The Eaton House Group of Schools

The Eaton House Group of Schools is a group of private schools, all situated in London, in the United Kingdom. It is composed of the Eaton House the Manor Nursery, Eaton House the Manor Pre-Preparatory, Eaton House the Manor Preparatory, Eaton House the Manor Girls School, Eaton House The Vale, Eaton House Preparatory, and Eaton House Pre-Preparatory. The group is a limited liability company, and the majority shareholder has been Sovereign Capital since principal Hilary Harper retired and sold the company in 2016, and the school is currently managed by Luchie Cawood.^[1][2] The schools are non-selective at ages 3 and 4, however there is a system of assessment for places taken at age 8.^[3]

The schools have a non-denominational Christian ethos,^[4] and a carol service at the local church is a regular occurrence every year.^[5] Places are highly sought after and are allocated on a first-come first-served basis, sometimes with regard to those with previous family connections with the school.^[6] Form entry at the school often involves very long waiting lists (in one reported case, 160 students applied for around 30 places at the Manor at age 4^[7]).^[8]

Eaton House Belgravia Pre-Preparatory

Mr Thomas Sale^{[lower-alpha 1]} Morton^[9] was born in 1867 and died on 21 January 1962, aged 95. Educated at Charterhouse School and Clare College, Cambridge, Morton was a private tutor and author of books on the classics (many of his works were used in schools as textbooks for many years),^[10][9] and had previously taught at Summer Fields School. In 1897, Morton was encouraged to open Eaton Gate Preparatory School by the mother of Harold Macmillan, who he was tutoring at the time.

The school was originally opened at 35 Cliveden Place, but it was moved many times in the Belgravia area, and in 1937 the current premises at Eaton Gate were purchased, and the school was renamed Eaton House School. During World War II, the pupils were evacuated to Haines Hill in Berkshire, where they stayed until the end of the war.^[11][12][13] Morton was passionate about classics, and was a member of the Classical Association. Morton later abandoned the school soon after it was renamed^[14] due to his dislike of administration and devotion to teaching, and moved to teach at The Hall School, Hampstead later in his career.

Following the departure of Morton, the school was then run by Robin T. Gladstone^[15][16], identified to the pupils as a relative of William Ewart Gladstone^[14]. Gladstone then left the school to set up 'The Abbey' school in East Grinstead^[16].

In 1959, Mr Leman retired as principal, and was replaced by Mr and Mrs Ingham,^[17] former owners of Westminster Kindergarten school. The Inghams retired in 1977, and were replaced by Donald and Hilary Harper. The school was then renamed Eaton House Belgravia.

Mrs Harper already had 14 years' experience with the school when she took office^[18], while Donald Harper attempted to set up a charter airline later on^[19]. When Donald Harper died in 2005, Hillary Harper became the only principal, later retiring when the school was bought by Sovereign Capital in 2016^[2], replaced by Luchie Cawood.^[1]

In 1998, Lucy Watts became Headmistress of the school, retiring in July 2015 to work for 'Magnus Education' as a consultant placing children in schools. She was replaced by Annabel Abbott.^[20][21][22]

In October 2013, a minor media controversy was triggered over the banning of nut consumption at breakfast for pupils at home, in addition to bans on consumption of certain foods in the school, however no complaints appear to have been made to the school over the policy.^[23][24]

In January 2017, the school was renamed Eaton House Pre-Preparatory, to coincide with the launch of Eaton House Preparatory, and then again in June 2017 to Eaton House Belgravia Pre-Preparatory.

Eaton House Pre-Preparatory regularly takes part in the wreath-laying ceremony during the Annual Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Armistice Day, and is one of only a small number of schools to do so.^[25][26][27]

Eaton House Belgravia Preparatory

A preparatory school is scheduled to open in September 2017 at the same premises as the Vale, to educate boys from 8+, however further details are unclear.^[1]

Eaton House The Vale

In 1980, the Hon. Elizabeth Russell was retiring as head of the Vale School, and the school was bought by the Harpers. The school was then moved from its location in Sloane Square to Elvaston Place in 1986,^[1] which currently educates students from ages 4 to 8 (historically the school educated students from ages 4 to 11, however the senior ages were discontinued c. 2013). The Vale also contains a co-educational nursery from ages 3 to 4.

Eaton House Senior School

The group have alluded to the opening of a new senior school located on Piccadilly in September 2017^[28], taking pupils from at least 13+.^[1] Further details are unclear.

Eaton House The Manor Prep and Pre-Prep

The Harper family purchased the Grade II listed^[29] Byrom House at 58 Clapham Common Northside^[30] to convert it into a school consisting of a nursery, pre-preparatory school, and preparatory school. These opened in September 1993.^[31]

Byrom House (built c. 1792 by John Farrer^[32]) was formerly owned by London South Bank University,^[33] before that the Manor House School stood on the site.^[34] Before it became a school, the building was sold by Farrer in 1841, and became The Beeches.^[35]

The Manor House School was founded by Dr F.C. Maxwell^{[lower-alpha 2]} in 1876. In 1898, Stanley Maxwell, his son and an old boy of the school, took over as Headmaster of the school, before deciding to close it permanently in 1938. Stanley Maxwell was an accomplished teacher, and served as Chairman of the Private Schools Association from 1909 to 1939, as well as on the Government Departmental Committee on Private Schools in 1930. Stanley Maxwell also became Secretary of the College of Preceptors, holding this position until his death on 20 September 1944. He was also a keen amateur astronomer, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society on 11 February 1910.^[36]

Entry from the Pre-Prep into the Prep is now decided using a system of 'continuous assessment' in Year 2, instead of an exam (as was practised previously). However, those looking to enter from other schools must still take the examination.^[37] Most pupils live locally, however a school bus service operates from locations around south-west London.^[38]

The buildings were dramatically refurbished in April 2005, constructing new, larger pre-prep buildings, and installing new electronic equipment and play facilities. Solar panels were installed soon afterwards, powering the lighting in the science laboratories.^[39]

In 2015, further work took place, creating a 'living wall' inside the compound decorated with an automatic LED lighting system,^[40] as well as a living roof on top of some of the Pre-Prep buildings,^[41] and the construction of a new auditorium.^[42]

The dining room and kitchen were demolished in September 2015,^[43] and were replaced with brand new facilities in April 2017 in a £5.7 million construction project,^[44] including a new two-storey building (replacing the old one-storey building) containing a 'living roof', and updated science laboratories and a new DT room.^[45]

Most boys in the Pre-Prep go on to the Prep school, with a small number leaving for other boarding or day schools.^[30]

Most boys leaving the Prep go on to top public schools, such as Eton, Harrow, Westminster etc.^[8] The school has historically sent almost all students to their first choice of school, and scholarships to senior schools are often awarded.

In 2016, Sarah Segrave was given the role of Headmistress of the Prep (having previously served as Headmistress in the Girls' School,^[46] and before that the Pre-Prep^[47]) due to the retirement of Jeremy Edwards, who in turn succeeded Sebastian Hepher.^[48][49]

Mr Huw May has served as Headmaster of the Pre-Prep since September 2013.^[3]

Eaton House The Manor Girls' School

In 2008 more refurbishment took place at the Manor, and a girls' school was built on the site in a new building on the compound (replacing the old Headmaster's House^[50]), containing new classrooms and electronic equipment, as well as an underground gymnasium.^[30]

Sarah Segrave served as Headmistress of the school until her move to the Manor Prep in 2016.^[51]

Eaton House The Manor Nursery

Roosha Sue has served as Headmistress of the Nursery since 2004, teaching in the Manor Pre-Prep before taking up this post.^[3]

The nursery buildings were demolished along with the old dining room in September 2015,^[43] and were replaced with brand new facilities in April 2017.^[45]

Notable alumni

• Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963, also serving in various ministries before that and as a regular MP afterwards, and who attained the rank of Captain in the British Army during World War I, was educated at Eaton Gate Preparatory School, which later became Eaton House Belgravia.^[9][15][52]
• Tony Benn, veteran hard-left Labour politician, serving as an MP and cabinet minister, Postmaster General, Chairman of the Labour Party, president of Stop the War Coalition, and RAF veteran during World War II, as well as challenging Neil Kinnock for the Labour leadership, was educated at Eaton Gate Preparatory School, which later became Eaton House Belgravia.^[14][16]
• Richard Norton, a Conservative hereditary peer, councillor and candidate in 1983 (later switching his party allegiance and becoming the first UKIP peer in the House of Lords), was educated at Eaton House.^[53]
• Ronald Knox, priest, theologian, and author of detective stories, was educated at Eaton Gate Preparatory School, which later became Eaton House Belgravia.^[9]
• Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, Field Marshall in the British Army, serving in World War I, the Second Boer War, and World War II, leading troops to victory in Operation Compass and then suffering defeat in the Western Desert Campaign, was educated at Eaton Gate Preparatory School, which later became Eaton House Belgravia.^[9]
• Anthony Asquith, film director and son of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom H.H. Asquith, was educated at Eaton Gate Preparatory School, which later became Eaton House Belgravia.^[9] Asquith was also privately tutored by Morton at 10 Downing Street while his father was Prime Minister.
• Laurence Olivier, award-winning actor and president of the National Theatre, was educated at Eaton Gate Preparatory School, which later became Eaton House Belgravia.^[15]
• Bear Grylls, adventurer and TV presenter, attended Eaton House.^[54][55]
• Eddie Redmayne, actor and Oscar winner, attended Eaton House.^[56]
• Christopher O'Neill, financier and Swedish royal, attended Eaton House.^[57]

An official alumni society used to exist from at least 2007 to 2009 for old boys and girls of all ages, however there is no mention of it on their current website or literature, and reasoning suggests that it may have been discontinued.^[58]

Notable staff

• George Mills, author of children's books, taught at Eaton Gate Preparatory School, which later became Eaton House Belgravia, from 1926 to 1938.^[15][16]
• Alastair Humphreys, adventurer and motivational speaker, worked as an SEN assistant at Eaton House The Manor Prep in the late 2000s.^[59]

Notes

References

External links

• School website
• Eaton House The Manor weather station