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Our View
This co-ed day school in Farnham in Surrey has its feet on the ground even if its pupils often don’t – thanks to a treehouse classroom, Aeroball matches (think basketball on trampolines) and the weekly adventure programme of activities, which includes a ‘Leap of Faith’. Parents love Barfield for its grounded approach; pupils love it for all of the above and more.
Where?
One mile east of the market town of Farnham, Barfield is set in 12 lovely acres, with plenty of space for its award-winning outdoor-pursuits department, Three Peaks Barfield. A homely, red-brick school building has been modernised with a science lab and food-tech classroom, and work starts on a new dining hall this summer. Most families live within half an hour or so by car, but the school is hoping to launch two new bus routes which will provide transport in the mornings, one from the direction of Alton, the other from Farnborough and Aldershot way.
Head
Andy Boyle joined in 2019, so he had the pandemic to deal with before he even got his feet under the table. He met the challenge head on and says, ‘I learnt more in the eight to 10 months of Covid than I did in the 10 years before it.’ A Yorkshireman, he is a gentle giant who overflows with positivity. ‘I am all about being happy,’ he says. He fell in love with the school’s ‘warmth and family atmosphere’ and is maintaining a close connection with parents while numbers are growing.
There was one-form entry when Mr Boyle arrived, which he has bumped up to 36 maximum, which creates two classes per year. ‘Air in your balloon’ is his catchphrase: ‘Every child has a balloon inside and it is our job to inflate it.’ He’s a very visible head, teaching PSHEE and games. His predecessor, who had been in post for 25 years and is now head of maths, says Mr Boyle is ‘definitely the right man for the job’.
Admissions
There’s a wide breadth of ability, nationalities and cultures here, and any child is welcome to attend a taster day, which involves low-key assessments. There has been increased interest in Barfield from parents disillusioned by state-sector provision during the pandemic and from families relocating from London. And the fees don’t break the bank, which makes it more accessible than other prep schools.
Academics and senior school destinations
Class sizes are small with a maximum of 18. There are currently two classes in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, with the aim to have two-form entry all the way up the school.
Reception classes are linked to the nursery, which makes the transition into big school easy. Daily phonics lessons are organised by what stage a child is at rather than age. There’s plenty of fun through learning – the recent Water WOW day saw the beach brought to the school, with sandpits, paddling pools and water guns to play and explore with.
From Year 3, pupils move around the school for specialist subjects, including science, food tech and French. There are plans to introduce Mandarin, and there are Latin and Spanish clubs. The recently refurbished library hosts story time for the lower school and ‘social reading’ for older pupils, and exam week sees pupils from Year 3 upwards gathering in the big hall to sit tests under proper exam conditions. This prepares them for the 11+ and pupils say they love it – but maybe that’s because afternoons are filled with fun activities, and Year 6 pupils leave on a high with a trip to a French château. Most move on to secondary day schools in the local area.
Co-curricular
Barfield tries to teach as many sports as possible to get pupils ready for secondary school, and there are Saturday clubs – football in autumn and multi-sports in summer. An on-site indoor swimming pool gets plenty of use, and senior pupils recently brought home a trophy from the IAPS tournament.
The art department is impressive. There’s an artist-in-residence, a host of clubs from creative textiles to sketchbook club, and Pekin bantam chicks often join the timetabled art lessons (the art teacher says they calm pupils down). Pupils can take LAMDA classes. The head of music stages an annual play for Years 5 and 6, while the head of drama produces a junior play. The school also takes part in the Young Voices school choir initiative.
The school’s longstanding Three Peaks department (it’s been running for 30 years, and is open to the public too) offers everything from quad biking, paintball shooting and archery to Aeroball, orienteering and the above-mentioned Leap of Faith, where pupils climb a pole to a small wooden platform and jump onto a trapeze bar. All the activities help build confidence, communication and problem-solving skills, while being hugely fun. Other clubs include everything from junk modelling to mindfulness to triathlon training and Mandarin.
School community
The pastoral care is exemplary – it’s a particular passion of Mr Boyle’s, and the warm atmosphere of the school is palpable. A pupil parliament is represented by two children per class and every form has a captain and vice-captain. A team of three SEND teachers ensures all pupils’ specific needs are met.
Parents are very involved in an active PTA that helps organise fundraising events. They recently held a teddy bear appeal for Ukraine, for which they collected 230 bears. Every term pupils can go on a night camp, sleeping out in tents and waking up for a morning splash in the pool.
And finally....
An unpretentious school that exudes a family atmosphere, with an outdoor-pursuits department that punches well above its weight and helps pupils ‘fill the air in their balloon’ in the most enjoyable ways imaginable.