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Our View
A truly international school with pupils from 50-plus countries, ACS Hillingdon offers a seamless, all-through education, marching to the beat of its own drum rather than following the UK curriculum – it believes that fewer exams mean children develop a deep level of subject knowledge and understanding. Instead of GCSEs, there are multiple pathways for seniors, including IB, US high school diploma and advanced placement courses. It’s a place where pupils can really follow their passions, whatever they are.
Where?
The main school building is an impressive Grade II-listed manor house set in manicured grounds, with a grand entrance complete with sweeping staircase and ornate reception rooms where performances are held. There are classrooms on the upstairs floor, and the art department takes up the whole top floor. The West Wing, a modern, four-storey extension, couldn’t be more different, with long corridors, exposed brick and glass-sided classrooms. The ground floor is a dedicated creative space, the top floor holds the science department, the lower school occupies the first floor and the middle school the second. Plans are afoot to turn the corridors into breakout spaces for pupils.
The west London location is quiet and spacious, yet close to central London and Heathrow, making it very convenient for overseas families. About 90 per cent of pupils travel to and from the school on its buses, which go to St John’s Wood, Kensington and Chelsea, Gerrards Cross, Putney, Richmond and Hammersmith, either dropping off at central points or pupils’ front doors. There are buses at 3.25/3.30pm, as well as at 5pm for those taking part in after-school clubs.
Head
The head of the whole school, Martin Hall, has been at Hillingdon since 2017, having worked overseas in Switzerland and Tanzania. He extols the personal feel and down-to-earth nature of ACS Hillingdon. ‘The school spirit is very pragmatic and everyone just gets on with stuff and mucks in,’ he tells us. He is a very visible head, greeting pupils every morning and making sure everyone feels a sense of belonging. He wants school to feel like home; if pupils feel safe and comfortable, they can aim high and reach their aspirations, he believes.
The new head of the upper school, Dr Joe Holroyd, joined in August 2024 from an international school in St Moritz, having also worked in schools across Asia. A champion of the school’s ability to deliver 'best fit' programming to meet the needs of all students, Joe is also motivated to ensure that all staff can learn and grow. 'I'm very much what the IB call a 'Lifelong Learner', and as a school we try to ensure that we are always finding opportunities to support lifelong learning in our colleagues', he says. 'We invest in our people - and they in turn bring their best to the children in our classrooms'.
Admissions
Most applicants find out about the school by word of mouth, which is testament to its strong sense of community. There are four steps to the application process: enquire, apply with a deposit, review, offer. About 120 pupils join each year, spread across all year groups, many from families who are in the UK on a work secondment, although the upper school has recently seen an increase in pupils from local families.
Academics and destinations
The school bucks the one-size-fits all model by offering pupils multiple pathways, from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme or the IB Career-related Programme (with partnerships with Pinewood Studios and recently the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) to the Advanced Placement courses. Their curriculum pathways ‘recognise all kids are not the same’, Mr Hall says – along with the high school diploma received by all graduating students. The IBCP is taken up by six to 12 pupils each year and it comprises two pathways – the first is digital arts and film run in partnership with Pinewood (which includes VFX and digital effects), and the second is theatre arts.
Conversations about post-school destinations start in Grade 9 (Year 10) with university counsellors with thorough understanding of the application process within and outside the UK, and by Grade 10 pupils have all the information they need to make the right subject choices. This year, those who took the IB Diploma all passed, with around half going on to UK universities such as Cambridge, Warwick and Manchester, and the other half taking up places in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Co-curricular
Sport facilities are good and include tennis courts, a basketball court, a 4G all-weather court that is used for football, hockey and sports day, and a gym complete with fitness suite, climbing wall and practice court. Fixtures are against other London international schools, and the school also belongs to the ISAA, so teams take part in tournaments played internationally against other schools worldwide. About 20 pupils are currently on the school’s Elite Performance Pathway, which there are plans to expand, as well as introduce a career sports pathway that would include exercise and health science.
The art floor occupies the whole top floor of the main school building and has a pottery room, painting and life-drawing studios and textiles room. The attic rooms have wonderful views of the gardens, and the work on display was hugely creative.
Music is strong at the school – helped by its partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside which it recently played – and the department has its own building called Harmony House. There are choirs, orchestras, a recording studio and one-to-one teaching rooms. An instructor will be found for any instrument that a pupil would like to play. Drama is another important pathway, and last year the pupils staged Footloose in the auditorium, which has its own tech suite. D&T is impressive, with a computer lab and ‘think tank’ rooms where pupils can write on the walls as they come up with ideas, including robotics and 3D designs.
Lunchtime clubs include debating, gardening, birdwatching and cooking amongst others; students are also able to create their own clubs fueled by their interests and passions.
School community
There is a counselling room, dimly lit with fairy lights and furnished with bean bags and comfy chairs, staffed by two wellbeing counsellors. It’s open to the whole school and pupils are free to go there if they need time out. Only Grades 11 and 12 are allowed to carry mobile phones, but nobody is permitted to use them in class. The cafeteria and library are both phone-free areas.
Pupils who are interested in teaching as a career can go and help out in the Grade 3 and 4 classrooms, and Grade 12 students read with the Grade 1s.
Parents are always welcome at the school; autumn open evenings finish round the firepit making smores, and a liaison parent co-hosts coffee mornings with the head. The very active Parents’ School Organisation hosts welcome barbecues for new families and runs an international fair where each nationality in the school has a stall. There are lots of clubs for parents, including a book club and cooking club. Everyone watches or participates in an annual talent show and the winter ball is always very well attended.
And finally....
Multiple pathways give students ownership over their learning at this nurturing international school, where everyone is motivated to aim high and achieve their goals. There’s a close-knit community here too – ideal for new, relocating pupils, who settle in quickly.