“We ask that when we go out into the world, we may use what we have learnt to lead purposeful lives, showing respect for all creation and concern for those in need.”WALTHAMSTOW HALL SCHOOL PRAYER

For over 180 years, at Walthamstow Hall in Sevenoaks we have been true to our founding aim: to provide an education for girls, which is full of opportunity, challenge and possibility.

We believe in a true understanding of the root meaning of the word education, from the Latin verb educo: I lead forth, I raise up. Not, ‘I cram full of facts or I make to jump through hoops’. At Walthamstow Hall, your daughter will discover that learning is an active process which enables her to get personally involved, not one which just passively happens to her. She will recognise that learning is a consequence of thinking. She will not merely pass through a door, but be set on a voyage of discovery. We are not promising a polished product, but a profound process. We are not about growing grass that will wither once it faces the real world, but cultivating patterns and disciplines of learning that will last a lifetime.

Here we offer your daughter an environment based on trust, security and friendship, where she has the confidence to try to be her best. And by confidence we don’t mean brash or arrogant. We mean that, whether innately ebullient, or whether quite shy, Wally girls are characterised by a quiet assurance that comes from knowing who they are and, moreover, that they are valued for who they are, by us and by each other. This, we believe, is the best preparation for whatever life has in store.