86 Tatler School Guide 2020 tatler.comNORTHCOTE
LODGE
26 Bolingbroke Grove,
SW11 6EL
Website northwoodschools.com
Head Clive Smith-Langridge
Pupils 260 day boys Faith C of E
Ages 8–13 Term fees £6,880
Northcote Lodge, nestled just off
Wandsworth Common, blends
the traditional with the modern in
equal measure – think boys in
cords and tweed jackets, weekly
chapel services and Bridge Club
juxtaposed with iPads, ‘smart’
connected classrooms and karate.
The onus is placed on manners and
respect in preparation for the
workplace, and the school prides
itself on ‘excellence without pres-
sure’. Excellence indeed, with a
steady stream of boys heading to
Eton, Harrow and Whitgift each
year (and soon to the Northwood
senior school, opening September
2020). Pupils enjoy an annual ski
trip to the Italian Alps and the
school celebrates its Scottish roots
on St Andrew’s Day with a piper,
tartan and its very own Highland
Games. Well-rounded leavers re-
portedly receive a glossy leaving
book that might even rival Tatler...PARKGATE
HOUSE
SCHOOLPARKGATE HOUSE
SCHOOL
80 Clapham Common
Northside, SW4 9SD
Website parkgate-school.co.uk
Head Malcolm McKinlay
Pupils 190 day: 94 boys, 96 girls
Ages 2½–11 Term fees £5,460
You’ll find Head Mr McKinlay
(who, according to one parent,
is ‘worth his weight in gold’) in the
playground most mornings greet-
ing children and chatting about
Scotland’s recent sporting endeav-
ours. Punching above its weight
(by its own admission), this family-
focused school sends leavers to the
likes of Emanuel, Woldingham
and Whitgift on various scholar-
ships. Emphasis is placed on cross-
curriculum learning; LAMDA is
extremely popular and Rubik’s
cubes are ‘in’. Pupils participate in
calm sessions and there is a genius
gender-inclusive sports policy. The
school’s location, just metres away
from Clapham Common, is taken
full advantage of – though it’s
off to Richmond Park for horse
riding lessons and pupils recently
travelled to Wimbledon Common
for a survival skills course includ-
ing campfire and shelter building.PEMBRIDGE HALL
SCHOOL
18 Pembridge Square, W2 4EH
Website pembridgehall.co.uk
Head Henry Keighley-Elstub
Pupils 413 day girls Ages 4–11
Term fees £7,590
The forward-thinking Head Henry
Keighley-Elstub wants girls to ‘be
resilient, take risks and, when things
don’t necessarily go to plan, dust
themselves off with a smile and try
again’. The school, in the centre of
Notting Hill, has an impressive bur-
sary and scholarship fund and prides
itself on being ‘proof you can be
academically ambitious without
being selective’. Pupils move on to
choices such as St Mary’s Ascot and
Wycombe Abbey. The U11s reached
the IAPS netball finals last year, and
pupils founded an origami club.
Many of the girls’ brothers attend
Wetherby Pre-Prep just down the
road, adding to the familial feel.ORCHARD HOUSE
SCHOOL
16 Newton Grove, W4 1LB
Website orchardhs.org.uk
Head Maria Edwards Pupils 275
day: 135 boys, 140 girls Ages 3–11
Term fees £6,400
One pupil reports that Orchard
House, a House Group school in
leafy Chiswick, is truly ‘perfect’.
Prospective parents are encouraged
to put names down at birth, and
it’s easy to see why it’s so popular.
Leavers head on to Hampton,
Godolphin & Latymer and Kew
House having enjoyed excellent
teaching (staff wellbeing is taken
very seriously – they have their
own clubs including ultimate
frisbee), sporting prowess – Year 6
swimmers reached the IAPS final
this year – and clubs galore. Not
to mention the fabulous food
made by Le Cordon Bleu-trained
Miss Polly (including lemon
thyme chicken with parsley new
potatoes). Az, the caretaker, knows
every child by name (and always
greets them with a famous smile);
Orchard’s Got Talent is the high-
light of the year; and the first girls’
rugby team stormed through their
inaugural season.NOTTING HILL PREP
SCHOOL
95 Lancaster Road, W11 1QQ
Website nottinghillprep.com
Head Sarah Knollys Pupils 382 day:
184 boys, 198 girls Ages 4–13
Term fees £6,860
Heads do come and go, of course,
but the departure of founder Jane
Cameron is a seismic change at
NHP, although her legacy will
live on through a bursary
foundation in her name. The
highly capable Sarah Knollys will
no doubt ensure that school life
continues smoothly, with pupils
greeted with a handshake every
morning at the red-brick school
just seconds from Ladbroke
Grove tube station. Alongside the
traditional sports, there’s street
dance, yoga and martial arts,
while ‘music is in their DNA’.
Much-loved Nicky Marani, head
of SEN, is on a mission to
improve everyone’s posture. One
parent mused, ‘is there no end to
her talents?’ upon hearing that
Miss Marani had taught her
daughter how to eat pasta the
proper Italian way. Contented
pupils move on to the likes
of Kew House and Teddies.10-19-Schools-Guide-PrepLondon.indd 86 16/08/2019 14:23