Our School
The Fold School is a small, independent, family owned and run, co-education primary school in Hove. We cater for children from the age of 2 1/2 to 11 years (Pre-nursery to Year 6). We have created a small, nurturing community where each child's individual needs are met in classes of about 14 children. We aim to guide pupils towards reaching their full academic, emotional, social, artistic and physical potential. We do this by following an integrated primary education based on an extended National Curriculum which includes French, gymnastics, swimming, music, drama and dance.
Children are taught by an experienced, caring and enthusiastic staff who are selected because they are excited about, and competent to teach, their chosen subjects. This is clearly seen by the children's enthusiasm for the projects they are working on. The school day is structured to provide a variety of teaching styles and environments. We take great pride in displaying the children's work to reflect all the hard effort they have put into it.
The School was founded in 1982 by the Mr and Mrs Drake, who still remain deeply involved. Their daughter, Dr Drake, now leads the school along with an excellent team of teaching and support staff.
Our children come from a wide range of social and ethnic backgrounds. Our fees are reasonable, with many parents giving up holidays etc. to educate their children in our special environment. Our school is Christian based, but all religions are honoured. The small numbers in our school means that all staff and children know each other well. Children are usually in our care for 9 years, from Nursery to Year 6.
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In addition to a normal ability range (80% of pupils), we cater for "fragile" children. For example, children with unusual health issues (severe food allergies, a child with diabetes, a child with brittle bones), gifted and talented children (those who were bored and not stretched in their previous schools, talented musicians who need adapted timetables for lessons and practice, gifted dyslexic children), children who have underachieved in a previous large class (who require specific support but are not disruptive to the class), French bilingual children (who wish to maintain their skills).
Our children are bright, interested, questioning and thirsty for knowledge. They have instigated many unusual projects. For instance, Year 6 proposed cooking a three-course dinner for 12 guests. Year 5 asked if they could be waiters. Year 4 offered entertainment. It was a wonderful evening. Children are used to hearing such phrases as "I don't know, we will find out", and love to beat the teacher at finding the information from the library or off the internet on our wireless access laptops.
We are educating, caring and nurturing YOUR child. Should there be any problems, however small, we need to know about them as soon as they arise. Parents are encouraged/expected to see their child's teacher or a member of the management team immediately if they have any concerns. If a distressing situation should occur please do not hesitate to use our home numbers (419170 or 415741).
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Philosophy & Aims
- To provide a small, caring community where children learn to respect and care for their peers, learn the mores of our culture and thus behave towards others in a tolerant and respectful manner.
- To provide a nine-year integrated programme of learning by thoughtful organisation of the school's resources and curriculum.
- To enable each child to reach his/her potential academically, physically, artistically and socially by setting clear parameters reinforced by a valued reward system.
- To provide a child centred school curriculum which takes full advantage of children's innate curiosity of and interest in their environment.
- To engender creativity, logical thinking, the development of study skills and presentation by using first-hand experiences gained through a wide range of activities and educational visits.
- To monitor children's performance so that any child with specific problems or who is gifted with unusual abilities is diagnosed early and appropriate action taken.
- To provide differentiation in work to meet the needs of individual children.
- To provide qualified staff of varied experiences and strengths to fulfil all areas of the curriculum in an efficient, knowledgeable manner.
- To develop and foster co-operation, tolerance, self-motivation, self-discipline, independence, confidence, respect and equal access and fairness for all who learn, work and visit the school.
- To work as a team, with you the parents, in order to educate and nurture your child.
- To make our school a bright, attractive and stimulating place in which to live and learn.
The importance of early acquisition of basic sensori-cognitive-motor skills.
Recent scientific evidence about brain plasticity has provided additional support for our beliefs about the importance of early, practical, expert tuition in basic sensori-cognitive-motor skills. There appears to be quantitative difference between brain development before and after about the age of 8 or 9 years. When learning new skills below this age, new brain structures are developed leading to highly automated, less conscious, fundamental skill acquisition. However, whereas as older children are still able to acquire these skills, pre-existing brain structures have to be adapted rather than new ones created. This means that learning is less automatic and less deeply engrained into the child's functioning.
Our school curriculum is consistent with this view-point:
- Reading, writing, number skills are taught in an as practical, interactive way as possible, as young as each child is able and willing to learn.
- High quality training in gymnastic, swimming, dance and ball skills is started once a week throughout the year from Reception upwards.
- High quality, fun, socially integrated music training is incorporated from the Nursery upwards
- French is taught in a fun, practical manner from the Nursery upwards.
The Friends Of The Fold
Trustees:
Father Timothy M.J van Carrapiett, SSC
Barbara Drake, B.Ed. (hons.),
Michael Drake, BA, MCIOB
The Friends of the Fold School is a registered charity set up to supervise the monies produced and used by the parents and friends of the school so that they are astutely managed for the benefit of the school as a whole.
The ethos of the proprietors was originally that all parents pay fees and so everything purchased by the school should be paid out of fee income and that social events should be no-profit making. However, the parents felt very strongly that social events would be better supported if they were also of financial benefit to the school, It was agree, therefore, to set up a bursary account so that any extra monies raised could provide for a non-academic bursary for any family in need who satisfy the criteria set out in the trust deed. There has recently been a second account set up to allow the parents to help to provide the children of the school with non-essential (but highly desirable) extra facilities. The School always contribute approximately half of the cost. These include:
- the garden Wendy house,
- a chemical toilet at The Plot,
- a drinking fountain in the garden,
- a new 14 ft trampoline in the playground,
- the garden in 197 is being turned into a children's garden with a wildlife pond,
- the current project is an interactive white board.
An official P.T.A. has not been set up as the staff agree this produces an elitist committee and quieter but equally interested parents are dissuaded by diffidence to join in. Instead, The Friends of The Fold School incorporates all parents, staff and friends of the school. Volunteers for an administrator, who takes the chair at meetings, a secretary and a treasurer are asked for, then any parent who has an idea for a project can suggest it to the administrator who will put up a notice in the main entrance hall asking people to sign up to come to a meeting to organise this project. In this way parents are not committing themselves to helping in the long term. The response to this organisation is very positive with many parents attending meetings and even more signing up on the other notices asking for a small amount of help on the day.
Recent activities organised by The Friends of The Fold School include:
- Bonfire party at Woodbine Cottage by invitation of Peter and John
- Children's activity Christmas Fair
- Help towards our Christmas plays
- A table sale with busking provided by the children
- An Easter walk and Easter egg hunt
- Second-hand uniform sale
- Fun day at The Plot
The History of The Fold School
"The Fold" as it was then called, was started in about 1975 at The Church of the Good Shepherd as a Montisourri School. Speaking to ex-pupils of that time indicates that it was happy and thriving.
The school was then transferred to the present building in New Church Road, Hove. The small three bedroom house was unusual in that it was built by a structual engineer and so the internal walls were solid engineering bricks and upper floors is concrete giving a wonderful sound acoustic quality to the building. The present proprietors purchased the building in 1982 with eleven pupils and it was re-named The Fold School. We tried to think of a new name but nothing more appropriate for the type of school we had in mind appeared before we needed to print the prospectus!
Mrs Barbara Drake, the Principal and teacher, was originally a therapeutic radiographer who re trained taking a B. Ed. Hons in Biology and Education. She worked in the state system at Patcham Infants school, that was then the 'Flagship' of Brighton Education Authority. One of her parents mentioned that 'The Fold' was for sale and so the idea of a "Little Patcham" with smaller groups and an extended curriculum was born.
Mr Michael Drake was originally a building surveyor (that is why he chose 201 for its excellent, solid structure) He then changed career to lecture in building studies at Brighton University. Once the school was able to function without his financial support, Mr Drake took early retirement to teach science and swimming and to look after the bursarial side of the business.
Mrs Sandra Magson, an ex-colleague, and Miss Sarah Haydon ran the school for a term while Mrs Drake worked her notice. Then at Christmas 1982 Mrs Drake took over. Our biggest excitement was when Joel Howard our first pupil registered - Mrs Howard said she chose us because the children were all cooking. Joel ultimately trained as a stunt man. One of our school treats was to take Years 2, 3 and 4 to the Millenium Dome and see Joel performing in the high wire acrobatic team. Our second pupil Alex White followed quite quickly and he too has excelled in the thespian profession.
Educationally the school has, year by year, 'moved its gate posts' always reaching higher standards in some area. The orignal idea of producing children who are happy, kind, confident, curious, motivated to work and anxious to achieve their potential has been made possible by two main factors. We have had the opportunity to select staff one by one as the school has grown, to fill not only academic needs but the agreed social and emotional needs of the present staff and children. Also we have always stressed to potential parents that we hope to develop supportive home/school relations and so have always had parents who have shown by words and actions that they really support their child and the school.
The school gradually outgrew the building which Mr Drake took great pleasure in extending bit by bit (to the same high standard of construction) in such a way that the school has always looked like an original structure. One of these involved removing the front of the school and rebuilding it further forward. Several children passing the school during that holiday were very upset by their school being pulled down! Lately new extensions to the building have been to made to make larger rooms, larger main entrance, conservatory and front planned garden rather than space for additional children.
We now see ourselves as having several 'areas of excellence' including the 3Rs of course, but also swimming, music, I.T., Craft, design and technology and science. In September 2001 our daughter Dr Carolyn Drake joined us to make French not just a lesson but 'part of the school day' and very quickly we saw a remarkable improvement in the children's enjoyment and affinity for the language.
In 2003, Dr. Drake decided to leave the Sorbonne and her job as a research scientist and lecturer and become Principal of The Fold School in 2005.
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