Spratton Hall A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2014, Simon Clarke, previously deputy head. Can safely be said to live and breathe Spratton Hall, having attended the school himself (yes, as head boy), as well as sending his own three children here (youngest is now at Oakham, the older two at university). After going on to Trent College, a year as a ‘gapper’ clinched his decision to go into teaching, which he did straight from his English degree at Surrey. Has stayed firmly in the prep sector, including stints at Gresham’s Prep (head of English and drama, and taught games) and Millfield Prep (head of English and director of drama). Gentle and kind in his leadership style – pupils say ‘everyone respects him and he would never shout’.

Doesn’t teach (‘I found I was marking very late at night’) but is out nearly every day at drop-off and pick-up, takes assemblies, does weekly lunch duty and attends matches and concerts – and we spotted a pair of well-used wellies in his homely office, used for doing the rounds through the grounds. ‘Not the kind of head to just lord it up in his office – children were running up to him constantly when we went on our tour,’ approved one parent. Others praised him for being ‘a great role model’ and ‘refusing to bend over backwards to please the more demanding parents’. Has ‘both a serious and fun side,’ we heard – including dressing up as an elf at Christmas.

So what’s changed under his watch? Quite a bit actually – facilities are constantly evolving, the latest project being a double-storey, glass-fronted building that will house a larger dining room, medical centre and additional classrooms. He has also had a big push on EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion). Must be paying off as we saw some lovely celebrations of cultural diversity, neurodiversity, women in STEM etc and the children spoke enthusiastically about Black History Month, with one boy keen to talk about his British Indian heritage over lunch. We wondered if the four houses might get the EDI treatment too (all are named after dead white men).

Lives on site with wife Danny, who teaches English, maths, RS and geography, and their fox red Lab, Toffee, whose daily appearances delight the children. In his spare time, he enjoys watching rugby (he’s a Northampton Saints fan) and cricket, as well as attending the theatre and cinema.

Entrance

Around 50 per cent join at reception, which is non-selective. The school’s emphasis is on pastoral care and the joining process reflects this: after watching an online recording of the teachers telling them a story, each child comes in for ‘story time visits’ (while parents mingle over coffee) and a teddy bears’ picnic. The remaining half join at various points (including mid-year) right up to year 7. From year 1, there’s a taster day including short informal assessment, then from year 3 they are tested in reading, writing, spelling, maths and NVR – ‘just to check they won’t struggle here,’ says the head. One parent, whose family moved from overseas, told us the school ‘held all of our hands throughout the process – the admissions is second to none.’

Exit

Most to Rugby and Uppingham in 2024, with Oakham, Oundle and Wellingborough other popular destinations. Lots to Stowe recently, and some also head to Kimbolton and occasionally to Repton and Bloxham. Between 40 and 60 per cent go on to board in some capacity. Note, no VR and NVR on curriculum, but homework from year 5 includes regular Atom testing. Good scholarship record – a record-breaking 26 in 2024.

Our view

Parents describe the school as a ‘proper rural prep’ and many sign up on the spot. ‘We’d been round a few schools but walked out of Spratton and said, “Well, that’s that then.” It was the easiest decision.’

Founded in 1951, the school is not only a dreamy place to learn – with 50 acres of grounds and views to die for from the terraced pitches – but it has a happy, nurturing, family feel where, as one parent put it, ‘everyone knows everyone’. Many of the teachers’ children attend the school and some of the parents came here too.

When we arrived, some of the pupils were running around outside with huge plastic sheets to measure wind resistance; others were bouncing excitedly down the stairs of the main Georgian house with big grins and neat green blazers. A few of the classrooms are on the top floors in this building, though most are in the various purpose-built blocks dotted around.

The younger ones have such a lovely time they barely know they’re learning. If they’re not out in forest school or popping out to Bletchley Park for the day, they are – as was the case when we visited – playing phonics games or cooking hedgehog rolls. ‘It’s not a pressurised environment,’ said one parent, ‘although things do ramp up in years 7 and 8 to get them ready for the next stage.’ Ever keen to future-proof and spice up the curriculum, the school is currently exploring how to incorporate more independent and creative work in these top two years.

Parents of ‘very different children’ say that the school does well by them all. ‘Having both boys and girls, all with different personalities and abilities, makes finding a single school quite a challenge – but I’ve realised just how good they are at this,’ said one parent. Homework gets the usual mixed views – some parents feeling there’s too much, others saying it’s just right; the children have no complaints.

Specialist teaching is a strength, with dedicated teachers for music, dance and computing from reception, with drama and French added in year 1. By year 3, children start moving around, eg to one of the three science labs – then everything is specialist-taught by year 5. We saw year 6s with heads down learning Latin verbs, but some swap this for study skills from year 7. Italian, Spanish and Mandarin also available as clubs. Setting only in maths and English from year 3, plus science from year 7. Lower years have two classes per year group, with either two or three in the higher years. Up to 20 children in each, though most are nearer 15.

Learning support is fantastic. The full-time SENCo (supported by three learning support teachers, each with a specialism – early years, mental health and autism) is also the head of pastoral care – a clever move that recognises the inevitable overlap between the two. She is praised for her warmth, sensitivity and early identification. ‘Even as early as years 1 and 2, they were having conversations with us, then the recommendation came for an ed psych who diagnosed dyslexia – now she has tailored weekly sessions.’ All support is included in fees, except for visiting professionals such as OTs and speech and language therapists, which the school is happy to arrange. Around 10 per cent are on the SEN register, but the number of children supported is far bigger – ‘It’s not just about those with a diagnosis.’ Great to see neurodiversity celebrated so much – from beautiful imagery in the SENDCo’s office to pupils running assemblies on eg dyslexia. No EHCPs when we visited, but they’ve had one or two in the past.

Expect your washing machine to get good use. ‘They play a lot of sport,’ say parents. There was a rugby match when we visited, with other core sports including hockey, cricket and netball – and both genders play them all (though not always together). Athletics and cross-country are popular, and they even get to try Gaelic football. The sports staff are not only excellent coaches (several pupils gave us demonstrations of how they’d had one-to-one support for eg throwing skills) but good role models too: the head of rugby is a strapping South African fella who apparently avoids alpha stereotyping by encouraging children to share their emotions.

‘Whatever level you play, you get a game – that’s a big thing here,’ said a pupil – and the school does well in championships and IAPS finals, as well as being in Britain’s top 50 in the Cricketer Schools Guide. Facilities include floodlit hockey Astro, four Astro cricket pitches, tennis and netball courts and a 400m running track – and there’s also the ‘dome’, a soft-roofed sports hall. No on-site equestrian facilities, but that doesn’t stop the horsey parents from entering the school for equestrian events. A few niggles about last-minute comms for fixtures details.

Music, drama and art are tackled with fervour. One mother told us the school had brought out a love of acting in her daughter. ‘It helps that they do drama clubs for specific year groups – the smaller groups mean they come out of their shell quicker.’ There’s an annual nativity in pre-prep and whole-prep productions, with Beauty and the Beast up next – all performed in the school’s own theatre. ‘They push them in all directions from comic timing to displaying emotions,’ said a parent. House competitions also popular – one girl said she’d ‘gained confidence’ from delivering a monologue.

The sounds of singing and flute playing tempted us into the standalone music block with its multiple practice rooms, where 65 per cent of prep children learn an instrument. In the main classroom, surrounded by keyboards, tinies were concentrating hard on percussion work. Music groups include junior wind band, concert band, string orchestra, jazz band, guitar and flute ensembles and a school pop group – and there are four choirs. Concerts at Christmas and in summer, plus smaller performance opportunities in between, including in the local church and in assemblies. ‘Skills for life,’ said a parent.

Pupils were making Christmas cards in art, and loved telling us all the other projects they’d enjoyed, including little clay houses (school has its own ceramics room) and nature inspired paintings. The teacher, a one-time costume designer for carnivals, is known for her annual Christmas-themed outdoor installations that she creates with the children. Good track record for art scholarships.

Clubs run before and after school, as well as at lunchtimes. Drama, sewing, cooking, ICT, Mandarin and gymnastics all popular. Residential trips from year 5, culminating in a big year 7 Paris trip that was causing great excitement during our visit.

Whisper it quietly but some children say the food is ‘better at school than at home’ – and we can vouch for the tasty roast lunch we enjoyed eating at long tables with chatty pre-prep children. Vegetarian options get less praise, ‘especially if you don’t like mushrooms’, but the breakfasts are a hit – and a nice touch is that the whole family is invited. Our tour guide had enjoyed a sausage sandwich with his mum that morning.

‘A happy child learns best’ is the philosophy here. Something we’ve heard hundreds of times, of course, but here it feels genuine, with daily pastoral meetings so ‘we catch the small stuff’. The ‘Toot-toot’ app allows prep children to send in anonymous messages online – two had come in that morning. Girls on Board programme has done wonders in getting girls to work through friendship issues, and we were impressed with the PSHE learning, including a year 8 debate on the importance (or not) of marriage.

The school is big on manners and uniform – it’s clearly doing the trick as the children look smart and display a confidence around adults beyond their years. Nobody we spoke to could remember the last time anyone displayed any bad behaviour, but the head will suspend pupils ‘if necessary’, though rarely excludes.

Parents say there is a ‘village mentality’ and that they’ve made some ‘lovely friends’. Good mix of backgrounds too: ‘Old money, new money, newcomers to the private school system, entrepreneurs, professionals, farmers – everything really.’ They travel up to 40 minutes – mainly from Northampton, Lutterworth, Market Harborough and a few from Rugby, but mainly from the local villages. Morning buses a godsend for working parents, but staggered finish times mean parents need to do the pick-up themselves.

Money matters

Some bursaries up to 100 per cent in the prep.

The last word

An authentically rural prep that’s nurturing, family-oriented and genuinely all-rounded. ‘There’s simply nothing else like it around here,’ parents kept telling us, ‘we’re so lucky.’

Special Education Needs

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