We may be less than 2 months in, but it has already been a momentous academic year for Francis Holland, Sloane Square.
From September 2024, our little sisters at Francis Holland Junior School moved just down the King’s Road to an iconic Victorian Grade II listed building in the heart of Chelsea, becoming Francis Holland Preparatory School. While they have been enjoying the amazing new facilities and the academic, pastoral and co-curricular benefits this majestic new site offers, our senior pupils are similarly benefitting, not only from greater space at Sloane Square, but also from the exciting associated opportunities for senior curriculum enhancement. As we approach October Half Term, we are reflecting on some of the new developments our pupils have enjoyed in the first weeks of the 2023-24 academic year.
One highlight has been the opening of our Collaboration Space, which has transformed an area of the former Junior School into a vibrant, multifunctional space, designed specifically to inspire our girls’ creative thinking and further develop their essential life skills. The new area, located on the lower ground floor, serves as a social space for Years 7 and 8, a creative studio and classroom space. Pupil voice has been key to the project and it is fabulous to see the vibrant furniture the girls have chosen – particularly the hot pink winged armchairs (!) This is the first in a series of important developments to our campus masterplan which will promote our pupils’ wellbeing and enhance the development of their 7 Cs of creativity, collaboration, confidence, curiosity, commitment, craftsmanship and communication.
Over the past five weeks, it has been a joy to see the Collaboration Space well and truly serving its purpose- offering our pupils a perfect venue to explore new interests and bond with their peers in our phone -free school. Every breaktime and lunchtime, we have seen girls chatting, girls crocheting, girls playing board games… exactly what we hoped for from the space! We look forward to seeing the girls continuing to reap the benefits over the coming year.
As part of the same summer redevelopment project, we configured our former Junior School office space into a dedicated pastoral hub. This now serves as a new home for our counsellors and safeguarding team, providing our girls with a calming and supportive environment that promotes belonging and wellbeing. It has been named ‘Cornerstone’, aligning with our motto, “May our daughters become the cornerstones of the temple”, and echoing our belief that pastoral care is at the very foundations of our pupils’ education.
As with the Collaboration Space, it has been wonderful to see Cornerstone being regularly used as a sanctuary by everyone – from Year 7 girls feeling overwhelmed by the step up to secondary school, to Upper Sixth students feeling anxious about the important year ahead, to other students and staff who may simply be seeking a tranquil moment, a cup of tea and a quiet chat with one of our five school counsellors, or the opportunity to stroke our gorgeous Hungarian Vizsla Therapy Dog, Kanga.
We look forward to seeing our pupils continuing to enjoy these unique new areas, and to seeing our campus masterplan continue to evolve over the year to come and beyond.
