A fee-paying preparatory school with capacity for 48 children has opened in Elephant and Castle.
The owners have said pupils at Imperial Oak Preparatory School would benefit from small class sizes and “quality teaching”.
Imperial Oak, which has years Reception to Year 2, invited the public to the grand opening on Friday, October 6.
Visitors were greeted by owners and married couple Chizzy and Collins Chukwukere, who already run Zippys Day Nursery in Greenwich, which is rated Good by Ofsted.
Mrs Chukwukere said: “We want to bring the best out of children. They’ll benefit from smaller classes and preparation for the eleven-plus. That’s why we’re called a prep school – we prepare them.”
The independent school, where annual fees are £15,999, has reserved ten pupil spaces for SEN students.
Headteacher Emma Aduaka said: “I think one problem is there are a lot of SEN schools that are full. There aren’t enough spaces for SEN children so that’s a real worry.”
Staff aim to create an environment suitable for children of all abilities. “Every child should have an opportunity to learn – it doesn’t matter if you’ve got SEN. We’re all equal,” Mrs Chukwukere said.
Southwark primary schools are already facing an admissions crisis, with four schools amalgamating and roughly twelve facing a budget deficit due to low pupil numbers.
St Jude’s and Charlotte Sharman Primary School, both in Elephant and Castle, have recently considered amalgamating due to low pupil numbers.
Asked if Imperial Oak risked pulling children away from already undersubscribed schools, Mrs Chukwukere said choosing a school “depends on what you want as a parent”.
Elephant and Castle and Walworth are some of Southwark’s most deprived areas but the school’s owner said the area is “changing” meaning it could attract families that can afford the fees.
A government report by the Department for Communities and Local Government found that Elephant and Castle was in the top 20 per cent of most deprived wards in England.
But the £4 billion regeneration of Elephant and Castle, spearheaded by projects on Elephant Park and the Elephant Park Town Centre, could usher in scores of wealthy families.
Mrs Chukwukere said: “The area is changing anyway. There are families who want to rent a flat here now. Do you know how much it costs to rent a flat here now?”
However, the school also hopes to introduce a scholarship-style scheme where private companies would pay for local children to attend the school.
“I want children who are here already to benefit from it,” Mrs Chukwukere said.