News

The Governing Board at Forfar Education and Park School is delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs. Nadia Ward as its new Head.  Mrs. Ward formally joined the school in January 2025. 

Having worked in education for over 20 years, Mrs. Ward is currently the Head at Heathside School Hampstead, a co-educational preparatory school in London.  Prior to this, Mrs. Ward worked for the Eaton House Group of Independent Schools, where she was a Deputy Head for 10 years.  Following the acquisition of Eaton House by Dukes Education, Mrs. Ward worked for several Dukes schools sharing her expertise, particularly in Early Years and safeguarding. 

As a trained Montessori teacher, Mrs. Ward is passionate about making sure that every child has strong foundations and develops a love for learning.  She holds a BEd (1st Class Honours) from UCL and a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management from The University of Buckingham.  A life-long learner, Mrs. Ward recently completed the National Professional Qualification for Headship in March 2023 and is married to Jason, a psychotherapist who has a grown-up son.

Upon her appointment, Mrs. Ward commented that, “I am incredibly honoured to be serving as the new Headteacher at Park School.  From my very first visit, I felt a deep alignment between my own ethos and values and those that define this wonderful school.  The welcoming atmosphere and strong sense of community were immediately apparent.

The children I met during my visit were inspiring, showcasing the spirit, curiosity and enthusiasm that make Park School such a remarkable place.  Their eagerness to learn and their genuine kindness left a lasting impression on me.  I am looking forward to getting to know each of them and to work closely with the dedicated staff and supportive parents who play such a crucial role in nurturing our pupils.

As I step into this role, my commitment is to uphold the high standards of excellence that Park School is known for, while also fostering an environment where every pupil feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential.  In a world that is changing so rapidly, it is more important than ever to provide our children with the skills, knowledge, and resilience that they need to navigate the future confidently.”

Finborough School, located near Stowmarket, has recently joined the Forfar Education family of schools. This acquisition marks a new chapter for the independent co-educational day and boarding school, which caters for approximately 700 pupils aged 2-18 years. 

Pupils from each Forfar School met on screen recently to take part in an inter-schools debating contest.  The competition enjoyed representation from children in years 5 and 6 assembled in their classrooms and met their peers on screen to discuss a myriad of topics during the course of the competition.  Eventually, the contest was whittled down to two schools for the final thrilling debate, Argyle House School in Sunderland and Park School in Bournemouth. 

The final motion they were to discuss was, “All athletes should be paid the same for competing in international competitions such as the Olympics.”  With the participating children ready, fellow pupils from the other schools also joined the webinar to watch.  They were fortunate to be joined on the judging panel by Stuart Head, a former Olympian athlete.  Mr. Head represented the UK at hockey and competed in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, as well as the Olympics in Sydney in 2000.

With the stage set, four children from each of the two competing schools introduced themselves to their audience and made their opening arguments.  Taking it in turns to present their opinions and facts, the girls and boys confidently articulated their views on the topic, as well as asking questions to the opposing team.  With the judging panel asking questions to each team to further test their knowledge and powers of persuasion, the pupils answered them all with great conviction.  It was clear that both teams had thoroughly prepared their arguments, but at the end of the contest, the judges agreed that the winners of this year’s debate were Argyle House School.

A firm favourite in the schools’ calendars, the competition is an annual event and provides children in their final two years of prep school with the opportunity to develop their research and critical thinking skills, engage with different topics and practice speaking in front of an audience. 

‘Head Judge’ for the contest was Kate Farrell, whose usual role at Forfar Education is HR Director.  Kate commented that, “The standard of debating displayed by our children across the Forfar schools was particularly high.  The teams were all committed, well-prepared and articulate.  They had thought carefully about the important questions they had been asked to consider, and crafted compelling arguments for and against each motion.  It was a great pleasure to see their debating and public speaking skills develop and I look forward to next year's contest.”

Stuart Head went on to add, “I thoroughly enjoyed my role as an adjudicator.  Listening to the well-crafted speeches, watching their confident delivery, and witnessing the respectful and thoughtful rebuttals has been an absolute pleasure.  In debates, there are no winners or losers.  Every single child has achieved something remarkable here.  They have demonstrated courage by standing up and speaking out.  They have shown dedication through their preparation and practice.  They have exemplified respect by listening to and engaging with their peers' arguments.  Perhaps one day one of these Forfar children will be a future Olympian or Winter Olympian!” 

Forfar Education, known for supporting schools to become outstanding centres of excellence, today announces the acquisition of Springmead School and Nursery in the picturesque village of Beckington, just a few miles from Frome. Springmead joins Forfar’s impressive portfolio of independent preparatory schools across the UK, stretching from Bournemouth to Sunderland.

It’s 7pm, you’ve just walked in from a long day at work topped off with a traffic-laden commute – dinner needs to be made and your child has a pile of homework to be done. Knowing how to help them and how to unpack/ discuss their school day is another pressure.

Many parents feel overwhelmed by the volume of tasks on their to-do list – which is why it is so important that they have the right tools to support their children effectively when it comes to their learning habits.

One of London’s leading preparatory schools, Cameron Vale, has appointed a new Headmistress with decades of experience shaping outstanding educational outcomes for young children and the schools in which they thrive.