Education Choices SPRING 2024 | £8.50
TH E KEY TO YO U R CH ILD’ S SUCCESS
SPECIAL FEATURE:
Benefits of Boarding Podcast panel: Tonbridge School, Downe House School, Lancing College and The Duke of York’s Royal Military School
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST INTERVIEWS INCLUDE: TOP 20
PLUS:
EDUCATION CHOICES TOP 20 BOARDING SCHOOLS 2024
Streatham and Clapham High GDST Hampton Court House School Eagle House School Truro School
UK BOARDING SCHOOL LISTING - ECM top boarding options, a sustainability focus, countryside properties and design tips!
FROM THE FOUNDER
Dear Readers, We are excited to share this edition, which covers many key topics from EDI to sustainability, alongside a detailed boarding school index. The Education Corner Podcast features multiple education experts sharing their thoughts and passion for their schools and the education they provide. What a wonderful way to welcome Spring 2024! Chloe Abbott (Founder) www.educationchoicesmagazine.com
“It is said that if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation.” Benjamin Zephaniah 1958-2023
EDUCATION BOOK CORNER
Saving our planet 10 books about sustainability and environmentalism for children Old Enough to Save the Planet - Loll Kirby Meet the children who are taking action against climate change, learn about the work they do and what a difference even the smallest of us can make. My Friend Earth Patricia MacLachlan This book reminds us of all the wonderful things our friend earth does everyday - from feeding animals to watering plants - and how important it is to protect her. The Last Wolf - Mini Grey In a twist on the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story, when Little Red is invited in for tea at the home of the Last Wolf’s house, Last Lynx and Last Bear, she soon comes to empathise with her new friends as she learns about the impact of the destruction of their natural habitat. The Wild - Yuval Zommer Set in a world where there is no more wilderness, The Wild warns us of what
might happen if we exploit our natural landscapes and urges us to band together to help the Wild regrow.
The Odd Fish Naomi Jones When Little Fish and her family encounter an odd new fish bobbing along on its own, they embark on an exciting journey to reunite it with its family in this ecoadventure about keeping oceans clean. Greta and The Giants Zoe Tucker Inspired by the work of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg, this book teaches how anyone - no matter how small - can stand up against giants and make a difference. There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom - James Sellick Published in Collaboration with Greenpeace, this book tells the story of a girl who discovers an orangutan on the loose in her bedroom. When Rang-tan explains that there are humans destroying her home so they can grow palm oil, the little girl vows to save the orangutans.
Omar, The Bees and Me - Helen Mortimer Omar, The Bees and Me encourages children to look after nature in local communities by planting wild flowers to form bee corridors. Themes around cultural identity are also explored through Omar (a new boy from Syria) and Maisie’s friendship. Wild Cities - Ben Lerwill and Harriett Hobday From penguins in Cape Town to parakeets in London, many animals have managed to adapt to our urban world. This book takes you all around the planet and shares tips on how to help these urban creatures thrive. Somebody Swallowed Stanley - Sarah Roberts A powerful story about plastic pollution in the ocean, this book is about Stanley - a plastic bag who’s been mistaken for a jellyfish - as the other sea creatures try to figure out why he’s different. MEGAN PAYNE Assistant Editor
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EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH HEADMASTER
Mr. Edward Venables FROM EAGLE HOUSE SCHOOL, BERKSHIRE Founded in 1820, Eagle House is one of the country’s oldest preparatory schools, located in Sandhurst, Berkshire. The school has around 120 pupils in its Pre-Prep and Nursery, and over 230 pupils in the Prep School. Many Year 8 pupils from Eagle House are awarded scholarships from their choice of senior school, and the school takes pride in its excellent academic record. Mr. Edward Venables speaks to us about the benefits of boarding at Eagle House, their Golden Eagle Programme and how their curriculum is preparing pupils for a future within a fastchanging world. We understand that you started your new position as Head of Eagle House School in September 2023. You were the long standing Head of Admissions at Wellington College and have now taken over at Eagle House as Headmaster. How do you believe your previous experiences will contribute to your insight as Head and leadership of the school?
Thanks so much for having me, Chloe, it’s very, very exciting to be here! Going back a little bit further, I first worked in the city for twelve years in banking and hedge funds. I was Head of Department at Wellington, a House Master, which 32 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S P R I N G 2 024
was the best job in the world, and I also acted as Director of Admissions. Critically, I was also a Designated Safeguarding Lead at Wellington, which has very much formed who I am now and how I look at school. Understanding what the world of work looks like now, how a modern senior school is preparing children for that world is really, really critical. Aligned with that, having an understanding of the mental health challenges and other pastoral pressures that teenagers face allows me to work incredibly hard to equip the young people who come through Eagle House with the skills to be as prepared as possible for that next stage of their life. There’s a lot of work needing to be done on that transition from Years 8 to 9, as well as on the transition from Years 4 to 5, interestingly. At the heart of this, really, is pastoral care and understanding that we need to prioritise pastoral care for children of prep school age, so they are ready to flourish in the senior school world. On the website you describe Eagle House as ‘progressive, friendly and buzzy’. Can you tell us a little more about the ethos and values at Eagle House?
Our values are kindness, respect and courage. As with many schools, we reiterate these values
BOARDING SCHOOL PODCAST Eagle House School, Berkshire
regularly, but crucially we talk about them the whole time - they are the basis for all of our disciplinary interventions. We very much see ourselves as a positive school, but obviously, when children get things wrong, we need a framework around which to have the conversations. Our values are critical to that and the school is such a genuinely friendly place - when you visit, you see happy children. I think our staff offer a supportive and unstuffy relationship with the children, which helps the children form relaxed and “We’re progressive in that we’re not afraid to make friendly relationships with changes as the world around us changes.” one another. We’re ‘buzzy’ because the children are busy: they’re going from activity to activity What are the main requirements and points all day, and crucially, they’re doing so in an of entry for children and families considering independent way. applying to Eagle House? We’re progressive in that we’re not afraid to There are no specific requirements, other than make changes as the world around us changes. that children must be able to flourish in our Specifically, we’ve just built a whole programme environment. Of course, being happy matters into our digital curriculum around learning about deeply to us, so the children must be able to the operation and ethics of AI. We’re changing access our curriculum and feel happy with the PSHE, which is our ‘Learning for Life’ programme, pace of life at Eagle House. Children can join any to address the new and ever-changing issues stage from nursery to Year 8 if we’ve got spaces. affecting our young people. So, it’s busy but it’s About two-thirds of our children end up going on fast-moving, which is exciting! to Wellington College, but it’s not an automatic transition, so we do need to be realistic with children and parents. How do you think the children benefit from their boarding experience at Eagle House?
TURN TO PAGE 43 for the ECM Top Prep Boarding Schools in Berkshire
Boarding at Eagle House, whether it’s a couple of nights a week, a full week or two weeks at a time, is great fun! It also brings out that sense of independence we’re fostering at Eagle House: the social skills you gain from spending extended time with all sorts of different people are immense and you get to learn different things from getting close to older and younger children. It’s different to the senior school world in this sense, but you’ve got loads more siblings and it’s so lovely to see the children engaging with others that are both older and younger than them. EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S PRI NG 2024 | 33
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EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST WITH HEADS
Mr. James Priory FROM TONBRIDGE SCHOOL, KENT
Mrs. Emma McKendrick
FROM DOWNE HOUSE SCHOOL, BERKSHIRE
Mr. Dominic Oliver
FROM LANCING COLLEGE, SUSSEX AND VICE PRINCIPAL
Mr. Stephen Haslehurst FROM THE DUKE OF YORK’S ROYAL MILITARY SCHOOL, DOVER A panel discussion about the differences between single-sex and co-educational boarding, the benefits of boarding and the future of boarding schools.
Mr. James Priory and Mrs. Emma McKendrick both Heads at single-sex boarding schools - agree that a single-sex environment allows students to be themselves and build their confidence throughout their formative years without the pressure of gender expectations: “What we’re doing here is actually enabling the boys to be themselves and not simply define themselves as being boys” stated Mr. James Priory of Tonbridge School. Mrs. Emma McKendrick, Head at Downe House, added: “That builds their confidence, they have that sense that anything is possible because all the role models around them are also wonderful young women.” They are also aware of the need for children to socialise with the opposite sex during their school 40 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S P R I N G 2 024
years, which is achieved through partnerships with other schools. “I’m very mindful that we’re a school that is offering an education for boys, but obviously preparing them for a co-educational world,” Mr. James Priory told us. Tonbridge has a particular relationship with the all-girls’ Benenden School, holding social and academic events for pupils of both schools. Similarly, Downe House partners with Radley College and Mrs. Emma Kendrick reported: “Both Radley and Downe have a really strong commitment to working together so that the boys and the girls have an opportunity not just to socialise, but to work and collaborate together on projects of an academic nature as well.” Conversely, both Lancing College and The Duke
BOARDING SCHOOL PODCAST Benefits of boarding
Tonbridge School
of York’s Royal Military School are co-educational boarding schools. Both Mr. Dominic Oliver and Mr. Stephen Haslehurst feel that a co-educational setting best reflects adult life and prepares students for a co-educational future. “One of the fantastic things about being able to offer coeducational boarding is I think you get the best of both worlds. The world is, after all, co-educational. What we feel about that is we’re preparing young women and young men for the rest of their lives.” stated Mr. Dominic Oliver. The Duke of York’s Royal Military School represents approximately thirty state boarding schools in the UK, Mr. Stephen Haslehurst explained: “The education that we provide is funded by the government. From the point of view of parents, therefore, what they are paying for when they come to the school is just for the boarding provision.” This can be very significant in making boarding more accessible: “That means that our fees are very affordable in comparison to independent schools.”
“They learn to live with all sorts of people from all sorts of different countries, different backgrounds and different approaches. When they’re out in the working world, they never worry about who they’re going to work alongside, because they’ve learned to live alongside a whole variety of different people.” Mrs. Emma McKendrick
Despite the many changes to modern life, boarding education has remained popular and our guests believe it will continue to do so, thanks to its ability to support increasingly busy families. Mr. Stephen Haslehurst summarised: “We see ourselves very much catering for busy families, families who perhaps through long working hours or having to commute can’t spend the time that they would want with their youngsters during the working week.” Boarding schools strive to prepare students to achieve not just academically, but also beyond their school years, according to Mr. James Priory: “It is about developing independence but it’s also about doing that in the context where there is a lot of support.” The opportunities and experiences provided by boarding also remain important, Mr. Dominic Oliver emphasised: “What we have to offer is so filled with a richness of opportunity.” Further to this, Mrs. Emma McKendrick added the importance of the interpersonal skills boarding teaches: “They learn to live with all sorts of people from all sorts of different countries, different backgrounds and different approaches. When they’re out in the working world, they never worry about who they’re going to work alongside, because they’ve learned to live alongside a whole variety of different people.” Mrs. Emma Kendrick. According to a 2021 ISC survey, approximately 40% of boarding school pupils in the UK are international students. At Downe House, modern technology is employed to help international students settle in and keep in contact with their families and Mrs. Emma McKendrick told us that: “If they can’t come and do things like open days that we run beforehand, we make sure that we do Teams calls and Zoom calls with the House Masters and with other children so they get a bit of a sense of the school before they come. It’s one of the great things that technology has allowed us to do - we use it to keep in contact with families.” Mr. Dominic Oliver
Downe House School
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SPOTLIGHT: GODSTOWE PREP, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
prides itself on its boarding community, which encourages pupils to make use of the excellent facilities, including 40 acres of land and wonderful pastoral support. Caldicott offers up to five partly or fully funded 11+ places to boys who would join as boarders in Year 7 and stay on until the end of Year 8. Moreover, the opportunities provided by this Hitchin Scholarship do not stop after the boys’ time at Caldicott until the end of Year 8, but are extended until they are 18, at some of the top public schools in the UK. www.caldicott.com
OXFORDSHIRE
Dragon School
Dragon School is one of the leading Prep schools in the UK, educating boys and girls from 4-13 years old. It is a vibrant, happy and aspirational school, which promotes a love of learning, breadth of opportunity, and a strong sense of community and fun. The Prep sits proudly amid stunning playing fields in North Oxford on the banks of the River Cherwell, and the Pre-Prep is in the heart of Summertown. Leavers go on to a wide variety of senior schools, with a third typically gaining academic and/or specialist awards. Full, weekly and flexi boarding options are available, and Dragon QUEST is a broad, exciting enrichment programme on Saturday mornings. Main points of entry for day places are Reception, Year 3 and Year 4, and boarders can join in Years 4-7. www.dragonschool.org
Developing Students’ Independence Boarding at Godstowe School Boarding is an integral part of the Godstowe community. Our three Boarding Houses - one Junior and two Senior - provide a home from home for the girls who choose to board, which is available from Year 3 and above. Boarders have a busy and vibrant life at Godstowe during the week and over the weekends. We offer flexi, weekly and full boarding - the majority of girls choose full boarding. Our boarding staff are dedicated professionals committed to the pastoral and holistic aspects of education; they have no classroom teaching commitment, but play an active part in the co-curricular programme in order to maintain a connection with both the boarding community and day girls. Junior staff, made up of gap year students, graduates and residential assistants, also work solely in a house. As such, the staff really know and understand how each and every girl ticks. Boarding develops independence, self-confidence and maturity on top of that, nothing can be better than having friends, staff and facilities available 24/7. Godstowe boarders make friends for life. We foster a home-from-home environment in all our houses. After-school boarders return to their houses for twenty minutes of downtime with a snack and chat about their day with staff. In the senior houses, there is always someone ‘at home’ for the girls to talk to about their worries, whether they’re about the joys of growing up or exam fears. Each night in the junior house, the girls are read a bedtime story when they are snuggled up ready to sleep. They have a ‘Quiet Room’ as a sensory calm room, with a tropical fish tank, soothing lights and quiet music. Girls are always welcome to go and sit in the calm room for some downtime - this could be by themselves or with their friends for a story or a relaxing chat about their day. BECKY RADBURN Marketing & Communications Lead www.godstowe.org
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ECM TOP PREP BOARDING OPTIONS
mobile phones, OBH specialises in developing character, which is far more important www.obh.co.uk
SURREY
Summer Fields School Summer Fields School is a boarding and day school for boys aged 4-13, set in more than 70 acres of stunning grounds. With highly dedicated staff and a variety of co-curricular activities, pupils are encouraged to not only thrive academically, but also widen and develop their passions, skills and interests. As a result, Summer Fields’ students have an outstanding record of winning awards and scholarships to top public schools like Eton, Harrow, Radley, Stowe and Winchester, among others. www.summerfields.com
SUFFOLK
SUSSEX
Aldro School Aldro is a co-educational day and boarding school for approximately 200 children aged between 7-13. Nestled in the quintessentially English and very beautiful village of Shackleford, Aldro lies just 30 miles southwest of London and is in easy reach of both Heathrow and Gatwick airports. With full, weekly and familyfriendly boarding, Aldro welcomes children from all over the world, as well as those looking for an idyllic country education away from the capital and many who join us daily from the nearby towns and villages. www.aldro.org
Old Buckenham Hall Old Buckenham Hall is one of the country’s leading co-educational day and boarding schools for children aged 2-13 years. Celebrating record boarding numbers, OBH offers the highest academic standards and unrivalled co-curricular opportunities, all underpinned by exceptional pastoral care. Based in 90 acres of idyllic Suffolk countryside, it is a very special environment for children to begin their educational journeys. Recent sporting successes include County Hockey Champions, Suffolk LTA School of the Year and IAPS Swimming champions. OBH is school that believes in children being children, removing distractions like
that is recognised, nurtured and developed to create motivated, confident, independent learners. Kindness, happiness and respect for others are at the heart of everything. Emphasising a happy, family atmosphere, Edgeborough fosters all-round development and a balanced, first-class education. Key entry points are Reception, Year 3 and Year 7. www.edgeborough.co.uk
Edgeborough School Edgeborough is an award-winning, co-educational independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 2-13 years old, situated in the 50 acres of beautiful countryside just outside Farnham, Surrey. Edgeborough’s ethos is that happy children thrive in a warm and kind environment where opportunities are abundant. Edgeborough prides itself on finding talent in each child
Brambletye School Brambletye School is a coeducational day and boarding preparatory school for pupils aged 2-13 in the Sussex countryside. It was founded as a small boys’ boarding school in Kent between the world wars, and has since moved to West Sussex and become coeducational. From Year 3 to Year 8, boarders can stay at school all week with the option to go home after matches on a Saturday, returning to school on Sunday night or Monday morning. If the weekend activities appeal to them, they can opt to stay in for the weekend. Weekends at Brambletye are the times when children really have the opportunity to bond with each other, either during their downtime or during the extraordinary activities organised for them. www.brambletye.co.uk
Cottesmore School Cottesmore School is an awardwinning academic boarding prep school for boys and girls in West Sussex, less than an hour from London. Cottesmore is one of the few full boarding co-educational prep schools in the UK and has been preparing children for major
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SAVILLS
SAVILLS COUNTRY HOUSES
The Mount, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7PH Guide price £12,500,000
Finding the Perfect Property in the Countryside Savills Country Houses For over 160 years, Savills has been helping people thrive through places and spaces. Savills’ team of highly experienced country house specialists covers the length and breadth of the UK, from the South to Scotland. With each team member having a regional countryside specialism plus direct access to Savills London and International networks, including the well-established Private Office, the department is able to provide a unique 360-degree service to clients. Our agents have considerable local knowledge and a granular understanding of the environment of each property, from school choices to planning policies and everything in between.
With an office network containing over 130 national offices and a further 600 global offices, we can market properties to a vast network of qualified buyers based both in the UK and overseas. Head of Savills Country Department, Phillippa DalbyWelsh, has nearly 20 years’ experience in prime property. She originally worked in central London before expanding to the country markets following her own move out of the Capital with her young family. This journey is one experienced by many country house buyers and, as such, Phillippa has a detailed understanding of the key motivators for embarking on a move, for example: good schools,
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more space or lifestyle choices or often all three - as well as the common challenges when it comes to timing and logistics. One of the key catalysts that drives housing demand out of London is the desire to buy a larger family home in an area with good schooling, and making the move often occurs in anticipation of a child starting school. In the case of boarding schools, the move can be a permanent one within a couple hours’ drive of the school, or a second home, which makes it easier for parents to spend time with their children on the weekends. For some, a cluster of high performing independent schools will determine where they will look to buy, whilst others will
PERFECT PROPERTIES hone in on a single school, making their search area a little more closely defined. Market overview:
Confidence is returning to the UK’s prime markets after a somewhat turbulent 2023. Across the UK, the market is increasingly driven by best in class properties though usually realistic pricing is advisable to achieve the best result. We have a strong book of buyers and there has been encouraging activity in the sales market already this year, particularly in the Cotswolds and South West regions. We’ve had an early run of sales with numbers up on last year in these areas and new buyer registrations across the UK country are 5% up on 2023. Our latest market survey in January showed an increase in buyers commitment to move during the course of 2024. This coincides with increased certainty as the mortgage market is settling down and there is the prospect of interest rate cuts over the course of this year. If considering moving for the start of the academic year in September, buyers should begin
Guide Price: £6,750,000 Conford Park House, Conford, Liphook, Hampshire, GU30 7QP
their search now as conveyancing timeframes have extended over the past 12 months. It is worth speaking to a country house agent at this time of the year as there will be numerous properties for sale privately which are not visible on the open market, presenting an opportunity for an early look in. The UK is blessed with some of
the world’s top schools and many of these are located in the markets in which we operate. The Cotswolds and surrounding counties are ever-popular with family buyers, with Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire being home to many more top schools. Heading north, places such as Shropshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire also offer excellent choices. We have a country house specialist with expert knowledge in all of these areas and beyond. PHILLIPA DALBY-WELSH Savills Country Department CAMILLA MARTIN PR Manager www.savills.co.uk
Offers in excess of £6,950,000 Wolf House, Great Wolford, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, CV36 Guide price: £4.5m
TURN BACK TO PAGE 56 to read more about Boarding Schools in Hampshire
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