WHAT? WHERE?

Students at Ewell Castle School in Ewell Village, Surrey.

Ewell Castle School is an all-through school for boys and girls aged 4 to 18 in Ewell Village, Surrey. It’s a close-knit and family-focused school with around 650 pupils – almost 500 of those in the Senior School. Most children who start at the Prep will carry on through to the Sixth Form.

Ewell Castle has a reputation for doing pastoral care and wellbeing exceptionally well. The school is proudly mixed-ability and offers a tailored learning approach for each child by creating personalised pathways. Entry is non-selective, although at 11+ children will do English and maths assessments. There’s a strong learning support department in place.

The school is set over four sites in Ewell Village – all within easy walking distance of each other. It was founded in 1926 by Herbert Budgell as a boarding school for boys, and gets its name from the main building at the Senior school, a castellated mansion house.

The school is something of a hidden gem, tucked away just off Ewell’s High Street – and a literal stone’s throw from the A24 which runs along the rear boundary of the Senior School (although it’s screened by hedges and trees). It’s also a short 8-10 minute walk from Ewell West and Ewell East train stations (on different lines), and this handy positioning makes it an attractive and viable option for families in Surbiton, Kingston, Wimbledon, Ashtead, Cheam, Sutton and Leatherhead, as well as the local Epsom and Ewell areas.

FACILITIES

Glyn House at Ewell Castle School in Ewell Village, Surrey.

Ewell Castle School is set across four sites. The Senior School and Prep face each other on Church Street. The Sixth Form centre is on the High Street. And Chessington Lodge, home to a cluster of Sixth Form classrooms, a fitness suite and a dance studio, is around the corner on Spring Street.

The Senior School is the main campus, set on a 15-acre site – once the grounds of the now-demolished Nonsuch Palace built by Henry VIII.

The centrepiece is ‘The Castle’, a Grade II-listed mansion built in 1814. A cluster of purpose-built buildings have been added including a music pavilion; the Budgell Building (dining hall and humanities classrooms); a sports hall; and The Pledger (maths and science). The former stables are now the DT and computing departments.

The Prep School (Reception to 6) is across the road at Glyn House, the former St Mary’s Church vicarage built in 1838. The Prep campus includes five acres of gorgeous grounds including a charming almost-secret walled garden. There’s also a netball court, grassed sports pitch, Forest School and built-in table tennis tables, plus an outdoor learning area which includes a teepee with solar-powered heating and lights. It looks super pretty. And at Christmas I’m told it’s even more magical when it becomes the school’s Christmas grotto.

Glyn House, like The Castle, is a stunning period number that oozes character and history. And like its bigger sibling across the road, it’s also Grade II-listed which means it can’t be altered. As a result, classes are kept small.

In autumn 2022, the Sixth Form centre – Fitzalan House – opened in the village. There are classrooms, study rooms and careers facilities here. Although some Sixth Form lessons are also held at Chessington Lodge on Spring Street.

SPORT

A student playing tennis at Ewell Castle School in Surrey.

Sport is huge at Ewell Castle. And this relatively small school punches well above its weight at a local, regional and national level.

The biggie here is the school’s Tennis Academy, a scholarship programme open to elite athletes. There are more than 30 elite players in the academy – a massive jump from just four players in 2020. In the words of Principal Silas Edmonds, the school has moved from being ‘the underdog’ to a ‘plucky young upstart’. Ewell Castle Tennis Academy is ranked number 2 in the UK at U18, and in 2022 was awarded the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) Surrey Tennis School of the Year. In 2024, the school opened three new floodlit state-of-the-art clay tennis courts.

The school also runs a Cricket Academy, which has four elite members who are individually coached.

Outside of elite sports, the usuals are offered – football, rugby, cricket, netball – with fixtures played at Prep and Senior School level against local schools. Children can also do athletics, badminton, basketball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, cross country, hockey and volleyball. The school has also introduced golf for some of the older pupils who play at nearby Cuddington Golf Course.

Sports facilities at the Senior School are superb – there’s a large air conditioned sports hall with indoor cricket nets, grass playing fields and, of course, the clay tennis courts.

The school makes use of Epsom Hockey Club’s all-weather astro pitch, which is a five-minute walk from the school as well as facilities at Ewell Cricket Club and Epsom and Sutton Rugby Club (both around 5 minutes’ drive). Swimming lessons are at Cheam Leisure Centre for all Prep pupils.

THE ARTS

A school production at Ewell Castle School in Ewell Village, Surrey.

The original ballroom in The Castle is a multi-purpose performing arts space. Productions and musicals are also held here throughout the year, and also at Epsom Playhouse, so the pupils get to experience what it’s like producing and performing on a professional stage. For Sixth Form students, there’s the opportunity to join the Performing Arts Academy, which offers timetabled training in Dance, Drama and Music – a two-year course that follows the Trinity College London syllabus.

The music pavilion was added only about six years ago and includes two sound-proof practice pods, a music tech suite, recording studio, practice rooms and a keyboard room. There are 20 peripatetic music teachers who teach a range of individual music lessons to about 20% of pupils.

THE ACADEMICS

Students in a science lab at Ewell Castle School in Surrey.

If you’re looking for a hothouse, this isn’t it. But it’s not a soft option either. Ewell Castle is committed to the needs of each pupil, and wellbeing is at the centre of everything. There’s an emphasis on discovering strengths, building confidence and emotional intelligence, and fostering intellectual curiosity.

The school follows the High Performance Learning (HPL) programme – one of only a handful of school in the UK to do so. HPL is a teaching framework based on research into how children learn. It’s designed to help children develop advanced thinking skills and learning behaviours.

The school works hard to tap into the talents and likes of each pupil. It’s a place where those who need additional support will get it, and where the more academically able will also reach their full potential.

The school prides itself on its value added score – and in 2024 achieved the highest GCSE results ever. Results showed 86% of pupils achieved grades 9-5 (A*-C) and 41% achieved 9-7 (A*-A).

At A-Level, 28% of students achieved A*-A; 56% achieved A*-B; and 85% gained A*-C. Pupils went on to universities including Oxford, Warwick, Bristol and Exeter. Previously leavers destinations include Aston in Birmingham, Brunel, Cardiff, Loughborough, Leeds Beckett, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent, Portsmouth, Reading, Roehampton, Royal Holloway, Surrey, Sussex, St George’s London, King’s College London, Leeds Conservatoire and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Each year one or two pupils go to US universities on full sport scholarships, and four or five pupils go on to do degree apprenticeships.

In 2024, Ewell Castle joined the HMC (The Heads’ Conference) – a mark of global quality and innovation in education. HMC schools believe in holistic education where academics are coupled with excellent pastoral care and co-curricular opportunities.

SIXTH FORM

Students at Ewell Castle School in Ewell Village, Surrey.

Year 12 and 13 students are based at Fitzalan House in Ewell Village with some classrooms at Chessington Lodge. Nicknamed Costa Castle, due to its handy location next door to Costa Coffee, it is a space where Sixth Formers study and relax. The Director of Sixth Form and careers guidance staff are based here.

LITTLIES

Prep School pupils at Ewell Castle School in Surrey.

Children start at Ewell Castle School in Reception. It’s one-form entry in from Reception to Year 2, and from Year 3 up it’s two-form. Much focus is on creating a supportive and nurturing environment for children. Each pupil in Reception is assigned a Key Practitioner and this member of staff is responsible for monitoring the pupils’ progress and welfare throughout the year.

Alongside dedicated class teachers, there’s specialist teaching for Forest School, sport, music, art, DT and French.

Georgina Bean is acting head at Ewell Castle Prep, stepping into the role in 2024. She’s knows the school well, having been deputy head teacher since 2017. She also has two sons at the school. Before Ewell Castle, she was assistant head at Hazelwood School in Oxted, and before that assistant head at a large comprehensive in Richmond for about 8 years. Georgina is secondary school trained in design technology, so she brings a hug amount of expertise to the role.

A hands-on head, she’s big on creating opportunity for all and creating strong partnerships with parents. Her door is always open, for parents and pupils. And she’s still in the classroom too, teaching DT to the Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils. She’s also in the Reception classroom once a week, reading stories to the children.

PASTORAL CARE

Pupils in the playground at Ewell Castle School in Surrey.

One of the school’s major calling cards is pastoral care. Ewell Castle prides itself on giving pupils the chance to find their own way – to discover what they enjoy and what they’re good at.

The fact it’s a small school with small classes means that all children are known and recognised very quickly. And the family-friendly vibe means there are strong relationships between pupils, parents and staff.

The Ewellness Programme is an all-encompassing programme that aims to promote wellbeing and good mental health, and build resilience. Each pupil is assigned a form tutor who keeps track of academic progress and wellbeing throughout the year. For pupils in Years 7 and 8, there’s a peer mentoring scheme in which trained Sixth Formers offer support and guidance. And like most schools, there’s an active house system.

An entire wing in the Senior School is devoted to learning support, so it’s unsurprising the school comes with an excellent reputation in this area. It’s situated deliberately out of the way, and has been designed to be low-sensory. A mural on the wall at one end shows a lighthouse, there as a beacon and guiding light, which is a nice touch. But it’s the team of experts, who are most significant, which includes specialists in dyslexia and EAL (English as an Additional Language), ASD mentors and learning support assistants, as well as qualified counsellors and ELSAs.

There’s a Girls’ Empowerment Programme which promotes self-believe, resilience and aspirational thinking among girls. Guest speakers are invited to the school each term to talk to girls and provide positive role models. There’s also a Boys’ Progressive Masculinity Programme to empower boys to celebrate healthy masculinity whilst encouraging them to prioritise mental wellbeing.

THE HEAD

Silas Edmonds, the head at Ewell Castle School in Surrey.

Silas Edmonds has been Principal at Ewell Castle School for over five years, arriving in January 2019. Before taking the reins, he was at Surbiton High for almost 12 years, where he was Head of the Senior School and Acting Principal. And before Surbiton High, he was at Wallington County Grammar where he was Head of English and Assistant Head.

He’s friendly and down-to-earth, and is passionate about the school’s mixed ability status as well as tapping into the talents and strengths of every pupil. He says there’s no such thing as a ‘typical Ewell Castle child’ as each one is different and he believes the individual approach is what sets the school apart from others.

He also believes the school has a social responsibility. He’s big on diversity and inclusion and is keen for the school to be actively anti-racist and to tackle unconscious bias, rather than to simply raise awareness of racism. All staff at Ewell Castle have regular training in race equality.

QUIRKS

Alumni include Dusko Popov the Serbian double agent spy, who served as part of MI6 and German military intelligence during World War II. Popov was the inspiration for the character of James Bond. Acting grandee, Oliver Reed is also a former pupil.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Ewell Castle School has been awarded the Eco-School Green Flag with Distinction, the highest level of accreditation a school can receive for environmental action and learning. The Eco School organisation was particularly impressed with how sustainability had been embedded within the curriculum at both the Prep and Senior School sites.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Before-school care runs from 7.30am-8.30am for all children in the Prep – from Reception to Year 6. Breakfast is not provided, but children can bring their own drink and snack. After-school care runs until 6pm and is at Glyn House.

Co-curricular activities also run at the Prep School every day until 5pm and include clubs such as art, chess, judo, music groups, tennis, drama, ICT and football.

CO CURRICULAR

Pupils taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Ewell Castle School in Surrey.

Ewell Castle’s ethos is that there’s something for everyone whether you’re sporty, creative or academic, so it’s unsurprising that there’s a good co-curricular provision. In addition to sports fixtures and one-to-one coaching, there’s a range of activities on offer that cover pretty much anything you can thing of. Arty? There are lunchtime and after-school clubs covering various mediums as well as photography clubs. Into performing? There’s band practice, choir, chamber orchestra, concerts and recitals, drama clubs, an indie band, a pop choir and Lamda, among others. The school is also big on the Duke of Edinburgh Award and all pupils will take part in the Bronze. Many also go to do the Silver and Gold Awards.

ISI REPORT

The most recent full ISI inspection took place in May 2018 – you can read the report here. A Regulatory Compliance Inspection took place in September 2022. Read that report here.

FEES

2024-25: Fees are paid termly. The cost for Reception is £3,920; in year 1 and 2, it’s £4,410; and in Years 3 to 6 the cost is £4,985. Years 7 to 13 are £7,135 per term. Lunch is extra.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Children at the Forest School at Ewell Castle School in Surrey.

The happy and welcoming vibe and strong sense of community is a big draw for families. They also like the all-through aspect which takes stress out of the 11+ process and the transition to Senior School. Parents also love the small class sizes and excellent pastoral care.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Ewell Castle is an unpretentious school that taps into the best in children. Sporty kids will do particularly well – the school shines in this department and has the silverware to back that up. It’s academically strong, without being hothousey. Anyone wanting the ease of keeping their kids at the same school from 4-18.

Not for: Ewell Castle’s relaxed vibe and mixed-ability cohort might not suit more overtly ambitious parents.

Dare to disagree? A Prep and Senior School open morning will be on Sat 1 Feb 2025. There will be a Senior School open mornings on Mon 10 March and Tues 10 June. A Reception discovery morning is on Sat 15 March, and a Prep open morning on Wed 30 April. Info here. Take a virtual tour here.

Ewell Castle Senior School, Church Street, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey, KT17 2AW. Tel: 020 8393 1413

Ewell Castle Prep School, Glyn House, 11 Church Street, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey, KT17 2AP. Tel: 020 8394 3579.

Ewell Castle School, Ewell

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