32 Tatler Schools Guide 2020 tatler.comSOUTH EASTPUBLICHAILEYBURY
Hertford, Hertfordshire
SG13 7NU
Website haileybury.com
Head Martin Collier, MA, since
2017; previously Head of St John’s
School, Leatherhead Pupils 881.
Day: 182 boys, 111 girls; boarding:
318 boys, 270 girls Faith C of E
Ages 11–18 Term Fees Day:
£8,882; boarding: £12,048
Oxbridge 4% Registration During
year before entry; £100 fee
Admission School’s own exam,
interview and previous school’s
report Alumni Clement Atlee,
Alan Ayckbourn, Stephen Mangan,
Antoinette Sandbach MP
Anyone who doesn’t know that
Haileybury is sports-mad clearly
hasn’t been following the Argen-
tinean or US rugby teams in the
past few years: both squads chose
the school as their base for the
2015 Rugby World Cup. Yes,
sport is mighty here, especially
rugby for the boys (under the su-
perb direction of former Wales In-
ternational Michael Owen) and
hockey for the girls. Relatively new
Head Martin Collier has gone
down well with parents and pupils
alike: ‘He is approachable and
friendly,’ says one parent. ‘He al-
ways knows who your child is and
what they have been up to! He has
already made positive changes and
has great plans for the future.’ Am-
bitious Mr Collier has particularly
high academic expectations, and is
a big IB fan due to its broad cur-
riculum and students seem to
agree with roughly 40 per cent of
the sixth form choosing this path.
This is a close-knit yet outward
looking school: ‘What I love most
is the sense of community in every
department and house,’ attests one
pupil. ‘I also love the diversity here;
as you walk around the school you
can hear pupils talking to each
other in many different languages!’
The food, made from locally
sourced produce (the cheese comes
from a shop in Buntingford; the
meat from a nearby farm) is always
delicious – one teacher confessed
to putting on half a stone during
their first term at Haileybury. ]pavilion, dining room and 32 new
classrooms. New physical surrounds
seem to have sparked a productive
atmosphere: there are plans to
change the weekly timetable and
introduce a Saturday enrichment
programme, which the school
hopes will ‘free up high-quality
learning time during the week’.
Meanwhile, the new Arnold Lodge
(flexible overnight accommoda-
tion for day pupils) is proving pop-
ular with working parents. As
part of its 150th anniversary
celebrations last year, the college
showcased a 3D video mapping
projection, transforming the icon-
ic Memorial Building into a digital
artwork. Last January, EC hosted
Your Town Your Ideas Your Fu-
ture, welcoming nine schools to
present an idea to make Eastbourne
a better and more suitable place for
young people. Healthy living and
wellness are core values here, aided
by the school’s proximity to the sea- it’s nestled between the beach
and the glorious South Downs.
Growing up in this active environ-
ment (which is also reportedly the
sunniest place in the UK), pupils
are fittingly sporty; at least 95 per
cent of students represent the
school in more than 900 fixtures
each year. ‘Eastbourne College
creates normal people who have
a respect for the educational
opportunity they have been given
but are not growing up in an elite
bubble. They are treated in a direct
but supportive manner. They’re
fun, decent people who you want
to be with,’ says one parent.
Surrey’s best-kept secrets. Formerly
overlooked by some due to its non-
selective entry, parents cite this as
one of Dunottar’s biggest assets:
students never feel they have failed
and relish the chance to shine and
stand out. Having turned co-ed in
2014, Dunottar is going from
strength to strength, building on its
reputation as an environment that
focuses on ‘bringing out the best in
every child, irrespective of ability’.
The school’s rapidly growing
popularity is in no small part
thanks to Head Mark Tottman,
who arrived from Dean Close in- He is highly visible, often
seen at weekend sports matches
supporting and chatting with his
pupils. Small class sizes are a big
selling point, and a number of
students cited this as something
they love most about their school,
enabling them to form excellent
relationships with teachers, some-
thing their parents ‘could only have
dreamed of ’ when they were at
school. Parents happily report that
Dunottar is ‘really just a big
family with a warm, welcoming
atmosphere’. 2018’s results were up
significantly on the previous year,
and 93 per cent headed off to their
first-choice university.
EASTBOURNE
COLLEGE
Old Wish Road, Eastbourne,
East Sussex BN21 4JY
Website eastbourne-college.co.uk
Head Tom Lawson, MA, since
2016; previously Deputy Head of
Christ’s Hospital Pupils 630. Day:
190 boys, 140 girls; boarding: 180
boys, 120 girls Faith C of E Ages
13–18 Term Fees Day: £7,835;
boarding: £11,885 Oxbridge 5%
Registration Early registration
advised; £100 fee Admission
Pre-selection, CE or school’s own
exam, interview and previous
school’s report Alumni Eddie
Izzard, Hugh Southwell,
Johnny Mercer
The completion of Project 150,
Eastbourne College’s £33 million
redevelopment, has had time to
bed in, and students have happily
settled in to the new sports centre,ETON COLLEGE
Windsor, Berkshire SL4 6DW
Website etoncollege.com
Head Simon Henderson, BA, since
2015; previously Head of Bradfield
College Pupils 1,325 boarding boys
Ages 13–18 Term Fees £14,167
Oxbridge 33% Registration
By end of June of school Year 5;
£400 fee Admission School’s own
exam, interview, and previous school’s
report Alumni Boris Johnson, George
Orwell, Eddie Redmayne
There’s no guarantee that you’ll
go on to be Prime Minister if
you study here, but, after meeting
the Head of Pop, a recent visitor
felt that it was certainly a strong
possibility, alongside becoming
James Bond. Eton’s dedication
to holistic character education
is world renowned – no big
changes are ever made without
extensive consultation, and often
in-depth research. Take the boys’
happiness, for example: not
content with assessing this from
their phenomenal results and the
vast numbers clamouring to join
the school, Eton embarked on
a survey of more than 1,000
boys. The findings: Etonians’
happiness increases as they journey
through the school. Why? Head
Simon Henderson explains that
‘four factors were identified: a
strong support system, autonomy,
mastery and gratitude’. Eton’s
commitment to widening access is
nothing short of incredible: the
College offers over £7 million in
fee assistance per year with over 20
per cent of boys receiving financial
support, and 83 boys on full
bursaries. ‘My dream would be
that we are genuinely needs
blind,’ says Henderson. ‘This does
not mean that everyone comes for
free, but if you can pay the full
fee you pay the full fee, if you can’t
pay anything you pay nothing
and a lot of people pay something
in the middle based on a sliding
scale.’ Eton’s famed partnerships
with Holyport College and the
London Academy of Excellence are
the gold standard in shared learning,
resulting in immeasurable success of
which Eton is deservedly proud.EASTBOURNE
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