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Prince George started prep school at Thomas’s Battersea, but what other establishments might have made it on to the HRH shortlist?
The Hall
In leafy Belsize Park stands The Hall, where parents must register before their son is one year old. The young chaps play rugby, football and cricket, and study Classics before whooshing off to all the best schools. It’s not just Eton, Westminster and St Paul’s for these boys, but academic schools all over town, and the rest of the country, too. Pupils at The Hall live ‘distinctive lives’, says headmaster Chris Godwin, which sounds right up our street.
Where is it? Hampstead, NW3
Who is it for? Boys, day only, 4-13
Who is in charge? Headmaster Chris Godwin
How much does it cost? Reception and Year 1, £5,980 per term; Year 2 and above, £6,162 per term
Falkner House gives you two for one: there’s a boys’ school AND girls’ school, a mile from each other. The girls’ school is long established and much-loved. The boys’ school is new, having just opened in 2017. At the boys’ outpost in Earls Court, it’s co-ed two to four, and boys only four to 11, and it’s a real family affair. Headmistress Eleanor Dixon is the daughter of Anita Griggs, headmistress of the girls’ school, so there’s plenty of integration and a real feeling of togetherness. The boys have a bewildering 19 subjects to study, including Mandarin in Year 6, and History of Art throughout, which is a bonus too rarely offered. We approve.
If you’re looking for a solid local school, Ravenscourt Park ticks the box. The boys and girls toddle off to Latymer, Francis Holland and Goldolphin & Latymer after Ravenscourt has finished with them. And by finished, we mean “make wonderful beyond belief”, because there’s a huge amount to do: judo, lacrosse, ski trips, rugby… you name it, Ravenscourt offers it. Plus, there’s an actual park nearby (there’s a clue in the name) which means there’s plenty of room to run around – rare in London and not to be sniffed at.
Don’t turn up on Eaton Square looking for Eaton Square School, because it isn’t there – it’s round the corner, on Eccleston Square. And very nice it is, too. At Eaton Square it’s all go: the boys and girls study French, Latin and Mandarin, and go on ski trips in their spare time. A new senior school opens this term at 106 Piccadilly, which will educate the luckiest children from 11 to 18, meaning that there’s no change in the direct debit EVER.
Where is it? 79 Eccleston Square, Belgravia
Who is it for? Boys and girls, day only
Who is in charge?Headmaster Sebastian Hepher
How much does it cost?Reception – Year 2, £6,875 per term; Year 3 to Year 8, £7,090 per term
Sussex House is a school for the public school set: Sussex House (rightly) boasts that 70 per cent of its leavers go off to Eton, St Paul’s, Winchester and Westminster, which is pretty outstanding. This high percentage of high achievers is surely down to the opportunities afforded the children: there’s a lot of drama (theatre, that is) going on, sometimes with as many as eight productions a year; serious sporting japes, including fencing, and music coming out of your ears. It’s also where Daniel Radcliffe went to prep school, so they must be on to something.
