Abberley Hall School
 |
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| Established | 1878 |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent Preparatory School, day and boarding |
| Headmaster | Will Lockett |
| Chair of Governors | Rhoddy Swire |
| Founder | Miss Mitchell |
| Location | Abberley Worcestershire WR6 6DD England Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| DfE number | 885/6005 |
| DfE URN | 117011 Tables |
| Staff | 38 |
| Students | c.300 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 2–13 |
| Website | www |
Abberley Hall School is a coeducational preparatory day and boarding school in the village of Abberley, Worcestershire, England. Straddled between Worcester and Tenbury, it educates around 300 pupils.
Contents
History
The school began in 1878 as the Dame School in Blackheath, Kent. In 1896, it became a private school and was named Lindisfarne. The school was moved to Abberley in 1916, and the property was purchased in 1921 by Gilbert Ashton, a former pupil of Lindisfarne, who took over as headmaster and renamed it Abberley Hall.[1][2] The school became a trust in 1958, and is now managed by a Board of Governors, as a UK Registered Charity (no. 1088863).[1] Pupils come from a variety of backgrounds, including families and service personnel living and working abroad, professionals from the Birmingham and Worcester areas, and traditional farming families. The pre-prep and nursery serve a more local area.[1]
Campus
The campus comprises Abberley Hall, a Grade II* listed building[3] and its gardens and grounds, which are also listed as Grade II[4] on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.[5] The grounds also contain the Grade II* listed[6] Abberley Clock Tower which can be seen as far away as Clent hill, and which was the setting for the children's book by Gene Kemp, The Clock Tower Ghost.[7]
Curriculum
Pupils follow a curriculum that prepares them for entrance into public schools (independent schools), taking Common Entrance, Winchester Entrance or Scholarship exams. Class sizes are small, averaging 11 pupils. Most subjects have their own dedicated classrooms and there are two science laboratories and specialist facilities for computing, DT, music and PE. The majority of pupils continue their education at Eton College, Harrow School, Malvern College, Shrewsbury School, Winchester College, Cheltenham Ladies College, and Malvern St James.[1] The school also provides for individual pupils with special needs including: Dyslexia or Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), and Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD).[8]
All pupils take part in the major sports, an Astroturf pitch provides opportunities for hockey, golf, croquet, riding, fishing, archery, shooting, Ricochet and climbing. The school has an indoor swimming pool.[2]
International activities
The school has its own chalet in the French Alps where the pupils spend two three-week periods whilst at Abberley, totally immersed into the French language and culture. The chalet is also used for skiing holidays.[2]
Notable former pupils
- Lord Howe of Aberavon, former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons, and Deputy Prime Minister
- Timothy Eggar, former Conservative Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Trade and Industry
- Adam Fleming, billionaire businessman[9]
- Owen Paterson, sitting Conservative Member of Parliament for North Shropshire, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2012-14)
- Philip Dunne, sitting Conservative Member of Parliament for Ludlow
- Sir Anthony Quayle, actor
- Viscount Portman
- Richard Amphlett, Chief Executive of www.yescity.com/
Headmasters
- Gilbert Ashton (1921–1961)
- Ronnie Yates (1961–1974)
- Michael Haggard (1974–1996)
- John Walker (1996–2014)
- Will Lockett (2014-present)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Independent Schools Inspectorate report 2005 Retrieved 29 July 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Abberley Hall School Retrieved 29 July 2009
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Parks and Gardens Register
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Kemp, Gene (1981) The Clock Tower Ghost Faber & Faber ISBN 978-0-571-21272-9
- ↑ ISBI Retrieved 29 July 2009
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Profile on the ISC website
- Profile on the Good Schools Guide
- Brief details of garden
