Meet the Head of Prep

‘We are a school where children's happiness really matters’

Mrs Helen Snow BEd

It is a pleasure and a privilege to be Head of Sunny Hill Preparatory School. This is an exciting time in the life of the school, with many new developments taking place.  I am now in my second year of headship at the school and thoroughly enjoying the challenges of the role.

I have enjoyed a diverse career within education, including teaching and management roles at both secondary and primary level here in the UK and overseas.  Before discovering Sunny Hill, my husband and I lived for eight years in Berlin and prior to that lived in the USA for a year. Teaching in Berlin’s leading British school was a particularly interesting and exciting experience.  It was whilst living in Berlin, that our daughter, now aged eleven, was born.

When I first came to Sunny Hill it was to teach Year 5 and to coordinate English.  This meant that when I became Head I had the advantage of already knowing the school and staff very well.  I value the loyalty and support I receive from my colleagues. We are a strong team, working together to provide the very best for our pupils.

I am passionate about developing a curriculum that stimulates children to want to learn.  I work closely with the staff to enrich and extend our curriculum, creating opportunities for children to develop their natural curiosity, to find what they are good at and have fun.  Each term I set the pupils the ‘Head’s Challenge’, an open-ended task aimed at extending them individually.  I am always impressed by the enthusiasm, inventiveness and quality of their responses.

I am proud of the happy and caring environment we have created here.  For me, it is important that every child feels valued for what they are.  I want every pupil’s personal achievements and progress to be recognised and celebrated.  I am not afraid to admit that the good old-fashioned values of courtesy, respect and manners are high on my agenda.  I am pleased to see that pupils and their families quickly feel part of the community at Sunny Hill.

With a number of the children boarding for the first time, I like to be involved in boarding life wherever possible.  Our junior boarding house offers excellent care in a ‘home away from home’ and I enjoy visiting the girls there.  I work closely with the boarding staff to help ensure boarding is a positive and happy experience.

We are a school where children's happiness really matters, a school where children can be children and where they are encouraged to ‘give things a go’.  Our small classes ensure that pupils work to their potential and that individual needs are catered for.   Your child will not get lost in the crowd at Sunny Hill.

I hope that your visit to our website gives you a flavour of what life is like at Sunny Hill.  I shall be pleased to welcome you for a visit at any time and you will be able to see for yourself why children ‘Blossom at Bruton.’

See our Girls Only pages to read what Mrs Snow said when interviewed by the Prep 6 girls