Best private schools in Wimbledon

There are just a handful of private junior and prep/pre-prep schools in the immediate area. Wimbledon Common Preparatory School (affectionately known as The Squirrels) prepares boys aged 4 to 7 for entry into a range of prep schools in Wimbledon and further afield. Selective at 4 and part of the King’s College Corporation, parents generally hope it will provide an efficient route into King’s College School , but other schools are available for those who do not manage that particular challenge. The Rowans School is a co-ed choice for ages 3 to 7. Probably one for organised parents as registration is recommended as soon as a birth certificate is available and the number of days that elapse between birth and registration forms an important part of the admissions process. A list of leavers’ destinations designed to impress.

The Study Preparatory School, Willington School, and Donhead Preparatory School are standalone, non-selective prep options in Wimbledon. Donhead (recently co-ed) has a distinctive Catholic ethos. The Study Prep (girls), which our reviewer noted ‘stands out in an area rife with parental ambition’, and Willington (recently co-ed for ages 3 to 11) are non-denominational. All three have a proven track record of supporting or stretching their pupils as appropriate and the lists of leavers’ destinations speak volumes in terms of their success. The majority go to independent secondary schools with a significant number of scholarships awarded. Hall School Wimbledon is another non-selective option at 7. Like the selective Wimbledon High Junior (girls) and King’s College Junior School (boys), it is part of an all-through school. In the case of Hall School, a significant number leave after year 6, but at King’s College and Wimbledon High, the majority opt to stay put.

Many Wimbledon parents, looking for a ‘best fit’ or a school ‘most likely to achieve the required outcomes’, opt to send their sons and daughters to schools slightly outside the immediate environs. In many cases, a relatively short bus journey down the A3 is more than compensated for by the space and facilities on offer. Drive or walk around Wimbledon between the hours of 6.30 and 8 am and you will see clusters of children standing in groups on pavements, laden down with school bags, sports equipment and musical instruments, waiting for the coaches and minibuses that will ferry them off to their respective schools. Buses head to Milbourne Lodge and Claremont Fan Court in Esher, Sutton High School Prep and Homefield Prep in Sutton, Surbiton High School Girls’ Prep, Surbiton High School Boys’ Prep and Shrewsbury House School in Surbiton, Feltonfleet School, Parkside School and Notre Dame in Cobham, Rokeby in Kingston and others. For an international education (IB and US curriculum), ACS International School Cobham runs buses picking up and dropping off near Wimbledon Park station. One boys’ school in Surbiton informs us that between a quarter and a third of their pupils travel from five different pick-up points around Wimbledon each day.

There are just three independent senior schools in Wimbledon: all have junior departments. King’s College School and Wimbledon High School attract pupils (boys and girls respectively) from a wide area outside Wimbledon itself as well as being the aspirational choices for many local families. Both highly selective, their entrance examinations are not for the faint-hearted. King’s College, right on the edge of the common and with playing fields that must surely be on the radar of every property developer in the south-east, has jaw-dropping space and facilities. Meanwhile, Wimbledon High has managed to reconfigure its buildings to produce a Tardis-like effect with excellent on-site facilities including a swimming pool and a sports hall. A few minutes’ walk away are their playing fields with all the facilities needed for the full range of sports on offer (compulsory all the way through to sixth form). Hall School Wimbledon, now part of the Blenheim Schools group, describes itself as ‘inclusive’ and ‘proud to be non-selective’. It appears to be rebuilding a loyal following locally, especially amongst those parents who do not feel that academic results should be the only way of judging a school or its pupils, as well as those who simply relish the prospect of going to a local school. 

In the sixth form, pupils at King’s (including the 100 or so girls who join at this stage) take either the International Baccalaureate Diploma or A levels whereas Wimbledon High focuses on A levels and Hall School offers both A levels and BTECs.

The dearth of private senior schools in the wider area means that those who do not want, or do not secure, a place at the Wimbledon schools can take advantage of Wimbledon’s transport links and the network of school buses to travel further afield. Pupils head into London on public transport to Putney High School, Emanuel School, St Paul’s School, St Paul’s Girls’ School, Francis Holland School (Sloane Square), Godolphin and Latymer and others.

For those heading out of London, usually to the south and west, various public transport links work really well for some (Kingston Grammar and Guildford High School stand out in this respect) but school buses are a useful and increasingly popular option. Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton School, Reed’s School, St John’s School Leatherhead, Epsom College, Marymount, Claremont Fan Court School, Ibstock Place School, Whitgift School, Surbiton High School, Notre Dame School and Sutton High School all run their own bus services picking up children from the SW19/20 area. Popular pick-up locations include Wimbledon Station (or just around the corner), Wimbledon War Memorial and the Rose and Crown in the village, various points along Ridgway and Worple Road and then either Coombe Lane or Wimbledon Broadway, depending on the final destination. New routes are being added all the time and parental requests are given due consideration.

Blossom House, now based in Motspur Park (a smaller branch in Wimbledon caters for children on a more adapted curriculum) is a private special needs school whose primary focus is on children and young people with speech, language and communication issues. Describing itself as ‘modified mainstream’, the school is aware that there may well be additional needs associated with, or alongside, any speech, language and communication difficulties and these will be taken into consideration. Parents can ‘self-fund’ but approximately 90 per cent of places are funded by local authorities. If the school has a place for a child, they will carry out a careful (and lengthy) assessment to ensure they will benefit from the provision on offer before offering a place. If funding is needed, an EHCP should be in place in advance as, if offered, places are only held for six months 

Slightly further afield, Burlington House (Fulham), Canbury School (Kingston Hill), BeyondAutism Tram House School (Earlsfield) and Park House School (Wandsworth) cater for children with a range of specific learning needs including speech, language and communication difficulties, autism and specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dyscalculia. Funding is often available for children with an EHCP.