Yardley Court
| Motto | Comites in comitate |
|---|---|
| Established | 1898 |
| Type | Other Independent School |
| Religion | Christian |
| Location |
Somerhill Five Oak Green Road Tonbridge Kent TN11 0NJ  England Coordinates: 51°11′05″N 0°17′57″E / 51.18468°N 0.29905°E |
| Local authority | Kent |
| DfE URN | 118960 Tables |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 7–13 |
| Website | www.yardleycourt.kent.sch.uk |
Yardley Court is a preparatory school in Tonbridge, Kent, England, for boys aged seven to thirteen. The school motto is Comites in comitate, "Friends in Friendship".
Founded in 1898, Yardley Court was in its early years run by members of the Bickmore family, including Maurice Bickmore (MHB) and "Eric" Bickmore (AFB). Eric played cricket for Oxford University (1920–21) and for Kent (1919–29). They were succeeded by Eric's sons, John (JADB) and Michael (MJB). They were known at the school as "Mr Maurice", "Mr Eric", "Mr John" and "Mr Michael".
Since 1997, John Coakley has been the headmaster. The current deputy head is Richard Green who arrived at the school in January 2000. Nathan Close is the Director of Studies with Jonathan Shute the head of the Junior school. Malcolm Gough is the Head of Teaching and Learning. The school moved to its current site in 1990; having been previously situated on Yardley Park Road, close to Tonbridge School. At its current site, Derwent Lodge was added in 2001, with a Pre-Prep school joining in 2006.
The school's facilities include a sports hall that was opened on 4 July 2002 by Mrs Godfrey Jayne Hallows Bickmore, new dining room and an indoor swimming pool. Dame Kelly Holmes opened the dining room and swimming pool on the 1 October 2009.
There are four houses - Ashmore, Hudson, Marques and Nicolson.
Notable alumni
The school's alumni, known as Old Yardley Courtiers (OYCs), include journalist Robert Fisk, cricketer Bob Woolmer, cricketer and writer Ed Smith, novelist Frederick Forsyth, presenter Peter West [1] and comedian Nick Milnes. Another well known OYC is the late Elleston Trevor, known as the author of Flight of The Phoenix and the Quiller series of espionage novels.