Ewell Castle is an independent, co-educational day school on the Surrey/SW London borders. It was built as a castellated mansion in 1814. It offers Early Years (Reception) Preparatory School, Senior School and a Sixth Form.
The gardens and playing fields of the Senior School cover some 15 acres and were once part of Nonsuch Park. The Senior School is accommodated at The Castle. The Preparatory School is based at Glyn House, the former Rectory to the parish church, opposite the Senior School. Further Sixth Form teaching and study facilities are housed in nearby Fitzalan House in Ewell Village High Street, as well as at the Chessington Lodge site.
The School, which was founded in 1926, is registered as an educational charity and is administered by a Board of Governors, which is in membership of AGBIS (Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools). The Principal is a member of The Society of Heads and HMC (The Heads' Conference) and the Head of the Preparatory School is a member of IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools).
The total School roll across the Prep, Senior and Sixth Form comprises 650 pupils.
Buildings. The School is located on four sites within the village of Ewell: Chessington Lodge accommodating some Sixth Form lessons, Glyn House accommodating the Preparatory School (6–11 years), the Castle accommodating the Senior School (11–16 years) and Fitzalan House in Ewell Village which is the main Sixth Form hub (16–18 years). Recent capital developments since the last ISYB update consist of the upgrade of the tennis courts which now consist of three floodlight clay courts on the Senior School site, which are for the whole School to use.
School mission. We will inspire our children and young people to thrive, engaging them to excel in a creative and academic environment. We will instil a growth mindset to develop confidence, contentment and emotional intelligence.
We are a genuinely mixed ability co-educational selective day school.
Aims and ethos. We are a vibrant learning community, inspiring every child to thrive: discovering strengths, deepening intellectual curiosity and cultivating wellbeing.
Values. Personal integrity, mutual respect, social responsibility and lifelong resilience.
Organisation. The school is a co-ed through school. The Preparatory School is co-educational and accepts pupils from four years of age. Most pupils transfer to the Senior School. The Sixth Form has been co-educational since September 2013 and the Senior School became fully co-educational in September 2015.
Curriculum. National Curriculum requirements are incorporated into Senior and Preparatory School schemes, although the broad and flexible curriculum extends beyond such criteria. Breadth at KS3 (11–13 years) is replaced at KS4 (14–16 years) by a core of Mathematics, English, Science and PSHE, supplemented by a wide-ranging options scheme covering the languages, arts, humanities and technologies. There is an increased range of subjects available.
HPC (High Performance Culture). Our high performance culture at Ewell Castle School includes a number of initiatives; these involve NACE and High Performance Learning.
Careers. Work experience is undertaken by pupils in Year 11. Specialist HE/Careers guidance is available and starts at the Prep School with more one-to-one careers and UCAS advice provided in the Sixth Form. After the Sixth Form the majority of pupils proceed to universities and colleges, with most pupils achieving their first choice of institution.
Eco-School and sustainability. The School has been awarded Eco-School Green Flag with Distinction and the organisation was particularly impressed with how different departments have embedded sustainability within their curriculum at both the Prep and Senior School sites.
Co-Curricular activities. The principle sports are rugby, football, hockey, tennis and cricket. In addition, there are numerous pursuits which include: athletics, badminton, basketball, skiing, table tennis and tennis. There is an extensive music and drama programme, and other activities such as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme (Bronze, Silver and Gold). Regular foreign language, sports and enrichment trips embarked for America, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Japan, Morocco and Spain in recent years.
Tennis Academy. Our elite Tennis Academy is ranked second in the UK in the LTA Youth Schools Boys at 18U. We also offer a Cricket Academy to pupils playing at county standard.
Performing Arts Award. We offer a Performing Arts Award which consists of timetabled training in all three of the core disciplines of Dance, Drama and Music, developing confident and able performers, with opportunities to experience professional performance platforms.
The School benefits from an active PTA.
Admissions. Girls and boys are admitted to the Preparatory School at the age of four; for Reception to Year 6, children attend a taster day, with assessments through observation in the classroom. Children applying at 11+ attend the School assessment day in November for entry into the Senior School and Sixth Form the following academic year.
At the Senior School, the standard points of entry are at 11+ and 16+. Subject to availability, there may be places at other levels. Entry requirements include a report from the current/previous school and written assessments.
Visitors are welcome to the School on scheduled Open Days or by appointment with the Registrar.
Scholarships. Scholarships are available for pupils entering the school at 11+, 13+ and 16+. At 11+, awards are made on the basis of competitive examination/assessment in the designated category. Awards are made for Academic excellence and also in the categories of Art, Design and Technology, Drama, Music, Dance, Performing Arts and Photography (both Sixth Form only) and Sport. The scholarship assessments take place at the end of November. Full details on the School website.
Who we are. We are a mixed-ability through school that offers children aged 4–18 the benefits of a family-friendly atmosphere while maintaining a stimulating and rigorous academic programme. Our Sixth Formers go on to Russell Group universities, degree apprenticeships and colleges in the USA, to study medicine, law, veterinary science, maths, engineering, computer science, business, economics and a host of other courses. We care about the holistic needs of the individual child, and this is facilitated by small class sizes, a personalised and high-performance approach as well as an absolute commitment to wellbeing.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Senior School £7,135; Preparatory School (Years 1–6) £4,410-£4,985; and Reception £3,915.
Charitable status. Ewell Castle School is a Registered Charity, number 312079. The aim of the charity is to achieve potential and excellence over a broad field: in academic, in sport, in the arts, and in numerous other extracurricular activities and aspects of school life.
Governors & Staff:
Chairman of the Governing Body: Mr C Griffith
Principal: Mr Silas Edmonds, MA, NPQH, FRSA
Head of Senior School and Whole School Vice Principal: Mr S Leigh, BA, PGCE (DSL)
Head of Preparatory School: Mrs G Bean, PGDip, PGCE, BA (Deputy DSL)
Senior School Deputy Head (Academic): Mrs B Hart, BSc
Bursar: Ms J Abraham, BSc, FCCA
Director of Marketing, Development & Alumni: Ms C Hernandez, BA, CIM Grad Dip
Registrar: Mrs E Porter, BA, CIM Grad Dip
Heads of Department:
Art & Design & Photography: Ms D Carrick, BA, PgDip, PGCE, NPQSL
Business: Mrs R Rudd, BA,QTS
Dance: Mrs R Brown, BA, PGCE
Computer Science and Information Technology: Mr J Viegas Ratola BA, MMus
Design Technology: Mrs K Bishop, BEd, QTS
Drama: Mr L Bader-Clynes, BA, RADA Dip
Economics: Mrs S Bolland BA, PGCE, QTS
English: Ms K Wallace, BA, PGCE
Geography: Miss N Maskell, BSc, PGCE
History & Classics: Mr J C W Blencowe, BA, PGCE
Learning Support: Miss S Kuti, BA, QTS, PGCert NASENCO
Mathematics: Mr J Baldwin, BSc, QTS
Modern Foreign Languages: Miss P Hernandez, Licence LLC, PGCE (Deputy DSL)
Music: Miss H McCall, BMus, PGCE, QTS
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Mrs H Mundy, BA, PGCE
Physical Education: Mr N Turk, BSc, GTP
Politics: Mrs E Harrison, BA, PGCE
Psychology: Mrs G Evans, BSc, PGCE
Science: Mrs M Hilding Ohlsson, BA, PGCE
Sociology: Mrs G Evans, BSc, PGCE
Executive Assistant to the Principal: Mrs K El-Dahshan, BA Cantab