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Why work at Northcote Lodge?

We are a day preparatory school for about 210 boys aged between 8 and 13. Looking directly out over Wandsworth Common, it can be hard to believe that we are so close to the heart of London. And yet the school is wonderfully situated within – literally – a cricket ball’s throw of the common and the leafy residential streets leading off it, with its playing fields and open spaces, all of which we use and benefit from every day.

Since its founding in 1993, Northcote Lodge has established itself as a leading boys’ preparatory school and secured for itself a formidable academic and sporting reputation. Our aim has always been a simple one: to provide the boys in our care with a first class education within a disciplined, controlled and – most importantly – happy environment, in which emphasis is placed on encouraging boys, by stretching rather than pushing them, to reach for a standard of overall excellence, whether in academic studies, music, sport, art or drama.

The school is in the same ownership as Broomwood Hall, from which we derive around half our entrants at 8+; the remaining half are offered places on the basis of an admissions test (although we tend to look at the ‘whole boy’ rather than offer places simply on academic ability). A strong family policy means that siblings of children already within the school (or at Broomwood Hall) have priority for entrance.

We send boys to all the well-known public schools, the current most popular choices being Marlborough, Wellington, Eton, Harrow, Dulwich, Bradfield, Tonbridge and Bryanston. A small minority go on to day schools in London. Our success rate at Common Entrance has been 100% since the first boys left us thirteen years ago, and we get a good sprinkling of academic, art, music, sport and all rounder scholarships and awards every year.

Our approach is an unashamedly traditional one, in which
  • the emphasis is on individuality and originality, enabling boys to flourish in their own special ways and at their own pace, and yet learn the importance of being part of a team
  • a high value is placed on good manners, courtesy and consideration for others, both at school and at home – boys learn the value of self-discipline and are firmly guided by their teachers in the work and personal habits that will stand them in good stead when they go on to their senior schools
  • boys thrive in small, well-balanced classes that allow the brightest to receive maximum attention in a scholarship class whilst giving those who are less able the best possible chance of a good Common Entrance result to the school of their choosing
  • and we expect all staff who work for us not just to sign up to these values, but actively to promote them by leadership and example.

What else can you expect if you come to work for us?
  • you’ll be in an environment that looks and feels very much like that of a country prep school, but right here in the heart of London
  • staff work in a team environment, and all are expected to contribute to the extra-curricular life of the school in some way – there are many opportunities for staff to become involved in more than just academic work
  • you’ll have a lot of contact with parents who, while demanding high standards, are highly supportive of, and involved in, the life of the school
  • a happy partnership between parents and teachers that is highly valued
  • small classes – the average is 13, the maximum is 16
  • we are a school with a Christian ethos, with a weekly church service
  • there is a well-developed tutorial system in the top part of the school, in which staff members take personal responsibility for the academic and pastoral welfare of a small number of boys
  • our food is outstanding!
  • our payscale is well above the national pay scale, and we offer a contributory private health insurance scheme
  • subsidised fees are available for staff children
  • all staff are expected to go on at least one residential trip with the boys each year

It has been said: “ Education oozes out of the walls of country prep schools.” So it should, and so it does here. When the boys walk through the door each morning, they know they have come here to work. But, while academic work is always our first priority, we encompass it with many other activities in the fields of art, music, games and hobbies so that we cover as wide a spectrum as possible in the hours available. School, after all, should be an exciting and enjoyable part of every child’s life, and it is our aim that every boy should have both the opportunity and experience of achieving – whether in the classroom, over a chessboard, at the piano or on the games field.

Our philosophy is best summed up in our motto, Si Je Puis – to give the boys the confidence to know that, whatever the circumstances, they will always do their best.