As an ambitious, forward-thinking school, we have been evaluating the current market environment for some time and we are confident that this is the perfect time to make this exciting change.  

We are determined to be adaptive and reflective to ensure that the school stays current, always keen to explore ways to strengthen our offer. 

Following a period of consultation, this decision reflects demand from current and prospective parents, the evolving societal landscape and our steadfast commitment to meet the needs of modern family life. 

We place the needs of the pupils at the heart of all our decisions as the school continues to evolve and adapt and we feel this is a natural development for the school that will bring positive benefits to the Bickley Park community. 

We have observed a noticeable and significant increase in enquiries from families expressing an interest in enrolling their daughters at Bickley Park. One of the main reasons some parents have not selected our School in the past, is their preference for having all their children in the same school. The introduction of co-education at Bickley Park will not only support family life but will address the needs of our current and prospective families. 

Children currently in Year 2 and above are unlikely to be affected and will continue to be taught in a boys’ only setting.  

Children currently in the Nursery will now continue to be in co-ed classes throughout their time at Bickley Park. 

From September 2025 we will welcome girls as well as boys into Nursery and through to Year 3. These year groups will then move through the school. 

Following a period of consultation, thoughtful research and careful study of many schools who have made a similar change, we have identified a wide range of key benefits that the co-educational model will offer us. These include: 

• Enhanced social skills: Boys’ and girls’ development of social skills accelerates, including communication, empathy and cooperation and this benefits the quality of their relationships in teenage and adult life. 
• Broader perspectives: a wider range of viewpoints are brought to classroom discussions deepening the learning and the understanding of different points of view, promoting enriched classroom discussions and enhancing critical thinking. 
• Balanced Learning Environment: co-educational settings provide opportunities for students to learn from each other’s strengths and perspectives, fostering a more inclusive and equitable learning environment where all students have the chance to excel. Academic attainment is better or as good as in single sex boys’ schools. 
• Preparation for the Real World: Learning alongside peers of both genders prepares pupils for the realities of the workplace and society, potentially helping to break down gender stereotypes and promoting equal opportunities. 

With the introduction of girls, we are taking the opportunity to enhance our strong family ethos by creating a fully co-educational community at Bickley Park. Girls will benefit from our broad and balanced curriculum, delivered through our Four Quadrants of Learning and dedicated preparation for 11+ and 13+ examinations, within the nurturing environment that the boys currently enjoy.  

Happiness and excellent pastoral care remain at the heart of our ethos, which is highly valued by the Bickley Park community. We will continue to foster a lifelong love of learning in a caring and supportive environment, where children feel secure and able to thrive.  

The curriculum will remain broad and balanced and framed around our Four Quadrants of Learning. In addition to English and Maths, this includes subjects such as Modern Languages, Science, Geography, History, Sports, Art, Drama, Music, Personal Social and Health Education (including Life Skills and Wellbeing) as well as Forest School and Adventure School. 

Yes. We will assess and revise our curriculum to ensure it is relevant and appropriate for girls as well as boys. 

Additionally, we aim to develop and extend our extensive sports and activities offer to cater for the needs of girls as well as boys, including netball, gymnastics and dance. 

Our PSHE curriculum already reflects gender in its teaching, but we are reviewing the content to ensure it fully reflects being a co-educational school.  

One of the principles that will underpin our approach to co-education will be ‘everything for everyone’ so that we will always endeavour to achieve full inclusivity. 

We have always promoted respect for others, celebration of diversity and kindness not only in our words but also our actions.  We nurture and encourage these qualities in our pupils today and will do so in the future. 

We believe in ‘Sport for All’ and this ethos will continue as we expand the range of sporting opportunities available. This will likely include fielding mixed as well as single-sex teams, in line with competitor schools. 

We have extensive ongoing fixture list arrangements with other local Independent Schools and these arrangements will continue and develop. 

We are committed to providing a high level of competitive sport for boys and girls and over the coming months preparations will be made to ensure that we offer the best possible range of team sports. Bickley Park already has excellent provision and facilities in place for this. 

From September 2024, we will be developing the way we support preparation for 11+ in a more explicit and tangible way.  Pupils will have preparation in English, Mathematics, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Pupils will also be given experience of interviews, public speaking skills and revision techniques. 

We have always enjoyed strong results at both 11+ and 13+ here at Bickley Park, confident that the way we teach is excellent preparation for any entrance exam. This forms an important part of how we prepare children for their future and complements our broad and balanced curriculum offering through our Four Quadrants.  

We prioritise children’s happiness in their learning and this in turn is reflected in our excellent results. 

Yes. We pride ourselves on small class sizes. These will remain the same as now i.e. with around 18 pupils in each class.  

Perhaps the most obvious change is that dedicated toilets and changing rooms will be created. Facilities will first be developed on the Pre-Prep site, and then throughout the rest of the school ready for when we accept girls into Year 3 in the Prep School in September 2025.  

We already have exciting new playground projects well underway on both sites that will appeal and cater to all children. 

No. The admissions process will remain the same and will run in the same way as it does with our existing co-ed Nursery. We will welcome both boys and girls and they will be treated equally throughout the admissions process.   

For more information, please refer to our Admissions Policy.

Yes. We are delighted to introduce a sibling discount policy from September 2024. Where parents have two or more children in the school, a reduction will be made for the second and subsequent children as follows:  

2nd child – 10% discount 

3rd child – 15% discount 

4th child – 20% discount 

These discounts will apply whilst all children are in the school. 

Applicants will be added to a waiting list on a first come first served basis. 

At this stage there are no plans to accept girls into these year groups but if there is sufficient demand, we will consider it. 

This is highly unlikely.  

We have girls currently on our roll moving up from our Nursery. We have also had noticeable and significant numbers of new enquiries from prospective families with daughters, expressing an interest in enrolling at Bickley Park in recent months. 

In addition, we have a well-targeted marketing programme planned for the next six months. 

This will be a gradual process, but we anticipate the balance between boys and girls will level out as we continue to welcome new children into our school community. 

We know this will take some time to achieve. 

The current uniform is suitable for all children joining Pre-Prep in Nursery and Reception with the addition of a blazer for Reception children. 

For Year 1 and above from 2025, additional items will also be available; pinafore dress, summer dress and swimsuit.  

In the coming months, we will also work to develop additional items that pupils may require as they move into the Prep School i.e. sports skort and additional items for PE and Games. 

Yes. We will provide support and training for all staff, so that we can ensure it is a truly co-educational experience for all pupils. 

Most of our staff already have co-educational teaching experience. Similarly, Mr Quilter has extensive senior leadership experience across a number of co-educational settings, along with most of the SLT.  

We will monitor the changes through regular staff consultations, learning walks and parental surveys. As ever, parents are encouraged to share their concerns with us to enable the very best outcomes for all the children in our school. The role of the form tutor is key at Bickley Park, and you will also have opportunities to feed back to senior staff at various points during the course of the year. 

We are proud of the thorough and comprehensive work we have undertaken to get us to this point and are keen to ensure all stakeholders are involved in the continued onward journey of Bickley Park School.   

Yes. We will be holding drop-in information mornings on Tuesday 26th March for Pre-Prep and Wednesday 27th March for Prep, both at 8.15am, where all our parents are welcome to come and speak with Governors, Mr Quilter and other members of the senior leadership team about these exciting plans.