Welcome to Solefield

The Philps FamilyIt is my privilege to welcome you to Solefield School where small really is beautiful.  We unashamedly focus on the individual, trying to get the most out of each and every boy, no matter what their talents or how deeply hidden!  Our warm, cosy atmosphere is our hallmark as well as our pride and joy.

We place a great emphasis on the "three R's" for younger pupils, moving to a broader curriculum for those in the Upper School.  Our record at 11+ and Common Entrance is excellent.  All this is done within a spirit of adventure by outstanding staff who are constantly looking to give your son the opportunity to shine.  Boys leave us confident, self reliant and with a respect for others.

My wife, Rosalind, and our two sons, Max and Alfie, are integral parts of this family school and we would be delighted to have the opportunity to show you around. If you wish to find out more, then please contact us or call for a full prospectus or to make an appointment for a visit.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our website.  As you will see, there are still areas of the site which are under development and we will be regularly updating the site adding new articles and photos and I would draw your attention to our most recent news set out below. Whether you are a current parent, prospective parent, pupil or old boy, I hope you will find this site helpful and informative.

EmailHeadmaster, Dougal Philps

 
STOP PRESS ...

WEBSITE - NEW PARENTS' AREA

Some of you may have noticed a couple of changes to the website layout over the last fortnight. We have been testing, and have now set up, a secure area for parents to access more sensitive information that we believe should only be available to them. The area of the site will be protected by a password which will be issued to you by the school in the next week or so, once the area has been properly launched. At this time you will be sent more details about this new area. We hope that you will find it useful and easy to use. Apologies to those keen people who have tried to login already during the trial period and have been unable to do so!

THE NEW BUILDING IS OPEN!

thumb_grand_opening_5Thank you to all parents, friends, staff and Governors of Solefield who joined us on Friday, 18th April to help celebrate the opening of the new Hoadley-Palmer Building, comprising the new library, IT room and three classrooms. We were also pleased to showcase the painting to which every boy and member of staff contributed and which is now hanging in the stairwell of the new building. We were delighted that Miss Julia Hoadley and Mr Keith Palmer were able to open the building for us. If you did not have the opportunity to join us you will notice quite a difference on your next visit to school.

thumb_grand_opening_7The first stage of the fitting out process of the new building has been completed and the three upstairs classrooms are now in use. Miss Weston's new classroom is the form room for Year 8 and where she teaches English and Drama, Mme Hird, hosts Year 6C as a form and Languages and Mr Palmer History and Latin. The computer furniture has been fitted in the IT room ready to house the final stage of the new computer system, which has been installed school-wide (including the latest white-board technology) and should come into use in the next few weeks. 

thumb_grand_opening_8The new Library is ready to be fitted out with shelving and filled with books whilst the Junior play area in the courtyard has been transformed with the installation of a fantastic new climbing frame and a new rubberised safety surface (including some rather nice jungle animals!). In addition, the school parking area has been completey re-done. Finally, the old library has been reclaimed and revamped. We look forward to seeing you at the earliest opportunity so that you can see all the changes. In the meantime, click here to see the before and after photos and those from the Grand Opening.

The Solefield Weather Station

Using some of the money raised by the Christmas Fair, the Geography department has been able to purchase a new weather station. The station records rainfall, temperature, wind direction and strength, air pressure and humidity. The data is wirelessly transmitted to the geography room, where it can be automatically logged and displayed. This will be of great advantage to the teaching of weather and climate as part of the Common Entrance syllabus. We are very grateful to the parents and friends of Solefield who have made this possible. Click here to see the data from the weather station. 

Continued Success! 100% Success at 11+

Following on from our outstanding results at Common Entrance last year, where every Year 8 boy gained entry to their first choice school at Common Entrance, we are delighted to announce that every Year 6 boy who took the 11+ passed.  Five boys will be going to Judd, four to Skinner's and two to Tunbridge Wells Boys' Grammar School. Congratulations to you all - keep up the good work!

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