1. Happy children work hard, participate and look after each other
Our individual pastoral approach to each and every child ensures that our children are happy and settled in their school lives; as a result, they want to work hard in their academic work, look forward to participating in the extra-curricular life of the school and contribute strongly to the community.

2. We nurture self-confidence in all of our pupils
From the cosy surroundings of the Old Rectory Pre-Prep School through to their final days in Year 8 or the 5eme we will know your child. Our pupils gain the self-knowledge, self-confidence and self-esteem that will stand them in good stead for their future schools and for a future life of learning. Pastoral care underpins everything that we do at the school, and the Form Tutor system allows each child regularly to review their progress, to set new targets for themselves and to receive regular feedback on their progress across their academic, extra-curricular and broader school lives.

3. Our focus on the individual whole child
Through our small classes, we get the very best out of our pupils, by encouraging them to think and learn independently in and out of the classroom. At Northbourne Park, we believe in learning as an active process in which children develop the confidence to think creatively, to be ‘quirky’ in their ideas and to develop a love of learning for learning’s sake, equipping them with the skills to explore new areas to discover.

4. Our children are as proud of their school as we are of all that they achieve with us
The values and principles of the school encourage our pupils to be tolerant of each other and of other cultures and traditions, supported by a robust Personal Social Health Education Programme. Our dedicated staff is loved by children and parents alike. Our high staff / child ratios ensure that we can encourage each child’s academic, extra-curricular and pastoral needs, whilst providing them with a wide breadth of learning.

5. Our broad curriculum
Our broad curriculum is backed up by a wide range of extension activities, visits, trips, fieldwork and projects and we actively explore links between subjects, seeing each subject as an opportunity to learn broadly.

6. Dynamic lessons
Our lessons are well-managed and delivered in a wide variety of exciting ways aimed at promoting active learning in our youngsters and encouraging them to be creative and ambitious in their thought processes.

7. Lessons in Leadership
Our pupils enjoy taking responsibility of themselves and increasingly of others. They learn to be well-motivated, well-organised and to enhance their own learning. At Northbourne Park we teach Leadership as part of the curriculum, getting the children out and about in the grounds, setting them exciting challenges and developing both their sense of teamwork and their nascent leadership skills.

8. Learning outside the classroom
We believe that education does not just take place in the classroom, but right across the breadth of school life. In their Sport, Music, Drama, Leadership, charitable fundraising activities, clubs, assemblies, form Periods and free time, the children learn lessons about themselves and the wider world, building their portfolio of easily transferable skills.

9. Our grounds
Set in 100 acres of beautiful park and woodland on the Betteshanger Estate between Canterbury and Deal in Kent, our children explore the grounds, build camps in the woods, swim in the open-air heated pool, climb trees and simply enjoy the freedom of the biggest playground they could possibly want.

10. A family environment
Northbourne Park is located in the former family home of the Northbourne family. Its location provides a warm inclusive family ethos in which children thrive.

11. Our independence
We guard our independence fiercely. We are not a feeder to one particular school and our pupils go on to a school which suits them. Over the years, we have sent children, often with scholarships to a wide range of leading independent schools and local grammar schools including Benenden, Cranbrook, Dover College, Eton College, Kent College, The King’s School- Canterbury, St Edmund’s, Sevenoaks, Simon Langton Grammar School, Sir Roger Manwood’s and Tonbridge.

12. IAPS Membership
As an independent IAPS school, we have the freedom and flexibility to put children at the centre of all of our decision-making, unburdened by much of the bureaucracy of other schools. Our independence allows us to think freely and encourage free thinking in our pupils.