Hazelwood School

Hazelwood is a thriving independent day school for boys and girls which, together with its nursery, provides continuity of care and excellence in education from 3 months to 13 years. Its stunning position, overlooking the South Downs, provides the most glorious view allowing the pupils lungfuls of inspiring fresh air. As well as nature's finest, the school offers fabulous facilities including a 200 seat theatre, a state-of-the-art indoor gymnasium and deciated art and pottery room. The school, and its expert staff, are dedicated to celebrating and nurtuing the individual talents of all its pupils.

Thoughts from the new Head, Lindie Louw:

The thing that always strikes me when I walk around Hazelwood is the way in which the children behave towards each other. They genuinely care about their peers and this makes the school a very special place to be. Every child is an individual with their own strengths and talents. At Hazelwood we celebrate every child’s strengths and look at different ways in which we can make learning exciting for the pupils, to develop these strengths and support the areas where they need help. We are educating children today for careers which don’t exist. The speed at which technology is developing means that we simply don’t know as educators what the children will need to know. The emphasis of education is therefore shifting. We need to give children the skills that they need to be independent learners with a passion and thirst for knowledge. They can then find what they need to know as they need to know it. As schools we need to look again at the way we plan children’s learning. Learning is a bit like a sandwich. The skills we want the children to develop are the bread and butter. It is the knowledge which is the filling in the sandwich, the part that adds flavour and makes the lessons fun. Just like a sandwich we can change and should change the filling to appeal to the children we are teaching. It is the skills which are key to children really making the most out of their school years and being ready to move on successfully to roles in our rapidly changing world.

The staff team at Hazelwood are an incredible group of people. It has been a delight to continue working with them as Head, as every member of staff is keen to look at ways in which we can make the opportunities on offer to the children even better than they already are. It is a school full of energy and buzz and the future is looking hugely exciting.