Tatler UK - 10.2019

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SOUTH WEST

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tatler.com Tatler School Guide 2020

HANFORD 

Child Okeford, Blandford

Forum, Dorset DT11 8HN

Website hanfordschool.co.uk Head

Rory Johnston Pupils 100 girls, day

and boarding Faith C of E Ages

7–13 Term fees Day: £6,250;

boarding: £7,500

Set in a majestic Jacobean house

surrounded by 45 acres of Dorset

countryside, Hanford offers a

wholesome childhood where free-

dom reigns – you’ll find the girls

building dens, riding ponies and

climbing trees. The atmosphere,

according to one parent, is ‘very

unshowy and unboastful’ meaning

that leavers depart as grounded

and content individuals, ready for

the likes of Cheltenham Ladies’,

St Mary’s Calne and Bryanston.

Ninety-five per cent of pupils learn

a musical instrument and the

school is hosting a STEM festival

this September with talks on as-

tronomy, forensic science and

green energy. Nearly everyone rides

and many jump out of bed for

pre-breakfast hacks. Excitingly, the

indoor riding school is soon to

receive a facelift thanks to a

generous alumna donation.

HAZLEGROVE 

Sparkford, Somerset BA22 7JA

Website hazlegrove.co.uk Head

Mark White Pupils 385 day and

boarding: 198 boys, 187 girls Faith

C of E Ages 2½–13 Term fees

Day: £6,115; boarding: £9,051

Children run everywhere at this

school and with so much on offer,

who can blame them? There are

charity sleep outs to raise money

for Centrepoint; pupils competing

in the National Prep School

Athletics Finals; the school’s very

own festival, Hazlefest; and Man-

darin lessons, food technology and

outdoor education alongside the

core subjects. Boarding lies at the

heart of this school, set in an 18th-

century house at the end of a long

sweeping drive, with a minimum

of 60 boarders every weekend. The

children are fuelled by catering

manager Boney Sebastian’s deli-

cious food, such as goat curry with

roasted plantains. They emerge

facilities continue to improve, with

both a new cookery school and a

forest school revamp in the

pipeline. Cricket remains popular:

the U11 boys’ cricket team are

IAPS South West champions

and the U13 girls reached the

county finals.

KITEBROOK 

Moreton-in-Marsh,

Gloucestershire GL56 0RP

Website kitebrookhouse.com Head

Susan McLean Pupils 245 day and

boarding: 121 boys, 124 girls Faith

C of E Ages 3–13 Term fees Day:

£4,720; boarding: £52 a night

This picture-perfect Cothill Trust

prep near Moreton-in-Marsh is

going from strength to strength

under the watchful eye of Head

Susan McLean. ‘Everything is

made with love’ here, according to

McLean, which is perhaps why

pupil numbers have doubled in

the past five years – make sure you

register early. Kitebrook kids are

actively encouraged to climb trees,

and weekly outdoor prayers, come

rain or shine, further encourage

pupils to connect with nature and

themselves. Leavers head off to

well-rounded as they depart to

Winchester, Wycombe Abbey and

King’s Bruton, to name a few, on

an average of 32 scholarships a year.

KING’S HALL 

Kingston Road, Taunton,

Somerset TA2 8AA

Website kingshalltaunton.co.uk

Head Justin Chippendale Pupils

319 day and boarding: 162 boys,

157 girls Ages 2–13 Term fees

Day: £5,670; boarding: £8,240

Upon walking into the school the

immediate impression is of

‘a buzzy, happy, family house’ – a

feeling curated by Head Justin

Chippendale, who says: ‘We have

a responsibility to the children,

just as you might to a surrogate

family.’ Boarders have movie night

on Saturdays with popcorn;

Snoops, the school dog, has his

own Instagram account; and pu-

pils are truly free-range with 50

acres to explore. Having loved

their time at King’s Hall,

85 per cent of pupils move on to

the senior school, King’s College,

while the rest head to Radley,

Canford and Millfield (on 36

scholarships last year). The excellent

schools including Downe House,

Cheltenham Ladies’ and Stowe on

various scholarships. A new multi-

purpose hall and play area have

just been unveiled, and a new

dining hall and a refurb of the

orangery are next on the list.

KNIGHTON HOUSE 

Durweston, Blandford Forum,

Dorset DT11 0PY

Website knightonhouse.co.uk

Head Robin Gainher Pupils 101

day and boarding (10 boys in

pre-prep) Ages 3–13 Term fees

Day: £4,950; boarding: £7,600

Robin Gainher, Head of Knighton

House, has a clear leadership vision.

This girls’ school is not just about

‘fluffy ponies’– it is ‘seriously com-

mitted to academic aspirations’. Key

to this is the development of a new

bespoke curriculum that, by focus-

ing on ‘independent thinking and

collaboration’, will see girls engag-

ing with life outside the school

grounds: they recently collected

recyclable material to raise money

for the NSPCC. Still, despite the

shake-up to this feeder to Bryanston,

Canford and beyond, the ponies

(fluffy or otherwise) remain: aro-

und 75 per cent of the girls ride,

and there are between 14 and 16

ponies on livery here at any one

time (dutifully led in from the

field at 7.30am by students). The

family atmosphere and wholesome

vibes make for girls who want to

relish every moment of their child-

hood. ‘They are in an environ-

ment where children can play as

children play,’ says one parent.

PERROTT HILL 

North Perrott, Crewkerne,

Somerset TA18 7SL

Website perrotthill.com Head Alex

McCullough Pupils 176 day and

boarding: 94 boys, 82 girls Faith

C of E Ages 3–13 Term fees Day:

£5,625; boarding: £8,120

One parent tells how they fell in

love with this school as soon as they

set eyes on the boot rack filled with

muddy wellies. Perrott Hill is set in

28 acres of rolling Somerset coun-

tryside, and a seasoned researcher

reports that there is ‘no erosion of ]

KING’S HALL

At Chafyn Grove challenges range

from learning to sign the alphabet

to helping to deliver a lamb

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