Seaford News
NEW PREP SCHOOL FOR SEAFORD COLLEGE
Monday 28th September 2009
School has opened its doors to seven-year olds from this term.
The new term brought a new look to Seaford College, which has opened its doors to a new Prep School for the first time in its 125-year history.
The College previously accommodated students aged from 10-18. When pupils returned to school at the start of the Autumn term, they were this year joined by children aged from seven in the College’s new Prep School, Wilberforce.
Headmaster Toby Mullins, together with the school governors, took the decision to expand the independent day and boarding school to help house pupils from St Margaret’s Prep School, Midhurst, which announced it was to close earlier this year.
Some 27 pupils from St Margaret’s have already enrolled at Seaford and children from throughout the region will be admitted from September 2010. Several members of staff from St Margaret’s have been appointed by Seaford to help ease the transition.
Mr Mullins said: “With a little careful reorganisation, we have been able to provide facilities for the whole of Key Stage 2. This means the addition of years 3, 4 and 5 to Wilberforce to create a full Prep School facility on the campus
“Appointing a number of highly-respected teachers from St Margaret’s has allowed the children to remain in their classes, with their friends and some of the same teachers.”
A refurbishment programme carried out during the summer holidays has seen dormitories relocated to the College’s main Mansion House, freeing up space to create new classrooms. Although most of the new intake are day pupils, weekly boarding is available to all children from the age of seven.
Vehicular access to the Prep School has also been improved.
Mr Mullins said: “Seaford College has always been forward thinking and we have moved with the times in order to offer the best possible facilities to our students.
“It is now 13 years since the school became co-educational and 10 years since we lowered the admission age to 10.
“We believe this latest move is yet another step forward for the College and will offer pupils a seamless education for the most important years of their school life.”
Seaford College was originally a boys’ only boarding school, founded on the south coast at Seaford. It moved to Lavington Park at the end of the Second World War.
