Abberley Hall School

Abberley Hall School is a coeducational preparatory day and boarding school with about 160 pupils. It is located between Worcester and Tenbury, near the village of Abberley, Worcestershire, England.

Abberley Hall School
Location
Abberley
,
Worcestershire
,
WR6 6DD

England
Coordinates52.2956°N 2.3756°W / 52.2956; -2.3756
Information
TypeIndependent school
Preparatory School
Day and boarding
Established1878
FounderGilbert Ashton
Department for Education URN117011 Tables
Chair of GovernorsMr. Carey Leonard
HeadmasterMr.Jonnie Besley
Staff38
GenderMixed
Age2 to 13
Enrolmentc. 160
HousesOwls, Pewits, Wood Pigeons and Cuckoos
Websitewww.abberleyhall.co.uk/home

History

The school began in 1878 as the Dame School in Blackheath, Kent. In 1896, it became a private school and was named Lindisfarne. The school was moved to Abberley in 1916, and the property was purchased in 1921 by Gilbert Ashton, a former pupil of Lindisfarne, who took over as headmaster and renamed it Abberley Hall.[1][2] The school became a trust in 1958, and is now managed by a Board of Governors, as a UK Registered Charity (no. 1088863).[1] Pupils come from a variety of backgrounds, including families and service personnel living and working abroad, professionals from the Birmingham and Worcester areas, and traditional farming families. The pre-prep and nursery serve a more local area.[1]

Abberley Hall.

Campus

The campus comprises Abberley Hall, a Grade II* listed building[3] and its gardens and grounds, which are also listed as Grade II[4] on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.[5] The grounds also contain the Grade II* listed[6] Abberley Clock Tower which can be seen as far away as Clent hill, and which was the setting for the children's book by Gene Kemp, The Clock Tower Ghost.[7]

Curriculum

Pupils follow a curriculum that prepares them for entrance into public schools (independent schools), taking Common Entrance, Winchester Entrance or Scholarship exams. Class sizes are small, averaging 11 pupils. Most subjects have their own dedicated classrooms and there are two science laboratories and specialist facilities for computing, DT, music and PE. The majority of pupils continue their education at Malvern College, Shrewsbury School, Kings Worcester, Cheltenham College, Rugby School and Malvern St James.[1] The school also provides for individual pupils with special needs including: Dyslexia or Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), and Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD).[8]

All pupils take part in the major sports, an Astroturf pitch provides opportunities for hockey, golf, croquet, riding, fishing, archery, shooting, Ricochet and climbing. The school has an indoor swimming pool.[2]

International activities

The school runs regular trips to France where the pupils spend time whilst at Abberley, totally immersed into the French language and culture.

Notable former pupils

Headmasters
  • Gilbert Ashton (1921–1961)
  • Ronnie Yates (1961–1974)
  • Michael Haggard (1974–1996)
  • John Walker (1996–2014)
  • Will Lockett (2014–2020)
  • Jonnie Beasley (2020–present)

References
  1. Independent Schools Inspectorate report 2005 Archived December 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 29 July 2009
  2. Abberley Hall School Retrieved 29 July 2009
  3. Historic England. "Abberley Hall  (Grade II*) (1155526)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  4. Historic England. "Abberley Hall gardens  (Grade II) (1001392)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  5. Parks and Gardens Register Archived October 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Historic England. "Abberley Clock Tower  (Grade II*) (1082707)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  7. Kemp, Gene (1981) The Clock Tower Ghost Faber & Faber ISBN 978-0-571-21272-9
  8. ISBI Retrieved 29 July 2009
  9. Creamer, Martin (18 October 2013). "Adam Fleming". Mining Weekly. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
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