The King's School Gloucester is one of the county's leading independent schools, welcoming children aged three to 18 — and Anne Haas heads up its Junior School.
SoGlos sits down with her to chat about everything from what made her want to go into teaching to what drew her to King's and why it's such a special place to learn.
Tell us about your role at The King's School Gloucester.
I joined King's as head of the Junior School just over 10 years ago. It was the best move I have made in my career. Taking on the responsibility of running a junior school is not something to be done lightly. The care and guidance required to ensure that all the children thrive in their educational journey is something that I take very seriously.
We strive never to be complacent in what we do and are guided by the needs, interests and talents of the children in the school as well as their families. The children have a strong voice. They are able to articulate what they would like to be able to do and how well they feel they are making progress. Even our Year 3 pupils can talk about metacognition and the importance of understanding what is going well with their learning and what would be even better if an adjustment was made or a new strategy was tried out.
For example, some pupils have a real passion for mathematics so you may find some exploring quadratic equations with a Senior School teacher, while others are challenging themselves with some python coding and others are working steadily towards building secure foundations in their key skills.
We have a clearly structured approach to learning at King's that follows three strands. These are known as the King's Skills which is our bespoke academic curriculum — being King's SMART, which is our strong pastoral ethos; and exploring the King's Keystones, which encompass a vast array of co-curricular activities and opportunities for the children to choose from.
What drew you to The King's School Gloucester?
I adore Gloucester Cathedral and this was a key attraction for me. I was drawn to a school that has a wonderful historical tradition and a great reputation for pastoral care. People in the community speak in high regard about King's, whether it is from their own experiences of being a pupil, or because they have worked at the school or have attended some of the lovely functions.
What made you want to work with junior school children?
I was one of those people who wanted to teach from an early age. My patient parents had to sit in my pretend assemblies, have reading lessons and go on treasure collection walks with me. Working with young children is simply part of my DNA. It is rewarding and no day has ever been the same in all the years that I have been teaching. I learn as much from the children as they learn from me.
Describe a day at the Junior School at King's.
On a regular basis we join chapel in the cathedral. Some mornings this is just the Junior School in the Chapter House, while for others we join the Senior School in the nave and are inspired by a variety of musical performances, fascinating talks and a real opportunity to experience awe and wonder in such an historic location. When the children return to school, they are joined by the cathedral choristers and lessons begin.
The timetable for the day may include subjects such as English, maths, science, the humanities, physical education, dance and drama or music lessons. I teach critical thinking to all the children from Year 3 upwards so we might be engaging in a debate, or exploring a philosophical approach such as The Golden Mean of Aristotle.
There is lots to do at playtime as well as numerous music ensembles, pupil council meetings and leadership opportunities.
We finish off the day with a range of co-curricular clubs and activities, from sports to music, dance to craft and even food art. A particular favourite is the Waterstones club which involves reading, choosing and buying books for our library.
We have 'surround sound' care both with early birds in the morning and Atlas camps, which runs until 6pm in the evening. Saying all this, no day is an ordinary day at King’s. The term calendar is filled with a variety of special days, visits, concerts, plays, special assemblies, matches and competitions.
How does King's Junior School prepare pupils for their next steps?
A King's education spans the whole three-to-18 educational journey for a child and at each stage along the way, we are preparing the children for the next phase.
As they get bigger, their world gets bigger. They start in Little King's where they are housed in a self-contained bespoke, child-friendly learning environment. Here they are already introduced to sport, dance, forest school, early French and ICT with specialist teachers.
Several transition initiatives are put in place long before they move into the next key stage and from Year 4, we are already preparing children for entry into Senior School. Their progress is tracked carefully and they are stretched and challenged, or interventions are put in place to ensure that they are able to access the wide and varied curriculum of the Senior School.
By the time they leave the Junior School, they have acquired a high level of skills across all academic subject areas. Many children join King's during Key Stage 2 so that they have a couple of years in Junior School to prepare them for the transition to Senior School. This is carefully managed and they are able to thrive in the process.
We find that the children who have joined the Junior School at some point, are really well placed to access the Senior School education on the front foot. It is with real pride that I sit in the final assembly at the end of term and observe GCSE and A level leavers celebrate their successes, awards and achievements knowing how they started with us as little people all those years ago. They go on to achieve so many wonderful and varied careers.
What do you enjoy most about working with Junior School pupils at King's?
I engage with all the pupils in some way. It might be through reading stories, listening to readers, doing assemblies and engaging in pastoral groups and one to one sessions. However, very often, the highlights of my week are when I get to teach one of my critical thinking lessons. I teach these lessons to all the children from Year 3 to Year 6.
Nothing gives me greater pleasure than being able to engage in debate, reasoned argument, exploration of the news and events that affect children and the development of verbal and non-verbal reasoning skills. The children never fail to amaze me with their perception, their different perspectives and their surprising general knowledge.
What is your biggest challenge as the head of the Junior School at King's?
We take great care of our families and understand the pressures they face. Our parents work extremely hard to ensure their children can access the type of education we offer and we work very closely with them to make this possible. Currently, we are striving to keep our provision as cost-effective as possible, despite the introduction of VAT on school fees.
Another challenge is finding the healthy balance between the online world and the physical world. We want our children to be digitally astute, forward thinking, deep critical thinkers and competent digital citizens, but at the same time we do not want them to spend too long on screens, to be indoors too much or to rely on digital tools too heavily. I run exciting workshops such as using AI to promote storytelling for both parents and children; and at the same time we encourage children to attend forest school, participate in the cross country and join the Eco team.
What advice would you give to parents considering applying to The King's School Gloucester?
My advice would be to come and pay us a visit. The best way to get to know a school is to have a tour with me, speak to some of the children and staff and get a feeling for the ethos and values of what makes King's a special place. I love taking parents around on tours and the children love to share their learning experiences with visitors. This gives them a chance to share their successes and talk about what makes them feel proud.
King's prides itself on its small classes, so once a class is full at around 18 pupils, we will not take any more. Therefore, places in reception are already almost full as far as September 2026. There are some spaces in the middle years, but very few at the top and bottom end.
To find about The King's School Gloucester, visit its Working Open Morning this March 2025.
