City of London Freemen’s School
City of London Freemens Junior School
Org 1: IAPS
Ashtead Park, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 1ET
Telephone: 01372 822400 (School Reception)
01372 822423 (Admissions)
A co-educational day and boarding school, located on a magnificent 57-acre site in Ashtead Park, Surrey.
Age Range: Prep/Junior to 13
Day or Boarding: Day
Gender: Co-ed
Assistant Head – Head of Junior School: Mr David Harry
Assistant Head of Junior School: Mrs Louise Jowitt
Head of Year 3 (Form 1): Mrs Emma Smith
Head of Year 4 (L2): Mrs Vanessa Symonds
Head of Year 5 (U2): Mrs Janet Wilby-King
Head of Year 6 (L3): Mrs Sarah Gillespie
Board of Governors:
Deputy Philip Woodhouse (Chairman)
Jamel Banda (Deputy Chairman)
Deputy Graham Packham
Alderman Robert Howard
Alderman Christopher Makin
Alderman Tim Levene (ex-officio)
Councillor Chris Townsend
Roy Anklesaria
John Foley
Nicholas Goddard
Michael Hudson
Andrew McMillan
Clare Verga
Lady Gillian Yarrow
Support Officer: Melanie Peel
Age range. 7–10.
Number of pupils. 230.
Fees per term (2024-2025). £6,295.
Freemen’s Junior School is located on a magnificent 57-acre site in Ashtead Park, Surrey, where the many outstanding facilities are available to all pupils (see separate entry in HMC section).
Happy children learn. It’s no surprise to us that the most popular word that comes to pupils’ minds when describing the Junior School is ‘fun’.
Fun is one of the three main disciplines we discuss, repeat and reinforce. Kindness is the priority – if everybody (adults and children alike) is kind to everybody else then the School functions well.
Honesty is expected from everybody at all times – on occasion home truths have to be shared between parents, children and staff but, because they are shared in an environment of kindness, all is well. Finally, fun is to be had at all times (provided it’s enjoyed in a kind and honest way). And there’s a lot of fun to be had in the Junior School.
We won’t rush your child through the curriculum. We want them to have a steady education with depth and breadth, so that they have solid foundations on which to build upon when they progress up into the Senior School. There are no exams to progress up into the Senior School, meaning your child can focus on thriving in a welcoming, flexible and secure learning environment.
One of the first questions your child will be challenged with when joining the Junior School is ‘What do you think?’ This question is displayed in every single classroom because it is a great way to develop your child’s resilience, to get them to think for themselves and to draw out their ideas and thoughts. There are so many people around to talk to in the Junior School in an environment of kindness, honesty and fun.
In Key Stage 2, Heads of Year work in liaison with the subject coordinators and the Heads of Departments to ensure that the programmes of work are compatible and stimulating. The aim is to establish a secure foundation in traditional core subjects within a curriculum which will broaden experience and excite the imagination of each child. While academic excellence throughout the Junior School is still a major aim, there is also an enrichment programme and a very full programme of co-curricular activities including drama, music and sports.
There are three Houses in the school providing pastoral care while also promoting healthy competition in many activities. In both the Junior and the Senior School, outstanding work and good progress, inside and outside the classroom, are recognised by the award of appropriate merits and distinctions.
The purpose-built Junior School is warm and comfortable and provides a safe base for your child, as they explore the wider campus and its impressive swimming pool, sports facility and music department, as well as the all-important play areas. Importantly, as they discover Freemen’s, your child will come into contact with older, inspiring pupils, who will become important role models to them. We are passionate about co-education and have been since our foundation. Our classes have approximately 20 pupils and come from a broad range of feeder schools and backgrounds. We mix up classes every year so that new pupils are made to feel part of the group straight away. When new children arrive, they are each given a buddy, a child in their class who knows the school well.