tatler.com Tatler Schools Guide 2020 111PREP
NORTH & SCOTL ANDCARGILFIELD
Gamekeeper’s Road, Edinburgh
EH4 6HU
Website cargilfield.com Head Rob
Taylor Pupils 324 day and boarding:
178 boys, 146 girls Ages 3–13 Te r m
fees Day: £5,540; boarding: £6,795
Nestled in northwest Edinburgh,
Cargilfield makes the most of its
proximity to Cramond and its
river estuary beach, offering rock
pooling for the little ones and fly-
tying club for older pupils. In fact,
with the ‘super calm and gentle’
Head Rob Taylor in charge, pupils
are encouraged to embrace the
outdoors at every opportunity,
including sport each afternoon
(year-round thanks to the new
Astroturf ). Scottish tradition is
very much alive here – the annual
Burns Night celebration complete
with haggis, bagpipes and reeling
is legendary. But when it comes to
leavers’ destinations, Cargilfield
sees the bigger picture, with stu-
dents heading off to Wycombe
Abbey, Winchester and St Mary’s
Ascot, scholarships in hand, as well
as to nearby Fettes and Loretto.CUNDALL MANOR
Cundall, York YO61 2RW
Website cundallmanorschool.com
Heads Amanda Kirby & John Sample
Pupils 406 day and boarding: 239
boys, 167 girls Ages 2–16 Term fees
Day: £5,412; boarding: £7,120
Pupils are thriving at this rural
Yorkshire prep. ‘I would add a
sixth form here so I could stay in
this wonderful place for longer,’
laments one pupil. This is an
academically strong school, but
there remains a healthy emphasis
on outdoor adventure with a
‘Wild Wood’ area, chickens and a
kitchen garden (both tended by
the students); sleepovers in teepees
and DIY go-kart racing add to the
fun. Sport features strongly here
too, especially hockey, with teams
travelling to away matches in the
much-loved ‘ice cream van-
shaped’ minibuses. Joint Heads
Amanda Kirby and John Sample
have very different but comple-
mentary characters, resulting in a
most effective double act.being afraid to get muddy,’ one
enamoured student enthuses. So,
practical and outdoorsy are most
definitely among the attributes
needed at this Harry Potter meets
Beatrix Potter school set over 40
acres. QM girls are all-rounders:
many are skilled riders; the U10
gymnastics were awarded third
place in the National Independent
Schools competition; and many
pupils are now clued up on robotics
and AI following a successful
computer science week. Academic
standards have risen across
the board in the past few years –
new thematic-focused learning has
proved a great success – and many
girls stay on at 11 before heading off
to the likes of Sedbergh and
Shrewsbury for sixth form.ST MARY’S
MELROSE
Abbey Park, Melrose TD6 9LN
Website stmarysmelrose.org.uk
Head Liam Harvey Pupils 194
day and boarding: 96 boys, 98 girls
Ages 2–13 Term fees Day: £5,611;
weekly boarding: £6,150
Set on the banks of the River
Tweed at the foot of the Eildon
Hills in the Scottish Borders,
St Mary’s welcomes children from
both sides of the border and has an
excellent track record with English
and Scottish senior schools: last
year’s leavers went on to Fettes,
Eton and Oundle. An enviable
student to staff ratio guarantees
‘bespoke’ support for every childMOWDEN HALL
Newton, Stocksfield,
Northumberland NE43 7TP
Website mowdenhall.co.uk
Head Neal Bailey Pupils 165 day
and boarding: 90 boys, 75 girls
Faith C of E Ages 3–13 Term fees
Day: £5,680; boarding £8,200
Pupils warn that you need to ‘be
ready for a blast at Mowden Hall!’
Head Neal Bailey is extraordinarily
popular with the children who
note that ‘he always takes part in
activities and is always around
which is nice’, and parents are just
as impressed: ‘He’s equally at home
discussing scholarship applications
as he is coaching XC running.’ He
will be sorely missed when he
leaves next summer. There’s huge
excitement about spending a term
at Château de Sauveterre where
pupils are immersed in French cul-
ture and ‘have the time of their
lives’. With the Northern Lights
occasionally visible on the top
pitches, and leavers participating
in the Great North Swim, this is a
school that certainly makes the
most of its surroundings.QUEEN MARY’S
Baldersby Park, Topcliffe,
North Yorkshire YO7 3BZ
Website queenmarys.org Head
Carole Cameron Pupils 213 girls,
day and boarding Ages 2–16 Te r m
fees Day £6,325; boarding: £8,630
‘Our school has a reputation for
doing adventurous activities such
as swimming in the river and notand parents speak very highly of
the school’s SEN provision – and,
when humans just won’t do, Oscar
the labrador is a lovely calming
influence. Always looking at the
bigger picture, St Mary’s is working
towards being plastic-free and
more than 1,000 children flock to
the school each year for their ‘Bang
Goes the Borders’ science festival.TERRINGTON HALL
Terrington, York YO60 6PR
Website terringtonhall.com
Head Stephen Mulryne Pupils 177
day and boarding: 91 boys, 86 girls
Faith C of E Ages 3–13 Term fees
Day: £4,885; boarding £6,500
Small is most definitely mighty at
Terrington Hall. With fewer than
200 students, team work is the
name of the game – from the pitch
to the stage, Terringtonians are
‘plucky, confident and always
willing to have a go,’ says Head
Stephen Mulryne. But, should a
problem arise, there’s always Mrs
Ward’s Worry Box. Boarders and
non-boarders alike look forward to
water-fight night and the big camp
out. Parents quite literally have a
ball in aid of local charities and
school development projects – and
they rest easy in the knowledge
that Terrington is a truly inde-
pendent prep, ensuring complete
freedom of choice and full support
when choosing the right senior
school for their child. (little siblingsPublics with preps: see page 62Fettes College
Giggleswick
Gordonstoun
Kilgraston
King’s School, Chester
Loretto
Merchiston
St George’s School for Girls
St Leonards School
St Peter’s York
Sedbergh
Strathallan
Withington Girls’ School ST MARY’S
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