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Our view of Brambletye School
This outdoorsy school with its 140 acres of parkland, school in the woods and ‘science lab’ pond knows how to inspire children’s curiosity to learn about the world. The inspirational head Will Brooks takes a holistic approach to education, developing character traits such as emotional intelligence, kindness and teamwork as well as academics, and pupils leave ready to take on everything. Performing arts and sport are stellar and with the added bonus of an on-site
nursery and pre-prep, Brambletye School really does have everything that you could want from a country prep.
Where is Brambletye?
A former Victorian hunting lodge deep in the Sussex countryside with views over Ashdown Forest, the school is a blend of the feature-laden original buildings and more modern additions. There’s not much public transport on the doorstep but easy links to Gatwick for international families and it’s a breeze by car for day pupils, most of whom come from within a 15-mile radius. Nearby East Grinstead station has direct links to Victoria and London Bridge in under an hour, and daily minibuses ease the load for locals with a pick-up and drop-off service on most days.
The endless grounds are both beautiful and full of adventure in equal measure. Parents will appreciate the outstanding views, while children are understandably more enthusiastic about the woods, 200-metre zip wire, nine-hole golf course and adventure playgrounds that are just the tip of the iceberg for this lucky lot.
Headmaster
The energetic and visionary Will Brooks, formerly deputy head at both Port Regis and Sunningdale, together with his talented wife Amelia, have led the charge at Brambletye since 2015, and the school has blossomed under their watch. Pupil numbers are now at their largest ever. Not ones for resting on their laurels though, their latest plans include a new sustainability drive that has seen the school scrutinising its carbon footprint, capturing water on site, installing solar panels on the roof of the sports hall and weighing food waste. It’s also bought back a pond which it plans to use as an innovative outdoor classroom for science lessons. Mr Brooks has a STEM-based vision for the next three years, which will see pupils learning about health, gardening and cooking with healthy ingredients; the new deputy Tom Elphinstone (who started in September 2023) is a keen gardener so has brought with him his expertise.
Admissions
Entrance to Brambletye is flexible and gentle. Brambletye isn’t academically selective, so year groups will have a range of abilities. In fact, around 20 per cent will have some SEND support – but given the numerous
scholarships obtained by leavers, additional needs are evidently addressed very well by the six-strong
SEND staff.
Children can enter the school at any point or join from the onsite nursery; parents are asked to provide a report from a current school and potential pupils are invited to attend a taster day, but the latter is not a prerequisite. International boarders need to have good basic spoken and written English, and it is quietly understood that children are expected to stay until Year 8.
Academics and senior school destinations
Academically, Brambletye is mixed ability and classes are small, averaging around 12. The school punches well above its weight in the learning department and, combined with very strong co-curricular credentials, plenty of children bag places at big-hitting senior schools.
There is two-form entry from Reception to Year 5, and three-form entry in Years 6 to 8; each year group has 30 to 40 children. Brambletye follows the CE syllabus, albeit an ever-expanding one to keep up with the requirements for various schools. All children sit the CE, even though they may have taken
CE pre-tests for their destination schools in Year 6.
In the pre-prep, children are taught in forms, with a few specialist teachers for music, languages and sport. There is also a head of data and digital. Specialist-teaching provision grows gradually year on year until, by Year 5, pupils benefit from dedicated teaching for every subject. Setting begins in Year 5 in maths, English, science and modern-languages.
Mr Brooks is keen to stress that Brambletye doesn’t funnel children to any particular school, and the list of recent destinations certainly supports this. Leavers head to a broad range of schools – this year’s leavers are heading off to 17 different senior destinations, including Sevenoaks, Oundle, Sherborne, Bryanston and Marlborough.
Co-curricular at Brambletye Prep
The importance given to a rounded education here is demonstrated by the fact that there’s a dedicated assistant head of co-curricular, who reviews all co-curricular topics and programmes, examining the value each programme provides for the pupil, what they do and why.
The Brambletye Awards Scheme recognises pupils’ skills beyond academia, with children working towards different levels of awards (akin to the Duke of Edinburgh Award) that recognise, for example, public speaking and charity involvement, and place an emphasis on a child’s all-round abilities and values.
Art at Brambletye Prep is downright amazing. Pupils are taught drawing, printmaking, painting in oils and acrylics and ceramics; Year 7s are currently studying anatomy, bones and skulls. Seriously striking artworks grace the walls and it is little wonder, judging by these standards, that leavers scoop between eight and 12 art scholarships every year. Potential scholars are identified in Year 7 and each given their own table and working space on the art department’s mezzanine level, which means they can pop in and carry on with their work whenever they have time. The art room is almost always open both in the week and at weekends and is presided over by the inspiring David Holden – the man to know for children with artistic aspirations, who ensures ‘happiness and enjoyment’ are prioritised.
Drama is part of the core curriculum until Year 8 and is evidently thriving. A new head of department has been created to oversee LAMDA, scholarships and performances. Every year group stages an annual production; recent shows include Beauty and the Beast, My Fair Lady and an outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We love the sound of the immersive production of The Mad Hatter that took place on the terrace with the audience sitting as guests having tea. LAMDA results are impressive – 70 pupils achieved a distinction. Another wow factor here is the fabulous theatre, complete with its own orchestra pit.
Music is introduced at a very young age, with pupils able to take individual lessons from Year 1, and all of Year 2 learning the ukulele as well as how to read music and master tempo, tone and rhythm. Bags of choirs, orchestras and ensembles mean that everyone can get involved – and a ‘taste of music’ week means everyone can have a go at any instrument. Many pupils play one, from pianos, to trumpets to harps.
Brambletye's sport is seriously good, with 11 unbeaten teams this year in football, rugby and hockey. Both boys and girls are particularly keen hockey players, and the school runs an internal league for Years 7 and 8, which is hugely popular and sees everyone gathering on a Friday evening to play or watch. Fixtures with other schools are energetic affairs too, with pupils hosting match teas and socialising with visiting teams, something Mr Brooks encourages as they may well end up at the same senior school together.
Just in case your child’s talent lies off the beaten track, there’s also the Thursday-afternoon enrichment programme where teachers share their extracurricular gifts with their young charges.
Boarding at Brambletye Prep School
Although Brambletye has a strong day-pupil cohort, parents are encouraged to get into the boarding ethos here. Day children in the older years complete prep at school before heading home at around 6pm – a formula that seems to work for pupils and parents alike.
Boarding is incredibly flexible, with full, weekly or day options offered from Year 3. Currently around 110 children board at some point each week, and 38 board full-time. The vibrant dorms are homely, light and airy, with a fair few beds in each room – good news for the more sociable youngsters. Brambletye boarders sign up for at least three nights a week in Year 7 and 8 – about 50 per cent of Year 7 and 80 per cent of Year 8 choose to do so. The head of boarding focuses solely on pastoral care and there’s a Golden Ticket scheme to encourage good behaviour – the coveted tickets mean full boarders can invite a day pupil friend to stay the night for free.
Although pupils can head home for the weekend and return on Sunday night or Monday morning, around 40 regularly stay in, making the most of fun activities such as inflatables in the pool with mocktails, bubble football, paddleboarding and excursions to Chessington.
School community
Brambletye’s assistant head pastoral oversees the school's traffic-light system, which enables staff to better track any pastoral issues and keep a record of how they were resolved. Children in the prep years also have daily contact with a tutor, who they select themselves – a brilliant concept that matches them with the teacher they find the most approachable. Weekly whole school assemblies celebrate acts of kindness and team successes.
Parents and family are a large part of this community. Saturday morning fixtures mean two working parent families can be involved; the school offers breakfast before the matches and there’s also a parent choir which rehearses on a Saturday morning. The head and his wife hold regular dinner parties for parents, and the school also stages parents vs staff football and netball matches. Parents come from a variety of backgrounds and all are welcomed with open arms.
And finally...
A family atmosphere pervades at this small school that bursts with energy and character. Pupils are brimming with enthusiasm and kindness, and it’s obvious from their good manners and sociability that the pastoral care is spot on. Children at Brambletye laugh, run around, try new things, look out for one another, develop diverse talents, succeed and are happy. And the prefects get to wear pink blazers. Job done.