Greenfields School

An Independent Co-educational Day School for ages 3 to 18, Boarding from 10 to 18, 145+ pupils, County of East Sussex

About the School
Greenfields School, in the heart of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, is an independent day and boarding school for boys and girls offering education up to and including A Levels, with special programmes in English-as-a-Second-Language and a Summer School for junior and senior students.
Boarders are accepted from the age of 10. Greenfields currently has 135 students and 45 staff resulting in a great all-round service. The school services different students with different needs and interests in such a way as to add educational value no matter what the variables, within the resources of the school.
Greenfields School is small, friendly, caring and safe on the edge of the Ashdown Forest. It is relatively new at 28 years old and continues to expand. There are 30 boarders from around the world.  Greenfields offers a full range of GCSEs. The school have a very small number of sixth form students and can offer a limited range of A levels. Last year the head girl was accepted at Oxford.
Greenfields believes that the purpose of education is to prepare children for life and is achieving this by using unique study methods which greatly empower learning and yield measurably better results. Greenfields believes that education and the application of knowledge should be something that occurs in life, not just at school.
Greenfields uses study methods called Study Technology, which first isolates the barriers preventing a child from learning, and then provides precise tools to deal with them. Greenfields children can therefore become self-motivated students, and when that happens, all kinds of results are possible. Study Technology does not involve "speed reading" or mental tricks or "magic". It is a technology with specific principles one learns and specific steps one consciously applies to effectively study and gain a full grasp of any subject. It resolves the most common reasons students do not grasp what they have read and even the underlying reasons they cannot concentrate on their studies. Once this subject is understood and correctly applied, one possesses the tools to learn anything. Using Study Technology, students avoid or correct study problems themselves and, as a result, become self-regulated, independent, lifelong learners.

Admission
Boys and girls may be admitted to boarding at any age from 10. An assessment and report from their current school will normally be required. 

Boarding
Greenfields School is now both a boarding and day school. Boarding is available to students from the age of ten and upwards. With many of its students boarding, Greenfields is a lively community all day, seven days a week. Students should be prepared for a schedule with differing levels of activity from early in the morning through to the evening hours. The weekends include trips, sporting events and a variety of social activities. Students will find it an atmosphere of both fun and challenge and are invited to help create it. Boarding students live in dormitories in the main building. The custom-designed and renovated boarding facilities provide comfortable spaces with views of the picturesque surrounding countryside. The boarding house is supervised by a team of caring and dedicated people headed by experienced staff. Every boarder will, at different times, serve as a dorm in-charge to help students learn to live and work well together and to teach the students leadership skills. All boarders participate in a programme of contribution to the operation and maintenance of the school. This not only helps the school run smoothly, it also helps the students gain a greater appreciation and responsibility for the work involved and gives them experience producing and exchanging as part of an organisation. Students spend some time each week helping out in a variety of areas - for example the dining room, cleaning the building, or the library. Tasks range from simple jobs such as sweeping or filing to more challenging projects. How well each task is done is graded and points accumulate each week. The most consistently productive boarders get rewarded.

English as an Additional Language
Greenfields School developed the English as a Foreign Language Programme for international students who need to improve their spoken and written English in order to be able to study other subjects effectively in English, or who just want to improve their command of the language. The goal is to help every EFL student become competitive with English students in their pursuit of an English college or university education and a chance to succeed in the careers of their choice. Greenfields provide a well-rounded education in English reading, writing, culture and conversation.
Greenfields EFL Curriculum consists primarily of a programme of phonics, and reading along with written and spoken exercises designed to increase a student's ability to read and speak English on a gradient appropriate to each individual. During this EFL Programme, students go to cultural sites to practice their English and to see, first hand, what they have been learning about. This gives them a balance of theory and practical, rather than just studying books all day long. After the initial few weeks of only English tuition, some integration into classes begins with Sport and Art. As their comprehension improves, students who are to be integrated into the school learn key words for specific subjects and join Maths and ICT when they are able. Once they have graduated from EFL, students continue with the Cambridge English Programme to gain certification in the First Certificate in English, followed by the Cambridge Advanced Certificate in English and finally in the Proficiency in English examination, recognised world-wide. Teachers of English as a Foreign Language are much in demand and in some countries; a graduate with a First Certificate alone can find a job teaching the subject. EFL students like all students at Greenfields are taught to apply what they have studied. This is accomplished by the use of Study Technology and by reading, writing and speaking English in great volume. EFL Graduates are required to have completed the "Learning How to Learn" Course as part of their graduation.
An initial assessment establishes a student's level of understanding of English and they are placed at the appropriate point on the EFL programme. Reading, writing and phonics tests are then done at regular intervals to help monitor the progress of individual students. Completion of the EFL Programme is based on attainment of an established level of competence with the English language, both written and oral, rather than on the amount of time the student has spent in the EFL class. At the end of the EFL class, an individual has attained a level of competence in English appropriate to his/her age, demonstrated by his/her ability to study, write and converse in English at that level.

Location
By air – Gatwick airport is 20 minutes drive, London Heathrow is just over 60 minutes drive, Stansted airport is under 90 minutes away. Journey by rail to London from East Grinstead will take approximately 40 minutes.

Visit the Greenfields School website.