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Our View
The sound of happy voices floats down the street as you approach this south London gem. The only single-form, all-boys’ school in the area, it offers a unique education for the lucky 180 pupils who attend. And if that sounds like a competitive bun fight, it’s not. Proudly non-selective, Tower House School takes boys whatever their ability or learning challenges. Much like its Tardis-like campus, there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye here, with the pupils’ individual needs at the heart of everything.
Where?
The school sits on a residential street off Upper Richmond Road, a short walk away from Richmond Park – which the boys visit frequently for forest school, teddy bear picnics, orienteering challenges and sometimes even lessons. It’s a mix of old and new buildings: the original house, the junior school building, the music and dining room; and a newbuild housing a hall and four classrooms.
Most pupils come from Barnes, Sheen and Putney, scooting, cycling or walking to school. Others travel from Kew, Chiswick and Richmond.
Head
New head Neill Lunnon joined the school in September 2023, arriving from his previous headship at Fulham Prep which he led for five years. Before that, he spent almost 25 years working at Wellington College as a teacher, housemaster and deputy head pastoral, and another three at Eagle House School. He describes Tower House as ‘a little bit of magic’, and his charges as ‘utterly charming – nice to be with, and with a nice level of confidence’.
Armed with plenty of wisdom and experience, Mr Lunnon is already a huge hit. He is approachable and driven, and his focus on balancing the many advantages of the global-city location within a local community is music to the ears of Tower House parents. He sees prep school as a time to sow as many seeds of possibility and opportunity as he can, telling us he ‘loves the extraordinary sponge-like nature of young children’. He’s a very visible head too, reading to Year 1 pupils and listening to Years 2, 3 and 4 read every week. He holds ‘drop and stop’ coffee mornings every Thursday, and invites small groups of parents in for lunch every Wednesday so they can see the workings of the school first-hand and really get to know him.
For now, he’s busy getting his feet under the table – but he’s already forging ahead with a few immediate plans. By next September, he hopes to cut the ribbon on a brand-new library right in the heart of the school, and he’s working on overhauling the IT curriculum and introducing one-to-one devices in the classroom. He’s also forging a stronger bond with nearby Old Vicarage School (lots of Tower House boys have sisters there), looking to create a shared school bus route and align term dates and special events, including a joint senior school fair in January.
Admissions
Tower House is completely non-selective. The first 20 boys on the list are in, and they are nurtured and supported whatever academic challenges they may face. There are children with autism and a current Year 7 is registered blind. The Reception teacher visits each new pupil at home before they start and there’s a Saturday family morning and stay-and-play with parents in the preceding summer term. For entry in other years (if a place does become available), the younger pupils (Years 1 and 2) spend an hour with their year group to ensure they’d be happy in the environment and for Year 3 and above, they have a maths, English and reading assessment, as well as an interview with deputy head Ben Peyton.
Academics and senior school destinations
The Reception classroom is delightful, with zoned areas for art, reading (on a lovely mezzanine) and role-play with an outdoor play area complete with kitchen and an awning so they can be outside even if it’s raining. ‘The boys’ interests are the vehicle to deliver learning,’ the Reception teacher told us and to that end their first term is spent playing, bonding and socialising before more structured learning is introduced. They are assessed through play initially and when phonics and numeracy teaching starts, it is rigorous. Pupils settle easily after the summer term visits and there’s a fantastic sense of belonging. Every Friday morning, the children go to Richmond Park for forest school (this continues in Year 1 for half the year) where they learn about the environment and enjoy storytelling, often accompanied by hot chocolate and marshmallows.
In Year 1, each boy is given a target pencil, which is laminated with their own goal tailored to them. In pre-prep, pupils have a dedicated class teacher and specialist teachers in music, sport and art. In Year 3, they have a specialist science teacher too and from Year 4, all their subjects are taught by dedicated subject teachers. The teachers come to them though, so throughout the school, the boys have their own classroom. They are taught French and Latin and are streamed in maths and languages. Sets aren’t always ability based; some are tailored to what the children might need for senior school. Year 5 onwards have classrooms in the newbuild that opened in 2022. It also houses an amazing new hall, where plays and assemblies are held.
Senior school destinations are many and diverse; in 2022, they included Eton, Harrow, King’s College School and Uppingham. Sometimes the Year 8s leave to go to as many 14 different schools. As previously stated, the transition is meticulously handled. ‘We send the right boy to the right school,’ says Mr Peyton. This year, five leavers bagged scholarships.
Co-curricular
Sport is spread across three venues – Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre (formerly the Bank of England Sports Centre), East Sheen Cricket Club and the local pool a short walk away. Reception to Year 3 have weekly swimming lessons, the junior pupils have a PE lesson and a games session per week, and the senior boys enjoy three afternoons of sport every week. Everyone has an opportunity to play in matches, with teams in football, rugby and cricket. Cross-country club is held at Richmond Park.
Art is strong at the school with many children awarded art scholarships – a special programme overseen by the head of art helps them put their portfolios together. There’s plenty of scope for creativity with pottery wheels and a kiln, painting and textiles (boys learn how to use sewing machines). From Reception to Year 5, pupils have a singing lesson and a music lesson every week. Plus, peripatetic teachers come in to teach everything from piano to drums. There is an orchestra and rock band, as well as a choir with 75 boys in it.
Drama is a huge and important part of life here, with annual productions open to all senior boys and often boasting casts of more than 70 pupils in speaking roles. Earlier this year, the school produced its very own full-length sci-fi film, Proxima, written, directed and filmed by the head of drama and premiered in the West End – complete with a red carpet for the cast to walk up. Past productions include The Hobbit, which was shot on location in the Peak District. Individual drama lessons are offered too.
Clubs run before and after school and there are many to choose from: debating, chess and touch typing being just a few. Trips are also plentiful – to everywhere from Devon to Barbados. Every two years, the Year 7 and 8s can sign up for the Barbados Cricket Tour, for which they’re expected to raise £50 each.
School community
A house system sees the boys competing for points (and ultimately badges) in academics, sport, music, drama, art and manners. Inter-house competitions are fun and there’s a cup to be won at the end of the year. The older boys have weekly PSHE lessons, many of them led by pupils. They do joint workshops with the local girls’ school too and have a disco with both Putney High and Wimbledon High. An active parents’ association (Friends of Tower House) fundraises with quiz nights, film screenings and an annual ball, among other events. Every other year the staff put on a play for parents; previous performances include Fawlty Towers and ’Allo ’Allo.
And finally....
This is a school that doesn’t just pay lip service to every child belonging; they really do and it’s wonderful to see how the pupils fit in from the get-go in Reception. Very nurturing staff strike the perfect balance between meeting potential and stretching the boys just that bit further.