A home from home – Eaton Square Prep

Set in three Georgian townhouses in the heart of Belgravia, this small, two-form entry, co-ed prep, with its traditional uniforms and felt hat (boaters in the summer) is anything but stuck in time. Apart from its insistence on good old-fashioned manners, it is innovative, modern and cosmopolitan.

Most importantly it is a school where the children are happy. The Head, Mrs Trish Watt, says, “It’s tangible when you’re in the building to see how happy the children are within the parameters of a real traditional prep school education.”

This academically ambitious school, which is non-selective at entry, is turning out pupils at 11+ to leading senior school destinations.

This year, the Independent Schools Association (ISA) inspection revealed that it had a significant strength in inclusivity and a phenomenal value add from the start of the children’s time at the school. Mrs Watt explains, “No child is left behind. It all goes back to the kind of love and care that we give them.”

The school’s success is very much down to its ever moving and progressive curriculum. “It’s about questioning absolutely everything that we do and making sure that it’s the best that it can be with the child at the centre of that,” says Mrs Watt.

Innovation is key and the new Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) space includes a digitally augmented sand pit and an immersive educational wall and floor where children are engaged physically, intellectually and socially. They learn about the Ice Age or contours in geography in an experiential way rather than simply sitting behind their desks, and world-leading scientists are regularly invited in to talk.

Extra-curricular activities are available in abundance. TEDx accredited, the school is active in public speaking as well as drama. It also offers an array of sports and is particularly strong in swimming, which the children do all year round at the local leisure centre. The school regularly competes in national competitions, winning silverware and even producing Team GB swimmers.

Rather unique to Eaton Square Prep School, the children go on residential trips from Year 2 for one night, in Year 3 for three nights and by Years 4 to 6, they are sailing in the Norfolk Broads, skiing in Norway and enjoying a classical tour of Italy. French, Latin and Spanish are also part of the curriculum.

The school’s success is very much down to its ever moving and progressive curriculum

This is very much a school moving with the times, but at its core is the timeless value of fostering good human beings. “The values of how the children learn, the curiosity, creativity, the willingness to make mistakes and learn from them – our goal is to instil a genuine love for learning that will take them through life,” concludes Mrs Watt.