95 Lancaster Road, W11 1QQ
Profile: Notting Hill Preparatory School is a co-educational day school which admits pupils aged from four to thirteen years. It was set up through the collaboration of parents and teachers in September 2003 and continues to believe in strong cooperation between teachers and parents. In addition to the National Curriculum, the school emphasises Art, Music and particularly Drama, developing pupils’ voice production, creative movement, improvisation, mime and speaking skills. Children are encouraged to enter Poetry and Public Speaking competitions.
The school is gentle and progressive, allowing young children a smooth transition from nursery to formal school. NHP is a “thinking school” where philosophy for children (P4C) is taught in all year groups. It has recently been announced that long standing Headmistress and Founder Jane Cameron will retire from her post in 2019. The school is currently in the process of recruiting a new Head.
Perhaps due to its well-rounded leanings, boarding schools are still a very popular choice for 13+ leavers when compared to other prep schools nearby. Many pupils choose co-educational boarding schools, such as Bradfield College, Wellington College, Rugby and Marlborough College. Among London day schools, Harrodian School, Highgate and Latymer Upper are popular options.
In January 2024, Headmistress Mrs Sarah Knollys announced she is moving on at the end of this year, so we are awaiting further information on the school’s leadership going forward.
Admissions: To obtain the registration form, parents need to contact the School Secretary on 020 7221 0727. Entry into each class is decided by ballot. Siblings will be exempt from the ballot and will automatically be offered places if they are available. Unusually, Notting Hill Prep splits the children into Reception and Reception Cubs, the latter being the summer born children who will be eased into school life on a more laid back schedule appropriate for their young age. Late applications are accepted, so children who have missed out on the ballot can be added to the waiting list at a later stage.
Exit Results: Beyond Notting Hill gives full details of exit results. In 2023, pupils moved on to the following schools: At 11+, Latymer Upper, Harrodian, Highgate, Francis Holland, Godolphin & Latymer. At 13+: Winchester, Bradfield, Wellington College, Harrodian, Kensington Aldridge Academy.
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