WHAT? WHERE?

Three children at Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

Coworth Flexlands Prep and Nursery is an independent school for boys and girls aged 2.5 to 11 years. It’s a small school with about 120 pupils – the product of a merger in 2004 between Coworth Park and Flexlands. The big news is that as of September 2023 the school is now fully co-ed, introducing boys from year 2 up. Before now, it was co-ed in the pre-prep, and girls-only from year 3 upwards.

Nestled in 13 acres of beautiful grounds, Coworth Flexlands is located between Chobham, Windlesham and Sunningdale. First impressions are – well – pretty impressive. Turning into the school’s gate there’s a circular driveway with a carpark and a stop-and-drop section which makes drop-off and pick-up hassle-free for parents.

It might sound like a cliche, but this is a small school with a very big heart, not only among the pupils but also the wider school community. The school is not academically selective, and believes in bringing out the best in each child so they are able to learn and thrive – and the results demonstrate this. If there was a motto ‘happiness gets results’ it would certainly be applied here.

The school prides itself on nurturing students with a focus on finding what makes them happy. They aim to inspire each student to be curious and confident and have a love of learning without fear of failure.

Coworth Flexlands is part of the United Learning family, so whilst it may be small and independent it benefits from a strong connection to a group of junior and senior schools across the UK that includes Guildford High School, Surbiton High School, Dunottar in Reigate, The Royal School in Haslemere and Banstead Prep.

Kids come here from a catchment that takes in Ascot, Woking, Virginia Water, Windlesham, Sunningdale and Chobham.

FACILITIES

Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

There’s plenty of space at Coworth Flexlands and the school makes excellent use of what it has – both indoors and out.

The school’s main building is very pretty – it’s a former residence, which has been sympathetically extended over the last decade or so, most recently with the addition of a new entrance.

There’s everything you’d expect including an art room, IT suite, performing arts block, science labs and gymnasium, plus another hall, where assemblies are held and school lunches are served.

Classrooms are light, bright and airy. Walls and ceilings are painted a crisp white, and floors are mostly laid with a light hardwood which gives it a lovely contemporary feel.

Girls running at Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

Outside, there’s a large playground which extends out to three playing fields, netball and tennis courts and a large forest school with its own outdoor classroom. There’s also a Peace Garden, where kids can go for quiet time, and an outdoor gym. Coworth Flexlands a strong focus on outdoor learning, and the forest school plays a large part in this – it’s taught to all year levels. The outdoor classroom, too, is used widely – not just by the forest school, but by other subjects looking enhance learning with the outdoors. There’s a strong belief that being outdoors adds a different perspective to learning and improves wellbeing. Coworth Flexlands is an Eco School, and has been awarded a ‘Green Tree School Gold Award’ by the Woodland Trust.

SPORT

Sport at Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

For a small school, Coworth Flexlands does extraordinarily well in the sporting arena. The emphasis is on developing skills and inspiring the children to be active, and children take part in a range of sports that includes tennis, netball, hockey, volleyball, gymnastics, dance, rounders, cross country running and athletics. The students are bussed to a local senior school for swimming lessons.

There’s a particularly strong interest in football at Coworth Flexlands – and a number of girls play in the Berkshire County Girls league. The school has strong links to the Berkshire County Football Club – the school’s Sports Director, Lisa Phillips, is Director of Women’s Football at Berkshire, and GK for Ascot Ladies’. She runs additional football clinics at Coworth Flexlands, which are also open to the wider community.

THE ARTS

Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

Music and drama are both strong at the school, helped by the fact the head of drama is an actual professional actress – Janine Pardo – who still performs on stage. Of course, the facilities are lovely too – a large performing arts block, music rooms and a gymnasium where school productions are held.

There’s a strong music programme – taught from nursery all the way through to year 6 – as well as specialist peripatetic music teachers who teach voice, strings, woodwind, piano and percussion.

School plays are also staged each term with every year group involved, and the school also takes part in external music and drama events, including Voice in a Million at Wembley Arena, and events with other United Learning schools. Pupils may also take additional lessons, as extra-curricular subjects, in LAMDA, ballet, dance, and musical theatre. The LAMDA results are particularly impressive with 100% of pupils achieving a distinction in exams.

ACADEMICS

Children at Coworth Flexlands Prep School in Chobham, Surrey.

Academics here are particularly strong. A combination of small class sizes, an ethos that encourages a curiosity for learning, ongoing behind-the-scenes assessments and an individual learning programme tailored to challenge means that children are inspired and stimulated.

Equal importance is given to all subjects, from the arts and languages to sciences and humanities. The children benefit from specialist teachers, which increases as they move up the school. In Reception there are specialist teachers for French, music and sports, and from years 3 to 6 children are specialist taught in small groups for all core academic subjects.

The STEM subjects are an important part of the school’s learning project and this is enhanced with additional programmes including a biodiversity research project – learning about wildlife and habitats – with the nearby Royal Holloway University.

Children at Coworth Flexlands almost always go on to their first choice of senior school, largely due to the supportive process that starts when the pupils are in year 3 which help guide families in their search for the right senior school.

The 2023 group of pupils did exceptionally well – with each of them scoring an offer from their chosen school. The cohort achieved 34 offers and six scholarship for academics, music, sport, art and drama – and accepted places at Bradfield College, Downe House, Farnborough Hill, Guildford High, Heathfield School, Hoebridge, Luckley House, Notre Dame, Sir William Perkins’s, St George’s Ascot, St George’s Weybridge, St Swithuns and Wycombe Abbey.

In previous years, children have also gone on to The Marist School in Sunninghill, Tormead in Guildford, Wellington College, Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Headington in Oxford.

PASTORAL CARE

The Forest School at Coworth Flexlands School in Chobham, Surrey.

Pastoral care is a strong feature of the school which starts every morning with a personal greeting as each child arrives at school from the headmistess, Nicola Cowell. There’s a focus on building good relationships and this extends across the entire school – between teachers and pupils, as well as throughout the different year groups. It’s not unusual to see children from different year groups playing together during their break. In the Pre-Prep, there’s a daily wellbeing check-in whereby children can log their feelings throughout the day, and a wellbeing drop-in is open to all years in the library each day.

Behind the scenes, all children are tracked through an online system, and the fact the school is small, means every child is very well known to all staff.

Mentoring sessions are conducted from years 4 and above – which often helps to nip any potential problems in the bud – and the school loves to get outside and take in fresh air, whether that be through wellbeing walks on nearby Chobham Cobham, or through the outdoor learning programme.

Coworth Flexlands also has its own dog – an incredibly cuddly Cavapoo called Poppy. When she’s not at school getting attention and love from the pupils, and helping to bring happiness and promote wellbeing, she lives with the headmistress Nicola Cowell.

LITTLIES

Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

The nursery and pre-prep are separate and yet still a part of the main school. They have their own wing with big doors that open from each classroom onto their playgrounds.

Children start in the nursery at two-and-a-half and they’re divided into two groups – Rabbits and Owls. There are two large and bright classrooms, with a free-flow between them and a dedicated nursery playground and woodland area. Children in the nursery have specialist teachers for sport, music and Forest School.

THE HEAD

Nicola Cowell, head mistress at Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

Nicola Cowell has been headteacher since September 2018, coming from Surbiton High Girls’ Prep School where she was Deputy Head. She has worked in both the state and independent sector at schools in Oxfordshire, Dulwich and Germany.

Miss Cowell is warm and friendly and very accessible to both families and students. She’s clearly passionate about the school, and proud of its strong sense of community. I love the fact that every morning she greets each student with a hello as they arrive at school.

While the school achieves very well academically – chasing scholarships is not a top priority for Miss Cowell. She spends a lot of time with families to help them find the best senior school for their child, and recognises that while some children will thrive in a highly-academic environment, others although perfectly able, may find the pressure too much. “The teenage years are tricky enough,” she says. “And children who are happy, will do well.”

It’s a refreshing attitude and shows a true commitment to the wellbeing of each child – not just while they’re under her wing but also after they move out into the wider world beyond – particularly in a world which so often measures itself by academic results and scholarship offers.

QUIRKS

Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

The size of the school – whilst not exactly a quirk – affords many advantages. As well as creating a strong community among families, it also means that every child is well known by staff. And that close relationship is invaluable in helping to bring out the best in each child.

The school has a Captains programme for year 6, with children assigned a role based on their interests and passions. Two year 6 pupils showed me the school, and they were confident, articulate and proud of their leadership roles.

WRAP AROUND CARE

A boy and girl read in the library at Coworth Flexlands School in Chobham, Surrey.

The Breakfast Club is from 7.30am until school starts at 8.20am. An after-school Care Club runs until 6pm (5.30pm on Friday) – and is open to children from nursery to year 6. As well as a range of after-school extra curricular clubs there’s also an optional homework club. And during the half term and school holidays, there are holiday camps.

ISI REPORT

Coworth Flexlands was inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in early 2023 and was awarded ‘Excellent’ in all areas. Read the report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phones are not permitted at school.

TRANSPORT

There are no school buses, so all students are driven to school. This no doubt contributes to the school’s strong community spirit.

FEES 2023/24

A full week in the nursery is £3,651 per term. In Reception, fees are £4,080 per term, rising to £4,269 per term for year 1-2; £5,199 for year 3-4; and £5,498 for tears 5-6. The fees include lunch, milk, snacks, swimming lessons and day trip outings. Sibling discounts are available.

Wrap-around care costs from £165 – £500 a term, and peripatetic music lessons are also extra.

WORD ON THE GROUND

A music lesson Coworth Flexlands School, Chobham, Surrey

Parents value the high levels of pastoral care, the intimate feel and the balance between academic sport, drama and music. They also love the strong sense of community.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Children who are better suited to a smaller, nurturing environment. Academic standards here are fairly high, without being at all ‘pushy’ – the emphasis is very much on a rounded education.

Not for: It’s a small school, so parents looking for a larger cohort might want to look elsewhere.

Dare to disagree? Check it out for yourself. There are open events on Friday 20 Sept and Fri 18 Oct. Click here for dates and details.

Coworth Flexlands, Chertsey Road, Chobham, GU24 8TE. Tel: 01276 855 707. coworthflexlands.co.uk

Coworth Flexlands Prep School and Nursery, Chobham

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