Welcome to Dallington School

The original, progressive family-owned village school in the heart of London, welcoming children from 3 to 11.

Our School was founded in 1978 by Mogg Hercules to offer an alternative, creative, child-centred learning environment to that of most schools of the time.

‘The joy and reward of lifelong learning takes time. That time is called childhood, spent with people who understand and value it, in a stimulating environment that promotes it.’ Mogg Hercules MBE – Founder, maverick, champion of alternative education.

We believe there is no rush to education. We champion independence and natural progression as an antidote to this increasingly frenetic educational world. Supported and challenged by exceptional teaching staff, our children have a voice, are allowed to make mistakes, question and challenge. These foundations lead to academic distinction and well-rounded, delightful people.

Our informal, holistic, highly creative environment nurtures curious, creative, confident, kind and enthusiastic lifelong learners. We make lovely adults!

Celebrating childhood since 1978.

Our School

Nursery

3-5 Years

The staff – children ratio amongst the 3-5 year olds is 1:4, an unusually generous ratio which ensures that our experienced Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) team can give every child individual care and attention.

Our smallest people enjoy a safe, stimulating and fun environment where they are gently introduced to a routine for learning through play and child-led activities, helping them to grow in independence.
We aim to help children´s natural curiosity and eagerness to learn by offering a wide range of activities and subjects, alongside numeracy and phonics every morning. 

A typical week includes lots of Art, PE, Music and movement, regular French lessons, outside learning in local parks, as well as lots of self-directed play and activities.

There´s daily story reading together, as well as regular trips to the theatre. In the Summer term children in Upper Nursery start swimming lessons at the local baths.

Transition

5-7 Years

In these important transition years, bridging the world of the Nursery and School, we aim to foster independent learning, develop key skills and nurture creative expression, all within  a supportive learning environment and through cross-curricular topic work. We continue to tap into children´s natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Working in partner or small group setups, every child is given individual care and attention.

The curriculum offers the core subjects of English and Mathematics, with science, geography and history brought together into the topic chosen each term. This enables meaningful connections to be made between subjects. Creative Arts are an important part of the curriculum, as is French and the Performing Arts. Outdoor Learning (Urban Forest School) is embedded into the curriculum in these years, and children have the opportunity to learn about nature and the elements in it, as well as developing leadership and teamwork skills.

Middle School

7-11 Years

By the time children enter Middle School, they are able to take even more responsibility both for their own learning and as a group member.  Mathematics and Literacy continue to feature daily, and children can advance as quickly as they are able, with lots of individual help where needed.

With a cross-curricular, topic-based approach, children learn to develop their problem-solving skills and can undertake independent research, allowing them to become autonomous learners, which in turn builds their self esteem and self confidence.
A particular feature of our school is the experiential learning that takes place outside the classroom with many curricular-related trips to museums, art galleries, theatres and the zoo.

During this phase the school will start the process of analysing suitable secondary schools for children and will have meetings with  parents about the admissions process. We also prepare children for upcoming entrance tests, and help to keep the stress of this at bay.

Download our Prospectus

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