"My daughter’s school trip to Shanghai gave her a truly authentic, real-life experience that she would never have had as a typical tourist. From the moment they arrived, they were fully immersed in daily Chinese school life, attending lessons, following the same timetable as local students, eating in the school canteen, and spending a day with a Chinese family. She even had to navigate real-world challenges, like sorting out alternative payment methods when her bank cards wouldn’t work, something she’d never had to do before as a young teen. She supported her friends during moments of homesickness and adapted incredibly well to the different time zone and climate. A highlight was visiting the Water Town, and she came home so excited to share her stories. She especially loved giving the gifts she’d thoughtfully chosen for our family and explaining the meaning behind each one. These are memories that will truly last a lifetime. We feel very lucky that Adcote School gave Scarlett this wonderful opportunity.”

"Lily joined Adcote back in year 3 (over 3 years ago now!), and in this time we have really seen her grow both academically and personally. We really enjoy getting reports, and find the grading system really useful - differentiating between effort and performance. The school really lives and breathes its CLEAR values, which we strongly believe contribute to the girls growing up as successful, well-rounded individuals. Since starting at Adcote, Lily has been encouraged to join a variety of clubs and activities, particularly enjoying gymnastics, piano and pottery, growing significantly in confidence. All the girls are encouraged to play active roles in the school plays and music productions - building confidence in front of big crowds and strangers. Throughout academic and extra-curricular activities, Lily has had the opportunity to play leadership roles - including regular house competitions. This has helped her understand different roles within leadership, and the importance of adapting her approach to engage others - from supporting the younger gymnasts to being elected the first form captain in her year group. We have found her engagement with class subjects has benefited immensely from the smaller class sizes, which has shown through her academic results. Engagement is also facilitated through the use of the school's extensive facilities - meaning the school day remains varied and interesting - she especially enjoys ICT and art. Achievements are celebrated broadly, through CLEAR awards, recognition at whole school assemblies and mentions in the weekly newsletter. We see that, in turn, this drives Lily’s engagement with trying new things and applying herself to tasks effectively. Lily is a fairly resilient character, but we notice that this has also grown, as she is encouraged to participate in new things, and to make mistakes, but learn from them. She receives scores through regular gymnastics competitions and piano exams, focusing indecently on specific areas for improvement."