Prospect House School
Prospect House School
Prospect House School
Prospect House School
Prospect House School Putney, London Visit
school
Prospect House School
Putney
285 pupils, ages 3-11
Mixed
Day

Prospect House School

Open all

Our view

Set just off the heath in a leafy pocket of Putney, this warm, family-friendly prep school achieves that holy grail of being both academic and nurturing. Every child here, from those who need stretching to those who need extra support, gets bespoke attention and is challenged both academically and to discover who they are as a person. In fact, everything at Prospect House is perfectly balanced – from the equal emphasis on outdoor learning (there’s a great on-site forest school where English and maths lessons are held) and tech (every pupil has access to an iPad) to the 50:50 split of boys and girls. A real south-west London gem. 

Where?

The school is located over two sites: the lower school (nursery to Year 2) at 75 Putney Hill and the upper school (Years 3 to 6), a five-minute walk further up the hill. Both were former houses and retain a homey feel, with a lot more outside space than you’d expect for the location. As mentioned, there’s a forest school on the lower-school site, as well as a generous play area, and the upper school site has bags of space to run around in – they’ve even managed to squeeze in an epic all-weather football pitch. Most families live within walking, scooting or biking distance, and there are bike parks at both sites.

Head

Kelly Gray took up the headship in September 2024, bringing with her bags of experience (as well as her twin daughters, who started in Year 5). She was previously head at Bassett House and has also taught in state schools in Leeds and Slough. She tells us Prospect House is ‘the dream school’, and she loves having the dual perspective of being both the head and a parent. Her vision for the next few years is on outdoor learning: ‘I want children to want to come to school,’ she says. They already clearly love their maths lessons outside – this is the first place we’ve visited where pupils have told us their favourite thing about school is learning maths. 

Mrs Gray works closely with lower-school head Sarah Belshaw, visiting the site at least every other day. Mrs Belshaw is one of the most compassionate educators we’ve met. She’s in her fifth year at Prospect House and pours herself passionately into everything she does, from teaching to engaging with the wider community. In the nursery, she tells us she’s instilled a ‘curiosity approach’ where ‘natural moments of curiosity’ grow into ‘wow moments that develop a thirst for learning’.

Admissions

From nursery upwards, admission is first come, first served regardless of age, and the process is expertly coordinated with several induction events that foster a connection beyond the school gates – we love the way parents are invited along with their children to spend a day at the school the summer before joining.

Academics and destinations

The curiosity-first approach to learning starts in the wonderful nursery where everything is made from natural materials – lots of pleasing wood and hessian display boards. Phonics, maths, handwriting, plus specialist teaching in sport, drama, music and French are all taught – on the day of our visit, the children were counting conkers in forest school. A fenced-off playground area with water and sand play is shared with reception, when learning becomes semi-structured with daily phonics and maths, as well as discovery time spent role-playing and exploring different cultures and traditions. A lot of thought and creativity has gone into each stage of learning: English and maths lessons in forest school, science too for practicals, visiting a boulangerie on Putney High Street to order juice and a sweet treat in French, iPads to aid reading and listening skills. We love how pupils are all set their own personal challenges, with Years 3 to 6 given bespoke learning targets and individual interventions by specialist English and maths teachers. 

Parents as well as pupils are wonderfully supported through the process of choosing a senior school. Prospect House draws up a banded list of options specific to each child – a single sex, a co-ed, an aspirational and a back-up – and the head meets with every parent to talk through the list. Pupils head off to 40-plus schools, including Emanuel, Surbiton High and Lady Margaret School. Everyone is prepared for the 11+ assessments in-house (verbal, non-verbal and spatial-reasoning teaching all start in Year 3), with a carefully planned timetable in Year 5 to allow pupils to continue with hobbies. They even have interview practice, with one bad-cop interviewer and another playing good cop to prepare them for anything.

Co-curricular

An ethos of having fun defines the sport at Prospect House, and the outside space is mapped out for different activities by different ground coverings. There are exercise machines, table tennis tables and the all-weather pitch; pupils also go running on Putney Heath before school (the running club is one of the most popular activities). From Year 2, children spend a whole afternoon at Roehampton Fields, and they also go off site for matches.  

There’s lots of music too, with three lessons per week in the lower school and two in the upper. Everyone is either in the junior or senior choir and there’s also an audition-only choir, as well as two orchestras and a handful of ensembles. In the playground there’s a soundproofed cabin for individual lessons, and the school will find a teacher for any instrument a pupil would like to play. 

Drama is buzzing with lots of productions, big and small. Art is often linked to current exhibitions in London. We saw some great Tudor-style self-portraits by the Year 5s, and some innovative AI-based imagery on First World War trenches by Year 6. Painting, etching, lino-cutting, sculpture and textiles are all on offer, and the dedicated art room is bursting with creativity. 

Clubs include everything from cookery and construction to coding and chess, with residentials to Sussex and Dorset starting in Year 3. There’s a ski trip for Year 6s during term time, with those who don’t go choosing different activities including golf, riding and coding to do at school instead.

School community

Pastoral care is taken seriously, with an emotional literacy programme starting from reception and Zones of Regulation used up to Year 6. Wellbeing ambassadors are chosen from Years 4 to 6, with pupils interviewed and trained. We really noticed the closeness of the children here, with older pupils taking on big sibling mentoring roles. ‘We are a home,’ says Mrs Belshaw, and we certainly felt that on our visit – there’s a real cosiness, with staff and pupils bonding like family. There’s also a strong relationship with parents, most of whom are dual working, as well as the wider community.

And finally....

This is a school that oozes family warmth, and the care that goes into each individual is beyond impressive, with creative teaching, innovative use of tech and dedicated staff all part of the wonderful mix.

Gallery See All

  • Senior school destinations

    Senior school destinations

    1 to ACS Cobham, 1 to Brighton College Prep School Kensington, 1 x Broomwood, 2 to Emanuel School, 1 to Epsom College, 1 to Ewell Castle, 1 to Fulham Boys' School, 2 to Hampton, 2 to Ibstock Place School, 2 to King's College Wimbledon, 4 to Kingston Grammar School, 1 to Lady Eleanor Holles School, 1 to Notre Dame School, 2 to Radnor House, 1 to Reed's, 1 to Reigate Grammar School, 1 to Rutlish, 5 to St John's School, Leatherhead, 3 to Surbiton High School, 1 to Thomas's Battersea, 1 to Tiffins School, 1 to Westminster School, 2 to Whitgift and 1 to Wycombe Abbey

  • Scholarships for senior schools

    Scholarships

    Academic14Alleyn's, Caterham School, Claremont Fan Court, Emanuel, Hampton School, Ibstock Place, Notre Dame, St John's Leatherhead, Sutton High School
    Drama3 Epsom College, Kew House, St John's Leatherhead
    Sport4 Ibstock Place, Kingston Grammar School, Sutton High School


  • Fees and bursaries

    Day fees per term

    Nursery£3,595
    Reception£7,985
    Year 1£7,985
    Year 2£7,985
    Year 3£8,765
    Year 4£8,765
    Year 5£8,765
    Year 6£8,765




    Bursaries

    The school does not publish a bursary pot amount per year but instead can accept one student per year on a bursary. Children need to demonstrate a high CAT score by sitting assessments with the school during a taster day. Most higher-value bursaries are awarded to pupils from families with a total income of less than £45,000 and who have no capital assets other than their home. It is unlikely that a bursary would be awarded to a family whose annual income is greater than £90,000, other than in very exceptional circumstances.

    They offer bursaries to children joining the school in Year 3 or Year 4 whose families would otherwise be unable to afford private schooling. They want children to thrive at the school and are therefore looking for those students who can demonstrate high academic potential and, most importantly, an eagerness to learn. The successful candidates will also gain financial support for residential trips, learning a musical instrument and other extra-curricular activities if desired.
  • SEND

    This school currently supports the following kinds of learning needs, health needs and physical disabilities:
    ADHD, autism, dyscalculia, dyslexia, hearing loss, selective mutism



    Co-ordinator: Ms Kerry Nicols info@prospecths.org.uk
  • Transport links


    Public Transport
    Nearest London tube station: East Putney
    Nearest mainline train station: Putney
    Journey time to London by train: 20 minutes
    Nearest international airport: Heathrow (13 miles)


  • Parents tell us

    ‘We chose Prospect House for our daughter as it was a vibrant, dynamic and caring school. Prospect sees each child as an individual and works very hard to develop their strengths and support areas where they need extra support. The happy and positive environment makes it a please to go to school. Both my children love going to school each morning.

    The school community is very close with a strong PPA and regular coffee mornings and parents' socials.’

    ‘It’s a small nurturing environment with great academic results. The head at the time, represents kindness and inclusivity.

    There are several opportunities to do mini concerts at assembly and to play a solo in front of the school and parents. This has been invaluable to my kids who are shy but have the confidence to play their instruments solo.

    There is a good focus on being independent. In the final year, there are group activities to travel in London to heop inspire independence and encourage children to go to school on the bus in the last term to be ready for secondary school.'

    ‘The school's proximity, size, and ethos, along with its outstanding reputation within the community, make it truly special. Its greatest strengths lie in its excellent pastoral care, robust learning support, diverse extracurricular clubs, and a highly engaged staff across both lower and upper campuses, fostering a supportive environment for parents and students alike. Mrs Gray brings both expertise and empathy. As a mother herself, she brings an unmatched level of relatability.

    I believe that Prospect House's pastoral care is its greatest strength, fully living up to its reputation within both the community and beyond’.

    ‘At PHS we felt not only welcome but if we were to join, the feeling was we would join a small but strong community, a family, a place where everyone’s welcome, with provided support tailored for each and every child.

    There’s a warm, positive and efficient way of communicating with the parents via emails, circulars, school posts and then with the parents volunteers that form the PPA and the years’ representatives.

    Being a smaller school, a community, every teacher knows all children not only by their name, their siblings that go to the same school and their families. Also their strengths, their character, their confidence in approaching different aspects of a pupil’s life and work and they can encourage and offer support adjusted to their individual needs.

    The school organises school events to introduce students and parents to 11+ possible future schools.’

    ‘The main reason we love Prospect House is its strong pastoral care. With focus on wellbeing walks, forest school and similar activities it’s a nice break from academic subjects. They also appear to have less homework yet still achieve similar 11+ results to schools that are considered hot houses in the area.

    Prospect House was recommended to us by other parents before our eldest child started in reception and the school has been all that I was hoping for and then some.’

School Updates

  • Prospect House - News & Events Roundup

    Prospect House - News & Events Roundup
  • See Prospect House in our London Prep Schools Guide

    See Prospect House in our London Prep Schools Guide

Prospect House School is
linked with:

Essentials

Address
75 Putney Hill, Putney, London SW15 3NT

Contact
registrar@prospecths.org.uk
020 8780 0456

Website
prospecths.org.uk

ISI Report

Fees

Term Dates

Bursaries


Open Days

Open days and how to visit View Open Days Register for open Day



Click for a larger version of map

Need help?

Don’t panic! We have more than ten years’ experience of visiting schools and advising parents, and we are all parents ourselves – we can make this easier for you.

Talk to our team
TE Logo

TE Schools Advice

Choosing your child’s school is one of the most important decisions you will ever make – let our experienced team help you. We will guide you through the decision-making process and give you the confidence to make the right choice, armed with the most up-to-date insider knowledge. We are all parents ourselves – we know how hard this is, and we can make it easier for you.
read more