Meet our Executive Head Teacher
"Akeley Wood is a nurturing and exciting school where whatever your age, from our youngest ladybirds at 12 months to our Y13 students taking their A level exams and heading off to their next adventure, you can 'Be You. Brilliantly'.
Our education experience encourages our students to aspire to be the very best version of themselves, with the courage and integrity alongside the responsibility, resilience and academic profile to be successful not only at our school but in whatever next steps in their education or work adventure they want to take when they leave us.
Akeley Wood is a wonderful school to work in and I feel privileged to lead such a fantastic school, dedicated staff team and amazing students."
- Mrs Vanessa Conlan, Executive Head Teacher
Begin your Akeley Wood School journey.
From Nursery to Sixth Form, Akeley Wood School will nurture and develop individual talent while providing an exceptional academic foundation.
1 - 4 years old
4 - 5 years old
5 - 11 yrs old
11 - 16 yrs old
16 - 18 yrs old
Straightforward and simple
Location and Facilities
Explore our three idyllic campuses.
Akeley Wood School exemplifies the advantages of small school settings across its three beautiful campuses.
Each site is designed to meet the developmental needs of students at different stages, from early curiosity to senior academic readiness and sixth form independence.
This thoughtful design and our commitment to personalised learning ensure that students at Akeley Wood thrive, both academically and socially, in a nurturing and supportive environment.
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𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝!
Today our students have been immersed in the traditions of Chinese New Year, exploring stories, art, music and cultural customs to celebrate the Year of the Snake
✨ In Reception, inspired by Julia Donaldson’s The Magic Paintbrush, children have been making lanterns, dragon puppets and writing about festive traditions. They’ve also enjoyed a Chinese restaurant role-play and tea-making experience!
🖌 In Modern Foreign Languages, students discovered the story of The Great Race, learnt basic Mandarin phrases, explored Chinese writing, and discussed traditions such as red envelopes, lanterns and symbolic foods.
🎶 Our Butterflies (Pre-School) have been celebrating through Chinese music, dance, themed crafts, fine motor cutting activities and learning about the zodiac animals!
What a fantastic way to embrace global cultures and traditions!
#AkeleyWoodSchool #LunarNewYear #YearOfTheSnake #CulturalLearning #BeYouBrilliantly
📚 Reception’s Exciting Adventures with The Everywhere Bear 📚
This week in Reception, we’re diving into Julia Donaldson’s The Everywhere Bear. The curious bear has been exploring our classroom and beyond, challenging the children to guess where he’s been! He even set a problem-solving task: how to get the bears across the water without getting wet. The teamwork was brilliant to see!
In maths, Bear introduced us to money and addition. The children loved hunting for coins outdoors in a chilly coin hunt, practicing their counting and problem-solving skills.
As part of our school topic, All About People, we’re exploring Julia Donaldson’s magical stories like Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and Jonty Gentoo. From story mapping to Talk for Writing, we’re learning how to retell tales, study rhymes, and explore the settings of her stories—from China to Antarctica.
#AkeleyWoodSchool #StorytimeMagic #Reception #JuliaDonaldson #BeYouBrilliantly
🎯🤺🏐 Exciting ECAs This Week at Akeley!
At Akeley Wood School, our Enriched Curriculum Activities are designed to inspire, challenge, and engage students in new and exciting ways. This week, our students have been:
𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐲 🎯, refining their focus, patience, and precision.
𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 🤺, building agility, strategy, and resilience.
𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 🏐, learning the importance of collaboration and sportsmanship.
A huge thank you to our talented students from the Film and Media Club and Photography Club for capturing these incredible moments. Your efforts help showcase the vibrancy and variety of life at Akeley!
#BeYouBrilliantly #AkeleyWoodSchool #Archery #Fencing #Netball #ECAs
This Week with the Butterflies 🌟
Our 4-year-old Butterflies have been busy exploring, learning, and having fun! This week, they mastered their new sound of the week, "k," practiced making marks like circles and lines to support handwriting, and explored shapes in maths, counting the sides of triangles, squares, and pentagons.
In topic lessons, the children enjoyed singing rhyming songs in Music, learning weather-related words in French and creating fruit kebabs with repeating patterns in Food Explorers. They also had a wonderful time at Forest School, observing signs of winter and spotting local wildlife.
If you`re looking for an inspiring environment for your little learner, register for our Stay and Play event! Open to children aged 3-4, it’s the perfect opportunity to meet our team, explore our facilities, and experience the magic of Early Years at Akeley Wood. https://www.akeleywoodschool.co.uk/book-an-event/
📅 Thursday, 30th January
⏰ 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
🥇Huge congratulations to our U16 Football Team for achieving 1st Place at the ISA tournament on Friday! We’re thrilled to share a special summary of the event from Daniel, the team captain:
`We started off very strong defensively and in the attacking area. We were flying through the group stages and managed to tie our group at 1st. The defence was unstoppable, conceding no goals throughout the entire tournament. Toby and Jude keeping the back line strong and making sure everyone was doing their job on the pitch to the fullest. For the boys who were on the bench and came on throughout the matches made a massive impact towards the team. Mr Rolfe was a huge help guiding the team through the stages of the tournament by giving us key tactics.
We managed to work our way to the final. This is what we had been waiting for all day. We had one last game and in the last few seconds Jude has passed a lovely ball to Lucas which then led Lucas to pass to me. I took the ball down the line, passed a few players and crossed it in. Will managed to perfectly slot the ball past the keeper and we all celebrated like we had just won the world cup! The football played that day was at a very high standard from the whole team.`
#AkeleyWoodSchool #ISATournament #ISAFootball #Aspiration #Respect #Community #Teamwork #BeYouBrilliantly
🎶 Akeley Voices Soar at Young Voices! 🎤
What an unforgettable day at the NEC Birmingham as our Junior School students joined 5,504 children in one of the largest school choirs in the world! 💫
The afternoon was filled with rehearsals, music, and excitement as the children prepared for the evening concert. Wearing their Young Voices t-shirts and waving torches, they sang and danced their hearts out in a breathtaking performance that truly celebrated the joy of collaboration and music.
✨ Highlights included:
🎵 Singing with thousands of voices in perfect harmony.
🎵 The rave section (a favorite with kids and adults alike!).
🎵 Special guest artists who added even more magic to the event.
A huge thank you to the families who made the trip to Birmingham to cheer on our talented singers—you made the event even more memorable. The energy and excitement from our students were simply electric!
Young Voices is a testament to how music brings us together, building confidence, teamwork, and lifelong memories. 🎶
#YoungVoices2025 #AkeleyWoodJuniorSchool #ChoirMagic #BeYouBrilliantly #MusicEducation
🌟 Celebrating Success: Gracie’s Tennis Triumph! 🎾
We’re delighted to spotlight Gracie, one of our talented Year 7 students, for her outstanding performance in the Shrewsbury U12 Grade 3 Girls Doubles Tournament. After a challenging first match—down 4-3, 3-1, and 30-love—Gracie and her partner displayed incredible resilience, battling back to win three tiebreaks and claim a well-earned victory in the finals. This achievement followed Gracie’s remarkable performance in the singles matches the day before, securing three match wins!
At Akeley Wood School, we celebrate our students when they embody our school`s core values and learner habits. Gracie’s journey is a testament to the courage and excellence we nurture in our community. Congratulations, Gracie—what an inspiring achievement!
#StudentSuccess #TennisChampion #ResilienceInAction #BeYouBrilliantly
📣 Fridays are for discovery! At Akeley Wood, our bespoke Enriched Curricular Activities give students a chance to explore passions and unwind in creative ways. This week, we’re spotlighting golf 🏌️♂️ – where focus, fun, and skill-building meet.
Want to know more about how our students thrive inside and outside the classroom? Register for an open event today! https://www.akeleywoodschool.co.uk/book-an-event/
#BeYouBrilliantly #FridayFocus #GolfLife #AkeleyWoodSchool #ExploreYourPassions #AkeleyWoodSchool #Education #BeYouBrilliantly #FridayFocus #Golf #StudentSuccess
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