Ballard Private School

• Age of students: 2-16 years
• Location: Hampshire-Dorset, United Kingdom
• Type of institution: private school
• Language of instruction: English
• Type: mixed.

Ballard is a thriving and welcoming independent day school of co-education for children from 2 to 16 years old. Located on 34 acres between the New Forest and solent on the border of Hampshire and Dorset, the school received "Excellent" grades in all ISI inspection categories – the highest award any school can receive.

The institution prides itself on its visionary curriculum, providing an ambitious, academic and holistic education. Staff inspire and guide their students by challenging and supporting them equally. The school's commitment to providing a first-class education with a close focus on the future shapes ambitious investment and development plans.

Special pastoral care at school is based on kindness and respect and is based on Christian values. An inclusive approach to school life values individuality and fosters generosity of spirit, educates the child as a whole, offering a wide range of sports, cultural, artistic and academic clubs and activities.

Ballard is a local school with an international outlook. She is very closely associated with the local community, and the British Council recognized her for her international approach to education (the institution received an international school award and became part of the Erasmus + program). Ballard School is constantly developing relationships with foreign schools – there is an Italian partner school, with which it works under the Erasmus program, schools in Spain and France, where popular exchange programs are held.

There are amazing opportunities for international trips for students, from skiing in the Alps (for both juniors and adults) to Broadway workshops, from visiting historic battle sites to learning art in Venice, from helping local communities in Kenya to singing at Montserrat Abbey.

Ballard School believes that happy children do well in the classroom, so local academic and pastoral teams work closely together to provide support and challenge equally. Higher-level thinking skills are clearly outlined in the curriculum, allowing students to transfer and apply the knowledge gained in a variety of contexts.

In addition to celebrating success, the school pays special attention to encouraging and recognizing the approach and efforts of students. Teachers are constantly checking, tracking, and monitoring progress to make sure each student is doing their best. It helps children become active and independent, thoughtful and resilient to stress, and interested and interesting future leaders.

Pastoral care is a special mentoring system that unites older students with younger ones in all areas of school life. For example, the senior sports elite often help at clubs and matches; a high school student and musicologist helps lead the Upper Prep harp ensemble; and elementary school students assist primary school students with reading.

Ballard is a school of healthy eating that has received a number of awards for its approach to nutrition not only in lunch, but also in daily snacks and tea. Following Veganuary's success, the establishment launched a new vegan menu offering delicious vegan meals every day – sweet potato curries, pumpkin with nuts and casserole of sun-dried tomatoes, vegan homemade pie or enchiladas, complemented by a selection of delicious desserts, including vegan crumbs and cakes with vegan ice cream.  Local chef Richard Whiting and his staff are very proud of their cuisine – they serve the most delicious dishes with the lowest sugar, salt and fat content, and also take care to feed each student in the right amount.

Ballard School is committed to providing a holistic and wide variety of activities to broaden students' horizons – whether it's extracurricular clubs, workshops, lectures, trips or holiday camps, opportunities are there for everyone.

Travel is an important part of school life, with all annual groups making extracurricular trips throughout the year. There are ski, artistic, musical and sports trips, family trips to distant shores and the always popular Y11 New York tour.

An advantage for teachers is the ability to teach outdoors using an open classroom and a vast area: this allows teachers to give students a break from classes, warm up and learn outdoors.

The extensive programme of extracurricular activities includes over 120 weekly activities (extracurricular) in addition to trips, visits and workshops.

Excellent pastoral care allows pupils to feel safe. Students accept challenges, demonstrate resilience, and really make the most of Ballard Life.

Ballard Sport provides positive and inclusive award-winning sports facilities with dedicated PHYSICAL education teachers teaching all pupils from kindergarten and above in outstanding settings, including the Olympic Astro. Ballard Sport employs six full-time employees who have extensive experience teaching not only traditional school sports, but also new and exciting sports that are very popular: volleyball, women's football and cricket, badminton, handball and basketball.

Boys and girls focus on six sports a year – football, rugby, basketball, hockey, cricket and athletics. Girls go to hockey, rugby, football, netball, cricket and athletics.

The school has strong links with local sports clubs, which allows it to provide additional opportunities and support to those students who want to become local, national and possibly international players. Club connections across all sports encourage students to develop their passions in local or regional clubs. The community access program is aimed at connecting with clubs such as Lymington Netball, New Forest Volleyball, New Milton Cricket.

• Ballard does offer plenty of opportunities for each child, individualized, well-rounded education in a cohesive family-school environment. Many alumni describe Ballard School as the best years of their lives.
• Students attend an average of 27 clubs every day, most of which are included in the tuition fee. Ballard School offers a huge number of interesting opportunities for every child both in and out of the classroom.
• Ballard School prides itself on the balance between academic rigor and caring pastoral care – an approach that has spawned countless success stories.
• Ballard School has received numerous awards in all areas of the school, including STEM, arts, sports and ecology. There are many students who have achieved incredible success outside the school - they won a regional poetry competition for older children, represented their country in their favorite sport, performed one of the main roles in plays and musicals, became one of the youngest people who graduated with honors from the Royal School of Music and trinity College of Music.
• Ballard is a local day school with excellent transport links. She has received an international school award from the British Council for an international look at a range of overseas exchanges, travel and international charitable activities.
• The institution was also awarded an eco-school with a green flag, a gold Artsmark and a gold sports school, entered the final of the independent school of performing arts in 2022.

Ballard School is very well equipped with the latest technology: there is a wide range of CAD/CAM equipment, seven 3D printers, two laser cutters and a vinyl cutter.

Ballard School accepts students from 2 to 16 years old (from kindergarten to grade 11). The main points of admission are primary classes, grades 3 and 7 (with an admission day for the 7th and sometimes 3rd grades). Those entering grades 10 and 11 will only be admitted in exceptional circumstances.

Ballard School accepts students on the basis of best fit: this is based on the local ability to establish whether the child has positive character traits and whether he will:

• Demonstrate an enthusiastic approach to school life,
• Make the most of the opportunities provided to them,
• Will be kind and tolerant,
• Embrace the values of Ballard School.

Students in grades 10-11 study 10 GCSE subjects, although some of them study fewer subjects. It is worth noting that Ballard School does not offer any level of qualification below the GCSE, it is expected that students will be able to access the full curriculum on their own, without support in the 1v1 class, unless there is an EHCP.

The technique is based on a variety of factors, which should include the following:

• Completion of the registration form, which includes a copy of the child's birth certificate, passport (if necessary), the latest school report and payment of the registration fee.
• Filling out a signed application that informs the school of all known special educational needs of the student. The school has a Disability Policy, which takes into account the latest legislation regarding reasonable adjustments.
• Informal meeting between the director and the child: online or in person
• Admission to the reception in the 3rd and 7th grades.

The admission process may also include the following:

• School attendance by parents/guardians and possibly prospective students, including a meeting with the principal.
• The analysis of the essay and a number of age-appropriate mathematical problems conducted by the teaching staff. Students may also be asked to take an online CAT4 (Test of Cognitive Ability) assessment.
• Parents' consent to their child's attendance at individual support lessons conducted by specialist teachers.
• The school can contact the hospital that the prospective student is visiting and visit it.

• Passport/birth certificate,
• Russian passport (photocopy),
• Proof of English proficiency,
• Completed form,
• Confirmation of payment of the registration fee,
• Certificate of grades from the native school,
• Portfolio of achievements.

All documents must be translated into English and notarized.

Ballard offers scholarships for grades 3, 7 and 9 students for outstanding students.

All students wishing to receive a scholarship must fill out an Expression of Interest form and will be required to demonstrate strengths in their chosen specialization.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision