WHAT? WHERE?

Girls at a desk at Rowan Prep, Claygate, Surrey

Rowan Prep is an independent day school for girls aged 2-11 in the lovely village of Claygate, near Esher. The school is set over two sites, about half a mile apart, in a quiet residential area of the village. Rowan Brae is the pre-prep for girls aged 2-7 (preschool to year 2) and Rowan Hill is for girls aged 7-11 (years 3-6). The school is part of the United Learning family.

There are just over 300 girls on the register – with about 40% at the Brae and 60% at the Hill. It’s a two-class entry at the Brae rising to a three class from year 3-6. Entry is selective, but it’s a gentle process. At reception, it’s based on a Discovery Day, and from years 1-6 girls are invited to experience a day at Rowan which includes academic assessments and teacher observation.

Rowan was founded in 1936 by Katherine Miller who wanted to instil in her pupils a strong sense of self, a passion for learning and a sense of community. That tradition still continues today – there’s a warm and friendly vibe with a strong family feel. There’s a saying: ‘once a Rowan girl, always a Rowan girl. And this sums up the school and its ethos pretty well.

FACILITIES

The school is small, but perfectly formed on each site. Both the pre-prep and prep are based in former Victorian houses that have been extended as the school has grown. Rowan Hill is bigger with a more extensive playground that feels a lot like someone’s back garden. And this no doubt contributes to the warm and homely vibe at Rowan. There’s a lovely wooded area called The Spinney, an impressive treehouse, mini allotment, outdoor performing space, living willow dome, plus an all-weather astro playground. A garden room is used for music, drama and philosophy lessons, among other things. And the school is situated at Claygate’s highest point, which means it has lovely views over the surrounding area.

Inside, there are specialist classrooms for science, music, performing arts, art and technology. There’s also an engineering and technology suite, library, and school hall used for lunch, assemblies, sport and school productions.

At Rowan Brae, you’ll find specialist classrooms for drama and music, a library and a school hall used for lunch, gym, drama, dance and assemblies. There’s a practical all-weather playground and a multi-sensory area that includes a mud pit, willow den and a grassy mound (called The Hill), and for the preschool and reception classrooms, there’s a dedicated connecting outdoor space.

Sports-wise, most of the facilities are off-site, although there are netball goals at Rowan Hill. Most sports happen at a site about a mile away shared with Surbiton High, also part of United Learning. There are netball and tennis courts, astroturf and grass pitches, and an athletics tracks. There’s also a wooded area for Forest School and outdoor learning. Girls are also bussed to an indoor heated pool for lessons.

SPORT

Girls lined up doing shot putt at Rowan Prep, Claygate, Surrey

There’s a strong sports programme at Rowan. The girls do particularly well with some competing at county and national levels. The emphasis here is on participation and ‘sport for all’ – although talent is supported and celebrated.

PE, games and swimming are taught as specialist subjects from reception to year 6. Girls also take part in sporting fixtures against other schools, as well as the school’s own inter-house tournaments and events. The girls have achieved recent successes at regional athletics and IAPS sporting events.

THE ARTS

Girls doing drama at Rowan Prep, Claygate, Surrey

Like sport, performing arts is strong, as is music. Both music and drama are taught as specialist subjects from preschool up to year 6. In year 1, girls take part in the Rowan Strings Initiative, where they have violin or cello lessons. A huge number of girls (95%) learn instruments – many learn two or three, and some four. And to go with that there’s an orchestra as well as various musical ensembles.

School productions are staged by year groups throughout the year, and the girls also take part in external music and drama events, sometimes with other United Learning schools. The girls at Rowan also love to sing – there are four choirs including chamber choir and Rowan singers. Most girls participate in music and drama examinations including LAMDA, achieving excellent outcomes.

LITTLIES

happy children smiling at Rowan Prep, Claygate, Surrey

Children start at age 2-3 in the Squirrels moving up to Hedgehogs at 3-4 years. But even before that many will have attended the free toddler sessions at Rowan Brae. These are held in the preschool classrooms each week when the Squirrels and Hedgehogs are at Forest School.

ACADEMICS

girls in class at Rowan Prep, Claygate, Surrey

Girls at Rowan achieve to a high academic standard – and this is reflected in their senior school and scholarship offers.

Specialist subjects are taught from preschool (PE, music, drama, languages) and these increase as the girls move up the school. From year 1, philosophy is taught as a specialist subject, and from year 2 computing and art is added. By year 3 most classes are specialist taught.

The STEM subjects are an important part of the school’s learning project and this is enhanced with additional programmes.

Girls in year 6 typically move on to their first choice of senior school, many with a scholarship in hand. There’s a supportive process in place to help guide families in their search for the right senior school – and this is reflected in the wide range of schools girls move on to. It’s all about matching the right school to the girl.

The 2024 cohort achieved 25 scholarships and award offers among all the pupils, and girls accepted places at ACS Cobham, Claremont Fan Court, Epsom College, Guildford High School, Lady Eleanor Holles, Manor House School, Reigate Grammar, Sir William Perkins’s, St John’s Leatherhead, St Theresa’s Effingham, Surbiton High, Tolworth Girls, Tormead and Wimbledon High.

PASTORAL CARE

Children playing outside at Rowan Prep, Claygate, Surrey

One of the first things you’ll notice about Rowan Prep is the close sense of community, which helps to create strong foundations for excellent pastoral care. The school has a well-earned reputation for being a nurturing and happy place – like a big happy family. The fact it’s a small school helps a lot – every girl is known by staff and they’ll notice even small changes in demeanour.

There’s a focus on instilling in each girl self confidence, self awareness and understanding. And during their time at Rowan, each girl develops their own toolkit of strategies to help them manage any difficulties they come across in life.

Pastoral care starts with the class teacher or form tutor as the first port of call, and there are trained wellbeing staff on hand. Relationships are strong here – between pupils and staff, and parents and staff – and an open-door policy means that the lines of communication are clear and open both ways. Wellbeing extends to families too, through the Parent Partnership Programme which offers talks and workshops hosted by various experts.

As well as a dedicated Wellbeing Week, the school also offers mindfulness clubs and places a great emphasis on encouraging the girls to enjoy the school’s outdoor spaces like the Spinney. And then there’s Otto, a 2.5 year old miniature dachshund who earned his stripes whilst with Mrs Raja at Croydon High, and has settled in very well at Rowan Prep. The girls LOVE him.

On a more formal level, tracking systems are in place to monitor the wellbeing of each child, and staff meet regularly to discuss pupils on both a pastoral and academic level.

THE HEAD

Sarah Raja, head teacher, and pupils at Rowan Prep, Claygate, Surrey

Sarah Raja joined Rowan Prep in January 2023, coming from an eight year stint as head of the junior school at Croydon High School. Before that, she was at Sutton High School – also for eight years.

Warm, chatty and engaging, she’s a strong advocate for single-sex education particularly for girls which, she says, offers a safe space for girls to develop fundamental attributes like self-confidence and self-awareness early on.

She’s fortunate to have inherited a school that is already doing what it does, extremely well, and says that she’ll be making tweaks initially, rather than any major changes. She wants to build on what the school already has in place – the strong foundations for developing confidence, curiosity and a love of learning in the Rowan girls.

Teaching was in her DNA, it seems, as she knew from a fairly young age that she wanted to go into education. She’s married to a teacher, and has two sons.

QUIRKS

If there’s anything quirky about Rowan Prep it’s how you say the name – it’s pronounced Rah-wan.

WRAP AROUND CARE

A girl in class at Rowan Prep, Claygate, Surrey

You can drop your little darlings off at 7.45am for the breakfast club and then collect by 6pm if you need to. And the great thing is, it’s totally flexible. The after-school club – called the Prep Club at the Hill and Activity Club at the pre-prep – also includes high tea and homework will be supervised for the older kids. There are loads of clubs – everything from African drumming and orchestra to judo, rugby, swimming, sewing and ski club – which kids often do before joining the Prep Club.

ISI REPORT

The most recent ISI inspection was in May 2022, which found the school to be ‘outstanding’ across the board. You can read the full report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Children up to Year 5 are not permitted to bring mobiles phones into school. In Year 6, girls who may walk to and from school are permitted to bring phones in, but they must be signed in to the office during school hours.

TRANSPORT

Most pupils at Rowan Prep live with in five miles of the school in a catchment that include Claygate, Esher, Cobham, Long Ditton, Hinchley Wood, Weybridge and Surbiton. There are three mini-bus routes that run in the mornings only and cover most of these areas.

FEES

2024-25: Preschool fees start at £480 a term for one morning session rising to £2,400 a term for five morning sessions a week. Reception is £4,820 per term, Years 1 and 2 is £5,530 and Years 3 to 6 is £6,396.

The fees at Rowan include lunches, specialist support, extension and preparation for 11+. Breakfast club and the after school clubs are extra.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Rowan school blazer, bag and musical instrument.

Parents value the nurturing vibe and family feel of the school, as well as the high academic standards. Children at Rowan are happy and they do well.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: What girl wouldn’t thrive here? It’s family-focussed, offers a great all-rounder education and excellent academics.

Not for: Parents preferring a co-ed education: it’s strictly girls only.

Dare to disagree? Take a look for yourself! There is an open event on Sat 5 Oct. Private tours are also available. Register here.

Rowan Prep 6 Fitzalan Road, Claygate, Esher, Surrey, KT10 0LX

Rowan Pre-prep, 41 Gordon Road, Claygate, Esher, Surrey, KT10 0PJ

rowanprepschool.co.uk

Rowan Prep School, Claygate

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