Manor House School, Bookham A GSG School

Other features

All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headteacher

Since 2016, Tracey Fantham. Originally from Sheffield, her father was a professional footballer and a school PE teacher inspired her to teach. She taught sports in Switzerland for two years before a PCGE at Loughborough, moving quickly into becoming head of PE, then assistant head at Howard of Effingham School in Dorking. After 13 years, she moved to Blenheim High School in Epsom as deputy head, later becoming head there for four-and-a-half years.

A competitive triathlete, Ms Fantham still teaches GCSE PE and runs triathlon club. She says she ‘looks for passion’ in her teachers and a love of working with young people. Being a headteacher is about ‘creating an environment where children are happy’. It seems to be working; both children and staff seem uniquely chirpy. They say Ms Fantham ‘projects calm and keeps everyone grounded’. ‘From the moment you meet her you get that warmth,’ said one parent. But she’s also ‘very careful with her words, very considered’, says another.

The girls tell us, ‘She’s down to earth’ and ‘supportive of our ideas’. ‘She always smiles and asks how you are.’ Quietly, a tiny girl in year 1 tells us, ‘She gives us hugs.’

Entrance

Entrance to nursery, year 1 or 2 is non-selective and applicants attend a ‘discovery afternoon’. School looks to double numbers in year 3, when boys leave for Cranmore and classes become single sex. Entry at this point involves an online CAT4 assessment and an experience day. Year 7 intake is around 20 new girls. At the taster day, they’re looking for girls who’ll subscribe to the ethos, and ‘give everything a go’. Joining out of year, one mother said her daughter received ‘an incredible welcome’.

Exit

Previously, girls moved on after year 11 (GCSEs) but from September 2025 they’re granted automatic places in the brand-new Effingham Schools Trust coeducational sixth form, based at St Teresa’s School. Development underway when we visited but proposed facilities look extremely promising.

Other popular choices are Godalming College, Esher College, Reed’s School, St John’s Leatherhead and Reigate School.

Latest results

In 2024, 59 per cent 9-7 at GCSE.

Teaching and learning

In 2023, The Effingham Schools Trust merger was launched to mitigate costs and offer a post-16 option. Three schools, Manor House, St Teresa’s and Cranmore now work together in a diamond school formation. Manor House retains all year groups, with boys leaving for Cranmore in year 3. The trust aims to make Manor House two-form entry and their sole-provider of prep education for girls. Boys and girls reunite in sixth form.

Moving towards a bigger prep offering, we’d say there’s room for growth. The co-ed nursery is particularly spacious and boys who come here are happy with the transition they’ll make to Cranmore. Trust schools share social and educational experiences and boys already have (one mother quoted her son) ‘Cranmore friends’.

In pre-prep and prep, the approach is one of cross-curricular, project-based learning, with practical work and trips to consolidate experience. We visited year 3, where children looked forward to Stone Age Day, that theme having guided their reading, writing, art and humanities this half-term. Pupils take responsibility in roles like form captain, games captain, eco monitor and well-being rep.

Year 4 move around school with greater independence and, we’re reliably informed, spend breaktimes in the bushes and climbing trees. ‘We all play together,’ said the girls of class 4D who tell us ‘D is for delightfully determined,’ before telling us about their work in English and a trip to see The Mary Rose.

Girls in year 5 praised teachers who are ‘good at keeping the class focused’ and ‘make things fun’. There are ‘really fun changes of topic’ and ‘we’re never just sitting’.

We visited year 6 in big classrooms, where they were reading Alex Rider and Shakespeare. For core subjects, streamed ability sets work at different paces, covering similar content. Ongoing assessments are half-termly and end of year, with the school’s own assessments (not SATS) in year 6.

The move to year 7 is described by one parent as ‘a big enough shift to make girls feel more grown-up, but not a complete curveball’. We visited senior school classrooms and found relaxed, focused learning. The head prefers ‘forward thinking teaching-styles’ with ‘adaptability to modern times’. In one workshop, girls were asked to mark work produced by AI and consider its strengths and weaknesses.

Participation in UK Maths Trust, Kangaroo Challenge, Physics Olympiad and Biology Challenge is encouraged and parents feel capable pupils are really stretched. ‘They take you as you are and push you on from there,’ said one, another that, ‘There’s space to be academic but the mix of subjects in [their] day is fantastic.’ At TeenTech 2022, pupils won the transport category prize.

Learning support and SEN

Small SEN department looks after children from reception to year 11. ‘Very knowledgeable’ SENCo, say parents who’ve tried a few. ‘By far the best we’ve come across.’

Around a third of children are on the learning support register and data gathered from baseline testing helps identify any ‘red flags’ where individual support plans would help. Support teachers work mostly within classrooms to enable inclusivity. One-to-ones offered from year 5 and up might include study skills or bespoke subject support in place of a modern foreign language.

‘Our teachers are using good teaching techniques’ says the SENCo, confidently, ‘It’s a small school with small classes. We've got enough eyes on the kids, and we can talk easily.’ Heads of key stages, safeguarding lead and SENCo meet weekly. ‘Communication is key, and we do that really well here.’

Parents are welcome to come and talk any time. ‘It's about trust,’ she tells us, ‘I'm not going to lie to a parent if it won't work. We want to see joy, to see them flourish.’ Adding, ‘We’re not a hectic, hurly-burly school; it’s unusual not to cope here, but we’re not a specialist school.’

Visiting speech and language and occupational therapists available at additional cost.

The arts and extracurricular

Huge excitement around the annual junior and senior school performances, which take place in Elizabeth Green Hall (multi-purpose with retractable seating). In recent years Frozen, Matilda and Shrek. Other productions include a summer promenade and Shakespeare in The Dell (al fresco). House arts competition comprises a drama, dance and music piece and involves junior girls working under the direction of senior. For the youngest, teachers tell us, ‘It’s like working with film stars.’ No dance here (one parent regretted) but experienced choreographers among the staff.

Music is gathering pace under a new departmental head who’s ‘inspiring the girls’, say parents. Termly prep and senior music recitals plus numerous musical groups including orchestra, strings and jazz. Senior prep vocal is ‘invitation only’, but prep and senior choirs are ‘enthusiasm only’. In 2024, rock and pop concert involved almost half of all pupils.

A quick look into the art room revealed a busy space, buzzing with happy girls and excellent work. Own kiln, sewing machines for textiles and DT equipment. Food tech has its own homely building and cute kitchen workspaces.

Shuttle buses between trust schools mean girls can now access clubs like CCF aviation section, equestrian club, year-round (indoor) swimming, ski club and cadets. The Effingham Schools Tennis Academy offers coaching.

‘Enrichment makes the school,’ says the head. ‘We believe there’s something for everyone.’ Parents agree that the school’s ‘punching above its weight’.

We loved further maths GCSE club and ‘mini-Mensa’. The junior debate team were winners in a recent Rotary Club debating competition.

Sport

Sport at Manor House is enthusiastic and ambitious. Despite having a smaller cohort from which to select teams, they manage to get pupils competing at a high level. Children start playing in matches from year 1 (younger than most) and up to year 6 the whole class is involved in fixtures.

From year 7 teams are more selective, but staff say, ‘The girls do everything and they’re very supportive of each other.’ Being a small school, parents love that ‘everyone gets a go,’ and less confident players ‘can still be in B teams’.

The athletics team won the district competition in 2022 and several pupils compete at national level (athletics, swimming and gymnastics). County-level participation from individuals in cricket, tennis and hockey. They’ve ‘really embraced’ football too, say staff, with one pupil being accepted for Chelsea trials. Whatever the sport, girls’ talents are fully supported.

Ethos and heritage

Founded 1920 in Sidmouth by the forward-thinking Miss Green and Mrs Wheeler, Manor House moved to its current, 17-acre location in 1937. The Queen Anne building (circa 1750) was literally a manor house, selected to give the school a homely feel. Miss Green retired to a cottage she had built on-site and is buried at neighbouring All Saints Church, with whom the school has a long-standing relationship.

Merger in 2023 with St Teresa’s School and Cranmore School (both Catholic) to form The Effingham Schools Trust has meant changes, but parents welcome these as ‘pragmatic’ for a small school. Manor House plans to remain secular and retain its distinctive character.

Staff and pupils are fiercely proud of their school’s history and ‘quirky traditions’. Girls show us accomplishment badges earned in friendship, academic excellence, leadership and taking responsibility. House competitions in arts, public speaking, translation, bench ball and bake-off. Head and deputy head girl are important roles and voting is high profile.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Recent winners of a Gold Wellbeing Award from The School’s Impact Awards Initiative, Manor House is known for its happy atmosphere. We visited the school’s emotional literacy support assistant (ELSA) in a room she shares with celebrities, Sally the unicorn and Harold the penguin. Proactive measures to look after the girls’ mental health include a ‘supportive friends scheme’ and anti-bullying training; offered to pupils as part of a leadership programme. The guinea pigs in biology, African snails in year 5 and Buster the therapy dog are widely adored.

In the classroom, older girls ‘sometimes find it too strict’ say delighted parents. No phones, no fake tan, no talking in class and seating plans according to ‘positive learning partnerships. One parent said, ‘I like it that the expectation is orderly, classrooms are kept quiet, but lots of teamwork’. ‘When friendship dynamics flare up, staff are really good at modelling and valuing kindness.’ One mother told us, ‘They really try to make it work, girl by girl.’ For her own daughter, she feels that ‘Things are better here than they could have been anywhere else.’

YMCA Dialogue counsellors can run six-week therapeutic interventions (no additional cost).

Pupils and parents

Parents say they chose Manor House in favour of ‘pushy’ academic, or ‘boy-centred’ alternatives and describe each other as welcoming and less ‘on show’ than in some schools.

Opportunities to get involved include the ‘all abilities welcome’ parent choir, the parent tennis coaching programme and the annual Macmillan fry-up breakfast.

Wide reaching bus routes (38), including transport to and from Effingham station (London – Guildford line). We love that shuttle buses between the trust’s three schools enable parents to drop off and collect from any site.

Money matters

Fees compare well against local rivals. A 10 per cent sibling discount (15 for a third child) includes siblings at any Effingham Trust School.

From year 7 up, there are scholarships (value varies) for existing and incoming pupils in sport, drama, art, music and academics. Music scholars receive free lessons on one instrument.

Means tested bursaries available.

The last word

The local misconception used to be that Manor House was rather old fashioned, a ‘nice, safe school’ for those who aren’t looking to be challenged. But ‘It’s not just quiet girls!’ one mother practically yells, ‘It’s a real mix of strong characters.’ Good for musical, sporty and artistic girls alike, with no compromising on academics. Undoubtedly the merger has brought welcome stability, but some parents caution, ‘They've got to be careful what they turn into.’ We’re confident that Manor House would never surrender its ethos, traditions or character. As one father told us, ‘It’s a hidden gem.’

Special Education Needs

We do not discriminate in any way regarding entry. We welcome pupils with physical disabilities provided that our site can cater for them. We welcome pupils with mild learning difficulties, provided that our Academic Advancement Department and our teaching staff can offer them the support that they require. Manor House School is set up to provide ‘light touch’ provision, such as is suitable for students with a range of needs such as dyslexia or slow cognitive processing. Manor House School follows the SEND Code of Practice. The welfare and educational needs of a pupil will be identified before she enters the school and the adjustments that can reasonably be made to meet them will be agreed with parents and, if appropriate, their medical advisers. A pupil’s needs will be regularly reviewed. Allowances are made for those candidates with Specific Learning Difficulties and it is important that the School is made aware of any such difficulty when making an application for the process to be fair and valid. A parent or guardian must provide supporting evidence, such as an Educational Psychologist’s or Occupational Therapist’s report which is submitted to the Head of Academic Advancement (SENCo) in advance of any visit/assessment. Parents should ensure that any report submitted is dated no earlier than 26 months before the date of the exam. A separate report may also be requested from the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) of a candidate’s current school. Please refer to our SEN Policy.