Kent


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="969" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/f5qmfhps-969x1000.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-90672" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/f5qmfhps-969x1000.jpeg 969w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/f5qmfhps-775x800.jpeg 775w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/f5qmfhps-387x400.jpeg 387w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/f5qmfhps-768x793.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/f5qmfhps-509x525.jpeg 509w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/f5qmfhps.jpeg 1391w" sizes="(max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px" /></figure>



<p>New Headmistress, Ms Louise Chamberlain joined Walthamstow Hall&nbsp;in the summer term (2023) so she could get to know the school community and hit the ground running this Autumn Term.<br><br>Walthamstow Hall (or Wally Hall as it is known affectionately) aptly uses a ship as its symbol and Chamberlain is clearly already in the spirit of the school when she comments: ‘I am lucky to have jumped abroad a very sea-worthy ship &#8211; so we&#8217;ll sail forward, tweak and varnish the vessel that is already in great shape.&#8217;</p>



<p>So what are her plans for the future? Keen to build on the school&#8217;s strong reputation, here Louise Chamberlain reveals the 5 key features she aims to enhance during her time at the helm…</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-one-school-vision"><strong>1. One school vision</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-students-in-a-lesson.jpg" alt="Walthamstow Hall School Sevenoaks Kent students in a lesson" class="wp-image-94014" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-students-in-a-lesson.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-students-in-a-lesson-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-students-in-a-lesson-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-students-in-a-lesson-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-students-in-a-lesson-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-students-in-a-lesson-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Louise&nbsp;Chamberlain says: ‘Sitting on two sites, but only minutes apart, Walthamstow Hall is comprised of a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.walthamstow-hall.co.uk/junior-school/welcome/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Junior School</a>,&nbsp;conveniently near the train station in Bradbourne Park Road, and a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.walthamstow-hall.co.uk/senior-school/welcome/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Senior School</a>, on a separate site in town. We believe this is the perfect model &#8211; giving both Junior and Senior schools more space while keeping the strong bonds and benefits.&#8217;</p>



<p>&#8216;While being part of the same family the two schools are each perfectly geared towards the relevant stage of a pupil&#8217;s educational journey. As pupils at the Junior School move into Year 6 they get to experience life at the top of the school, along with all the responsibility and confidence-building that comes along with that.&#8217;</p>



<p>&#8216;We provide a bespoke education and all doors are open to pupils whichever senior school they choose to transition to. However, we are very proud of our Senior school and most do choose to move there and take advantage of all the facilities and opportunities on offer. Both schools share the same ethos, community feel and aspirations and I will continue to reinforce the &#8220;one school&#8221; ideal.&#8217;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-learning-for-life">2. Learning for life</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1267" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-student-racing-at-Goodwood.jpg" alt="Walthamstow Hall School Sevenoaks Kent student racing at Goodwood" class="wp-image-94015" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-student-racing-at-Goodwood.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-student-racing-at-Goodwood-800x676.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-student-racing-at-Goodwood-1000x845.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-student-racing-at-Goodwood-400x338.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-student-racing-at-Goodwood-768x649.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-student-racing-at-Goodwood-622x525.jpg 622w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Louise&nbsp;Chamberlain says: &#8216;Qualifications are important, but today the spotlight is shone even more brightly on the importance of a character-building education. We want our pupils to be both resilient and to push themselves with new challenges. We want them to be able to sail on stormy seas. We talk a lot about &#8220;Failosophy&#8221; &#8211; the idea that mistakes are okay and not to be feared &#8211; you just need to learn from them and to pick yourself back up. The atmosphere here is incredibly supportive.’</p>



<p>&#8216;As a day school that is situated centrally in Sevenoaks town, the girls have plenty of freedom and independence. While, at the same time, when they are at school they can fully focus on their study, building confidence in a space that is entirely theirs. In a single sex school there are no stereotypes – pupils feel liberated to do whatever subject or co-curricular activity they like.&#8217;<br><br>&#8216;It&#8217;s been well-documented how girls in a single-sex environment build confidence and tend to do better in subjects like STEM than they would otherwise. Last year the Physics Club built Wally, an electric car, and took it to race at Goodwood (pictured above) &#8211; a perfect example of the kind of experience that teaches the girls so much outside of the classroom.&#8217;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Value added</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1366" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/WH-Sixth-Form-Centre.jpg" alt="Walthamstow Hall School Sevenoaks Kent Sixth Form hub Lang Centre" class="wp-image-66890" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/WH-Sixth-Form-Centre.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/WH-Sixth-Form-Centre-220x300.jpg 220w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/WH-Sixth-Form-Centre-366x500.jpg 366w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/WH-Sixth-Form-Centre-110x150.jpg 110w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/WH-Sixth-Form-Centre-768x1049.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/WH-Sixth-Form-Centre-384x525.jpg 384w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Louise&nbsp;Chamberlain says: &#8216;As well as our superb purpose-built Sixth Form hub &#8211; called the Lang Centre (pictured above) &#8211; Walthamstow Hall has another reason to be very proud of what they offer the girls as they grow. We are also extremely proud of our &#8220;value added&#8221; score &#8211; this means the academic boost given to a student during their time at a school.&#8217;</p>



<p>&#8216;Independent analysis of the progress this summer’s Year 13 leavers made in the Sixth Form put Walthamstow Hall in the top 6 percent of schools, when compared to both independent and state sectors.&nbsp;For GCSE, the measurements put Walthamstow Hall 24th out of 283 independent schools, so within the top 10 percent of the private sector. There is no better demonstration of the school&#8217;s ability to help your daughter fulfil her academic potential.&#8217;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-student-voice"><strong>4. </strong>Student voice</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Sixth-Form-student-Science.jpg" alt="Walthamstow Hall School Sevenoaks Kent Sixth Form student Science" class="wp-image-94016" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Sixth-Form-student-Science.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Sixth-Form-student-Science-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Sixth-Form-student-Science-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Sixth-Form-student-Science-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Sixth-Form-student-Science-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Sixth-Form-student-Science-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Louise&nbsp;Chamberlain says: ‘There is a really strong student voice throughout the school. The pinnacle of this is in Sixth Form, for example, when the Head Girl and two Deputies are invited to join the opening of the staff Senior Management meeting so that they can discuss everything relevant in this professional environment &#8211; giving them that strong sense of responsibility and placing them at the centre of decision making.&#8217;</p>



<p>&#8216;In fact, even the Head Girl of the Junior School joins the same meeting, once every half term. This is just one example of how we value the input of our school community &#8211; from the youngest to the Sixth Formers &#8211; the student voice here is strong and is always listened to.&#8217;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5<strong>. Partnership with parents</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1337" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Early-Years-Nursery.jpg" alt="Walthamstow Hall School Sevenoaks Kent Early Years Pre prep Nursery" class="wp-image-94017" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Early-Years-Nursery.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Early-Years-Nursery-800x713.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Early-Years-Nursery-1000x891.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Early-Years-Nursery-400x357.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Early-Years-Nursery-768x685.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Early-Years-Nursery-589x525.jpg 589w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Louise&nbsp;Chamberlain says: &#8216;The school motto is a ship, not a canoe that you paddle on your own! To this end we are a community &#8211; and it takes that magic co-operation between pupil, parent and school to get the most out of the experience. From Father&#8217;s Day Breakfasts (at the Junior School) to the Sports Award dinner (at the Senior School) we fully involve and integrate parents along the school journey.&#8217;</p>



<p>&#8216;What&#8217;s more, we have extended our Nursery offer &#8211; as we have had lots of feedback from busy families about what they need. We accept Nursery vouchers and we will take 2-year-olds to 4-year-olds and boys too (at this age only). Nursery and Pre-School is open 50 weeks of the year. Days run from 7.30am to 6.15pm and are flexible &#8211; which we hope will help parents, particularly if they are working and/or commuting from nearby Sevenoaks station.&#8217;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-6-the-magic-formula"><strong>6. The magic formula</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Drama.jpg" alt="Walthamstow Hall School Sevenoaks Kent Drama" class="wp-image-94020" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Drama.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Drama-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Drama-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Drama-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Drama-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/Walthamstow-Hall-School-Sevenoaks-Kent-Drama-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Louise&nbsp;Chamberlain says: ‘We believe that the success of Walthamstow Hall is partly down to it being just the right size. It’s big enough to have a really competitive edge as a school and for girls to find their friendship group but also small enough that everyone is known and benefits from a really excellent level of teaching.&#8217;</p>



<p>Each of our pupils is an individual and there&#8217;s certainly no cookie-cutter product. We look at the person in front of us and draw out what&#8217;s best in them. Having said that, while they are all different the strong school values means that ultimately there are also similarities between our pupils. A Wally Hall pupil is confident, open and honest. From drama productions to swimming medals &#8211; the overall ethos is enthusiasm with everyone getting stuck in.&#8217;</p>



<p><strong><em>Senior School Open Morning</em></strong><em>: To arrange an individual tour of the Nursery, Pre-School and/or Junior School, please contact the Junior School Deputy Head, Mrs&nbsp; Conway cconway@whall.school</em>. <em>Families considering Walthamstow Hall Senior School or Sixth Form are invited to Open Morning on&nbsp;<strong>Thursday 7 March 2024.&nbsp;</strong>Tours run from 10.10am. Headmistress, Louise Chamberlain, will give a talk at 9.45am.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.walthamstow-hall.co.uk/walthamstow-hall/about/book-open-day/" rel="nofollow">Open Morning Book Here</a></em>.</p>


Talking heads: Louise Chamberlain, Walthamstow Hall

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