Open all
Our View
Newly co-ed, this former all-boys’ prep has an enviable 100 per cent success rate for getting pupils into top public schools, and with girls now in the mix too, its charmingly traditional values are accessible to all. A school where pupils get as absorbed in play as they do in learning, Horris Hill seems adept at honouring its historic roots while keeping its eyes firmly focused on what a modern education needs to deliver.
Where?
A proper down-to-earth, country setting on the Berkshire/Hampshire borders, with 65 glorious acres to muck around in. Three miles south of Newbury and only minutes off the M4, Horris Hill is hugely accessible both by car and train. Local children head in from Winchester, Basingstoke and Marlborough; most come by car, but there’s also a morning bus service three times a week from Winchester and Andover, as well as one to and from London for boarders at exeats and half term.
Head
New in post in January 2025 is Helen Wilkinson, formerly the head of Brighton College Abu Dhabi and co-director of a top Swiss boarding school. She has been dedicated to inspiring pupils to be the best they can be for over 30 years, having worked as a houseparent, head of English and headmistress of numerous 3-18 schools. Helen understands the benefits of a full boarding experience, and the joy that can be sparked through top quality teaching and learning at all ages. She is dedicated to ensure that all pupils are exposed to wealth of opportunities to enhance their development.
Deputy head of teaching and learning is the seriously impressive Melanie Lewis, who has completely modernised the way pupils are taught.
Admissions
There are no formal admission tests for entrance into the lower school – instead, children are invited to taster sessions and are observed in this more relaxed setting. For the upper school, prospective pupils sit a more formal CAT4 assessment, followed by an invitation to an interview with the head.
The school is selective, and not just in terms of academic ability – a good fit is as important as good test scores. Early registration is encouraged, as places do occasionally come up throughout the year.
About 40 per cent of families are international and, with the new nursery, greater numbers coming through from the lower school and increased interest from families moving out of London, day numbers are set to increase (the lack of housing stock in this popular area is something of an issue, however).
Academics and senior school destinations
The past year has seen significant changes to the curriculum to make it broader and more fluid. There is far more collaborative work, with pupils leading the learning and teachers given the professional freedom to deliver lessons that help to develop curiosity, independence and a zest for knowledge that goes way beyond passing exams. Marrying high academic ambitions with a richer learning experience is clearly paying off; the classrooms we popped our heads into were fun and bustling, and the buddying up of the scholarship set with Reception is clearly mutually enriching and inspiring. Each term the whole school takes on a UN Sustainability Goal – on our visit they were diving into ‘life below water’, and from early years upwards they were engaged and excited.
A more creative curriculum hasn’t stopped pupils acing CE and gaining coveted places at top public schools – last year, half the Year 8s headed off to Winchester. A new interest in day, co-ed and all-girls schools reflects the changing attitudes of parents, and this year Downe house, Teddies, Pangbourne, Bradfield and Abingdon will be attending Horris Hill’s annual Future Schools Fair for the first time.
Co-curricular
Sport is a big part of life at Horris Hill, and with small teams and a real emphasis on sportsmanship, everyone gets to play all the time – and they love it. Football, rugby and cricket are the main sports, but pupils also swim in the outdoor pool and play tennis, hockey and basketball, as well as golf on the nine-hole course. One teacher noted that the course is of the perfect standard for children: good enough to learn and progress on, but not so flash that they can’t play unsupervised at breaktimes. Girls join in happily with boys – and while at the moment traditional girls’ sports such as netball aren’t played, we’re told to watch this space.
The sports hall has recently emerged from a refurb (including the reinstatement of indoor cricket nets and bowling machines, much to the children’s delight), and a makeover of the outdoor pool is next on the list, followed by a new floodlit Astro (the old one will become a car park). Incidentally, pupils don’t have to buy their own sports uniform – instead, there’s a set fee upon joining the school and kit is provided, labelled and laundered on site, meaning that parents don’t have to deal with festering sports bags or constantly re-buying uniforms.
The multi-million-pound theatre is a beautifully crafted, acoustically perfect work of art, with lots of design awards to its name. Drama is timetabled throughout the school and the productions are fabulous – professional actors even pop in from the Watermill Theatre in Newbury to teach LAMDA lessons to young thespians.
Music is big too, with almost every child in the upper school learning at least one instrument. The music block boasts a huge performance area with a spectators’ gallery, a brilliant recording studio, individual practice rooms and more drum kits than you can shake a drumstick at. A passionate new head of music has brought a new sense of fun and enjoyment to the subject, and there is now as much laughter as music ringing out from the department, and the huge number of bands, orchestras and choirs is truly impressive for such a small school.
The art and D&T department is housed in a large, dedicated space led by a hugely enthusiastic – and popular – head of art; pupils flock there at breaktimes and after school to play chess and make Lego creations.
Clubs and activities are wonderfully varied, with Lego, chess and table tennis especially popular – we’ve never encountered so many table-tennis tables set up in the sports hall for competitions.
Boarding
From a small handful in Years 3 and 4, the number of boarders increases to about 90 per cent by Years 7 and 8. New head of boarding and pastoral Jade Vidler, who came from Downe House, is leading the integration of the girls. A dedicated girls’ house is currently being developed, but in the meantime, they share the two houses – The Hill, in the main school building, and The Wood, a self-contained house in the grounds – with the boys. The single-sex dorms are light and bright, with lovely large bathrooms and super-tidy co-ed common-room spaces.
Meals are eaten and homework is done in school, so that when pupils get back to their houses, they can relax and unwind with games or maybe a midweek film night. It’s a refreshingly screen-free zone (apart from the games console, which the pupils enjoy together) and it’s clear that house staff go above and beyond to take care of their charges. Weekends see a full programme of activities – compulsory Saturday school in the upper school and an optional enrichment programme for Years 3 and 4, which 50 per cent of pupils attend.
School community
Pastoral care is superb, and there’s even a health centre manned by trained nurses to ensure that children can get medical care (or just a friendly ear) whenever they need it. A dedicated SENCO has been employed, and Horris Hill is successfully breaking down the stigma of needing extra support. The small size of the school means everyone knows everyone and staff are all very approachable. It’s clear that a lot of care goes into ensuring all the children’s happiness and wellbeing. Meals feel like family affairs, with staff serving food and lots of conversation at the table.
Parents are very involved here, with regular pupil feedback keeping them fully in the loop. The head has introduced an annual Horris Hill Day in the summer term with sports and events all day and a live music in the evening, which is quite a departure for a school that previously never even had a prize-giving day.
And finally....
It feels like a new dawn for this traditional prep. With a new senior leadership team and parents being brought into the fold whether they live round the corner or on the other side of the world, the sense of family is strong – and the happy, energetic pupils are testament to the nurturing education going on within its lovely grounds.