Prospectus
Excellence in Diversity
Fostering individual achievement within a diverse community
Spend just a short time with us and you will quickly sense the spirit of excitement, the breadth of opportunity, the aspiration to achieve, and the feeling of warmth that characterises our School.
Look a little closer and you will find that Watson's is a diverse community, encompassing girls and boys with a range of talents, abilities and personal qualities.
In pursuing academic excellence, we are committed to a culture that encourages each and every pupil.
Watson's helps our pupils develop into versatile young adults.
An Active Partnership
Parents, pupils and staff working together
Our partnership with parents and the rest of the Watson's community goes well beyond the formal aspects of school life, extending into social, sporting and other extra-curricular activities. Indeed it is this shared involvement in the life of the School that is at the core of what is often referred to as 'the Watson's family'.
S3 Projects, a unique part of life of Watson's, is considered by our pupils to be life changing
A Single Campus
Everything within easy reach on one 50 acre site
With over 50 acres of parkland campus situated near the centre of one of Europe's most beautiful cities, we offer our pupils the benefits of a close-knit community in one inclusive and integrated location.
Our environment helps our pupils to make a gradual progression from their earliest years towards their preparations for life after Senior School.
Exploring Together
The Nursery - introducing a world of discovery
For some of our pupils, life at Watson's begins in the Nursery School, in their pre-school year, either at Morning Nursery or at Day Nursery.
Our Nursery facilities provide a secure, intimate but stimulating environment for our youngest children, at a time that is one of the most exciting and formative in their development. From the very outset, our goal is to provide them with a foundation for learning.
Nursery Plus is an extension of the pre-school day providing care both before and after nursery and during the holidays.
Encouraging Growth
The Junior School - expanding horizons from Lower to Upper Primary
Our Junior School comprises the Lower Primary, home to the Nursery and Primary 1 to Primary 3, and the Upper Primary, where Primary 4 to Primary 7 are based.
Each year, five mixed ability Primary 1 classes are created and these groups remain constant throughout the Lower Primary and through the transition into the Upper Primary. At the end of Primary 4 the pupils are reorganised into new class groups for their final three years in the Junior School. This process is sensitively managed and is intended to widen the pupils' social networks and to prepare them for the changes they will face in Senior School and beyond. In Primary 7, a sixth class is created, which accommodates children joining us for the last year of their primary education.
Happy and motivated children are the most successful learners.
Challenging Minds
The Senior School - a broad and stimulating curriculum
Arrival at Senior School is a significant moment and we make sure that all pupils, whether joining from other primary schools, our own Junior School, or entering further up the School, are supported in this key transition. Our induction aims to make this step exciting for our pupils, to help them to establish friendships, and to allow us to get to know our pupils and for them to get to know us as quickly as possible.
In First and Second Year, a diverse and stimulating timetable balances challenging academic progression with a variety of learning experiences. Pupils study many of their subjects in their form classes but are set in English and Mathematics. This enables them to progress at a pace that provides the appropriate level of challenge, and provides them with an opportunity to mix with the rest of their year group.
From Second Year, pupils discuss their personal targets and study options with teachers, through to their key certificate examinations, and we ensure that they choose subjects and levels that match their abilities and aspirations.
At Watson's we are proud of the exceptionally broad range of certificate courses we offer.
Support For Learning
Supporting pupils whenever a need is identified
Support for Learning at Watson's is nationally renowned. A close partnership between experienced and skilled professionals, the pupil, and parents helps develop a solution tailored to the individual, from the early years through to Sixth Year.
This partnership strives to enable the pupil to find success within the context of a broad and stimulating curriculum.
Sixth Year pupils make an invaluable contribution to Support for Learning, acting as readers and scribes for individual pupils.
Beyond The Classroom
Developing a breadth of interests for a rounded education
We believe an excellent education requires both endeavour and achievement in the classroom and beyond. This drives our commitment to a rich and rewarding informal curriculum.
As a large school, we can support over 80 extra-curricular clubs and activities. In this we are supported by our dedicated teachers and support staff, along with many parents, former pupils and other members of our community.
Ask our pupils, teachers and parents about the Watson's experience, and you will quickly understand the impact of Projects, the two weeks in the Summer Term when small groups of Third Year pupils take to the outdoors for a journey of discovery, challenge and adventure. Projects is indicative of our conviction that education should be a rounded set of experiences both in and out of the classroom. The result – a life-changing experience for the pupils and a significant step towards maturity.
In recognising achievement, we celebrate everyone's contribution.
Preparing for Life
At Watson's heart - supporting personal development
For all our pupils, whether they are with us from Nursery or join us in Senior School, their time at Watson's will play a significant part in their journey into adulthood. We share with parents a responsibility for providing a solid foundation on which to build as our young people progress from school to future study and the challenges of the world they will inherit.
Our ambition is to develop well-educated, mature, responsible, motivated and happy young people.
A Lifelong Relationship
The 'family' links continues
For our pupils, eager anticipation of new challenges tempers any sadness at leaving. For the School, it is a time to celebrate the achievements of pupils and to wish them every success for the future. But we hope that this marks the beginning of a new and lasting relationship with Watson's.
We are proud of our strong worldwide links with generations of Watson's alumni. The School's Development Office and a team of Watsonians, who volunteer to be points of contact around the globe, support our former pupil network.
Our former pupils represent the continuity of tradition that has accompanied Watson's evolution from its foundation in 1741.
Prospectus
If you would like us to send you a copy of our prospectus, along with our application form, or have any other questions please contact our Admissions Secretary who will be happy to help.
Open Morning
Or come and visit us at our next Open Morning.