96 Tatler Schools Guide 2020 tatler.comGODSTOWE
Shrubbery Road, High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire HP13 6PR
Website godstowe.org Head Sophie
Green Pupils 431 girls, day and
boarding Ages 3–13 Term Fees
Day: £5,740; boarding: £8,500
Despite firmly stating that it is ‘not
an academic hothouse’, Godstowe,
one of the few all-girls boarding
preps in the country, prides itself
on strong results: an impressive 34
scholarships and awards were won
in 2018. Parents are pleased to re-
port that the international pupils
are fully integrated into school lifeFELTONFLEET PREP
SCHOOL
Byfleet Road, Cobham, Surrey
KT11 1DR
Website feltonfleet.co.uk Head
Shelley Lance Pupils 400 day and
boarding: 213 boys, 187 girls
Ages 3–13 Term Fees Day:
£6,030; boarding: £7,330
Shelley Lance (previously Deputy
Head) has now been at the helm
for almost two years and her
changes continue to get nods of
approval from parents, who de-
scribe her as ‘remarkable’ and ‘a
truly outstanding leader’. She was
quick to pinpoint what wasn’t
quite working and promptly im-
plement change, always clearly
communicating her vision to par-
ents, staff and pupils. Families are
lining up for the 25 acres of green
space, which is an easy commute
from London, tiptop pastoral
care and heavy focus on mental
health. One parent says Felton-
fleet ‘delivers exactly what it
promises’. There’s no sense of
pressure, and confident and well-
rounded pupils head off to a wide
range of senior schools – celebrat-
ing an impressive 100 per cent
pass rate at CE in 2018.FELTONFLEET
PREP SCHOOLHANDCROSS PARK
London Road, Handcross,
West Sussex RH17 6HF
Website handcrossparkschool.co.uk
Head Richard Brown Pupils 385
day and boarding: 193 boys, 192
girls Ages 2–13 Term Fees Day:
£6,680; boarding: £8,540
There has been an array of new
developments in the past couple of
years at this co-ed prep, from the
chalet-style Tomlinson Art &
Design Centre to a second state-
of-the-art science lab and a larger
dining room – all testaments to the
popularity of the school and the
growing student body. Around 30
per cent of leavers head on to
Brighton College, their partner
school, but they also feed to more
than 20 other senior schools. Head
Richard Brown is notably forward-
thinking, ensuring that Handcross
Park pupils ‘are well prepared for a
future that can’t even be imagined
today’, and ambitious. He is deter-
mined for his school to become the
go-to country prep in Sussex.HIGHFIELD SCHOOL
Highfield Lane, Liphook,
Hampshire GU30 7LQ
Website highfieldschool.org.uk
Head Phillip Evitt Pupils 294 day
and boarding: 160 boys, 134 girls
Ages 8–13 Term Fees Day:
£7,325; boarding: £9,100
Passionate and approachable,
Head Phillip Evitt has created a
school with mutual respect be-
tween children and adults alike.
The entire school adore their
175-acre setting, seeing it as ‘the
most glorious place to live’ and
themselves as ‘stewards of their
environment’, making the most
of the outdoors at weekends with
woodland camping trips. The
feeling of purposeful engagement
is only equalled by the sense
of joy and fun, and there’s a re-
sounding cheer for the popular
Head of Boarding, Suzannah
Cryer, who has ‘injected huge
enthusiasm’ into the drama
productions. Last year’s perfor-
mance of Cabaret involved
every single member of Year 8:
inclusivity in action.(full, weekly and flexi options are
available), with seamless inclusivi-
ty ‘preventing the formation of
cliques’. Sport is incredibly popu-
lar, not only catering for the more
elite athletes but for any girl who
wants to participate; 25 netball
teams ensure everyone gets the
chance to play against other
schools. There’s all-round delight
at the new indoor pool, which
opened in the summer term,
although the girls seemed to do
just fine with the old one: they
were U13 national swimming
champions in 2018.LOCKERS PARK10-19-Schools-Guide-PrepSouthEast.indd 96 14/08/2019 16:15