Languages | Preparatory School in Essex | Avon House School
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Languages

At Avon House, we foster a love for languages from an early age, helping pupils to develop communication skills, cognitive flexibility and cultural awareness.

From F1 to Year 6, pupils enjoy weekly Spanish lessons, with French added from Year 3 onwards. Year 5 pupils bring their learning to life with a cultural immersion residential to Normandy, deepening their understanding and sensitivity to different cultures.

For those eager to explore even more, our Italian Club offers an exciting extracurricular opportunity. Through engaging lessons and real-world experiences, we inspire confident, globally-minded learners! The Language of the Month initiative empowers pupils, amplifies their voices, and celebrates diversity.

This year, pupils have requested the following languages:

November – Russian

December – Arabic

January – Spanish

February – Hebrew

March – Punjabi

Every September, pupils practise greeting each other in a variety of European languages to coincide with the European Day of Languages on 26th September. Each October, to mark Black History Month, pupils explore languages spoken in countries with a rich black heritage, further broadening their global awareness.

Closure of Avon House Preparatory School

It is with much sadness that we are announcing the closure of the school with immediate effect. Avon House was founded over a hundred years ago under the name Essex House and then in the early 1950’s was renamed Avon House School. The vision for the current school was that of Sheila Ferrari who bought the school in 1970, providing a family school for pupils from 3-11 years old.

We have explored a number of options to try and save the school from closure but in recent days it became obvious that was not meant to be. The school has struggled with financial pressures including the introduction of VAT on school fees and the rise in NI and pension costs.

We have always put our pupils at the heart of school life both academically and pastorally under the banner of ‘Celebrating and supporting every child’ and we know that many pupils who have journeyed through our school have gone on to great success.

We wish all our pupils and families the best for the future as they embrace new schools in the locality.