Woodmansterne School

Woodmansterne is more than just a school, it is a community with a united desire to achieve great things and bring the best out of the children it serves. If you are looking for a school that only measures success by test results and performance tables, Woodmansterne is not the school for you. We believe our responsibility, to our children and community, goes beyond this. Our ethos is centered on instilling our core values and developing characteristics that inspire every single one of our children to be the very best version of themselves that they can be. We believe that by doing this, happiness and success will naturally follow. Good results are an expectation, our bread and butter, not our raison d'être. 

Woodmansterne’s journey from a small outstanding primary to a large all-though school means that change is inevitable: new pupils, new staff, new families, new buildings, new contractors, new classrooms, new curricula. We are nothing if not brave, resilient and optimistic; our glass is always half full and our pupils, staff and governors embrace the opportunities that each day, each change and each challenge provides.  Our curriculum is creative, challenging and provides plenty of opportunities to explore learning beyond the classroom. We recognise and value the importance of the arts and sport; not just in complimenting the traditional academic subjects but in providing our pupils with a healthy balance which supports their well-being. Through a rich curriculum and a shared moral purpose, we develop our pupils’ self-belief, individuality and ambition. It was the pioneering pupils of Woodmansterne secondary phase who declared they wanted the school to be specialist in every area of the curriculum. So that should they desire to be a scientist, lawyer, actor or artist we would have the right curriculum and staff to support them.  

The Woodmansterne way is the realisation of our vision and values in daily life. Grounded in our six core values of integrity, cooperation, aspiration, respect, unity and responsibility; it is at the heart of everything we do, our way of being, our approach to life and learning. Our staff and pupils embody these values every day. It is played out in our daily routines, our assemblies, our learning, our actions and interactions and our expectations of ourselves and each other. If you visit, ask our pupils about our values, they are fiercely proud of their school’s ethos and reputation as a socially responsible, kind and inclusive community.  We do not select our pupils on their prior attainment; whatever a child’s starting point we aim to support them on their journey to success, in whatever form that may take. As our school grows, so too does the identity and legacy of our pupils.

• “Pupils' behaviour is second to none. They are eager to learn. They are kind, confident, articulate young people. They respect those from all backgrounds and heritages.”


• “The school's values are shared by its whole community. Pupils leave Ashmole exceptionally well prepared to take their place in society as fully rounded citizens.”


• “All adults share the drive to raise pupils' aspirations and provide them with extensive chances to take responsibility and to think for themselves.”


• “Adults are caring. Children are kept safe. Adults all know each child and provide for their individual needs extremely well.”

• “Pupils' behaviour is second to none. They are eager to learn. They are kind, confident, articulate young people. They respect those from all backgrounds and heritages.”


• “The school's values are shared by its whole community. Pupils leave Ashmole exceptionally well prepared to take their place in society as fully rounded citizens.”


• “All adults share the drive to raise pupils' aspirations and provide them with extensive chances to take responsibility and to think for themselves.”


• “Adults are caring. Children are kept safe. Adults all know each child and provide for their individual needs extremely well.”

Holmewood Nursery school is situated in Central Lambeth, off Brixton Hill.  The school is located in a densely populated area of contrasting households in terms of culture, ethnicity, and socio-economic status.

Holmewood provides education for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with 95 full time equivalent places in the main nursery (2 - 4 year olds) and 12 full time equivalent places in the two year old provision.  The school's intake is very culturally diverse with a high percentage of children from mixed, or Black-British / Caribbean / African backgrounds. Nearly half of the children speak English as an additional language, with many at the early stages of learning English.

Holmewood is federated with Maytree and Triangle Nursery Schools.  As a Federated Nursery School, Holmewood is led by an Executive Head Teacher, Head of School and teachers working with other qualified early years practitioners. Holmewood offers highly inclusive education with qualified and caring staff.  It has rich and varied indoor and outdoor learning environments that allow children to play and be active in developing and acquiring new skills and knowledge; children are well motivated and are thoroughly absorbed in their learning.

They are encouraged to experiment and explore and children are very well challenged to enable them to take risks safely and develop their own problem solving skills. Outdoor learning is supported through the Natural Thinkers curriculum and an extensive allotment.

Each child is allocated a Key Person, one of our skilled early years educators or teachers. They get to know the children in their group very well and work in collaboration with their parents. Teachers and practitioners support, encourage and facilitate learning opportunities so that children are happy, confident and independent learners.

All teachers and practitioners have a thorough understanding of children’s early learning and development and the early years foundation stage and understand the importance of working together with parents and other professionals.

At Holmewood, we believe in investing in professional development and bespoke training to meet individual needs so that all teachers and practitioners feel motivated and committed to the continuing success of the school.

Visits to the school can be arranged by contacting the school office.

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