Durston House School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2020, Giles Entwisle. Previously head of Bede’s Prep for seven years, he swapped the bracing sea air of the south coast for a diverse west London suburb. Mr Entwisle, or Giles, as he likes to be known, cut his teeth as a French and sports teacher at Cottesmore in Sussex (where he met his Spanish wife, Regina, also a language teacher) before being variously housemaster, head of foreign languages and head of year at other co-ed country preps, followed by deputy head of Highfield School.

To say he’s had a lot on his plate is an understatement. ‘Since I arrived, it’s a very different school,’ he concurs. ‘We still have unswerving ambition for academic rigour and getting pupils into top schools, but there’s now an added focus on mental health and preparing them for life.’ All this while overseeing the recent merger with neighbouring girls’ school, Harvington Prep. Also keeping him on his toes is the school’s plan to move sites – in 2019, planning permission was granted to build a carbon-neutral school on nearby Castlebar field, complete with all-weather pitch, sports hall, auditorium and longed-for canteen. Frustratingly (again, an understatement), permission was overturned at the last minute, but it remains the aspiration of the school to reapply.

Parents have ‘a lot of faith in him’. ‘That’s why I trusted the merger,’ said one, ‘because he is transparent and listens to parents.’ Parents say the school has ‘a totally different feel’ under his watch – ‘more modern, more pastoral and more receptive to parental involvement.’ But he stands his ground when needed – a good job too as, by their own admission, they can be a demanding lot. He is widely liked by pupils too, affectionately known as Dumbledore, ‘as he’s so kind’.

Not a man to do things by halves in his spare time either, the midnight Arctic half marathon in Norway having been a recent achievement. He has two daughters, both bilingual; they all enjoy spending time in Granada and Madrid, among their large Spanish family.

Entrance

Merged with Harvington Prep in September 2023, becoming a co-ed school from nursery (known here as pre-school) to year 8, so children can now join the term after they turn 3. Reception is the next main entry point. Places offered in order of registration, so don’t delay. From year 1, any available places are offered after an assessment in English and maths, plus interview and school report. A few join in year 7, mostly from local state schools and from overseas. Waiting lists in some years.

Exit

The school’s raison d’être is getting pupils into top London schools (and a few further afield). In 2024, year 6 leavers went to Alperton Community School, Ealing Fields, Holland Park School, John Lyon, Kew House, Latymer Upper, Notting Hill & Ealing High School, St Augustine’s Priory, St Benedict’s, St Michael’s Grammar and London Oratory. Year 8s headed off to St Paul’s, St Benedict’s, Merchant Taylors’, Hampton, Harrow and John Lyon. As a boys’ school up until 2023, the school is in a period of transition as it goes co-ed. Head hopes to stem early exodus (now so prevalent at London preps) by offering an ‘irresistible, relevant, content-rich curriculum in years 7 and 8, the best money can buy’ – theology and philosophy, as well as plans for Mandarin, plus ambitious sporting opportunities, among them. Time will tell.

Parents talk of an effortless transition to senior school, with pupils ‘ready to fly’. They say the process of finding the right school ‘is now far more collaborative’, although an honest conversation around expectations is sometimes called for. The process starts in year 3 with information meetings and an ‘exit’ conversation with the head in year 4 or 5 (and among parents when the little children can barely hold a pencil). Four scholarships in 2024.

Our view

A merger between a boys’ and a girls’ school is brave, but by and large parents have been delighted by Durston House (founded 1886) joining forces with Harvington Prep, the girls’ school next door. ‘Most of us didn’t choose the schools for the single-sex aspect,’ explained one. Parents welcome the extra facilities, especially the canteen (‘Hot lunches at last!’ said the mother of a boy), while the parents of girls feel a sense of relief – their school was tiny, with just 60 girls being incorporated into the new set-up. So far, some year groups have no girls at all, though others are already girl heavy.

The school has spent £1.4m on joining up the two sites. Space is now less tight, and it is immaculately organised. We have never seen such a clean and well-ordered cloakroom. Although they still hope to move to the carbon-neutral school they’ve designed on nearby Castlebar field, the head insists ‘we not letting facilities slide while we wait’.

There’s no doubt Durston House is more academic than Harvington was, but so far the girls are catching up nicely – all credit, say parents, to the ‘very experienced and lovely’ teachers. Every child is treated as an individual, parents told us – ‘encouraged and nurtured, but not mollycoddled’. We watched a carousel lesson: one group of 4-year-olds making endangered species headbands; another group challenged by the phonics of ‘elephant’ and ‘chimpanzee’, and another, for light relief, playing with Lego on the floor. Every inch of wall space is covered with artwork, word of the day, theme of the week, book of the month. Reading is huge, with the Accelerated Reader scheme a great motivator, as are quizzes, competitions and awards. The school now has libraries for different age groups, run by a full-time librarian. All children now use iPads. Homework from the off: weekly spelling tests and daily reading in year 1; exams from year 2; one to two hours’ homework by the time they get to year 8.

Traditional Common Entrance subjects are taught with rigour and old-fashioned values, fountain pen and ruler (for underlining, rest assured) at the ready. Male teachers in shirt and tie, addressed as ‘sir’, the females as ‘miss’. Latin teaching strong. No Greek. French, the only MFL on the curriculum, is taught by the head, with two other MFL specialists – we were pleased to see a lesson drilling the building blocks of avoir and être. German and Spanish taught as enrichment. Science and maths teaching singled out for special mention by parents, encouraging pupils to ‘think like a scientist’. History also considered ‘very well taught’. Children inspired by a popular medieval history trip to York and a classics trip to Pompeii.

Teachers encourage debate and hands are going up all the time, not just on the front row. Not that there are rows in every class – some have more fluid arrangements to encourage teamworking and getting up and about. There is collaboration between classes too, and more flip learning in senior years. ‘We are not the kind of school to lift the lid and ram in the knowledge,’ says head; ‘our focus is the higher-order thinking skills that top secondary schools want.’ No setting, to the relief of all but the most competitive parents, with the emphasis on differentiation in the classroom. But some parents would like more regular feedback and many mentioned buying in additional tutoring (endemic in London preps) to boost chances of success.

Durston has never had a macho culture but they’ve worked hard to make the girls feel included at every juncture. Black women in history was the focus in Black History Month and women in science is the main display in the labs. The head’s assembly on the day we visited was about gender discrimination and we caught sight of another display on International Women’s Day.

Small class sizes, alongside screening and progress tests, help identify pupils with SEN. A full-time SENCo and full-time assistant support the 10 per cent on the SEN register (mainly processing skills, dyslexia and autism), mostly in the classroom, though small groups or one-to-ones (included in fees) are also available. Individual progress plans are shared with teachers, and there is access to a play therapist, as well as counselling for children who may need extra support, eg if their parents are going through a messy divorce. One mother told us her son gets ‘daily help, which has been brilliant for him, and they keep me informed’.

Enrichment clubs (chess, coding, current affairs and debating etc) stretch those who yearn for additional challenge. And there are more active ones too, eg street dance, juggling (taught by the head), animation and skateboarding.

Everyone feels music has been enhanced by girls joining; many play to a high standard. We saw a charming scene of reception pupils learning the xylophone. Pupils are encouraged to try out musical instruments – a policy which has led to a wide variety of instruments in the orchestra (entry by audition), a growing number of wannabe rock stars, and a bevy of visiting music teachers. The spring concert and carol service in nearby St Peter’s Church are highlights of the school year with, we are told, impressive singing from both choirs (from year 3, also auditioned).

Art recently invigorated, with increasing entries for art scholarships. Artwork is on display as far as the eye can see, from observational drawings of a kiwi to Warhol-inspired ‘pop’ portraits of the Queen, and there’s an annual exhibition keenly attended by parents and other schools. No DT.

Drama undervalued, feel parents, but school has introduced a drama club, as well as LAMDA and they are considering adding a year 5/6 play in addition to the existing early years nativity, junior play and the all-singing, all-dancing year 8 production – an impressive Oliver! at the time of our visit.

Sport is popular, with teaching incorporating sport psychology, eg resilience. Football and rugby are strengths, with Durston hosting an annual tournament for 10 London schools. Hockey and netball also played with vigour, with cricket, tennis and athletics in the summer term. Many children also train at Ealing’s cricket, hockey, football and rugby clubs. Cross-country popular. A sport-for-all policy encourages all pupils to have a go, and there’s no gender split – boys and girls play all sports. Younger children play on nearby three-acre Castlebar playing field, and later on in Swyncombe, a 15-minute bus ride away. The trophy cabinet speaks for itself.

The children’s mental and emotional health has been prioritised by current head. We observed a group of 6-year-olds describing what their tummies feel like when they are worried, and we saw an inspired PSHME lesson, focusing on Tony Buzan’s mind-mapping technique – very relevant before exam season. The school has a therapy dog and many of the teachers are trained in mental health first aid. Heads of year have been introduced. We observed a real community feel, where tolerance and kindness are valued – essential in a school community where 37 different languages are spoken at home. High fives abound throughout the school, and when out and about in Ealing, too.

Pupil voice taken seriously, with children deciding on charity events and consulting on everything from the new gender-neutral uniform to the latest behaviour policy – the latter now more carrot than stick. Pupils are fiercely loyal foot-soldiers to one of four houses or, rather, castles – Arundel, Conway, Warwick and Windsor. House competitions, including Strictly Come Durston, excite even the least fleet of foot.

Durston’s catchment area extends to Chiswick, Harrow and Hammersmith, but the majority of pupils live within cycling distance. Most parents are professional (breakfast club from 7.30am; after-school care until 6pm) and ambitious – doctors, dentists, lawyers in the main. Just under half are new to independent education. Lively PA does all the usual fundraising and events – they recently hired out two cinema screens to take every child to the Wonka film.

Money matters

One or two 100 per cent bursaries per year to bright pupils from year 3 upwards.

The last word

A busy and academic prep that’s gone co-ed (though girls remain a minority for now) and gained a pre-prep via its recent merger. Values of kindness, respect and independence shine through. ‘A school where they chant their Latin verbs, can plot countries and can hold a conversation with an adult knowing what’s going on in the world,’ summed up one parent.

Special Education Needs

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