Greenfield School

Gemma Phillips

July 2017

Hi, my name is Gemma and I'm a past pupil of Greenfield. I started when I was 3 years old and left when I was 11 and have just finished my first year at St. Catherine's, Bramley.

When my parents visited Greenfield, they instantly loved the friendly environment and knew that I would enjoy it. As they first looked around, they received a really warm welcome from all the pupils and teachers.

The teachers were extremely encouraging and believed we could do anything.

They made learning really fun and you always wanted to do more. They were also very kind and caring and they helped you to achieve your goals.

Music has always been one of my favourite subjects and Mr Davies helped me a lot to learn to play the saxophone and achieve my Music Scholarships and Awards.

The pupils were kind and welcoming. When you were new and hadn't made many friends yet, they always welcomed you into the Greenfield community. They looked out for each other, even if they were years below or above you. I loved the buddy system because in Year 6 I looked after some Year 1 children and listened to them read.

Year 6 was definitely my favourite and most memorable year. Most people would agree. Some of the memories I will never forget are the trip to the Isle of Wight and our leavers' play, Alice in Wonderland. I had the part of the Queen of Hearts and I really enjoyed shouting "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" at everyone. Mrs Sharkey and Miss Botting did an amazing job of my hair and make-up, and Mrs Botting's mother made me a fantastic costume. The Isle of Wight was an experience I will always remember because I had never sailed until then and I want to do more.

When I am older I'm not sure what I will do but it will probably be along the lines of music and maths.

My first year at St. Catherine's wasn't as hard as I expected because the teachers at Greenfield prepared me so well.

Outside of school I compete in Ballroom Dancing and both schools have been so supportive and encouraged me to tell them how I have progressed.

Even though I am now in Senior School, Greenfield will always have a special place in my heart.

Kaizer Akhtar

Kaizer left Greenfield in 2015 and moved to Reed's School in Cobham with a Drama scholarship...

I have quite a few fond memories of Greenfield that stick in my mind. I will never forget when I performed as Mr Jones in our year 4 play, Blast Off! Also, ending Year 6 with an amazing residential to France which was the best school trip ever! I was extremely happy to have Mrs Maher in Year 4 and then again in Year 6. She was such a kind and supportive teacher. Also, Mrs Kettlewell was amazing ...everyone should have a Mrs K in their life!

My parents chose Greenfield because of the warm, friendly and caring atmosphere that the school provided. Although there was a lot more to take on board, I think I did feel prepared for the challenges ahead at my new senior school. My advice to a year 6 student would be to work hard, challenge yourself and always think positive.

Greenfield is very caring and supportive school that work you to your full potential. In year 6, Greenfield prepared us so well for the senior entrance exams and interviews.

My favourite subject at Greenfield was Geography as it used to get quite competitive, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Games was also one of my most enjoyable lessons as there was a variety of sports I liked participating in. I enjoy a majority of subjects at Reeds but my most favourites are Drama and Sports!

I hope to continue acting and go on to be someone very successful in my future career!

James Majumdar

James joined Greenfield School in Year 5 where he completed two years before going on to RGS.

In Greenfield, you will be helped and supported right from day one. Before my first day at Greenfield, I was nervous about a lot of things but within seconds of my first day I had completely settled in. Also, I never got a chance to be nervous because of the warm, caring environment. I never got bored because all of the teachers made the lessons fun and enjoyable.

My favourite moment in Greenfield was the trip to the Isle of Wight with UKSA. I especially enjoyed the windsurfing, but the stand-up paddle boarding was also fun because in pairs we got to push each other off the board!

Going to secondary school makes me nervous by just thinking about it, but I have learnt so much from Greenfield so I think I will be fine. Also, I have a few friends from Greenfield coming with me so that takes away most of the nerves.

My favourite subject was PE because we always did things that were so fun and active and we got to try out many different things.

When I get older, I aspire to be a surgeon, but if possible maybe also a cricketer for at least my county because I love cricket. I know that I may not get to do this, so I am open to do many other things.

Our Year 6 play was Alice in Wonderland, which I loved. It was so fun to act out and the play seemed so funny.

I am going to really miss Greenfield, even though I was there for two years, because of the fun times I had there but I am looking forward to my new challenge at The Royal Grammar School.

Mollie Ellis

I attended Greenfield School from 1999-2006, and the memories I made at the school remain with me today. My fondest memories are from the various school trips and shows I was lucky enough to be involved in: trips to Osmington Bay, the Isle of Wight and France, and shows such as Beauty and the Beast and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. I also fondly remember the variety of extra-curricular activities that I was able to enjoy. I was part of the hockey and netball teams, as well as a member of the school choirs, orchestra and Phantoms band!

The teachers and pupils at Greenfield School were all incredibly friendly, and this gave the school a very safe and family-like feel. In particular, I remember Mrs Becker (the Headmistress during my time at Greenfield), Mrs Halliwell (my Year 6 teacher) and Mrs Kettlewell. They all supported me and encouraged me in my learning throughout my years at Greenfield, and I still reflect on the lessons they taught me. Personally, the pastoral care was key during my first year at Greenfield (as I had difficulties leaving my Mum at the gates!) and the teachers did all that they could to help me. I couldn’t have asked for a better school for me for this reason, and I am forever grateful that my parents chose this school for me.

When choosing my primary school, I think my parents really liked the fact that Greenfield was a small school but with a variety of opportunities. It was well suited to my personality and allowed me to have the best learning experience I possibly could.

My favourite subjects at Greenfield were English, Science, History and Maths. My teachers were all really enthusiastic about their subjects, and I remember the lessons being fun and interesting, rather than a chore!

I left Greenfield after Year 6 to start at Guildford High School. Even though Greenfield was a small school, I feel that the personal skills the school taught me prepared me for the changes which came with moving from primary to secondary school. The size of Guildford High in comparison to Greenfield was slightly daunting at first, but I soon was able to settle in. Due to my extra-curricular involvement at Greenfield, I felt confident in joining the clubs at Guildford High, and I also felt ready to tackle senior school learning.

I went on to Nottingham Vet School, where I obtained my Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Science degree in 2016 with First Class Honours, and graduated with my Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Surgery in July 2018. I am currently interested in small animal medicine, but I also have a keen interest in zoo and wildlife medicine, so we shall see where I end up!

If I could give some advice to a current Year 6 pupil, I would say to thoroughly enjoy your last year at Greenfield. Don’t stress too much over entrance exams – they are scary, but you will end up wherever is the best place for you, so don’t compare yourself to anyone else and just do your best! Also, really throw yourself into the Year 6 end of year play as the play is a brilliant final memory to take away with you from Greenfield.

There is no doubt that Greenfield gave me the best possible primary school education, as well as friends for life and a multitude of memories!

Anjuli Varma

July 2016

Hi, my name’s Anjuli and I’m a past pupil of Greenfield. I have just left this year at the age of 10 and am going to Guildford High School.

Greenfield was like a second home to me, everyone was so caring and friendly. This might sound cheesy, but really, they were! I have so much I want to write about this school but I sadly do not have an infinite amount of time or computer screen.

I came to Greenfield when I was 3 years old and went into Owls. That was an awesome year! Doing nothing but dressing up, mushing coloured dough and trying to write my name. School would have been so much easier if I just did that for 7 years. Except that we didn’t! We did have lessons and subjects. My favourite subject at Greenfield was English; I love to write stories and descriptive paragraphs.

My biggest interests and participations were in Music and Sport, so let’s start with Music. I learnt the violin in school and the piano out of school. I loved being part of the Orchestra, Senior String Quartet, Chamber Choir, Senior Choir and Rock band. Lots and lots and lots of music! I also did LAMDA, which is basically drama and performing arts.

Now sport! My favourite sport at Greenfield was definitely netball and using the advantage of my height, I was usually always the goalkeeper. I was defence in everything! Netball, football, hockey…. One thing I learnt from hockey is to NEVER try and do cheerleading in a heavy goalkeeper’s kit. BAD experience.

Onto Year 6. That was the most memorable and fun year. Everyone would think, no! The stress of exams is too much to bear! But they’re wrong. The aim of school is to have fun while learning, right? And that’s exactly what happened.

It was more exciting than scary when everyone got their senior school results. I was thrilled to get into all three schools I wrote for! But my fondest memory of this year was going on our school trips (Isle of Wight and Bushcraft, so much fun!) and performing our leavers play Hairspray. It was really sad on the day of the leavers’ assembly and barbeque. We girls didn’t bother to hold the emotions back; we broke down completely! On the contrary, the boys were silent and just stood awkwardly next to us! If I could give some advice to current Year 6 pupils, it’s to make the most of this year; you’ll never be able to get it again.

I am going on to Guildford High School and although I’m sad to be leaving Greenfield behind, I’m really excited thinking about the new experiences I will have in senior school. Greenfield prepared me really well by giving me the knowledge I have, otherwise I wouldn’t be where I am now, but mainly Greenfield gave me confidence. Without them, I wouldn’t be the loud, chatty girl I am now!

I hope that children looking at this will feel inspired and come to this amazing school to learn new things, make awesome friends and to have fun.

Elinor Campbell

January 2017

Elinor is in Year 10 at St Catherine's School, Bramley. She left Greenfield at the age of 11 in 2013.

I really enjoyed my time at Greenfield. My parents chose the school for its encouraging and welcoming atmosphere and that everyone is helped to achieve their potential. Greenfield lived up to this, as I always felt supported and happy there.

Greenfield has an active and lively learning environment, so lessons are always interesting and learning is actually enjoyable. I remember always having inspiring teachers and finding all the other pupils very friendly. I always loved the science lessons at school. Our teacher was always so enthusiastic and clearly loved the subject, so it encouraged us to feel the same. I have continued to enjoy science at senior school, particularly biology.

Another favourite subject of mine is drama which also took root when I was a Greenfield. I still look back most fondly on the rehearsals for our school play "The Demon Headmaster" and I am still amazed at the patience of the teachers, let alone their fabulous direction. I have been fortunate enough to come back to see later performances and I am still amazed at the high standard of all the productions. Singing in the choir was also great fun and it was fantastic to win the Woking Choir competition with my friends.

Looking back, it was good to have so many chances to try different things at Greenfield: playing musical instruments, singing, acting, swimming, netball, athletics, hockey, painting and model making. I still have my Roman Shield!

Greenfield helped me prepare for senior school in so many ways; not only did they ensure everyone was prepared for their entrance exams, they also ensured that once we got our places we were ready to tackle senior school life and the challenges we had to face – including things like keeping times for music lessons, having PE kit ready and writing presentations on a computer. All this made settling into senior school so much easier, for which I was very thankful.

When I leave senior school I am still uncertain on what path I will take, currently a degree in science appeals to me. However I do know that in five years I will want to be studying at a good university. To all current Year Sixes I would say: work hard but still have fun and enjoy primary school while you can because, although you want to move on, you will miss it more than you think.

Bethan Meller

August 2016

Greenfield school is an extraordinary community. I have very happy memories of my time there and I feel that Greenfield really benefited me for senior school. The support that I received helped to gradually build up my confidence, as the teachers always encouraged me to attempt everything I wished and during Common Entrance exam period, the extra help that was given was extremely appreciated.

I think that my parents chose Greenfield because they felt that I would be able to sample and excel in all aspects of school life: academics, music and sport. They viewed Greenfield as an extremely well rounded school. I remember all of my teachers and classmates because Greenfield was such a close-knit community. This really helped me to feel involved and engaged with all activities and tasks. As a relatively small school we were all very close to the years above and below, and the teachers knew every pupil.

Some of my fondest memories were of Book Character days, where everyone dressed up – even the teachers. We all had great fun and the teachers threw themselves into the dressing up too.

My favourite subject was History because the classes were always interactive and interesting, and, five years later, History is still my favourite subject. I am just about to begin my A level choices of Maths, History and Geography. When I leave senior school, I am hoping to go to university to continue my studies.

Overall, I think that Greenfield really helped me to excel in all aspects of school life and it prepared me well for life at my senior school, St Teresa's, which has been a similar experience to Greenfield - very caring and nurturing and somewhere which encourages you to have a go at things.

Milo Flynn

September 2020

Milo left Greenfield School in 2013 and has recently started studying Music at the University of Cambridge.

I have many fond memories of my time at Greenfield school.
These include going on residential trips to Walton Firs, the New Forest and France; playing on the school music CD in Year 5; singing in the chamber choir that won at the Woking Music Festival and performing in the Year 6 play.

Greenfield was a very welcoming school, where everyone knew everyone and the teachers were friendly and supportive.
One of my favourite subjects was Music, with plenty of opportunities and encouragement to sing and play instruments in various school groups, as well as arrange music for others to perform. This gave me a fantastic grounding and passion that has continued throughout my time at secondary school and sixth form.

My other favourite subjects were Maths, which my teacher helped to make both interesting and challenging, and Sport, where I represented the school in hockey, cricket and football.

I am now studying Music at the University of Cambridge and still enjoy singing, playing, and arranging as much as I did at Greenfield School!

Ruby Skilbeck

July 2016

An amazing memory I will never forget is the leavers play, Hairspray. Performing on the stage with my classmates was so much fun and I hope I will have many more similar opportunities in my new school. I have also loved my school trips, particularly our Year 6 Bushcraft trip and our trip to the Isle of Wight at UKSA. We had such a great time and so many very funny things happened to us all.

I will always remember that many of the teachers included humour whilst teaching us and this made subjects much more enjoyable and memorable. Some of my teachers were really inspirational and they gave me the confidence to have a go.

Something that I remember about the pupils at Greenfield is that even when you are new and shy, all the pupils, whether they are below or above you, will always welcome you into the school community.

I think my parents loved the school when they looked round. It was very friendly, the children were polite and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. They also thought the music and art were brilliant.

I feel prepared for senior school because of all the teachers' help. Mrs Maher always used to say "At the moment you are big fish in a little pond, but soon you will be small fish in a lake." I think this is very true but I do feel ready for a fresh start, meeting new people, learning new things and facing the challenges ahead.

I would describe Greenfield as a happy, caring and welcoming community with inspirational teachers who are always keen to help in whatever way they can. Somewhere that you can achieve whatever you want and are given endless opportunities to thrive.

My favourite subjects at Greenfield were music, art and maths. I have always loved music and Mrs Hart was always so good at giving me confidence to have a go. She helped with my music scholarships as well.

At the moment I have no idea what I will do but I would like to do something that I love and enjoy.

In five years time I hope to be like the current head girl at St. Catherine's.

I can't wait to start at St. Catherine's but I will miss Greenfield very much.

Sarah Maxwell

Sarah left Greenfield in 2014, aged 11, and she now attends Sir William Perkins's School.

I was a pupil at Greenfield School from age 3 to 11. My fondest memory at Greenfield was finding out that I had been chosen to be Head Girl. I was very proud of this as it was unexpected but meant a lot to me. One of the main reasons why I enjoyed my time at Greenfield was because of the connections I had with the teachers and other pupils. They gave the school a friendly and caring environment and would always be there to look after you and support you. I think my parents chose for me to go to Greenfield because of all the school had to offer and because of how friendly and welcoming everybody seemed. Despite the huge jump from primary to secondary school, I feel that Greenfield prepared me very well. They did this by discussing secondary schools in PSHCE and they encouraged us to become more independent.

My favourite subject at Greenfield was maths because I believe they taught it very well using easy and inspiring techniques. I also enjoyed PSHCE as we spent a lot of time discussing what we were passionate about and everybody had a chance to speak their own opinions. However, now I am at Sir William Perkins’s School, I still very much enjoy maths and PSHCE but my favourite subject is biology. I find it incredible and fascinating. I also love music. I have a music scholarship and am very involved in the music department at SWPS. I also enjoy the music lessons as we do a lot of group work in class.

When I leave secondary school, I would like to have a job related to biology or maths and I would like to still be able to play or sing in public orchestras or choirs.

My advice to a current year 6 is to always try new things and keep doing those things you enjoy doing. Also, always be yourself and remember that it is more important to do your best than to beat other people.

I would describe Greenfield as an amazing school, with wonderful teachers who will go out of their way to care for each and every one of their pupils. And I thank it for all that it has done for me and how the school has made me who I am today.

Greenfield School

Welcome to

Greefield School

Scroll down to discover more

An Independent School for boys and girls aged from 3 to 11 years

Latest News

Student Champions

Back to School

Challenges keeping our Community Connected

Race for Life

Tackling Plastic Waste

Future Leaders Discuss Sustainability

Wearing it Pink

The Magic of Greenfield

Hitting all of the right notes

Pupils Vote for Change

Life After Greenfield

Gemma Phillips

Kaizer Akhtar

James Majumdar

Mollie Ellis

Anjuli Varma

Elinor Campbell

Bethan Meller

Milo Flynn

Ruby Skilbeck

Sarah Maxwell

Welcome to Greefield School Scroll down to discover more

Welcome to Greenfield!

An Independent School for boys and girls aged from 3 to 11 years

Latest News

Student Champions

Back to School

Challenges keeping our Community Connected

Race for Life

Tackling Plastic Waste

Future Leaders Discuss Sustainability

Wearing it Pink

The Magic of Greenfield

Hitting all of the right notes

Pupils Vote for Change

Life After Greenfield

Gemma Phillips

Kaizer Akhtar

James Majumdar

Mollie Ellis

Anjuli Varma

Elinor Campbell

Bethan Meller

Milo Flynn

Ruby Skilbeck

Sarah Maxwell

Welcome to

Greefield School

Scroll down to discover more