The very best of British prep-school education, in Madrid

Runnymede College Prep School provides a distinctive education for pupils in Years 4 to 8, combining the academic ambition and traditions of the very best British prep schools with the opportunities of an international education in Madrid. These are important years in a child’s development. Pupils are becoming increasingly independent, discovering their interests and talents, and beginning to understand what they are capable of achieving. Our role is to challenge them academically, broaden their horizons and develop their character, while ensuring that they never lose the enjoyment, curiosity and sense of adventure that should be at the heart of childhood. That balance is central to the Prep School. I have spent more than 20 years working in British prep schools, including as the Head of a leading UK prep school, and I was originally trained as a primary teacher. This experience has shaped my belief that the best prep schools combine high academic expectations with a genuine understanding of children and the particular stage of life they are going through. Academic success matters enormously, but it should sit alongside confidence, character, curiosity and a real enjoyment of learning. We want our pupils to work hard and take pride in what they achieve, but also to have time to play, explore, make mistakes, laugh with their friends and discover who they are. Our ambition is to prepare children exceptionally well for the future without asking them to rush through childhood to get there.

A strong academic foundation

Academic excellence is central to life at Runnymede Prep School. Our curriculum is carefully sequenced and designed to give pupils the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to become confident and increasingly independent learners. We expect pupils to work hard, to think carefully and to challenge themselves, while making sure that learning remains engaging and purposeful. The Prep School prepares pupils thoroughly for the academic rigour of the Senior School and for the opportunities that follow. However, preparation for the future is about much more than examination results. We want our pupils to leave us with strong academic foundations and a genuine love of learning, alongside the confidence and resilience to embrace whatever comes next. A broad education is an important part of this. Alongside the core academic disciplines, pupils study French, Drama, Computer Science, PSHE, Music, Art and Sport. We want children to encounter a wide range of experiences during these years and to discover interests and talents that they may not yet know they possess. Some of the most valuable learning also takes place beyond the classroom. Trips, excursions, competitions, sporting fixtures and our wider extra-curricular programme give pupils opportunities to test themselves, work with others, take responsibility and learn from both success and disappointment.Sport remains a cornerstone of Prep School life. We want every pupil to have the opportunity to participate, improve and experience the particular sense of belonging that comes from being part of a team.

Known, valued and challenged

Pastoral care sits at the centre of the Prep School. Good pastoral care begins with knowing the children in our care. Form tutors play an important role in this, with dedicated time at the beginning and end of each day allowing them to build strong relationships with their pupils and take genuine ownership of their progress and support. Our Heads of Lower and Upper prep provide an additional layer of pastoral leadership, ensuring that pupils are supported not simply as learners, but as individuals. We have three simple expectations for life in the Prep School. We want our pupils to be kind, curious and respectful. These are deliberately straightforward words, but they represent expectations and values that matter. We want pupils who engage fully with school life, make the most of the opportunities available to them, show respect for those around them and understand that character matters just as much as achievement. We also want pupils to feel safe enough to ask questions, confident enough to try something new and secure enough to make mistakes. Growing up is not a linear process, and a good school should give children the support and encouragement they need as they find their way.

A distinct Prep School

Runnymede College has developed from a two-school structure into a three-school model: Pre-Prep, Prep School and Senior School. This gives each stage of a child’s education its own identity and allows us to think carefully about what pupils need at different ages. The Prep School sits between the Pre-Prep and Senior School, and that position is important. Our pupils are old enough to embrace greater academic challenge, responsibility and independence, while they are still very much children. We want to make the most of both sides of that equation. Our new three-storey, 3,000m² Prep School building represents a significant investment in the future of the school. It provides a dedicated home for pupils and their learning through to the age of 13, with an environment designed around the needs of this particular stage of education.The building is exciting, but ultimately it is the people within it who define the quality of a school. The quality of teaching, the relationships between staff and pupils, the expectations we set and the opportunities we provide will always matter more than the building itself.

Beyond the classroom and beyond Runnymede

We want pupils to look beyond the school gates. Our programme of trips, excursions, competitions and sporting fixtures allows pupils to experience new places, meet new people and challenge themselves in different settings. We are developing increasingly strong links with schools both in Spain and internationally, including through our membership of IAPS, the Independent Association of Prep Schools, which opens up further opportunities for our pupils to engage with the wider British prep-school community and to compete in the UK and further afield. These experiences are an important part of growing up. They teach children things that cannot always be learnt in a classroom: how to work as part of a team, how to cope when things do not go according to plan, how to represent their school and how to take responsibility for themselves and others. Ready for what comes next.It is my view that our role, as educators, is to prepare pupils well for the next stage of their education, but we should not be in too much of a hurry to get them there. When pupils leave the Prep School, they should be ready for the academic demands of the Senior School. They should have strong foundations, confidence in their own abilities and the independence to take increasing responsibility for their learning. They should also be curious, resilient and kind. They should know how to work hard, how to work with others and how to respond when things do not go their way.

Most importantly, they should understand that education is not simply about what you achieve, but about the person you become along the way. That is what we believe a great prep school should do: prepare children exceptionally well for the future, while allowing them to make the most of being children today.