Warwick Junior School A GSG School

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All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster of the Junior School

Since January 2023, John Bond, previously head of Moreton Hall Prep and before that, deputy head (academic) at Hatherop Castle Prep. He has also held senior roles at The Downs Malvern, King Edward’s Junior School in Bath, West Hill Park Prep in Fareham and Hereford Cathedral Junior School. History and politics degree and PGCE, both from Exeter.

Born into a family of educationalists – aunts and uncles included – he grew up in Cornwall and was state educated in Plymouth. Taught his first class at the tender age of 11 – ‘The teacher handed over to me and apparently I was a natural, although I think it’s fair to say it wasn’t the best lesson I’ve ever taught.’ Once trained, he dived straight into the independent sector, appreciating ‘the broader opportunities it offered’. Still teaches (computing) and ‘would like to do more’.

Was attracted to this school by the ‘buzz when I walked around – the sawing and hammering in DT, the 200-strong choir and, of course, the sport’. Liked the Foundation feel too – ‘the sense of community, the size, the expertise – it’s an amazing thing to be able to collaborate with the other schools, to share ideas, get support and delve into exciting issues like AI.’ To-do list includes developing the library and character education (a phrase you’ll hear a lot in the senior school too) ‘so that boys don’t just say, “Now I can fence or play the trombone,” but look at what it means to be able to do it’.

Parents say they ‘don’t have much sense of him’, some feeling he ‘could engage more with us’. Pupils call him ‘kind’. All the children, and most of the staff, were dressed as dogs as part of a Guide Dogs fundraising event on the day of our visit – we wondered if he’d been tempted to get stuck in himself. ‘I’m not sure how it would go down in my meetings,’ he smiled.

Married with a young son. Enjoys walking his dog, watching cricket and sport and, when time allows, reading.

Entrance

Main entry point at year 3, when around 40-55 boys move up from the prep (almost all of them). They are joined by 15-20 external candidates who sit tests in English, maths, reading and short story writing. Occasional joiners into year 4, ‘including mid-year if we have the space’. A further 10-15 join in year 5, when the three classes per year group expand from 20 to 24 pupils in each. Waiting lists common in upper years.

Exit

Vast majority move up to the senior school (94 per cent in 2024). Boys already have their offers by the time they sit the senior school entrance tests – this is felt to take the pressure off the exams, which are really only for scholarship applications, experience in revision and a last chance saloon for boys for whom senior school deemed not quite right (in which case, parents will have been warned from year 5).

Our view

As a Foundation, Warwick is huge – both its site and student numbers – but the junior school feels surprisingly intimate. Taking up a generous corner of the plot, with refurbished playground (importantly retaining their handball courts – a real tradition for the boys in break times), it has everything the boys could possibly need, including big, bright classrooms, IT suites, science lab, large library, school hall and facilities for art, DT and cooking. The music block, theatre, dining room and sports facilities are shared with the senior school (accessible through a gate), but the juniors still get dedicated junior pitches and their own music room.

Parents report a gentle start into year 3, ‘where the teachers are what I’d describe as soft and loving – the type to help you blow your nose’. Boys were learning about adjectives through adventuresome myths during our visit – we spotted some beautiful handwriting. Another class were engrossed in a video on honey for their bee project. As in all year groups, the timetable is arranged so that quiet learning is followed by something more physical like role play. ‘They get boys,’ approved a parent.

Specialist teaching from year 3 in art, DT, computing, music, languages and games, the rest taught by class teachers until year 5 when boys move around for every lesson. This is when the pace really picks up, parents told us. ‘This lightbulb moment happens early in the year when they all just want to do well in everything,’ said one. True to form, year 5 boys we saw were racing through sums in a maths lesson and writing thoughtfully on the impact of tourism on the Alps in an English class.

No setting, but there are intervention groups for those requiring support in a particular area, while the most able boys can ‘really fly thanks to the specialist teaching’. One parent told us she has ‘one exceptionally bright boy and another who is more sporty and middle-of-the-road academically – and they do very well supporting both’.

Five science lessons a week ensure boys have a sound early foundation in STEM – we watched boys studying density via different coloured liquid in a science class. French taught throughout, with Spanish, German and Italian added as part of a carousel in the summer term. We liked that the emphasis is not just on vocab and asking the way to the shops, but the country and its culture too.

SENCo is also the head of history, and her assistant doubles up as RE teacher. Together, they organise in-class support, small-group activities and one-to-ones (all included in fees) as required for the nine per cent on the SEN register, mainly with dyslexia, autism and ADHD. ‘Many of them are highly intelligent,’ says head, ‘but some can struggle with social needs so we do work with social stories, for example.’ One mother told us her son had gone ‘from really struggling to absolutely thriving and it’s largely thanks to the SENCo making sure she keeps an eye on him, even at sports day’. She added that her son is ‘helped with his perfectionism issues and planning ahead because he hates surprise – they really do hone down into the fine detail of what they need’. No EHCPs.

Despite its academic reputation, this is not just a ‘sit down and do maths and English’ school. Throughout the day, you see boys lugging their musical instruments around, and music pours out everywhere. Singing is big too, with an exceptionally popular main choir and an auditioned ‘micro choir’. Most boys are involved in the termly concerts, where there’s an eclectic mix of everything from classical to folk to rap – the latter complete with baseball hats and sunglasses. ‘For my son, music has been a shining light – the opportunities for his confidence have been terrific.’ No whole-school play, but year 4 and 6 do their own productions (usually musicals) in the Bridge House Theatre – ‘very professional,’ report parents. Porridge and The Lion King most recently. LAMDA available. DT workshop doubles up as cooking studio, where boys were chatting happily as they sawed away, making their own mini fair rides. Upstairs, in the art studio, pupils had made plasticine figures ready to animate. The school has its own kiln.

Sporty types won’t be disappointed. ‘Sport is the reason I came here,’ said several boys. Make no mistake, this is very much a rugby school, but football, hockey, swimming and cricket get more of a look-in than they used to, and the facilities for all sports are second to none. Huge fixtures list, although some parents feel the teams could be less fixed: ‘The biggest example is cricket – if you play county cricket, you’re automatically in the A team, but nobody else gets a look in.’ Some would like to see more of the ‘fun stuff like dodgeball’.

Only a quarter of boys go home when the bell goes at 4pm – the rest head off to the myriad clubs (with others running first thing and at lunchtimes). All the perennial favourites feature – Lego, board games, chess, sport, drama, art etc – plus some less typical ones such as Warhammer and fencing. Computing and coding popular, as is after-school Bake Off. Boys can have a small tea so they don’t go hungry.

Parents say school has become more nurturing under the current head, and boys say newcomers are quickly welcomed and anti-bullying ambassadors help keep bullying at bay. Staff are trained in mental health and everyone loves walking Aggie, the wellbeing dog (there’s even a waiting list), who also joins the reading buddy sessions whereby older boys read with younger ones. Counselling available. Boys that step out of line miss break (‘reflection time’), which can escalate to detentions and seeing the head, though this is rare. Behaviour management felt to step up significantly in year 6 – ‘They are definitely quicker to tell you off’ – though all agree it ‘prepares you well for senior school’. Any issues, and the school calls parents straightaway, we heard, ‘and you can have as many meetings as you want’. We found boys polite and respectful – lots of leaping in front of us to hold doors open.

Food has declined over recent years, according to some parents, while boys feel the vegetarian food could be more imaginative and portion sizes could be bigger. School says it’s in talks with parents about it and points out it’s the same food as at the senior school. Uniform is smart navy blue with crested blazer – no chance of shirts hanging out, they told us, as ‘you’d be picked up on it’.

Most families are local, but some travel up to 40 minutes, with bus routes coming in from all directions. A good job too, by the sounds of the parking nightmares. Lots from Solihull and Stratford, others from Banbury and Oxford to the south and Kenilworth in the east. Parents mainly middle-class professionals, some extremely moneyed, others less so. ‘With £50 a rugby top, there’s definitely an exclusive feel,’ said one. Socially, things are still recovering from Covid, we heard, but a PTA organises all the usual events – Christmas fair, cake competitions etc. Ethnic diversity reflective of the area – mostly white, some Asian, a few others besides. School is Christian, with boys going to weekly chapel, led by senior school chaplain.

The last word

Offers boys academic challenge and breadth in an enviable setting, while parents are spared the pressure of having to think about the right senior school. Parents praise the way the school gets boys ‘out of their comfort zone’ and say it is more nurturing under new leadership.

Special Education Needs

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