The children who come to Hanford come because they want to enjoy a country life in a relaxed family atmosphere and at the same time maintain a standard of work that will enable them to fulfil their own potential. It is therefore necessary not to expect each child to fit into a predestined slot but to keep our system extremely flexible throughout the natural progression of the children towards their goals. They may enter the school in any year and may be of any age with entirely different standards of previous schooling and with varying abilities and requirements.

Their first year is a general introduction to a boarding school. Many of our parents need the boarding and although there are local day girls every effort is made to see that they mix with the boarders from the beginning. They must become accustomed to living with each other and to observe the needs of others. During this period they begin to understand the ways of Hanford and the teachers begin to assess them, their problems and their capabilities.

The natural layout of the country house remains very important to the school. The little chapel is an integral and entirely natural heart of school life with prayers every morning and short Sunday Services in which the children read the lessons and play their instruments.

Every afternoon the children use the grounds for free play and games with their friends. During the afternoon period many activities take place: organised games, team training, cross country running over the hills, swimming, music lessons, choir practices, back up lessons in the Learning Support department. Also riding and helping to look after ponies. But always, a child must have some time of free play, whatever she might like to use it for - sometimes just sitting in a corner reading a book.

In Year 4 the children are streamed but always with an appreciation of their natural development which may vary so much from child to child. It is always possible to move a child up when she has filled up any gaps in her previous schooling or when she has taken advantage of our Learning Support back up.

Acting takes place throughout the school both in lessons and in formal productions. Usually about four a year culminating in the Summer Play in which every child is involved. The children also produce little plays at the weekend when the weather is bad.

Day girls are treated with as little differentiation as possible and usually they stay in some nights a week with their friends and only leave after prep or supper on ordinary days. They take part in everything that goes on and can be elected into any of the self elected committees in the 6th Form which help run the school.

There are many committees which help different departments and keep the children actively involved in their own particular interests. There is a Music Committee, an Art Committee, a Food Committee, an Entertainments Committee (when needed), a Games Committee, a Chicken Committee, and the large Riding Committee which catches the ponies in the early morning and helps with the inexperienced small riders.

However the four committees which help to run the school are very prestigious. They are self elected by the children from the 6th Form, have specific duties and have fortnightly meetings in the drawing room in which they discuss problems, air their own ideas for improvements and anything that might be going wrong. The two lower committees are specially instructed, among other mundane duties, to spot any signs of unhappiness or bullying which could be more apparent to a child than an adult.

There is also a “manners” system in which children are moved up and down the ladder. The “Best Grannies” and “Royal Guests” and matrons recommend these movements, rudeness especially attracting their notice, and the system does encourage respect for each other and the observation of other children’s needs.

Our ultimate aim by the time the child leaves is to have developed her confidence in her own ability so that every child can achieve the academic entry she requires for her next school without undue pressure. Learning should remain fun and individual talents must be recognised. Common Entrance or specific scholarships should never be the be all and end all for the intelligent child, but she must, in her last year, be encouraged to widen the scope of her learning to expand her interest and to be given the opportunity to do this.