tatler.com Tatler Schools Guide 2020 95has been scrapped, extending the
term to make up the time, and the
nursery and top-notch 7am-7pm
wraparound care continues to be a
godsend for working parents.DRAGON SCHOOL
Bardwell Road, Oxford
OX2 6SS
Website dragonschool.org Head
Crispin Hyde-Dunn Pupils 828 day
and boarding: 484 boys, 344 girls
Ages 4–13 Term Fees Day:
£7,045; boarding: £10,205
The number of Old Dragons who
have uprooted their lives to ensure
their offspring can enjoy five years
at this Oxford institution is testa-
ment to its lasting impact and the
fond memories it instils. But this
ginormous prep is constantly
evolving under the watchful eye of
Head Crispin Hyde-Dunn. Gone
are the days of only full boarding
being offered, with pupils now
able to book in flexi-boarding as
and when they wish. There’s also
an end in sight for the dreaded
Saturday school – from September
2020, students will enjoy Dragon
Quest, enabling them to study
everything from anthropology to
zoology instead of lessons. The
Dragon sends pupils on to an array
of senior schools with many stay-
ing on in Oxford and heading to
nearby Teddies, Headington and
Magdalen College School (MCS).EAGLE HOUSE
SCHOOL
Crowthorne Road, Sandhurst,
Berkshire GU47 8PH
Website eaglehouseschool.com
Head Andrew Barnard Pupils 375
day and boarding: 196 boys, 179
girls Faith C of E Ages 3–13 Te r m
Fees Day: £6,270; boarding: £8,425
Positive, buzzy and busy, Eagle
House is part of the Wellington
College family yet independently
run. Pupils frequently make use of
the facilities there and the result is
confident leavers who are excited
by the prospect of their next step,
having taken advantage of all EH
has to offer. Humanities CE was
scrapped in 2018 and pupils will
now follow EH’s interconnectedwonder that in recent years they’ve
won a record number of scholar-
ships at 11+ and 13+ to senior
schools, including one 2019 leaver
gaining a much-coveted Elected
Scholarship at Winchester.ELSTREE SCHOOL
Woolhampton, Berkshire
RG7 5TD
Website elstreeschool.org.uk
Head Sid Inglis Pupils 195 boys,
day and boarding Faith C of E
Ages 7–13 Term Fees Day:
£7,000; boarding: £9,100
The husband-and-wife team of
Head Sid and Olivia Inglis has
curated the perfect balance of
academic aspiration and Christian
ethos with a muddy wellies
education, and even though entry
is non-selective, the boys leave to
top senior schools such as Radley,
Winchester and Eton. With its
small class sizes, Elstree ‘doesn’t
produce a type’, fostering a warm,
traditional environment that fo-
cuses on manners and values.
Public schools looking for boys
who show evidence of reading
and expressing individual opin-
ions will find them in droves:
reading is a ‘cool’ hobby, as is par-
ticipation in the weekly Head’s
Debate. The nursery and pre-prep
department has been redevelopedand extended and its boys play
sport every day, boasting unbeaten
seasons in rugby and football.FARLEIGH
Red Rice, Andover, Hampshire
SP11 7PW
Website farleighschool.com Head
Father Simon Everson Pupils 460
day and boarding: 225 boys, 235
girls Faith RC Ages 3–13 Te r m
Fees Day: £6,775; boarding: £8,810
Father Simon Everson (‘thought-
ful, intelligent’) is the inspirational
Head at this magical Catholic prep
(though only 40 per cent of stu-
dents are Catholic), leading with
kindness and encouraging his pu-
pils 100 per cent at everything.
There is a focus on enrichment of
personality: they are educating
children for their futures and the
workplace, not merely churning
out exam bots. Pastoral care is fully
integrated throughout and the
teaching and learning support pro-
vision is excellent – an experienced
team of seven staff provides specif-
ic intervention to all children who
have an identified learning need.
Parents praise the fact that their chil-
dren have been lucky enough to en-
joy a stress-free childhood: ‘It lets
children be children’ – but there’s
not a hint of shabbiness. Slick, smart
and very, very happy. ]EDGE GROVEcourse of study with ‘less focus on
spoon-feeding’; teachers are excit-
ed to be able to work from a wider
curriculum, rather than jumping
through hoops to tick the CE
boxes. The Head of English and
Drama Matthew Edwards is
something of a legend and adored
by all – he masterminds the tak-
ing of shows to the Edinburgh
Fringe and the impressive whole-
school productions are highlights
of the academic year.EDGE GROVE
Aldenham Village, Hertfordshire
WD25 8NL
Website edgegrove.com Head Ben
Evans Pupils 510 day and boarding:
314 boys, 196 girls Ages 3–13
Term Fees Day: £5,860;
boarding: £7,675
The future is green at Edge Grove,
set in 48 acres of Hertfordshire
countryside; they’ve just opened a
recycling centre for those hard-to-
recycle items such as crisp packets
and toothbrushes, introduced
meat-free Mondays and are work-
ing towards retaining green flag
status with the Eco Schools Initia-
tive. Demand for places at this
‘gently selective’ school, which has
just unveiled a £3.6m lower school
building, is high with waiting lists
for most year groups. Creativity is
at the core of everything the school
does, and pupils are encouraged to
‘flounder intelligently’. It’s no10-19-Schools-Guide-PrepSouthEast.indd 95 14/08/2019 16:15