Wetherby School Explained

Wetherby School
(Pre-prep)
Motto:Care, Share and Be Fair
Established:1951
Type:Private pre-prep day school
Head:Paul David
Country:England
Postcode:W2 4ED
Ofsted:yes
Urn:100519
Dfeno:207/6189
Gender:Male
Lower Age:2
Upper Age:8
Colours:Grey, Red

Wetherby School is a group of private schools for boys aged two to eighteen in Notting Hill, Kensington, and Marylebone, London, owned and operated by the Inspired Education Group. Its prep school is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools.

The school is named after Wetherby Place, in turn named after a West Yorkshire town, Wetherby, and should not be confused with Wetherby High School, a local secondary school.

It has several notable former pupils, including William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and the actor Hugh Grant.

History

Wetherby School was founded in 1951 as a pre-preparatory school for boys aged 4–8. In 2004 it opened a preparatory department (known as Wetherby Prep, and intended to be a separate school) in a nearby building, allowing boys to stay on until the age of 13. The prep school has since moved to its current location in Marylebone.

The school's original building, in 1951, was in Wetherby Place in South Kensington (hence the name, Wetherby School) but in 1971 it moved to its present building in Pembridge Square, on the other side of Kensington Gardens. The school building is a white stucco double fronted Victorian house in the Italianate style typical of Notting Hill and Holland Park architecture, constructed in about 1850. It is on the south side of Pembridge Square, a private garden square with keyholder-only access which the boys use as their playground.

In 2020 the school was recognized as one of the world's 100 leading schools by The Schools Index.[1]

Admissions

Pupils are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and operates, therefore, no entrance examination, test or interview. The result is that the school caters for boys of many different abilities and talents.

Uniform

The boys wear a uniform of grey shorts, grey blazers with red trim, white shirts and plain red ties; and a grey peaked cap. The school logo "WS" in red is on the cap and on the breast pocket of the blazer.

Wetherby Preparatory School

Wetherby Preparatory School
Established:2004
2015 (senior school)
Type:Private day school
Head:Mark White
City:London
Postcode:W1H 2EA
Urn:134822
Dfeno:213/6395
Enrolment:374
Gender:Male
Lower Age:7
Upper Age:13

In 2004, Wetherby expanded to open a prep division for boys aged 7 to 13, sited in Bryanston Square, London. In September 2012, Wetherby Prep was awarded 'Prep School of the Year' at the annual Tatler School Awards at the Dorchester Hotel.[2]

Wetherby Senior School

Wetherby Senior School
Established:2004
2015 (senior school)
Type:Private day school
Head:Joe Silvester
Address:Senior:100 Marylebone Lane
City:London
Country:United Kingdom
Postcode:W1U 2QB
Local Authority:City of Westminster
Urn:142336
Dfeno:213/6395
Enrolment:400
Gender:Male
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:18

Due to popular demand, Wetherby Senior School for boys aged 11 to 18 opened for its first intake in September 2015.[3] [4] It is located at the former premises of DLD College London on Marylebone Lane, a ten-minute walk away from the prep school.

Wetherby School Kensington

Wetherby Kensington School
Established:2017
Type:Private day school
Head:Helen Milnes
Address:4 Wetherby Gardens
City:London
Postcode:SW5 0JN
Local Authority:Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Urn:144516
Dfeno:207/6013
Enrolment:150
Gender:Male
Lower Age:4
Upper Age:8

Wetherby School Kensington is the most recent school to join the Wetherby family, with their doors opening in September 2017. Wetherby School Kensington is situated on Wetherby Gardens in Kensington, which is the same street that the original Wetherby School was based back in 1951, and takes boys from Reception – Year 3 (4–8 years old).

Alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: August 26, 2020 . Top Ten UK Prep Schools . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20200922115458/https://www.spearswms.com/the-uks-top-10-prep-schools/ . September 22, 2020 . Spear's.
  2. News: Tatler School Awards 2012. Tatler. 12 September 2012.
  3. News: You could open a school in a cowshed and still fill it. Times Educational Supplement. 7 March 2014.
  4. News: Wetherby Senior School Opens in Marylebone. Alpha Plus Group.