Previously known as Prince’s Garden Preparatory School, Brighton College Prep Kensington is a co-educational day school overlooking Hyde Park that seeks to offer an all-round education. The school is a rebranded version of the existing St Nicholas Preparatory School and will be located just around the corner from the existing school. St Nicholas has historically had a relatively international feel. Children started at age 2.5 in the Montessori nursery where they could attend either morning or full time sessions. St Nicholas was also unique in that it offers the CNED French system from aged 6-11 for 18 hours a week. This leaves the option for children to move into the French Lycee at 11 years old. There are specialist teachers in Music, PE and Ballet and large communal gardens. These communal gardens will be on offer to the pupils throughout the day and every day. Children will use the garden for lunch breaks, their sport and games lessons during the week, and utilise Hyde Park in Reception for weekly outdoor exploration lessons. From Year 1, children also use Hyde Park for their sport lessons. There are a range of clubs on offer including creative writing, ballet, philosophy, yoga, Mandarin, cookery, drama, dance, outdoor exploration, science, choir singing and music ensembles as well as a range of sport clubs including football, netball, fitness, judo and rugby. The school will not provide any preparation for 7/8+ so boys have to transition at 11. Since this is a relatively new school there is not much of a formal academic record however St Nicholas has a good academic record with leavers heading to a range of London day and boarding schools. St Nicholas places a particular emphasis on developing communication skills so that pupils will come across well in interview. The most recent ISI report for St Nicholas graded the school, ‘Good with outstanding features, the curriculum is outstanding’. The quality of teaching and assessment is good and teaching is often outstanding. Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.’