Tower House Preparatory School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since September 2023, Neil Lunnon, previously head of Fulham Prep School. Prior to that, he had an extensive 24-year career at Wellington College, initially as a biology teacher, then as a housemaster for 12 years, before becoming deputy head (pastoral and wellbeing). During that time, he also spent three years as deputy head (performance and strategy) at Wellington’s prep school, Eagle House, developing and delivering a new school strategy.

Married to Jane, head of Alleyn’s School, with whom he has two children in their early 20s. Loves the Dorset coast, sport, reading, theatre, music and playing the bagpipes.

Entrance

Non-selective. First 18 to register are guaranteed a place. Siblings very rarely turned down – ‘there would have to be something spectacularly wrong, as family is at the core of what we do.’ Places generally fill up three years in advance with bulging waiting lists, so sensible to put names down as soon as possible. Not unknown for parents to check out the school before their son is born. Occasional places further up the school are snapped up quickly. ‘We could probably almost double in size tomorrow, but we wouldn’t be the same school. People come to us for a reason. We are the only single-sex, single-form boys’ prep school in south-west London and we are not giving up that niche on my watch!’ states head.

Exit

Most popular destinations in 2023 were Hampton School and Wellington College. Ones and twos to schools like Abingdon, Bradfield, Epsom and Radley. The school states: ‘We make sure that the boys go to a school that is suitable for them. We tell parents very plainly to their faces that if I think they are trying to send their son to a school where they are going to be unhappy, that this will effectively be a mental scar on them all the way into adulthood.’ Parents feel head knows their sons inside out and that he offers well-informed advice. Robust numbers of scholarships (five in 2023). Vast majority stay till 13; only a handful has left at 11 in the last few years.

Our view

School is located on a residential street in East Sheen, on the edge of Richmond Park. No rolling acres but school is creative with space it does have. The façade is not beautiful, though the new build for reception pupils is a great improvement on the Victorian privies that it has replaced.

Warm, happy, family feel to the school, but it is nevertheless ambitious. One form entry with 18 in reception, roughly 20 per class thereafter. One mother commented that its small size was one of its selling points: ‘Boys all know each other well and that gives them confidence.’

Junior and senior sections on same site, with plenty of interaction between the two. Older boys hear younger ones read and help them out at lunchtime. A healthy amount of hero worship goes on. Junior school considered to be gentle by parents, a place where little boys can be little boys. Every Friday morning reception boys head for the forest school where they build dens, climb trees and jump in muddy puddles. Some parents we spoke to felt that the transition from one part of the school to the other was hard: ‘It’s a big leap to go from such a nurturing junior school to a full-speed London prep at the end of year 3, but this has to happen at some stage.’

Emphasis on impeccable manners: boys are expected to shake their teacher’s hand and look them in the eye as they say goodbye at the end of each day. Head wants them to look back on their prep school with a sense of pride. ‘We send well rounded, polite but humble young men on to their next schools.’

House system is at the centre of the school. Boys are apparently more scared of getting a rocket from their head of house than the headmaster. ‘They don’t want to let the side down. We’re a small school and it is very apparent if you stick your head above the parapet. We have a sense of collective responsibility here.’ Community spirit is important. Pupils play music at local care homes, clear the river bank of weeds and regularly raise money for charity.

No academic scholarship class ‘as it would be divisive and that goes against everything that we stand for.’ If a child is sitting a scholarship, then teachers put on supplementary lessons as necessary. Though uncommon here, head believes that tutoring is a mistake: ‘If your son needs to be tutored to the hilt to squeeze into a school then you’re doing him a disservice and you are setting him up for a fall in the future.’ Head aims to deliver a bespoke education, ‘a Harley Street approach’.

Most able boys are well stretched, with setting in some subjects from year 3 onwards. According to one mother, the top set for Latin in year 8 certainly gallops along at a fair crack. One parent commented that ‘if your son is clever, he will do very well at Tower House. The average boy finds it a little harder.’ Another disagreed and felt that, given its non-selective intake, the school caters successfully for all abilities.

Reading is taken seriously and a reading wall records numbers of books read by each boy during the term. For the group of pupils who reads the most, a huge bag of sweets awaits. Library is enticing: jam-packed with adventure books and offset by jazzy mood lighting.

Currently 35 have some sort of mild special educational need, usually dyslexia. Small group booster sessions offered; 10 per cent receive individual support from full-time SENCo. Rare for a boy to need support throughout his time here.

Very successful on sports front. The envy of every other prep school in London with its access to the Bank of England’s beautifully manicured sports grounds, just a stone’s throw away. Excellent sports tuition from a host of specialist coaches. ‘We’ve moved away from the enthusiastic history teacher coaching the first XI!’ School is particularly strong at cricket, reflected in its eagerly anticipated biennial sports tour to Barbados. All senior boys included, irrespective of sporting prowess. All boys from years 3 to 8 make a team of some sort. One father stated that ‘Tower House can hold its own with the great names in the prep school landscape.’

‘Art in every form is stretched and pushed here and it constantly amazes me. If you are creative you should come to us,’ states the school. Inspirational art teacher is supported by two talented artists in residence. Fantastic DT – boys keen to get out the saws, vices and hammers at every opportunity. Music is thriving too and 80 per cent learns an instrument. There is something for everyone on the music front including numerous choirs and ensembles.

Drama deservedly gets the headlines. Head beams when he talks about the drama here: ‘I have the most gifted head of drama in the country. Boys will crawl over broken glass for him. He has ambitions for the boys which many other people wouldn’t even consider. We see how far we can push it.’ To date, Tower House is the only school, prep or senior, that has produced a full-length feature film which premiered in the West End, although ‘we don’t try to replicate that every year, though, as it would take over and we’d get a reputation for being a bunch of luvvies!’ Drama productions are seen as being great team-building exercises as everyone can contribute, from the uber-confident thespian who delivers impassioned speeches to the lower-key boys who would rather focus on props or lighting. The current record is 91 boys involved in one performance. Here, as elsewhere, school lives by its motto of ‘an opportunity for every boy’. Starry ex-pupils include comedian Jack Whitehall and actor Robert Pattinson.

Pastoral care is a priority. School has ring-fenced well-being and resilience sessions every half term. Boys are encouraged to de-stress regularly, whether through yoga classes, practising meditation or running before school in Richmond Park. ‘We aim to give the boys the toolkit by which they can face the pressures of modern life.’ The school has noticed outside pressures on the boys are increasing, not only academically but also on the co-curricular front, such as selection for sports teams and musical ensembles. ‘Parents sometimes over-expect,’ he laments.

Current clubs include debating, chess, touch-typing, sewing and maths games. One parent we spoke to felt that the clubs on offer could be more ambitious and less sport-centric.

Mostly professional families. Both parents tend to work. Excellent communication between school and home. Parents give talks to boys about their careers, in a variety of fields including medicine, law and journalism. Cosmopolitan mix, including significant numbers of Scandinavians and Spaniards at present. A grandparents’ day has been introduced – the school thinks it is important to involve them in their grandchildren’s education, particularly as so many of them foot the fees.

Money matters

School aims to make fees as all-inclusive as possible, so parents do not have to keep reaching for the cheque book throughout the term. Unlike many schools, learning support lessons, clubs and residential trips are not seen as extras. Full and part funded means-tested bursaries available from year 3.

The last word

A remarkably inclusive school that feels like a traditional boarding prep. One mother commented that ‘it does what it says on the tin. It prepares them very well for senior school.’ Another parent went further: ‘The headmaster and his staff have one single objective – that of educating boys to the highest possible standard, whilst nurturing extracurricular talent, instilling courtesy and the highest moral values.’ Undoubtedly, Tower House is thriving.

Special Education Needs

At Tower House we aim to ensure that all our staff have a thorough understanding of the educational differences of all our pupils and that the boys have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. We have an experienced SENCO who is also a specialist teacher for dyslexia and monitors the overall provision and support for pupils we are able to offer, as well as offering more specialist teaching for those who require it. Boys identified as in need of additional support are taught either 1:1, in small groups or in the classroom. These lessons take place within the school day with touch typing lessons after school for all those who wish to attend.

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