Age Range. 2–11.
Number of Pupils. 290.
Fees per term (2023-2024). Little Chicks: £1,290 (min. 3 mornings). Kindergarten: £2,150 (min. 5 mornings). Lower School: £4,430; Upper School £6,040.
Chinthurst is located between the Surrey villages of Walton on the Hill and Tadworth, close to Epsom, Banstead, Kingswood and Reigate, and is rated ‘Excellent in all areas’ by the independent Schools Inspectorate (March 2023). Founded in 1908, it is a co-educational day school and nursery for children aged 2 to 11, and a junior school of the multi award-winning senior school, Reigate Grammar. Central to the school’s ethos is a bespoke and comprehensive wellbeing programme called Wellbeing at Heart, which has been designed to help children understand how their bodies and minds work, and give them the skills to navigate life’s inevitable challenges.
Building strong relationships is a key part of this approach and ensures children know they are truly valued as individuals. This gives them the confidence to try new things and the resilience to learn from their mistakes. Most importantly, the children are really happy, and visitors often comment on the buzz of energy, warmth of atmosphere and sense of fun around the school buildings and grounds. Chinthurst was shortlisted for an ISP 2022 Independent School of the Year award in the wellbeing category in recognition of this.
Sport is an important part of life at Chinthurst, and school teams are extremely successful in a variety of sports. Boys and girls at Chinthurst choose the sport they want to play and are not constrained by gender norms, and the school’s competitive teams reflect this gender mix. The children love it, seeing themselves as equals on the pitch with no preconceived limitations. Chinthurst was named 2022 Independent School of the Year for Sporting Achievement in recognition of this ground-breaking approach to gender and sport. A strong extracurricular programme provides additional sporting opportunities, as well as a broad range of other popular clubs, including dance, drama, martial arts and craft.
An emphasis on outdoor learning means the children spend as much of the timetable as possible learning outside and younger children enjoy regular forest skills sessions in addition to this. Every child is a member of one of four Houses and this gives them a sense of belonging and peer support, as well as providing plenty of opportunities for friendly inter-house competitions.
The school is renowned for their music, drama and art provision. The children gain outstanding marks in LAMDA drama exams and there is a strong peripatetic music programme. There are many opportunities to perform throughout the year at assemblies, musical showcases and drama productions as well as in choirs and ensembles. Standards are always extremely high and the children also enjoy performing in the community and at local festivals. A well-equipped art studio allows the children to explore their creative potential.
Academic outcomes are excellent and children leave as well-rounded individuals with an enthusiasm for life which is very much a reflection of the Chinthurst spirit. Most move on to Reigate Grammar School and the remaining children move to other top senior schools, both locally and further afield.
Charitable status. Chinthurst School is a Registered Charity, number 1081898.