News & Views

Cognita is creating an innovative new school in the heart of London. Prince’s Gardens Prep will boast a radical approach to the curriculum drawing upon the world-class museums on its doorstep.

Opening in September 2020, the Kensington-based school for children aged 3 -11 years, will make use of its unique location by timetabling weekly visits to museums to inspire students’ learning and enable them to make the connections between science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths and their practical applications in real life.

Jill Walker, founding headmistress of Prince’s Gardens Prep, says most children are naturally captivated by exhibitions, but they are also in danger of having that enthusiasm squashed by information overload. The best approach, she believes, is for schools to choose one or two elements of an exhibition, or even a single object, research it, talk about it and get children to discuss and think about it back in the classroom. Each visit ought to have a very specific purpose linked to the current learning and outcomes which then links to a specific scheme of work.

“No other school in the country enjoys such accessibility to world-renowned museums and this will enable us to use these resources in a way that other schools simply cannot do. They will serve as fantastic stimuli for inspiring independent, creative and collaborative learning projects.”

In bringing Prince’s Gardens Prep to London, Cognita is drawing on our success in establishing world-class schools in leading global cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere in London.

For Prince’s Gardens Prep this will include two acres of gardens, a ‘Maker Space’ and ‘Innovation Lab’.  The Maker Space will be a cutting-edge learning zone where students can collaborate and develop creative projects using both innovative and traditional technologies, including programmable robots and invention kits. The Innovation Lab, an ICT suite of the future, will offer the latest virtual, augmented and immersive reality technology.

Stuart Rolland, Europe CEO for Cognita, says the new school reflects the enduring need for high-quality, distinctive schools in the heart of London. “Prince’s Gardens Prep will provide a one-of-a-kind experience for children in the way it combines state-of-the-art facilities in school with extended opportunities in Kensington and beyond. Our vision for Prince’s Gardens exemplifies all that a Cognita Education stands for – academic excellence alongside opportunities to develop character and a global perspective. We are delighted to be bringing this approach to more young learners in the heart of London.”