tatler.com Tatler Schools Guide 2020MIDL ANDS & EAST ANGLIAPUBLIC59At King’s High, there was a student-ledlink-up with the International SpaceStation, masterminded by a Year 11 pupilKING’S HIGHPHOTOGRAPHY: IAN DAVIESMALVERN
COLLEGE
College Road, Malvern,
Worcestershire WR14 3DF
Website malverncollege.org.uk
Head Keith Metcalfe, MA, since
April; previously Deputy Head of
Harrow Pupils 641. Day: 94 boys,
69 girls; boarding: 263 boys, 215
girls Faith C of E Ages 13–18
Term Fees Day: £8,807; boarding:
£13,185 Oxbridge 10%
Registration Three years before
entry; £200 fee Admission CE or
school’s own exam Alumni Giles
Foden, Monty Don, Jeremy Paxman
One student reports that his
favourite thing about this school
is the atmosphere of camaraderie
and strong ‘school spirit’, though
the ‘glorious campus’ (as one
teacher puts it), surrounded by
rolling hills, with Malvern spa
water on tap, can’t hurt either. The
11 boarding houses are integral to
school life and in-house dining gives
staff the opportunity to interact
with pupils in a less formal way,
keeping a closer eye on their health
and wellbeing. The academic
programme is broad, with GCSEs
and International GCSEs on offer,
as well as the International Bacca-
laureate available alongside A-levels
(they’ve been offering it for the past
26 years). Typically, around 10 per
cent of leavers receive offers from
Oxbridge or US Ivy League univer-
sities, including two from Harvard
recently. Well known for its sporting
prowess, this college has a hockey
teacher that coached the Wales sen-
ior women’s team, an ex-Worcester
Warriors player in charge of rugby
and it has recently introduced a
girls’ cricket scholarship. Not one to
shy away from a dramatic challenge,
it is the only school to have pro-
duced the RSC’s version of Wolf
Hall – to huge acclaim. They’re in-
trepid too: witness the ‘Lost Project’,
where 11 pairs of students are
dropped off blindfolded at various
unknown locations 40km from
school, then race back. A fond fare-
well has been said to Antony Clark,
who’s returned to his native South
Africa, while new Head Keith
Metcalfe arrives from Harrow.MORETON HALL
Weston Rhyn, Oswestry,
Shropshire SY11 3EW
Website moretonhall.org Head
George Budd, PGCE, from
September; previously Deputy Head
at Godolphin Pupils 317 girls:
99 day, 218 boarding Ages 11–18
Term Fees Day: £9,200; boarding:
11,450 Oxbridge 15%
Registration Early registration
advised; £300 fee Admission CE
or school’s own exam, interview
and previous school’s report
Alumnae Editor-in-chief of The
Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes,
MP Amanda Milling
PREP Head Catherine Ford
Pupils 136 day and boarding: 57
boys, 79 girls Ages 3–11 Term Fees
Day: 3,410; boarding: £7,870
Set in bucolic North Shropshire,
Moreton Hall ‘puts each girl at the
centre of her educational journey
and prepares her to take her place
on the world stage’. Speaking of
stages, when it comes to drama
this school produces riotous perfor-
mances with hundred-strong casts
(including School of Rock and
The Addams Family), making the
recently built Arts Centre a wise and
welcome addition. Cementing its
position as one of the top non-selec-
tive schools in the UK, last year’sacademic results gave the school
‘much to celebrate’. A third of its
students achieved straight A*–As in
their A-levels, with over 90 per cent
securing a place at their first-choice
university, and there was ‘another
vintage set of GCSE results,’ with
over half of all grades awarded the
equivalent of A*–A. The school’s
popularity means it is becoming
increasingly selective, but they’re
emphatically looking for all-round
ability as well as academic potential.
They’re excelling in sport too, with
cricket teams placing within the
top five schools nationally (the
installation of indoor cricket nets
has no doubt helped this). In an
inspired and exciting addition, new
Directors’ Tables evenings have seen
successful businesswomen visit to
share their experiences of thriving as
a woman in business. With Head
Jonathan Forster retiring after 27
years, former Godolphin Deputy
Head George Budd has now taken
the helm (joined by his wife Nicky,
who’s currently head coach for the
U19 England lacrosse team). He’s
got the governors’ backing; their
chair Josh Dixey said: ‘I’m very
confident that George will not only
sustain all the successes of the recent
years at Moreton Hall but will
enhance its reputation further.’NORWICH SCHOOL
The Close, Norwich NR1 4DD
Website norwich-school.org.uk
Head Steffan Griffiths, MA,
since 2011; previously Deputy
Head at Magdalen College School
Pupils 892 day: 557 boys, 335 girls
Faith C of E Ages 11–18 Te r m
Fees £5,647 Oxbridge 10%
Registration By 10 December
of year before entry; £95 fee
Admission School’s own exam
Alumni Admiral Lord Nelson,
Humphry Repton
PREP Head John Ingham Pupils
262 day:157 boys, 105 girls Ages
4–11 Term Fees £8,831
‘Fantastic results. Lovely children.
Wonderful location. Something for
everyone.’ These are the words of
one happy parent. Set in the heart
of the city, Norwich School is a
melting pot of Norfolk families
who rejoiced when the pre-prep
opened its doors in 2018, making it
a ‘straight-through school’. The
central location is a dream for pub-
lic transport links and the school
has a genius buddying system that
ensures the younger ones soon get
city savvy. In the sixth form, they’re
joined by 15 overseas students – an
initiative that is immensely popular
with staff, parents and pupils due to
the added ‘educational and cultural
value,’ according to one insider.
Most school days begin in the
cathedral, allowing the school to
come together for a period of news
sharing, thought gathering and
rousing hymn singing, often gate-
crashed by Budge the cathedral cat.
Driven by Head Steffan Griffiths
(who has been in post for nearly a
decade), Norwich is a community-
focused school with an award-
winning outreach programme that
covers sport and academics, plus
access to higher education and the
arts. Exam results are consistently
strong here – there were 59 per cent
A*–As at A-level and 71 per cent at
GCSE in 2018 – and the vast ma-
jority of students go on to top UK
universities with a handful heading
off to Hong Kong, Europe and
North America, all with the sup-
port of the brilliant and active
alumni community. ]10-19-Schools-Guide-PublicMidlands.indd 59 14/08/2019 21:57