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Our view
Stunning grounds, fabulous facilities and a classic, traditional experience underpin life at this real gem of a prep school. Loved for its family values, Elstree boosted its already significant appeal by opening its doors to girls in September 2020 – a brilliantly planned and executed move.
Well-rounded and well-mannered children bustle about the expansive 150-acre site, where academic endeavour, muddy knees and kindness are all embraced as equally enriching. As holder of a Green Flag Eco-School Award, Elstree does as much for its own little part of the planet as it does for its own little inhabitants.
Where?
Located just outside the West Berkshire village of Woolhampton, about 10 miles east of Newbury. A striking Georgian manor house is the centrepiece, and manicured lawns lead downhill to woodlands and playing fields beyond. The school is five minutes from Midgham station, which links to Paddington, and there are bus links to Reading and London – an hour’s travel time is not unusual. Parking is adequate for those coming in by car, with separate entrances for the pre-prep children. Once here, it all feels rather idyllic.
Head
Head Sid Inglis and his talented wife Olivia are the ultimate partnership: enthusiastic, charming and armed with a supreme understanding of what makes children tick. They arrived in 2013 following a thoroughly successful stint at Ludgrove (where Sid was joint headmaster) and lead the school with a pleasing straightforwardness, balancing aspiration and family spirit. He teaches Latin, she teaches French (they compete to see who can get the better CE results). Parents are effusive in their praise of the couple’s impact – ‘Mr Inglis was a real defining factor in our choice,’ says one mother. Happily, they’ve assured us they aren’t going anywhere.
Admissions
With waiting lists bulging, Elstree can be discerning about who it accepts – but this is a proudly non-selective school. That said, it pays to get in early; places are given out in order of registration and there’s no harm in getting names down from birth.
The assessment process is gentle: taster days involve a friendly chat with Mr Inglis and a clutch of informal tests to give a broad overview of ability, aptitude and general fit. Numbers will, of course, grow organically with the new intake of girls – but we’re promised they won’t spoil the ‘small school’ feel of the place. Some girls are even returning to Elstree having previously had to leave after pre-prep.
Academics and senior school destinations
Elstree proudly sets out to ‘find out how a child is intelligent rather than how intelligent a child is’, a statement we love all the more after seeing it in evidence throughout the school. Teeny class sizes and specialist teaching help set the academic bar high, and an unapologetic focus on literacy makes reading resolutely cool, with tons of creative ways to get pupils inspired.
Under the watchful eye of Elstree’s own Miss Honey – the lovely Alice Bond – pre-prep children start their schooling by following the EYFS curriculum, which is enriched enormously by the school’s extracurricular offerings. She loves the more relaxed and ‘less hothouse’ vibe, and it’s clearly a formula that works.
Prep-school children learn English, maths, French, science (in the enviably swanky new science block), geography, theology, philosophy & religion, ICT, art, design and technology, music, PE and PSHE. Latin and Spanish are introduced in Year 5, and the brilliantly restructured timetable sees children focusing on academic work (and prep) in the front half of the day, leaving afternoons free for enrichment. Saturday school begins in Year 5.
Mr Inglis remains a solid supporter of CE, describing it as ‘a good opportunity for children to have a sense of achievement at the end of their time at prep school'. He feels that it enables a school to maintain its 'rigorous and aspirational teaching'. That said, Mr Inglis has spearheaded a parallel push to develop qualities such as empathy and resilience, and staff are very much on board. Most of all he says, it’s important for pupils to be kind. We won’t argue with that.
When it comes to next steps, this lot are in terrific hands. When it comes to senior schools, Mr Inglis is a walking encyclopaedia, and the hit rate is superb, with offers from Eton, Radley and Bradfield pouring in annually – with a very healthy dollop of scholarships among them. With a wide knowledge of the co-ed seniors under his belt, we hear that Mr Inglis has invested a great deal of time in getting to know the top girls’ schools, with Downe House and St Mary's Calne two of the most popular choices.
Co-curricular
Unsurprisingly for a school with so much room, there’s a tremendous amount of sport on offer at Elstree, with timetabled sessions five times a week and plenty more on top. Most sports are nicely co-ed, and if pupils aren’t hurtling around a rugby, cricket or hockey pitch, they’ll be kayaking or splashing around in the outdoor pool (summer term only).
The sports hall is well equipped, with space for five-a-side football, tennis, netball, basketball and volleyball, as well as a competition trampoline. There are outdoor facilities aplenty, including six newly refurbished cricket nets, an artificial wicket and a low ropes course.
With the number of female pupils now exceeding 60, Elstree has taken its co-ed obligations very seriously, appointing a new head of girls as well as a head of girls’ games. There are as many matches for these young ladies as there are for the boys, and they do very well indeed for a school of this size. Credit to Mrs Inglis, who recently introduced new sporting attire to better complement the rest of Elstree’s uniform – and we must say that the children do look brilliant in their wide-striped pink and navy kit.
Music features heavily here, with all pupils benefiting from either one or two lessons a week from a music specialist. In Year 2, children learn the recorder in class and have the opportunity to start individual instrumental lessons (which an astounding 80 per cent choose to do). An informal concert for every year group takes place each term, as well as larger concerts for the bigger ensembles and participation in local and national competitions. It might be worth knowing that James Blunt is an old boy here, and he’s done pretty well for himself.
Timetabled drama begins in the nursery, focusing on developing pupils’ confidence, and the Christmas play remains a highlight of the year, with opportunities for all the children to perform on stage. Years 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8 have their own separate plays – from what we saw, facilities and productions are great fun and very impressive.
Art takes up a double lesson each week, and an extensive range of techniques and media form part of the carefully structured syllabus. D&T also has its own double lesson, and children have the chance to get their hands on wood, metals, plastic and textiles. We hear rumblings that the music, art and D&T facilities are all in line for a spruce-up.
Clubs take place after lunch and supper, with everything from fencing and astronomy to cookery and chess. The real standout is the brilliant Elstree Award, beginning at Year 6 and with the aim of developing the leadership, teamwork and individual skills needed for life beyond the school. It’s a mini DofE packed with community service (things like clearing brambles from the churchyard and mucking out the chicken coop), loads of sport and cool skills such as orienteering, lifesaving and first aid.
Boarding
Optional flexi, weekly or full boarding kicks in from Year 4 up, but everyone is heartily encouraged to give it a go in their final two years. There’s a real sense of ‘coming home’ each evening; all the beds are up in the main house (along with the dining room and library), while everything schooly happens elsewhere on the site.
The boys’ dorms are large rooms with cosy beds and colourful posters on the walls – nothing too slick or flash (everyone wants to be in Nelson because of the spectacularly ornate ceiling – ask for a sneak peek). As for the girls, there has already been so much demand for boarding that a lovely flat decked out with bunting and teddies has been converted into a dorm to accommodate a handful of newbies.
Some weekends are quieter than others (no bad thing after a hectic week) but expect trips to play laser tag, murder mystery and pizza nights. Escape from Colditz is a firm favourite, with pupils and staff attempting to make it from one side of the school grounds to the other without being spotted by the ‘guards’. Mr Inglis was keen to mention that he has his route for this year already planned, having been ignominiously captured in last year’s attempt.
School community
Elstree parents have their feet firmly on the ground, and it rubs off on their children. Most families come from within 45 minutes or so, but the Inglis effect is pushing the circumference wider. The busy Friends of Elstree PTA committee has a strong charitable focus. Events are great fun and well attended by parents, with turnout to matches particularly strong.
And finally...
This is a place for children to be children. They are charming and astonishingly (but naturally) polite, and those we shared a family-feel lunch with were wonderfully welcoming of an adult interloper. Everyone pitches in, whether it's laundry duty or clearing away the plates after lunch (which gets pupils their full quota of three sweets after each meal - a tradition that has been in place since rationing). Weekly church services send out a clear moral message: kindness is all. We are huge fans.