St. Joseph's Convent Independent Primary School for Girls

Dec 31st, 2019

St Josephs School has been ideal for my two daughters who have both been attending since nursery. My eldest daughter who is a natural introvert has excelled academically, musically and emotionally due to the small classes and friendly family feel of the school. She has blossomed and reached an all new height of confidence this past academic year which I can only attribute to the new Headmistress Mrs Birtles who has inspired and recognised my daughters abilities, promoting self-esteem and a feeling of achievement and accomplishment in sport, music and academia. My youngest daughter had delayed speech and still wasnt speaking by the age of 3 and we were unable to get her to engage in books, however, within the few weeks of St Josephs Nursery we couldnt keep her quiet and she hasnt stopped since something her previous nursery were unable to accomplish. To report how elated I am that she can now read Enid Blyton chapter books at age 6 is an understatement. I truly believe this is down to the gentle nurturing of St Josephs and the undeniable fact that girls flourish emotionally at St Josephs which inevitably feeds their desire to learn. Elsewhere both my daughters would have been lost amongst larger classes vying for recognition and support. Whilst maintaining the discipline and manners which ultimately churns out lovely young ladies, Mrs Birtles has brought a vibrancy to the school that was previously lacking. There is a new energy, fun and laughter that has come with Mrs Birtles changes and pupils, parents and teachers alike look forward to coming to school wondering in excitement what the day will bring. My daughters have had a fantastic year and today they have returned home from their 1st day after summer holidays loving St Josephs even more (if that were even possible), especially their new teachers (who we knew were going to be great for them ) What more could parents wish for? My only regret is that the school does not go on to 6th form!!
Apr 25th, 2020

We are so very happy with this wonderful school where our children are flourishing in the caring and family-like atmosphere. Previous concerns that it was old fashioned and risk averse are now completely allayed by the fabulous headteacher and the incredibly professional and dedicated teachers and wider staff. An overhauled and refined curriculum (already getting phenomenal academic results) is now embedded alongside an innovative and fun-filled programme designed to give the children a rich educational journey. It's the first day of the summer holidays today and both our children were disappointed this morning not to be going to school; they've been having so much fun there and have formed such strong bonds with their teachers and friends. The inspirational headteacher, wonderful class teachers and talented assistants, great specialist teaching (of art, IT, drama, PE, singing, music, etc.), a lovely breakfast and after school club, innovative new ideas, themed topic days and weeks, exciting no-pen homeworks, wonderful school trips (only last week the entire school was at the seaside), external speakers, fantastic communication (with lovely newsletters, open assemblies and daily conversation), etc etc etc. We know Wanstead is graced with lots of excellent schools but are so happy with the choice we made.
Nov 16th, 2019

My daughter has been at St Josephs since nursery when she was 3yrs old. I cannot overstate how happy we are with her wonderful school. It has always been a gentle nurturing school perfect for first steps into education. There had been some concerns that previously rigorous academic standards were dropping but no more. Mrs Birtles the new headteacher has brought a wealth of experience, energy & vision. In less than a year she has revolutionised the school, no longer old fashioned & safe, the new St Josephs is cutting edge & exciting. Growth mindset, persistence, creativity, wonderful educational trips, meditation, specialist music, art, sport, drama & IT & the most dedicated teaching staff you could hope for. The academic curriculum has been fully overhauled with the introduction of Read Write Inc & a mastery approach in maths. The Yr 2 (Infants 3) class just did the KS1 SATs for bench marking (the children were largely totally unaware this was happening) & have done phenomenally well. With a very large percentage of girls working at greater depth & scaled scores of 115 (the maximum score) being almost the norm. The Prep 4s 11+ results were outstanding (on website) St Josephs now really does have it all, fiercely strong academics in a totally non hot housing nurturing environment. Its the last day of term today & my daughter wishes there was another week of school!! thats how much she loves St Josephs. We feel fortunate to have this amazing school on our doorstep & are so grateful to Mrs Birtles & all the amazing staff for giving our daughter such an great attitude to learning & to life.
Oct 19th, 2019

My daughter started at St Jo's in the nursery and is now finishing up Year 5. This small, gentle school has been the perfect fit for her. When she started she was a very shy three year old and has blossomed into a confident ten year old! I have been very pleased with the work her teacher Mrs Ailing has done this year to prepare the girls for the 11+ exam in September and January. Mrs Ailing is an experienced teacher and my daughter has enjoyed the year very much! The school had a new headteacher, Mrs Birtles start a year ago. She has proven to be a ray of sunshine, always present in the playground, enthusiastic and very approachable. She has also started implementing some wonderful changes to make the school more dynamic. I would definitely recommend visiting St Joseph's to see if it is a good fit for your daughter! x
Sep 12th, 2019