Discovering the school you have chosen for your child is about to join a group can be a little disconcerting. It may be completely unexpected, or you may have known something like this was on the cards. Either way, you are likely to have lots of questions. Here we are going to try to answer the concerns that come up most frequently.
Wishford Education is a group of happy and high-achieving schools and nurseries across southern England, each as individual in character as the children who live and learn in them. No two Wishford settings are alike, ranging from rural stately homes in Gloucestershire to a Tunbridge Wells townhouse. There are nine schools and nine nurseries in the group, educating 2,500 children. What unites them is a shared ethos, and a determination to create the best possible learning environment, somewhere children are safe and nurtured, and where they receive outstanding teaching and access opportunities that will broaden their horizons. Wherever our children learn, our focus is on providing an exceptional quality of education and customer service, with a firm commitment to delivering value for money.
Many schools and nurseries, both state and private, are now part of a larger group and this is increasingly the trend in the education sector. Being part of something larger offers significant benefits to pupils, parents and staff, as well as security in an uncertain and fast-changing environment. From a legal perspective, the governance and oversight of the setting becomes the responsibility of the Wishford team, rather than the existing proprietor or governing body. In practice however, the current Head, leadership team and staff continue to run the school or nursery. The ethos and character of the setting don’t change as these were central to what attracted us to entering into this partnership.
There are wide-ranging benefits to being a member of Wishford. Our central team provides expertise and support in the business aspects of running a school, leaving the Head and teaching staff free to focus on the education and experience of your child. Being part of a team also gives school staff access to lots of other educational experts across the Group, to share best practice and resources, and generate new ideas. It also provides extra financial stability, especially for smaller schools. Finally, being part of a group provides opportunities for inter-school events and competitions which our pupils love.
No. The things that made you choose the school in the first place are the same things that we value, and are what made us believe that your school or nursery was a good match for the Group. We work hard to preserve the distinct character of each of our schools and nurseries. We don’t change things that make the setting special and we won’t be changing the brand or the uniform. Our approach is very much to support the leadership team to fulfill the setting’s potential by sharing expertise and best practice. We will want to understand your experiences and viewpoints as part of the process of supporting the leadership team with their process of continuous improvement and longer-term development planning.
Absolutely not. They vary enormously! Within the group we have boarding schools in rural stately homes, day schools in town houses, and purpose-built day nurseries. Each of our prep schools feeds a wide variety of senior schools, including leading public schools, local independent and grammar schools and the maintained sector. Our settings do share a common ethos, however, putting the needs of the children at the centre, and striving to create the best possible learning experience for every child, recognising that each child is unique. Your child’s day-to-day experience is unlikely to change in the short term as a result of joining the group, although in some cases there are opportunities to make positive improvements quite quickly.
No, there won’t be a hike in fees as a result of joining the group, other than the normal annual inflationary increase. Our aim is to ensure the income from fees is wisely spent in the key areas, and we often find there are opportunities to make your fees go further by leveraging the benefits of being part of the larger group.
We are very experienced in supporting families of our new schools, and have structures in place to ensure parent voices are heard. In the first instance, when a school joins the group, there are events where you will have the opportunity to meet members of the Wishford Team, find out more about how we operate and what you can expect, and put questions to them. Of course, you can also speak to your own school staff, or you can contact Wishford directly.