Lady Barn House School has a longstanding and proud reputation for academic success but it is founded on a belief that this stems from offering a broad, challenging and creative education, rather than a narrow educational experience.

In September 2018 the offering broadened still further, through the introduction of Mandarin to the timetable for children from the age of 6, enabling pupils to experience Chinese language and culture, with most of each lesson being taught solely in Mandarin. The Year 2 children say, “We enjoy learning Mandarin because we love teaching it to our parents. They hadn't learnt any before!”

As a contrast, specialist Drama teaching has also been introduced from Year 2 onwards, giving children free rein to develop their creativity and communication skills – and confidence. “Our weekly drama lessons are a valuable chance to encounter a fabulous variety of texts drawn from literature, art and the media. With drama activities we are able to explore these in exciting, imaginative ways and gain a deeper understanding of people, situations and viewpoints,” says Jane Turner, Head of Drama.