Open all
Our View
The individual is everything at this lovely Surrey day school whose incredible use of outdoor space – including woodland activities, a ‘sandy play’ playground, and play equipment galore – takes centre stage. Nature serves to nurture the whole child, building confidence, resilience and a sense of adventure. Parents tell us they feel their children are ‘in a really safe pair of hands’; pupils just love having school days packed full of fun.
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 a state-of-the-art new dining hall opened in the summer term 2024, complete with professional kitchen and a wonderful veranda overlooking the grounds. Next on the list for a refurb are the sports hall now it’s not doubling up as a dining hall, and the school auditorium which includes music, art and D&T spaces. Most families live within half an hour or so by car and many pupils travel to and from school on one of the three minibus routes taking in Alton, Farnborough and Aldershot.
Head
Andy Boyle joined Barfield in 2019. 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 very popular with parents who rave about how approachable he is and what a special atmosphere he’s created at the school. He’s a very visible head, teaching PSHEE and games.
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.’
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. The nursery’s popularity means more names are going down at birth and once a child is accepted, a place in Reception (which is currently operating a wait list) is guaranteed. Some 70 per cent of nursery children stay on, and reasonable fees means it’s more accessible than some other prep schools.
Academics and senior school destinations
Class sizes are small with a maximum of 18, with 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 sandy play playground is proving particularly popular with the little ones.
From Year 3, pupils move around the school for specialist subjects, including science, food tech and French. Mandarin classes are offered on Saturdays and there are also Spanish and German after-school clubs. The library hosts story time for the lower school and ‘social reading’ for older pupils.
Exam week sees pupils in Years 5 and 6 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, with over 20 different schools making up the onward destinations list, including Prior’s Field and Lord Wandsworth College.
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, including from the swim team who train there once a week before school. There’s lots of gymnastics which will no doubt get even better with the upcoming makeover of the sports hall. Pupils also have tennis courts – including two grass courts – to play on and an athletics track around the cricket pitch.
The art department is impressive. New head of art Philip Ryland was previously the school’s artist-in-residence and he’s clearly inspiring judging by the work on display, not to mention the art scholarships won by so many of the Year 6s.
There’s also a newly appointed director of performing arts who has reinvigorated the school’s drama provision, with even Year 1 pupils now taking LAMDA exams. Opportunities to perform are plentiful – pupils in Year 5 and 6 are currently gearing up for a production of Peter Pan – and a new dance troupe is proving very popular. The school recently held its very first dance showcase, where all ballet students from nursery to Year 6 took to the stage. There are also termly performing arts concerts where pupils have the opportunity to showcase their individual musical talents (around half of pupils in the upper years learn an instrument) and there’s an orchestra for them to perform in, plus an invitation-only chamber choir, as well as lower and upper school choirs which are open to all.
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, combat later tag and archery to Aeroball, orienteering and the exciting Leap of Faith, where pupils climb a pole to a small wooden platform and jump onto a trapeze bar. There’s also the fabulous two-level tree house for outdoor learning which is heated so pupils can use it all year round. All the activities help build confidence, communication and problem-solving skills, while being hugely fun. Other clubs include everything from junk modelling to mindfulness. The optional activity programme which runs on Saturdays and offers multisports, Mandarin and synchronised swimming club is very popular.
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. The pupil parliament has a chairperson and secretary (both appointed via an interview with the head of the upper school), with two representatives from each upper school year group. Every form also has a captain and vice-captain. A team of four SEND teachers ensures all pupils’ specific needs are met.
Parents are very involved in the PTA, Barfield Friends, which organises fundraising events including a summer ball and colour runs.
And finally....
With its warm, family atmosphere and exceptional outdoor-pursuits department, Barfield is hard to beat when it comes to offering children a safe space to be adventurous – and learn more than they realise in the process. A wonderfully holistic school that also doesn’t break the bank.