Why Choose a Boys School?

“There is always an emphasis on working together which is a very supportive approach.” – parent/carer feedback

Isleworth & Syon provides a rarely offered choice - a non-selective and non-denominational school for boys. Educational research highlights the significant advantages of single-sex education up to the age of sixteen, especially for boys. It is no coincidence that many mixed schools now artificially separate boys and girls through seating plans. Isleworth & Syon offers an environment tailored for boys that reduces distractions and promotes hands-on learning that goes beyond the confines of textbooks.  The result is that our students consistently out-perform boys who are taught in mixed settings.

One common misconception about boys’ schools is that emotional expression is limited, but this could not be further from the truth at I&S. Indeed, our pastoral system focuses on the importance of emotions, giving students the space to articulate their feelings in a respectful and safe way. High achievement is possible only when students feel that they are recognised and valued as individuals, and when they understand how they are expected to conduct themselves. In school, there is an atmosphere of care and concern for each individual student. There is also a clear framework of expectations for our students that helps them to appreciate how they can “be the best that they can be”.

We focus on our boys’ education and development, every minute of the day. Our teachers create challenge and learning experiences in lessons that are designed for boys specifically. One example is fiction texts in English that focus on empathetic skills and challenge stereotypes of masculinity. Across the school, our weekly assemblies as well as the PSHE curriculum constantly unpick male stereotypes and explore them. Recent examples include lessons on challenging misogyny, strengthening healthy personal relationships and diminishing the risks of social media – all features which have firmly nested themselves into the minds of our young men. Our job in school is to help nurture the young men of the future, developing good brothers, sons, fathers and husbands. As students take their journey from boy to man, we offer an inclusive, collaborative environment that helps boys grow.

“Thank you to everyone in the school for helping my son to develop from a shy and quiet boy to a confident and self-assured young man.” – parent/carer feedback