Open all
Our View
It’s not just the idyllic setting in rural Hertfordshire that makes this co-ed day and boarding prep a strong contender for anyone’s shortlist. Top-grade academics, sports and performing arts create a true all-rounder, and with the school’s wholesome approach to wellbeing – no phones, and free time is spent roaming the 60-acre grounds – it’s no wonder that pupils are confident and happy. It’s a relatively large place with almost 500 pupils, but there’s a real sense that everyone feels valued here, and the nurturing way the older children interact with the little ones is heartwarming.
Where?
The school is a bucolic dream, with a long, tree-lined drive leading up to a wonderful 16th-century mansion sitting in spacious grounds that include a fantastic tree-tops outdoor classroom, Capability Brown-designed parkland, woodlands and endless sports pitches, all surrounded by farmland. Beechwood Park feels remote but is actually very accessible with good road and rail connections. It’s just off the M1, and Harpenden and St Albans are nearby, as is Luton Airport.
Most pupils are relatively local, and there is a chaperoned bus service from St Albans, Redbourn, Harpenden and other local villages.
Head
Christian Pritchard has been at the school since September 2023, and his very calm and approachable manner means he’s settled in seamlessly. He is guided and grounded by the mantra that children are at the heart of every decision, and it feels like nothing can faze him – or his wife, Zoe, who runs the nursery, Woodlands. Having worked at British international schools around the world, he has extensive experience abroad. He was head at Beachborough School before he came to Beechwood Park.
Admissions
Children can start their learning at Beechwood Park from the term they turn three at the on-site nursery. There’s a ‘light assessment’ for children joining in reception and Year 1, and a bit more of a formal process for those joining in Year 2 upwards, but Beechwood Park does not see itself as selective. There are no overly academic entry requirements, just a desire to ensure that a child will fit in and be able to benefit from all that the school has to offer.
Academics and destinations
Pre-prep is spread across two on-site locations: the purpose-built Woodlands nursery and a separate spacious building that houses the newly renovated reception classrooms, as well as Years 1 and 2. The middle and upper schools each have their own dedicated areas in the main school building, which also includes specialist teaching facilities. Specialist teaching starts early: PE and swimming from reception; French, music, drama and computing from Year 1. There is forest school available to all children from nursery to Year 8. From Year 4, pupils are set for maths, and further streaming is introduced for the remaining years. Learning support is expertly integrated, with differentiated attention in the classroom, group work and one-to-ones taking place from as early as reception.
An excellent Year 7 and 8 programme prepares pupils for top senior schools, and they can sit CE in all subjects when required. And they do well – last year 25 scholarships were awarded, with leavers heading off to the likes of Oundle, Stowe, Harrow and Haileybury.
Co-curricular
The traditional sports of football, rugby, hockey, netball and cricket are all played with weekday fixtures, and many of the teams are mixed. There’s also a Sport for All programme with a carousel of activities including climbing and archery. The on-site swimming pool has a smart retractable roof, and all pupils from reception have swimming lessons.
The music department is a hive of activity with 300 individual music lessons happening every week; almost 90 per cent of pupils from Year 3 onwards learn at least one instrument and the range is impressive – it even includes the bagpipes and ukulele. As well as informal Friday lunchtime concerts, there are ensembles for every conceivable discipline, choirs and twice-yearly showcase concerts. A Mac suite is used for music tech club, and every other year there’s a composition competition with the winner voted for by pupils.
Art and D&T are equally amazing – we were bowled over by the pottery cellar full of wheels and kilns, and the super-organised woodworking area. The charismatic Mr Fox, head of D&T, tells us he gives pupils lots of freedom in their projects and is continually impressed by the results. The displays we saw were of a very high standard, and we’re not surprised that pupils win a steady stream of co-curricular scholarships.
Drama and music are timetabled weekly from Year 1, and there are performance opportunities for everyone – from Nativity plays for nursery and reception to an annual whole-school play or musical, in which Years 5 to 8 all get involved. LAMDA speech and drama lessons are on offer too.
There are over 150 clubs on offer each week, including fencing, water polo, street dance and film and photo club. There are also swim squads, and ski and equestrian teams.
Boarding
Pupils can board during the week from Year 5 in the lovely top two floors of the main house, one for girls and one for boys. Each boarder has their own bed, and there’s a homely common and games room with table football, pool and occasional Xbox. There are currently 48 boarders, with capacity for 55.
School community
Form teachers are the backbone of pastoral care, with a tutor system introduced from Year 6 that monitors academic progress. The house system starts in reception, with lots of inter-house competitions and house points awarded for behaviour. Qualified school nurses and counsellors are available to support the children. Beechwood Park has a no-phone policy and an excellent mentoring programme that sees the older pupils helping out the younger ones.
Excellent wraparound care means working parents can drop children off at 7.30am for breakfast and pick them up at 6pm. They can also stay for supper if needed. The parents’ association is thriving, with all sorts of events from wreath-making to open-air cinema nights.
And finally....
A biggish co-ed school with a massive heart, Beechwood Park ticks every box when it comes to a nurturing and holistic education. Truly independent, it sees leavers hopping off to a wide range of top senior schools, often with a scholarship in hand.