Thomas's Battersea Square

Thomas’s Battersea Square is a new, co-educational school for students aged 11 to 18. It offers an outstanding, progressive education which is forward thinking and outward looking, with values at its heart. Our aim is to prepare students superbly not only for the next phase of their education, but also for their lives which lie beyond. Restlessly innovative, we will strive to equip our students with the knowledge, the skills, the character and the self-understanding which will empower them not merely to survive, but to flourish and to thrive as the adults of tomorrow. We firmly believe that outstanding examination results can be - must be - the by-product of a first class, broad education which meets the needs of the whole child – mind, body and soul. Above all, as our students in these formative years develop a growing sense of self, we will seek to nurture in them a strong set of values, with kindness at the core, which will encourage them to take up positions of responsibility and leadership, to give back to their communities and to make a positive contribution to the world. We believe passionately in an approach to education which has a strong set of values at its core. Our central value is kindness, and we expect everyone at Thomas’s to Be Kind. We want every student to be happy, purposeful, productive and valued citizens in the future because they have developed strong self-knowledge to meet the challenges and embrace the opportunities which lie ahead of them. Moral values of kindness, honesty, humility and selflessness are developed alongside enabling values of independence, confidence and perseverance and civic values of leadership, courtesy and respect. Through these values, we promote personal growth, a strong moral compass and the ability to fulfil social and community responsibilities as global citizens. Thomas’s Battersea Square is located on two campuses. The Battersea Square site is our central campus, opening in September 2022. This building will house 28 classrooms, break out spaces, a study centre, assembly and performance hall, cafeteria and dining hall. A second site at Putney Vale provides additional facilities including art rooms, science laboratories and facilities for design technology as well as outdoor learning and access to our playing fields. For its inaugural academic year 2021 – 2022 the school will be based at Thomas’s Battersea, our prep school and at the Putney Vale site. Whilst the new school will initially be known as Thomas’s Battersea Square, our vision has progressed from separate prep and senior schools to a seamless, all-through school, to be known in time simply as ‘Thomas’s Battersea’, for children aged 4 to 18, with entrance and exit points at 11, 13 and 16. Our values-based curriculum focuses on educational experience, not simply on learning for tests. The curriculum is academically ambitious, with genuine rigour, depth and breadth. The outstanding curriculum from Thomas’s prep schools is developed further at Thomas’s Battersea Square, with a recognisable emphasis on Art, Drama, Music and Sport. At the heart of our curriculum is the concept of an ‘enquiry mindset’, designed to develop our students’ power of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. In their first three years students at Thomas’s Battersea Square learn through academically rigorous, project-based learning expeditions, case studies, projects, fieldwork, and service learning, meticulously planned to inspire them to think and work as professionals, contributing high-quality work to authentic audiences beyond the classroom. Outstanding pastoral provision underpins everything we do at Thomas’s Battersea Square. We treat all students as individuals and hold their social and emotional development to be as important as their academic success. We encourage our students to develop mind, body and soul, to become ‘fully human’, to have regard for their wellbeing and for that of others, to remain connected to and in tune with the natural world. The ethos of the school is one which consistently promotes and protects emotional wellbeing and good mental health. A focus on spending quality time in nature – both through our Putney Vale campus, and through our extensive Thomas’s Outdoors programme, helps provide time for reflection and a genuine connection with the natural world, which promotes emotional wellbeing and resilience. Aligned with the focus on wellbeing is a commitment to our local community and to the concept of service learning. Students at Thomas’s Battersea Square seek to make a meaningful contribution to their local community and society, whilst applying academic knowledge, personal skills and social skills in real-life situations. If you are interested in becoming part of a brand new senior school community in the heart of London, I do hope you will pay us a visit to find out more.