"These board schools are the glory of the land," the Borough News reported a certain Reverend W Hamilton saying at the grand opening of Brandlehow School in February 1902.

"The buildings are of such splendid character that even the headmasters of Eton and Harrow might envy them."

It's difficult to gauge what impression Eton and Harrow's headmasters would have today.

The original 1000-pupil, three-storey Victorian designed Brandlehow just opposite Wandsworth Park was completely destroyed by a German flying bomb in 1944 and it was not until 1952 that the present buildings, designed by the modernist architect Erno Goldfinger, were opened.

Though still housed in Goldfinger's 1950s Grade II-listed bright and airy steel and glass structure, Brandlehow today has a distinctly 21st century outlook.

Drawing its 225 primary and nursery pupils from across the borough, Brandlehow's outstanding national curriculum test results last year's Key Stage 2 exams saw English pass rates at 88 per cent, maths at 88 per cent and 94 per cent at science tell only half the story, according to headteacher Sara Grove.

For her, providing as many educational opportunities outside the national curriculum as possible is the mark of a good school.

Miss Grove cites Brandlehow's membership of the modern languages scheme with other Wandsworth primaries which sees a specialist teacher from Putney secondary Elliott School give French lessons to Year 5 and 6 children.

The most talented go on to take weekend masterclasses in Icelandic, Mandarin and Portugese.

She also says the dedicated history month, with workshops on ancient Egypt, Indian dancers and science weeks, with sessions dissecting fish, pasta making and wormeries, allow the pupils to focus on particular areas and reinforce various aptitudes and talents.

The whole school has just won a £5,000 BT award for an exciting history project on communication between Britain and India, which will be put together with the school's new digital camera and extensive computer network.

"The fact we're socially diverse and a multicultural community is a big strength," Miss Grove says as she explains Brandlehow's EU-funded twinning scheme with schools near Stockholm in Sweden and Gdansk in Poland.

"We have a child-centred ethos here. We make sure that we teach the core subjects like literacy and numeracy well, while offering the pupils after school activities."

Outside the classroom, the school is applying for the Sport England Activemark, for dedication to teaching PE, while a specialist music teacher takes singing and instrument lessons for the whole school twice a week.

Clubs, mostly taken by the 10 staff and six support teachers, include yoga, country dancing, netball and football and planting and growing vegetables and plants in the ample gardens around the school.

Parents play a big role in life at Brandlehow, raising money for recent purchases like the new collapsible stage through to the ever popular Hallowe'en and Christmas discos and summer fairs, and helping at the annual science week.

Miss Grove says that pupils, staff and parents are "very proud" of the school.

"I have a simple philosophy that all children can be encouraged to reach their full potential."

q For more information write to Brandlehow Primary School, Brandlehow Road, Putney. SW15 2ED, phone 020 8874 5429 or email info@brandlehow.

wandsworth.sch.uk. The school's website is www.brandlehow.ik.org

February 7, 2003 17:00