Reasons to Choose a British School for Your New York Child

New Yorkers have a myriad selection of private schools in which to send their children. A child in New York City can have a tailored education based on certain specialties or subject tracks or even countries. Many New York families choose to send their children to international schools so that their kids can be exposed to cultures and teachings from around the world. More recently British schools like Wetherby-Pembridge on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, have been popping up with a mission to combine the best of British education with that of the United States’. For instance, Wetherby-Pembridge offers English National Curriculum for English, Math, and Science, but teaches History, Social Studies and languages following the US curriculum model. This way kids, quite literally, get the best of both worlds.

At schools like Wetherby-Pembridge, British education is combined with a New York approach to curriculum. “Our curriculum marries the distinguishing strengths of the British and New York educational systems to offer a unique option to families that seek both academic rigor and a forward-thinking approach to teaching”, says Head of School, Kate Bailey. British schools generally work one year ahead of the U.S. curriculum for the same age group. This prepares young learners to enter an ever-more competitive field of ongoing education and follows this challenging pace in literacy, mathematics, and science. This is the foundation at Wetherby-Pembridge and it’s complemented with core additions from other schools in New York City, namely inquiry-based learning, child-centered teaching, and content that is immediately relevant to students’ lives.

Children start at age 3 with Nursery & Reception--or Preschool & Prekindergarten as it is known here in the States--which is taught in a co-educational setting, so classes will include both boys and girls. However, from Year 1 or Kindergarten and onward boys go into a form which is called Wetherby and the girls will go to a form which is called Pembridge Hall. “The students will have ample opportunities to experience co-curricular activities together,” says Bailey. “But they will be taught separately."