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Our View
There’s so much kindness at this boys’ prep in north London, with boys steeped in old-fashioned, traditional values and instilled with purpose and resilience. Outward-looking and unstuffy, it’s the ideal environment for developing pupils’ curiosity and fostering a love of learning. Add an ethos that celebrates the boys for who they are rather than what they do, and you end up with reflective, confident pupils equipped with a strong moral compass. It’s no wonder the new co-ed nursery – which guarantees a place at the prep – is oversubscribed.
Where?
The school is divided between two large Victorian townhouses on adjacent streets in leafy Hampstead; one holds the pre-prep, the other the prep, with a 50-yard walk between the two. Both have plenty of outside space with Astro surfaces, a swimming pool and enough room for a game of football. Most boys live locally and walk to school, but Hampstead Underground station is five minutes’ walk away and the school is also easy to travel to by bus.
Head
The engaging and committed Richard Berlie took up the headship four years ago and in that time has taken the school from strength to strength. As attentive to the boys’ wellbeing as he is to their academic success, the school’s motto, Virtue Adepta (Acquired by Virtue), is close to his heart. As well as encouraging pupils to own and take pride in their own achievements, he also promotes kindness, compassion, caring and courage: core values enshrined in the school’s Catholic roots.
He was previously at fifth- and sixth-form college Mander Portman Woodward in South Kensington, where he was vice principal, and has also worked at Dulwich College, Emanuel and Ampleforth, so he has excellent insight – and an inside track – on the best senior schools; a part of him wishes St Anthony’s could see the boys all the way through to 18.
Admissions
Children who attend the school’s new co-ed nursery are automatically offered a place in Reception, leaving only around five free spaces for non-nursery pupils. It’s a smooth transition with no stressful assessments and, unsurprisingly, it’s proving popular with local families; the nursery, which only opened in September 2023, is already almost full. There is another formal intake of 23 children at 7+ (pupils with their eye on a place at this stage sit an assessment), and a few occasional places are available throughout the school and at 11+.
Academics and senior school destinations
There’s an industrious air of learning at the school without it feeling too pressured. Classes are small with short, 20-minute lessons, although core subjects are mostly double or triple periods, which adds up to six or seven classes per day. From Year 5 the boys have their own Surface Pros for class and homework, and there is an emphasis on digital literacy and developing pupils’ creativity with technology.
Languages are strong; pupils learn French and, from Year 6, Latin. The school takes part in the Modern Languages Translation Bee and this year two Year 8 boys reached the final. There is also a Mandarin club and events such as a European Day of Languages where pupils speak, dress and eat in the countries of their heritage, as the school attracts a large European cohort.
All boys sit the 11+ regardless of their senior-school destination, and from Year 5 the tempo picks up in preparation. From Year 7, they are streamed in core subjects. Maths sets start in Year 4.
A new Academic in Residence takes boys for debating and critical thinking sessions and also does one-to-one interview practice with them. There’s an impressive roll call of top senior schools that boys leave for, very often with an academic scholarship in hand. Last year, pupils received the highest number of competitive offers in the school’s history, including 18 from Merchant Taylors, nine from Haberdashers’ and 14 from UCS.
Co-curricular
There’s an inclusive attitude to sport, with twice-weekly games afternoons – football in autumn, rugby and hockey in spring, and cricket, tennis and athletics in summer term. On site, there are two playgrounds for football, cricket and basketball, as well as a small indoor swimming pool where pupils have weekly lessons, and a hall for gym, fitness, dance and soon, real tennis. Off-site they make use of Brondesbury Cricket Club’s facilities, which are 10 minutes away and include plenty of pitches for football, rugby and cricket, as well as tennis and squash courts and artificial cricket nets. The boys also have pre-season cricket training at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Music is big at the school, and most boys play an instrument. Talent runs high, with many reaching Grade 5 theory and some Grade 8 performance before they leave. Throughout the year there are lots of concerts, art and design workshops, and drama productions. A new head of art and drama has spearheaded an exciting roster of performances, including Theseus and the Minotaur and recreating the Nuremberg Trial.
On top of this there is a roster of clubs on offer, including a historical society introduced by the new Academic in Residence, fencing, Lego robotics and LAMDA. The senior boys have a morning enrichment curriculum before the school day starts to prepare them for the transition to senior school.
School community
Daily reflection time, morning prayers and weekly assemblies are all part of the carefully considered pastoral care, which are underpinned by Catholic values, and while around a third of pupils are Catholic, all faiths are welcome. As well as a deputy head pastoral, the chaplain also plays a key pastoral role and a qualified wellbeing counsellor comes in for a full day once a week offering support where needed. Parents are very involved. The school hosts workshops for them and pupils on subjects such as e-safety and coping with exam stress. Quiz nights are well attended and parents help out during the annual careers week, running workshops and talking to pupils about their various professions. We love how pupils can interview to be head for the day during the week with the successful candidate getting fully involved with running the school. Links with the wider community are strong too, with visits to local hospices and charitable donations to food banks.
And finally....
This is an all-boys’ prep that has nailed how to instil confidence, resilience and a strong sense of right and wrong. Wonderfully relaxed and unstuffy, the school listens to its pupils and respects their views. All in all, it offers the perfect foundation for any child regardless of faith.