WHAT? WHERE?

Cumnor House School for Girls is an independent prep school on Woodcote Lane, within Purley’s exclusive gated Webb Estate. As independent schools go, first impressions are pretty impressive. Woodcote Lane is a private road, wide and tree-lined, and there’s a driveway into the school that curves around in front of the main school building – the perfect parent drop-off zone. There have been later buildings added, but they blend well with the original building. There’s a country feel to this school, despite its suburban location.

It’s a small academically non-selective school with just 120 girls in total in classes from Reception up to Year 6. It’s two-form entry in Reception and Year 1 – dropping to one class in Years 3 to 6. The aim is to be two-form entry throughout. Most of the girls come from the local area, and many girls move up from the one of the two Cumnor House Nurseries (more on those later!).

Perhaps it’s the size, but Cumnor Girls’ has a homely feel, with a strong sense of community and family. There’s also an empowering ‘will do’ ethos – and plenty on the agenda to support this. The house system, for instance, names each of the four houses after strong women from diverse cultures and occupations throughout history. Names are chosen by the girls and change regularly.

There’s also a Pupil Leadership Team in which each year group has a representative, and anti-bullying ambassadors.

FACILITIES

The grounds are impressive at Cumnor Girls’, with fields for hockey and netball and tennis courts, plus a multi-use games area. There is no swimming pool on the site, but the girls are bussed to the boys’ school every week for swimming lessons at the indoor heated pool there.

In addition to the outdoor facilities, the usual array of science room, ICT suite, music rooms and food technology rooms, are also to be found. There’s also a big indoor sports hall, that was wonderfully light and airy, and a drama hall that doubles as the school lunch room.

SPORT

Sport is an important part of Cumnor Girls, with swimming and netball being the main sports. There are fixtures for netball, cricket, hockey, swimming, cross country and athletics – and for a school of this size it does remarkably well in competition. Gymnastics is taught as part of the PE curriculum, and is also offered as an extra curricular club.

MUSIC, DRAMA AND THE ARTS

Music is clearly a strong card here – around 80 per cent of pupils take individual music lessons in at least one instrument each week. All girls from Reception to Year 6 will have at least one music lesson a week. In Year 3, a music scheme offers free lessons in flute, clarinet and violin. There are also three choirs, an orchestra and ensembles for strings and woodwind, plus drums and ukulele.

The art room is well-equipped and rammed with pupils’ artistic creations – clearly a well-used creative space. For girls in Years 3 to 6, Art lessons take place in the art room with a specialist Art teacher for 90 minutes each week.

Drama is taught as a subject to every class throughout the school, and all girls also have the opportunity to perform in a fully staged and costumed production each year – recent productions have included Matilda, The Lion King and Seussical. All girls have the opportunity to take LAMDA and ESB examinations. Ballet lessons are also included in the pre-prep curriculum.

LITTLIES

There are two nurseries in the Cumnor House stable of schools – one across the road from the boys’ school on Pampisford Road in South Croydon, and the other a little further on past the girls’ school on Woodcote Lane in Purley.

The South Croydon nursery is open for 51 weeks a year from 8am-6pm, while the Purley nursery is term-time only from 8am-3pm.

Both nurseries are open to boys and girls from the age of two up, and for both the focus is on learning, not just childcare. There are specialist teachers for Music, PE and languages, and the children also take part in cooking sessions, yoga and outdoor learning. Each nursery has its own dedicated outdoor play areas that includes a nature garden.

The Purley nursery is on a bigger site with three separate rooms for the nursery, as well as a hall, a small library and another space called the horseshoe area (where they have teatime club and snack).

The South Croydon nursery is split into two purpose-built buildings – Silver Birches for the 2-3 year olds and The Willows for the 3-4 year olds. Both overlook the sporting fields used by the main school, and both have their own secure entrances and fenced outdoor play areas.

ACADEMICS

Year 6 is small at Cumnor Girls’ School, so there’s no doubting your child will get the attention she needs – and this is seen in the results. The 2021/22 cohort of 23 girls achieved 60 senior school offers and 50 scholarship offers between them including the second highest academic scholarship at Caterham School. Five girls also gained places at local selective Grammar Schools. The offers were from Woldingham School, Croydon High, Caterham School, Old Palace, Reigate Grammar, Royal Russell, Surbiton High, Sutton High, Alleyns, City of London Girls, Godolphin and Latymer, Downe House and Wycombe Abbey.

The Headmistress is a big believer in finding the right school for each girl and a lot of work goes into the process which starts when girls are in Year 4. In her own words: “If we keep parents calm and informed, the girls will be too.”

PASTORAL CARE

All schools will claim to know every child as an individual, but Cumnor House, being a smaller, intimate and close-knit school has quite the advantage in this claim. The school aims to weave pastoral care into the fabric of the school which means everyone – from class teachers to the school’s chef – is aware of and cares about every child. There’s also a buddy system in place – in Year 1, girls are given a ‘big sister’, and when they reach Year 5, they gain a ‘little sister’.

THE HEAD

Amanda McShane has been at Cumnor Girls for four years arriving in April 2018 from the Old Vicarage School in Richmond where she was Deputy Head.

A passionate educator, she’s been a teacher for 30 years – 12 of those in senior leadership roles – and has worked across both the state and independent sectors. She’s a strong believer that school is more than about just academics and has her focus on developing the ‘whole child’ – developing the character of each girl and building confidence and resilience, but also softer skills like communication, self-reflection and creativity. Cumnor Girls is not a ‘hot house school’, but there are high expectations and the girls actively want to do well.

She’s a big believer in single-sex education saying it creates an environment where there’s no gender bias so that girls can shine in their own right. The ethos at Cumnor Girls is ‘this girl will’ – as opposed to ‘this girl can’ – and Mrs McShane is keen to empower girls to develop into strong women.

Warm, friendly and approachable, she maintains an open-door policy so the pupils and their parents can be in constant communication.

QUIRKS

Not necessarily a quirk, but notable, nonetheless is the incredibly involved parents’ association. The parents association has raised a considerable amount for the school over the years, funding such things as outdoor play equipment, climbing walls, games and cameras. Families are also encouraged to be involved in school life through music soiree evenings for parents, and other events.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Breakfast Club is from 7.30am, and an After School Club runs from 3.15pm until 6pm. A shuttle bus runs between the girls’ and boys’ school, and children can attend the after-school care at either school – which is certainly helpful for parents with children at both schools.

There’s also a wide range of after-school clubs on offer including gymnastics, hockey and netball, chess, computer, ballet and Lego club.

ISI REPORT

The most recent ISI inspection was in June 2018 – you can read the report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phones are not allowed at the school, and any child who does bring a phone in must hand it into the office at the start of the day and collect it before they go home.

TRANSPORT

The school has its own bus network which varies each year depending on need. Current buses travel to Clapham via Streatham, Sanderstead, Coulsdon and Warlingham, and Shirley via Addiscombe and Croydon. A shuttle bus also runs to and from the boys’ school which is handy for families who have siblings there.

FEES

The fees match those of Cumnor House School of Boys. They’re average and on an increasing scale as you go up the school. Reception, Years 1 and 2 is £4,395 per term, and Years 3-4 is £5,190 a term, and Years 5-6 is £5,275.

Fees at Cumnor House Nursery depend on how many days your child attends. Three days at the Purley nursery (term time only, 8am-3pm) is £2,965, rising to £3,730 for four days, and £4,300 for five days. At South Croydon, fees are paid monthly (year-round, 8am-6pm), starting at £900 a month for three days, rising to £1195 for four days and £1,495 a month for five days. Lunch and snacks are included in the fees.

WORD ON THE GROUND

I spoke to one parent with three girls at the school, and she couldn’t rate it more highly, saying the strong family element was at the core of everything, outshining even the strong academics. She loves the nurturing and caring environment and said that because of that, girls at Cumnor House thrived. She was impressed by the schools ability to identify the strengths in each girl and work with those, but also their weaknesses. Another parent said the small size and strong sense of community meant girls felt safe and secure, which meant they did well.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Well-rounded kids. The vibe is informal and friendly, but academically strong – not an easy mix to pull off. The sport, drama and music facilities are impressive and all children get to participate fully. Good flexible after-school care is particularly helpful for busy working parents.

Not for: An all girls’ environment of just 120 might feel too small for big personalities, though in fairness the school does have strong links to the nearby all-boys Cumnor House School and the two often collaborate on activities and events.

Dare to disagree?! Have a look for yourself. There’s an open event on Mon 30 Sept. The Cumnor House Nurseries in South Croydon and Purley have open days Sat 28 Sept. Private tours are also available with the Headmistress Amanda McShane. Further information here.

Cumnor House School for Girls, 1 Woodcote Lane, Purley, Surrey CR8 3HB. Tel: 020 8668 0050. cumnorhouse.com

Cumnor House School for Girls, Purley

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