Teacher Spotlight - Mrs Barnes - Year 5

Mrs Barnes has been teaching for 32 years and is currently our Year 5 Teacher. Throughout lockdown, Mrs Barnes continued to deliver an outstanding education to pupils and in the Spring Term assessments, 94% of her Year 5 pupils were working at or above their expected levels! Read more about Mrs Barnes below: What were your first impressions of Long Close School and why did

Teacher Spotlight - Miss Staniford Year 1 Teacher

Miss Staniford is our Year 1 Teacher and, as our Read Write Inc. Phonics Lead, the driving force behind the outstanding delivery of RWInc in Early Years and Key Stage 1. As a keen golfer, Miss Staniford won the Lady Junior Open at St Andrews in 2010! It was ten years ago when Miss Staniford first joined Long Close School as an assistant girls’ games

Teacher Spotlight - Mrs McCauley - Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Mrs McCauley is Long Close School's Head of Modern Foreign Languages, and Key Stage 4 Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator. As our specialist Spanish teacher, pupils in every Key Stage has benefitted from being taught by Mrs McCauley at some stage. Prior to joining Long Close, Mrs McCauley taught French and Spanish in state senior schools for six years. In this interview, we find out a

Teacher Spotlight - Mrs Schroff - Year 1 Teacher

For the past six years Mrs Schroff has been a Teacher at Long Close School and, before that, she was a Teaching Assistant for three years. During her time at the school, she has worked across a range of year groups and been lucky enough to have taught most of the LCS children at some point throughout their voyage at the school! Before becoming a

How to Choose a Primary or Prep School

Early Year’s education builds a vital foundation for a child’s future success, both in and outside of school.  At Long Close School, Slough’s only independent school for children aged 2-16 years, our pupils learn the skills of reading, writing and maths, as well as how to explore, socialise, be creative and gain an understanding about the world around them. With the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacting

Why I Moved my Child from State to Private Education

Choosing a secondary school for your child is an important decision, which can involve making the choice between private and state provision. At Long Close School, we have many parents who have decided that a private education will suit their child better than state or grammar, so we decided to ask one of our parents about how they arrived at that decision and why they

Teacher Spotlight - Mrs Rees

  For the past seven years I have been a teacher at Long Close School and before that, I taught in the state system for 10 years, as a Year’s 4-6 class teacher. Previously, I had several other careers that included being a police officer and running my own store detective business, amongst others. I became a teacher because the headteacher at the school where

Advantages of a Private Education

Independent Schools are renowned for their small class sizes and outstanding academic results, but there are wider-reaching benefits to a private education than just exam results, making it a sound investment in your child’s future. Research by the UCL Institute of Education (IOE) found that private school pupils earn 35% more than their state educated peers by the age of 25. Even considering socio-economic background,

The Benefits of Child-led Learning at Little Long Close

Little Long Close is where our youngest learners start their school journey. From the age of two, children join Nursery and progress through to Reception, all in the same vibrant and engaging purpose-built Early Years setting. Children in Long Close Early Years benefit from a child-led approach to learning that places their interests at the heart of the curriculum, producing exceptional results. By the end

Teacher Spotlight - Mr Tanton, Head of Prep

What were your first impressions of Long Close School and why did you want to teach here? When I first visited the school, I was struck by how friendly and welcoming the children were. From that moment, I said to myself “Long Close is somewhere I want to be and feel I can make a difference.” What did you do before Long Close School? Before

Long Close Net Promoter Score Soars in Latest Parent Survey

Long Close School has seen its Net Promoter Score (NPS) increase by an impressive 23 points in its annual Voice of the Parent (VOP) survey. The NPS is used by the School’s Senior Leadership Team as a primary measure of parent advocacy towards the School, and the results in this year’s VOP indicate improvements across all four areas measured by the survey:   Area of

Back to School After Lockdown

We are extremely proud of how resilient and positive our children have been throughout the unprecedented period of lockdown. From coping with school closure and the absence of dear friends to migrating into the world of online school, the children have, without exception, embraced every stage with an impressive attitude. It is wonderful to start welcoming children back to school. Everyone is excited to be

Online Learning This Week

Are STEM subjects more important than creative ones?

When the time comes for students to make their subject selection for their GCSE’s, how as a parent can you help them choose? Should your child opt for more ‘academic’ subjects? Are there any benefits in this? And just what are STEM subjects? 

Do private schools follow the national curriculum?

By law, a private school does not have to follow and teach the national curriculum. The school is legally required to be monitored and inspected to ensure standards of care and education are being met, but this does not need to be measured against the national curriculum. 

Who decides which schools are the best?

If you are looking for independent schools in Slough, we have put together this blog to inform you about who decides which schools are the best

Learning through play at nursery

At Long Close School, we encourage learning through play, this is supported by the Early Years Education Stage as it has been proven to be the most effective way to introduce young children into education. If you are looking for a private nursery near you, here at Long Close School we operate Stay and Play sessions where you can attend with your child (between the

How to keep your child motivated through exam periods

Keeping up the momentum through exam periods can be hard. Not only has your child got to revise but they also need to stay focussed and calm in order to do their best during the exams themselves. Initially, they might be motivated and dedicated to studying, but what happens when 3 weeks in they start to lose pace and the motivation fades? It can be a hard time for many pupils.

How to apply for a private primary school place

Choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make, so here at Long Close School, we aim to make the admissions process as easy as possible. It’s often a confusing time for parents with young children, so we’ve put together this information on primary school admissions to help you find the right school for your child.

Five things to ask when visiting a secondary school open day

At Long Close - a private school in Slough - our ethos on learning extends beyond the classroom. Our outstanding academic programme is paired with a broad range of extra-curricular activities designed to encourage children to aim for higher things (which is also our school motto).