Polam School

45 Lansdowne Road, Bedford, MK40 2BU, Bedfordshire

01234 261864

www.polamschool.co.uk


School type	Co-educational Day Pre-Preparatory & Nursery
Founded	1923
Head	Darren O'Neil
Co-ed Age Range	1-7 years
Number of pupils	110
Day fees per annum	£10,080
Teacher/Pupil ratio	1:11 (Nursery 1:3, 1:4 & 1:8)
Associations	Cognita, ISC

Crowned Independent Pre-Prep of the Year 2021 in the Independent Schools of the Year awards, Polam is a small, caring and happy independent school for children aged 1-7 years. Polam provides a unique home from home learning environment, where every child is known by every member of staff, with a distinct focus on pastoral care, mental health and wellbeing. With a unique immersive learning programme, the curriculum exceeds national expectations, with the majority of children progressing to the local selective Harpur Trust schools in Bedford.

With the appointment of a new Headteacher in Sep 2020, the school embarked on an immersive learning programme, transforming ordinary classrooms into themed, interactive learning spaces. We currently have 2 rooms complete - Discovery, our space-themed IT suite and Amazonia, our plant-filled rainforest room. Dressing classrooms with themed resources encourages the students to be absorbed and engaged, making their learning more purposeful - and lots more fun! Having a unique, multipurpose space like our Rainforest room is a perfect environment to support well-being, providing the opportunity for meditation and mindfulness, imaginative storytelling and social activities, as well specific learning from the curriculum.

Alongside Maths, Literacy, Science, Humanities and PE, Wellbeing and Resilience form part of the weekly timetable. With both a Wellbeing Champion and a Mental Health First Aider in such a small school, this is testament to our commitment to wellbeing all year round, reinforcing the importance of wellbeing as the foundation that needs to underpin every aspect of education.

Polam has an excellent pass rate for children who take entrance exams during Year 2 and we work closely with parents, advising on which school to apply to and providing support every step of the way. We enjoy very strong links with all the independent schools in Bedford and our children attend a number of introduction events and activities throughout the year.

In our Nursery the baby and toddler rooms provide the perfect environment in which to gently prepare your child for life in school. Our well-equipped and comfortable nursery is a fully integrated part of our school, which gives your child the opportunity to benefit from the extensive range of facilities and specialist teaching which includes modern languages, music and PE, and our small classes ensure that he or she receives personal attention at all times. The Nursery has been judged outstanding in all areas for the past 3 inspections in a row and in January 2021 it was awarded Millie’s Mark, the gold standard in paediatric first aid. Currently Polam is the only childcare provider in Bedford with this endorsement.

Our team of highly qualified and experienced swimming staff teach the children in small groups on a weekly basis in our own pool. We also provide one of the town's premier swim schools with a variety of lessons taking place each week, including antenatal, baby and toddler, squad swimming, intensive holiday courses and adult beginners.

Extended care is available 48 weeks of the year, with a breakfast club from 7.30am and an after-school club which runs until 6pm. All meals are freshly prepared on site by our own catering team.

Polam Holiday Club is open to all children aged 4-11 and offers an impressive range of activities making full use of the superb facilities on site, which include our fully-equipped Sports Hall and indoor heated swimming pool.

Private tours of the school are available by request. For more information or to book a tour of the school please contact Admissions on 01234 261864 or email admissions@polamschool.co.uk