What To Consider When Looking For A Primary School - Choose Fit Not Fuss

‘State or private? Selective or non-selective 4+ entry? Single sex or co-ed? Prep school or through-school?

Damien will explain how the system works (state and private), unpick all the different options and much more, and of course answer your questions too.

This talk is essential for all parents, regardless of gender, who would like to understand the system and go into this phase of their children’s educational journey armed with understanding and the knowledge to ask the right questions about what’s important to them and their unique family.

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Born and raised in North London, Damien began his career teaching in a state secondary school before moving to New York, where he was Deputy Head in a High School serving some of the city’s most underprivileged children.

On returning to London, Damien became Deputy Head in a 3–18 independent school, which gave him first-hand experience of how children develop across every stage of their education from the early years through to sixth form.

Before taking on headship at Saint Christina’s School in January 2025, Damien was at Thomas’s London Day School, Clapham, working extensively on curriculum design, embedding critical thinking and enquiry-based learning into Humanities, Philosophy, and RE.

Damien subsequently joined Brighton College Prep Kensington, where he was part of the founding faculty, helping to establish an ambitious and forward-looking prep school from the ground up.

A firm believer that children must be at the centre of everything a school does and every decision it makes, Damien has seen first-hand that when children feel secure, valued, and understood, they can give of their best and develop the qualities that will allow them to flourish well beyond school.

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Saint Christina’s is an authentic and ambitious community for boys and girls aged 3–11, where children achieve excellent results through an approach that is very much our own. Set in leafy St John’s Wood, between Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill and only moments from London Zoo, we combine strong academic ambition with a genuine commitment to character, curiosity, and community, all within an environment that is warm and personal.

Our children are encouraged to think deeply, to question with confidence, and to act with integrity in all that they do. What matters to us is that they leave not only well-taught, but ready for the next step as thoughtful, self-confident, and grounded young people.