years 7 & 8 and head to a senior school at 13+ transfer to our sister school, Thomas’s Clapham. There is a school bus from Fulham. Pupils continuing to Thomas’s College in Richmond will generally join Year 7.

We endeavour to place the children in the schools that are right for them. Popular applications include: Putney High, Wimbledon High, Francis Holland, Godolphin & Latymer, King’s Wimbledon, Dulwich College, St Paul’s, Emanuel, Latymer, Eton, Harrodian, Ibstock, Downe House, Benenden, St Mary’s Ascot, Wycombe Abbey, Wellington, Brighton College, Bradfield. Destinations are listed on our website.