01 Jul

AZBUKA School and Nursery office is currently closed for the summer holiday until the 1st September.

AZBUKA School and Nursery office is currently closed for the summer holiday until the 1st September. For news and updates please check our Facebook page.

If you have an urgent query related to the school place for your child in the Russian-English Bilingual Primary school from September 2018 only then please do write to azbuka.foundation@gmail.com This email address will be checked on the weekly basis.

10 Jun

Registration began for the AZBUKA Russian-English Bilingual School the for the academic year 2018-2019

Priority registration for the current students of AZBUKA Nursery & School and children already on the waiting list has been completed, we are now opening registrations for all. There are only a couple of places left, please hurry!

Registration has begun for the AZBUKA Russian-English Bilingual School and Nursery for academic year 2018-2019.

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Deadline for applications – 4 July 2018

The following classes are now open for enrolment at our full-time school:

  • Reception class for children who will have turned 4 before 1st September 2018.
  • Year 1 for children who will have turned 5 before 1st September 2018.
  • Year 2 for children who will have turned 6 before 1st September 2018.
  • Year 3 for children who will have turned 7 before 1st September 2018.

Requests to register for a place at the AZBUKA Russian-English Bilingual School should be done by completing an on-line form.
Once your request has been received you will be sent a full Application Pack. To apply for a place please complete and return all the required forms, together with the deposit by 4th July 2018.

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Application pack includes: 

  • Welcome letter
  • Registration form
  • Medical form
  • Overview of policies and procedures
  • Parent-School agreement
  • Fees 2018-2019

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Address of the School/Nursery.

From September 2018 the school will be based in the new premises near Ravenscourt Park Station (1 min walk from the station, District line), Hammersmith station (7 min walk from the station, District, Piccadilly, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines). The full details and the address of the school will be sent out to all new parents at the beginning of June once you have been offered a place.

At the beginning of September, all new parents will be invited to attend an annual Information Evening (date tbc) in our new premises.

Welcome to AZBUKA!

01 May

Spring Family Fair “Russian Carousel – 3”

Spring Family Fair “Russian Carousel – 3” – annual fundraising event organised by AZBUKA Russian-English School for wider community!

The Fair will take place Sunday 20th May 2018, 12am-4pm

Address: AZBUKA Russian-English Bilingual School & Nursery, Vernon Road, London SW14 8NH, MORTLAKE (map)

This is a very important fundraising event. Every pound raised will go towards the new equipment and further development of AZBUKA Russian-English School.

Free welcome drink for everyone!

PROGRAMME:
Theatre performance for children in Russian and English (additional info is coming soon)
Book fair
Arts and crafts
Homemade traditional food
Performance by the Children’s String Ensemble
Activities and workshops for children
Interactive circus workshop
Traditional character dances
Lottery
Coffee, tea, refreshments and other surprises!

ENTRANCE FEE
Advance bookings:
Adults: £4
Children (2+): £2
Children under 2 years old: free

Tickets at the door:
Adults: £5
Children (2+): £3
Children under 2 years old: free

We strongly recommend to pre-book your tickets in advance due to a high demand.

Pay for your tickets here

This is an annual fundraising event for the AZBUKA Foundation. Thank you for taking part!

AZBUKA Foundation is a non-profit organisation follow this link for further support and donations.

www.azbukafoundation.org
www.facebook.com/azbukafoundation

10 Apr

24th April 2018 AZBUKA Russian-English Bilingual School OPEN EVENING for parents

Tuesday 24th April 2018 at 7pm at our premises in Mortlake.
AZBUKA Russian-English Bilingual School & Nursery, Vernon Road, London SW14 8NH, MORTLAKE (map).

All parents are welcome. Book early to guarantee a place. Just email your full name to admin@azbukafoundation.org.

This event will be held in Russian, Questions & Answers in both languages.
Please note that Open Evenings take place only twice a year.

04 Apr

AZBUKA is now closed for the Easter holidays

Here are the dates children return to school:

17th April 2018 – Russian-English Primary School and Nursery (Mortlake site)
21th April 2018 – Saturday School including all after school clubs (Kew Gardens site)

We wish you all a very good holidays and look forward to seeing you at the start of the new term.

05 Mar

The words of support from popular children’s author and poet Andrei Usachev, AZBUKA’s friend and patron.

Поздравления от нашего замечательного друга и патрона АЗБУКИ Андрея Усачева после успешной аккредитации, проведенной официальным правительственным аудитором образовательных стандартов Ofsted в Великобритании.

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“Когда я был школьником, я думал, как здорово быть взрослым, которым никто не ставит оценок. Я был маленьким и не знал, что жизнь не так проста и что учителей, директоров и целые школы тоже оценивают, причем более строго, чем детей. Что существует целая система комиссий, инспекций и проверок, от которых не сбежишь, как в детстве с контрольной в кино или на речку. Что быть взрослым, значит, быть вдвойне ответственным – и за себя, и за детей. Поэтому я искренне рад, что наша «Азбука» с честью выдержала испытания и получила хорошие оценки. Сам я не люблю ставить оценки, но так как школа билингвальная, можете к английским отметкам прибавить и мой российский плюсик…

В общем, ПОЗДРАВЛЯЮ!

Ваш друг и патрон, Андрей Усачев

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Андрей Усачев – русский детский писатель, поэт и драматург, сценарист, радиоведущий. Автор таких известных произведений как “Собачка Соня”, “Школа снеговиков”, «Дракоша и компания». На протяжении нескольких лет вёл детские радиопередачи «Весёлая радиокомпания» и «Летающий диван».

 

Azbuka becomes the UK’s first approved Russian-English bilingual school
The Azbuka School in South West London has been given high ratings across all four areas examined by Ofsted, following a successful inspection by the official government auditor of education standards.
The assessment of “good” for overall effectiveness was matched by the same positive judgement for each of the four individual areas inspected: effectiveness of leadership and management; quality of teaching, learning and assessment; personal development, behaviour and welfare; and outcomes for pupils.

“The school meets all the independent school standards,” the inspectors concluded in their report. “The school’s bilingual curriculum is a key strength. It is well planned and implemented. Pupils enjoy learning all subjects in Russian and English; they make rapid progress in both languages.”

 

The inspectors highlighted the “overwhelmingly positive” feedback from parents, “provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development”, and students’ educational progress in subjects including English, Russian and mathematics.

 

The strong positive judgement – unusual for a recently created school inspected for the first time by Ofsted – is a reflection of Azbuka’s profound commitment to education and experience accumulated over the past 17 years. The grading follows two years of discussions with the Department of Education, which allowed it to operate one of the first Ofsted-registered nurseries providing a language immersion curriculum in the UK.
Maria Gavrilova, Azbuka’s founder and head teacher, said: “We are thrilled with this very strong endorsement of our vision to create an innovative, supportive and highly effective bilingual school, which is proving ever more popular with students and parents. It is a remarkable achievement, particularly bearing in mind that Azbuka Primary is a new full-time school implementing one of the first bilingual curricula in the country and introducing an educational model that is pioneering in many respects. It concludes the final vital step in our path to establishing the first effective Russian-English bilingual school in the UK. On behalf of the founders I would like to congratulate all the teachers, parents, children, patrons and supporters who have been behind this wonderful, ground-breaking and inspirational project for London.”

 

The Azbuka Foundation incorporates a full-time bilingual primary school in Mortlake, a Russian nursery, a Saturday complementary school for children aged 5 to 16, and a bilingual educational resource/cultural centre for the community.

This 17-year long project expanded into a full-time school in September 2016. Among its long-term consultants and supporters is the former head of Wix, the French-English school in London, who has said: “I applaud the initiative shown by the Azbuka group in offering a Russian-English based education. Azbuka has now joined the growing numbers of schools that have recognised the cognitive, social and cultural benefits to be gained from a bilingual education. Their initiative will strengthen UK-Russian understanding, to the benefit of Azbuka’s pupils and their families, and on a broader scale it will undoubtedly support the UK’s economic development. In other words, this school has the potential to be something very special.”

 

Azbuka welcomes new students and is currently seeking premises from autumn 2018 to meet its expansion. It also requires additional funding, donations and sponsorship to secure its continued growth and be in a position to offer support to parents and children from all backgrounds, regardless of income, interested in the proven value of a bilingual education.

Speaking on behalf of Azbuka’s board of governors, Maria Gavrilova said: “We have now proven our ground-breaking model but our lease is coming to an end and we need serious donors to come forward this spring to support us in the establishment of a permanent home. Another opportunity like this may not arise again for many years to come, if not decades.”

 

The Ofsted inspectors noted that Azbuka’s pupils were making good progress educationally within a “caring” and “safe culture”. “Pupils are inducted effectively in Russian and English and have well-developed social skills. As a result, they make good progress in a wide range of subjects, including English, mathematics and Russian” and show “evidence of rapid development of knowledge, skills and understanding.”

 

They said Azbuka’s “strong bilingual curriculum is planned and taught effectively”, emphasising that teachers had “good subject knowledge” which was well conveyed in lessons with the support of “skilful bilingual teaching assistants”.

 

They quoted one parent who said: “My son is happy, safe and making excellent progress with his education.”

Among the many testimonials found on the Azbuka website is the following comment from a parent whose child travels to school all the way from East London every day:

“The progress that my child has shown in the past year is incredible. He’s got all the subjects as his favourites, because at Azbuka there is no such thing as a “difficult subject”. The areas that he had previously expressed little interest in – music, dancing, drama, arts and crafts, science – he now looks forward to every lesson.”

 

Another parent writes: “I have to say that we are getting from Azbuka something that we have never experienced in the UK before … the teachers understand my children completely, their needs, their level of development and every step the teachers take is designed to ensure my children develop their full potential.”

 

Overall, attendance is above national levels with attainment at least typical of pupils of their age, there is good behaviour and no evidence of bullying.

 

The Ofsted inspection which was extended over three days included visits to the school, interviews with staff, parents, students and governors, and close examination of records.

 

The inspectors’ report also recognised the value of the school by endorsing its integration with Azbuka’s part-time nursery, which had already been approved in an earlier, separate inspection.

 

Azbuka school has also been recognised by the Russian Embassy and its embassy school.

 

The Azbuka Foundation is a UK registered charity.

 

CONTACT DETAILS:

website: www.azbukafoundation.org

e-mail: office@azbukafoundation.org headteacher@azbukafoundation.org

 

Azbuka telephone number for journalists, parents: 0208 392 2286 0781 0013042