INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
Following our announcement that Bickley Park School was to become co-educational, in March 2024, we have been delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response that we have received. Since then, the number of girls has flourished, and continues to go from strength to strength.
By September 2026 the whole of our Pre-Prep (Nursery through to Year 2) will be co-ed.
Our Co-Ed Road map:
• COMPLETED – PHASE 1: September 2024 welcomed girls and boys into our Reception classes, in addition to our existing co-ed Nursery & Pre-School.
• COMPLETED – PHASE 2: September 2025 places for both girls and boys available from Nursery & Pre-School through to Year 1.
• PHASE 3 – September 2026 - all year groups from Nursery & Pre-School through to Year 2 (2 ½ - 7) will be co-educational.
• These year groups will then move through the School.
With the introduction of girls, we are taking the opportunity to enhance our strong family ethos by creating a fully co-educational community that twins excellence with convenience. All pupils will benefit from our broad and balanced curriculum, delivered through our Four Quadrants of Learning and dedicated preparation for 11+ and 13+ examinations.
Happiness and excellent pastoral care remain at the heart of everything we do, which is highly valued here. We will continue to foster a lifelong love of learning in a caring and supportive environment, where children feel secure and able to thrive.
An ambitious refurbishment programme of our Pre-Prep site has already taken place and the infrastructure at our Prep site will also be realigned to ensure that all pupils continue to benefit from the excellent facilities at Bickley Park.
We are ambitious for the next chapter in the fine history of Bickley Park and remain determined to be adaptive, forward thinking and current.
Tom Quilter Headmaster
MATERIAL CHANGE & INSPECTION 2026
A key step for any school planning a change such as this, involves an application to the Department for Education (DfE) for a material change. In order for an application to be successful, a school must evidence the following:
• Plans to show how the existing premises will accommodate the change alongside risk assessments.
• Evidence of key policy updates including safeguarding, behaviour, curriculum, RSE and PSHE policies.
• Evidence of clear planning, capacity and sufficient funds to support the proposed change.
In order to support us with this, we enlisted the help of an Educational Consultant who provided invaluable insight into all the areas we needed to carefully consider when making this change. The DfE approved our material change application within a month, largely due to the detail and care that had gone into the application.
This included:
• A plan for site development
• School Culture
• Co-curricular provision
• Staff Training and an ongoing CPD schedule for staff
• Uniform
• Pupil voice and equality of representation at School Council
• A communications strategy
In February 2026 Bickley Park was inspected by the Independent School Inspectorate (ISI) and they made the following comment in their Summary of Inspection Findings:
‘Leaders prioritise and promote pupils’ wellbeing through a carefully monitored programme which teaches pupils about healthy relationships and lifestyles. This includes high quality pastoral care.’
Co-ed announcement / Curriculum Review / Staff Training / Pioneering girls join Reception –September 2024
Site development / Further staff training / Launch of Pre-School / Introduction of new uniform
TIMELINE
Further Site development / Pioneer girls join Year 3 – September 2027
Site development (including changing rooms) / Further Curriculum Review / Pre-Prep Fully Co-ed – September 2026
PASTORAL CARE
Our phased co-ed planning process involves every area of school life being continually and carefully considered.
The pastoral and safeguarding aspects are some of the most important and include:
• Ongoing safeguarding training for the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Safeguarding Team and Safeguarding governors.
• Ongoing policy reviews.
• Ongoing staff training to ensure that everyone is reflective of how best to support boys and girls alike.
• Ensuring that there are positive male and female role models throughout the school.
• A pastoral staff working party to continually consider our pastoral approach and champion the boys and girls pastorally throughout the school.
STAFF TRAINING
A key element to ensure co-education is successfully embedded into the School and it’s culture is staff training. We have planned an ongoing schedule of CPD for staff to address this, covering topics such as:
• Educating girls – Teaching approaches to help girls thrive.
• How do boys and girls learn differently.
• UKFeminista – tackling unconscious bias in schools.
CURRICULUM
Curriculum quality is at the heart of our planning as a co-ed school and our annual audit of the curriculum will focus on ensuring it fully supports the learning needs of all pupils. This will include:
• Ensuring that all Four Quadrants reflect:
• Equality of provision, delivery, assessment and outcomes.
• Our broad and balanced curriculum enables each pupil to develop as an individual.
• The PSHE curriculum – with careful consideration of how topics are framed.
• RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) in particular will require sensitive handling to ensure all pupils are fully catered for in the provision and delivery of crucial areas of development.
• Teachers of Science will need to consider the reproduction aspects of the curriculum to ensure appropriate attention is paid to delivery and nuance.
• Sports – We are committed to a philosophy of ‘Sports for All’ whereby the same wide and varied range of sports must be available to boys and girls alike.
Early Years Curriculum
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework is designed to support the development and care of boys and girls alike.
This curriculum is underpinned by the 7 areas of learning and development, including the 3 prime areas, • Communication and language • Physical development • Personal, social & emotional development
And 4 specific areas to ignite children’s curiosity and enthusiasm: • Literacy • Mathematics • Understanding the world • Expressive arts and design
Our plans for Reception 2026-27 are likely to cover the following topics:
PE & GAMES CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
Since our announcement, the following sports have already been introduced (for all pupils) into the curriculum and the activities programme: netball, gymnastics and dance.
We will also provide the opportunity for girls and boys to participate and enjoy the ‘traditional school sports’, throughout their time at the school including:
• Football
• Netball
• Rugby
• Hockey
• Cricket
• Swimming
• Basketball
• Racket sports (including Tennis, Badminton, Table Tennis, Pickle Ball and more)
(The coaching of specific sports for all children begins in Year 2)
To a certain extent, our clubs and activities programme reflects the wishes of pupils and parents and an ongoing commitment to listen to those voices will inform our extra-curricular plans in the future. We are committed to enabling strong personal development of all pupils.
After School clubs are made available to Reception children at the start of their Spring term.
Throughout their time at Bickley Park, boys and girls will have access to an enhanced range of clubs and activities over the years. These are likely to include gymnastics, netball, Arts & Crafts, Dance, Drama and more!
UNIFORM
It was essential that our girls were happy with their new uniforms, so we made sure that they had a say in choosing them, together with their families. Similarly, their opinions will be invaluable when the uniform evolves as they get older and move through the school, making sure it remains both smart and practical.
All of our girls across Nursery, Pre-School and Pre-Prep are now proudly wearing the full Winter and Summer uniform, Swimming, Sports and PE Kit.
Where suitable, elements of the uniform and PE Kit are unisex (blazer, shirt, tracksuit) so that kit can be passed down in families and parents can use our ‘good as new’ uniform shop.
The full Uniform list is published on our website.
