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Our View
This small, super-nurturing, all-girls school in Surrey puts academic progress, wellbeing and happiness first. No one gets lost here – rather, they’re encouraged in all directions from academics and sports to creative arts (which they’re particularly strong at). Softly selective and the opposite of brash, it’s a school that is full of warmth and respect, and a place where girls achieve by being happy, not intimidated. Aldous Huxley’s mother, Julia, founded it in 1902 with the aim of producing ‘confident young women, ready to make their mark on the modern world’; more than a century later, it’s still doing just that.
Where?
The school sits on the outskirts of Godalming in 42 acres with a large arts and crafts house at its centre, surrounded by newer builds and extensions, pitches, tennis courts, an Astro and lovely woodland.
Head
After a term acting as head designate, Zoe Ireland took over the headship in September 2024. Ms Ireland is a passionate proponent of single-sex education and has 15 years’ experience of working in all-girls schools, including Farnborough Hill, her previous post, where she was acting head and deputy head academic. She believes girls do better in a single-sex setting, not just academically but developing soft skills too. There is no fear of taking on leadership roles, she tells us. Girls become ‘compassionately assertive’ rather than having to push themselves more aggressively if there are boys in the mix. She read history and before she decided to follow a career in teaching was a museum curator at Manchester United. Alongside her headship, she will also teach history and politics A-level when it is introduced in 2025.
Admissions
Prior’s Field’s gently selective approach sees prospective pupils sitting the school’s own test to assess where they are at academically. The school wants a range of academic abilities and registered girls also come in for taster days in Year 5. At sixth form, there’s a minimum entry of six GCSEs at grade 5 or above, with a grade 7 or above in chosen A-levels.
Academics and destinations
There’s a real can-do attitude when it comes to academics, with lots of problem-solving and independent learning encouraged. ‘Learning Passports’ are created for girls with different needs, class sizes are small and every pupil gets amazing support and encouragement, from peers as well as teachers. It’s a lovely environment, with everyone bolstering each other’s confidence. Teachers repeatedly tell the girls, ‘You can do this.’ Consequently, the value-added is exceptional with children continually exceeding their own targets – one pupil told us how after getting a grade 4 in English in Year 10, she went on to achieve a 9 in her GCSE.
There is a broad choice of subjects on offer at GCSE and A-level, with personal preference trumping the most popular subjects when it comes to finalising options, even if that means accommodating a class of one or two students. Most do nine GCSE subjects, a few take 10, and the choice is wide-ranging, with dance, ICT, textiles and food and tradition all available.
In the sixth form, there’s an even more bespoke provision with traditional A-levels as well as a diploma in food science and nutrition, a BTec in music technology and a Level 3 Diploma in criminology to choose from. Leavers head off to an extensive range of Russell Group university destinations, performing arts schools and other further education institutions.
Co-curricular
The art department is standout – and the pupils’ creative output is nothing short of outstanding. Pupils are encouraged to follow their own imagination and this allows their confidence to really blossom. The incredible upstairs art space is huge; A-level students have their own individual areas so can leave their work out and come and go as they please. Mediums include painting, photography, multimedia and textiles, and on our most recent visit, two girls had just been shortlisted as finalists in the Young Fashion Designer of the Year UK 2024 (take it from us, their creations were astonishing).
Drama is strong too. Everyone gets involved in productions, whether they are studying the subject at GCSE or A-level or not. An hour a week is timetabled for Years 7 to 9, and LAMDA and RADA can be taken as extra, which many opt to do. The theatre is great, with full tech set-up and retractable seating. There are many talented musicians at the school, with first-rate facilities and plenty of ensembles and choirs to join. Music tech is popular at A-level.
The school is known for its prowess in cricket, football, hockey and tennis (the tennis academy is well regarded and there are lots of courts). There is an excellent sports hall with brand new indoor cricket nets and a small swimming pool. Crucially, everyone gets involved – not just the A teams.
Lots of clubs are on offer, from magic, yoga and trampolining to juggling, circus club, debating and DofE. Of all the trips throughout the year, the annual summer residential for Years 11 and 12 to Tanzania to volunteer at Prior’s Field’s partner school and go on safari is the most anticipated, and allows girls to see first hand the impact the school’s fundraising efforts are having.
Boarding
There are 90 or so boarders – picking from flexi, weekly and full options – with the school happy to accommodate ad hoc boarding requests if there is a spare bed available. A handful of international students and daughters of military families board full time.
Juniors call the top floor of School House home, while seniors live in Huxley House, a purpose-built sixth-form building where day pupils also kick back in an enormous but homely common room, complete with pool table and lots of comfy sofas. The girls cook and make their own snacks in two well-equipped kitchens, and single rooms with en suite facilities are available on rotation to ensure every boarder gets a taste of the independent life at some point. While most children head home on Fridays after lessons end, there are lots of trips laid on at weekends to keep boarders busy – Thorpe Park and shopping in Guildford are particularly popular.
School community
Community is king here and pastoral care is an area the school really seems to excel in; in Ms Ireland’s words, ‘Wellbeing is the bedrock of the school. All the girls we talked to told us that they felt safe, happy and listened to, and not just by their teachers, but also their friends and peers. Friendly, welcoming, inclusive are words we heard a lot and there’s a wonderful atmosphere of support between everyone. Arrogance and self-importance are not tolerated; it’s all about kindness and compassion here.
Strength in community can be felt beyond the school gates too. Former pupils (some of whom are now current parents), speak fondly about their own time at Prior’s Field, and with many long-serving members of staff and a large, proactive alumnae community, this really does feel like a school that belongs to everyone.
And finally....
Prior’s Field can get eclipsed by bigger Surrey schools – but take a look inside, and you'll see that it punches well above its weight. Not only is it extraordinary when it comes to nurturing girls and their talents, its warm, happy atmosphere is among the best we’ve experienced.