Tatler UK - 10.2019

tatler.com Tatler Schools Guide 2020 85

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THE HALL SCHOOL 

23 Crossfield Road, NW3 4NU

Website hallschool.co.uk Head

Christopher Godwin Pupils 460 day

boys Ages 4–13 Term fees £6,778

Academics remain strong at The

Hall, set across three attractive

buildings in Belsize Park; they sent

nine boys off to Eton, 12 to

Westminster and 13 to St Paul’s

last year on a healthy batch of

scholarships. But it’s not all hard

work (though the school does have

high expectations of its pupils and

encourages ‘genuine inquisitive-

ness’). There are cricket tours to Sri

Lanka, skiing in the Italian Alps,

16 string quartets and a film

appreciation society. Meat-free

Mondays were introduced at the

behest of the boys and one parent

admits that her cooking ‘is often

unfavourably compared to the

school’s’ – think quinoa and water-

melon salad. Head Chris Godwin

ensures that the school is a ‘happy,

secure and energetic community’.

HORNSBY HOUSE

SCHOOL

Hearnville Road, SW12 8RS

Website hornsbyhouse.org.uk

Head Edward Rees Pupils 440 day:

215 boys, 225 girls Ages 4–11

Term fees £5,320

Inclusivity and kindness rule at

non-selective Hornsby House in

Balham. Head Edward Rees (who,

according to pupils, is ‘awesome’)

wooed parents at speech day,

saying: ‘We concentrate on the

child’s happiness, then everything

else falls into place.’ Places are

allocated on a first come, first

served basis and leavers go on to

Alleyn’s, Dulwich College and

Emanuel. New on the scene is

Digby the school dog who is

training to be a ‘therapet’, and

there is a timetabled wellbeing

programme teaching mindful-

ness. Learning the ukulele is pop-

ular, as is the comedy club and

girls’ football and cricket. Year 6

pupils wrote and hand-delivered

Valentine’s cards to a local old

people’s home this year, and the

school’s banoffee pie is nothing

short of legendary.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE

SCHOOL

67 Pont Street, SW1X 0BD

Website knightsbridgeschool.com

Head Shona Colaço Pupils 430 day:

219 boys, 211 girls Ages 3–13

Term fees £6,900

Pupils emerge from this school

‘eloquent, poised, curious and well-

mannered’, according to one

parent, and head on to the likes of

Wetherby Senior, St Paul’s and

Francis Holland SW1 in London,

and Uppingham, Bryanston and

Westonbirt further afield. Head

Shona Colaço is ‘hilarious,

engaging and raring to go’, and

pupils love ‘the calming and

inviting atmosphere’ of the school.

With Glee club, horse riding and

tap dancing on offer, children are

spoilt for extracurricular choice,

especially during Key Skills Week,

when they also learn gardening,

self-defence and meditation. Cur-

ries cooked by ex-Ritz Chef Guy

are a firm favourite, and the annual

PA fundraising gala is a hoot. Their

big news is that, due to popular

demand, they are extending to

accommodate pupils up to their

GCSEs from September 2020 in a

new building in South Kensington.

NEWTON PREP

SCHOOL 

149 Battersea Park Road,

SW8 4BX

Website newtonprepschool.co.uk

Head Alison Fleming Pupils 645

day: 325 boys, 320 girls Ages 3–13

Term fees £6,780

Newton Prep, tucked down a

residential street in Battersea,

prides itself on being ahead of the

educational curve. In its most

recent move it scrapped Common

Entrance preparation, describing it

as ‘creaky, turgid and unfit for

purpose’. Instead, the Newton

Diploma preserves the essential

core subjects but combines the

humanities in a more cross-

curricular, thematic approach. The

school is ‘unashamedly ambitious

for its pupils’ and leavers go on to

Eton, Wellington and Dulwich

College on a roster of scholarships

• last year’s leavers won a stagger-
  ing 45. The arts are strong here
  too, with urban graffiti projects
  and 14 music rooms, and there are
  300 sporting fixtures on site. Ac-
  cording to a discerning researcher,
  the facilities rival those of public
  schools and the science labs were
  the smartest she had ever seen.

NORLAND PLACE

SCHOOL 

162–166 Holland Park Avenue,

W11 4UH

Website norlandplace.com Head

Patrick Mattar Pupils 220 day: 80

boys, 140 girls Ages 4–11

Term fees £6,265

Norland Place’s headline news is

that, from September 2020, it will

embark on a three-year plan to ac-

commodate boys in Years 4 to 6.

Currently, boys head off at 8+ to

Caldicott, Sussex House and Weth-

erby Prep, while girls go on to the

Francis Hollands and Downe

House at 11+, all under the ever-

watchful eye of Head Patrick Mattar

(who’s been at the helm for 17

years). Music is huge here; girls are

involved in Opera Holland Park

and perform biannually at a local

care home. Meanwhile, sneaking

in veg at every opportunity, the

chef ’s courgette cake is a big hit. ]

NEWTON PREP SCHOOL

KENSINGTON PREP

SCHOOL 

596 Fulham Road, SW6 5PA

Website kensingtonprep.gdst.net

Head Caroline Hulme-McKibbin

Pupils 295 day girls Ages 4–11

Term fees £5,955

Nestled in leafy Fulham (the school

moved from Kensington 22 years

ago), Kensington Prep is not short

on space with two full-sized, floodlit

netball and tennis courts, plus

a huge plaground. Head Caroline

Hulme-McKibbin, who arrived

at Kensington Prep in September

2018, has wowed parents, and

music teacher Mr Burgess, who

is often seen modestly waving

to thunderous applause in

Cadogan Hall, is exceptional.

Ninety-seven per cent of students

learn a musical instrument, net-

ball is huge and girls enjoy

clubs including transient art

and historical cooking. Hulme-

McKibbin explains that their

exam success (there were 32

scholarships in 2018 to senior

schools such as Wycombe Abbey

and St Paul’s Girls’) is ‘almost a by-

product of everything we do,’ with

the emphasis instead placed on

‘kindness and respect’.

At Knightsbridge School, ex-Ritz Chef

Guy’s curries are a f irm favourite and the

annual PA fundraising gala is a hoot

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