With more than 300 years of academic experience, LEH is a leading independent school for high-achieving girls aged 7-18. An LEH education gives them the courage, capability and confidence to make their mark on the world, and to lead fulfilling lives with integrity, ambition and a strong sense of moral purpose.
Our Vision. LEH provides girls with a distinctive education that prepares them to take their place at the table, in the room and in the world, in their chosen sphere.
Our Mission. LEH fosters a culture that supports every pupil to achieve excellence and success, both shared and individual, to be fulfilled, and to have significant impact in every way she chooses.
Our Values
•We choose to succeed.
•We rise to challenges.
•We lift those around us.
•We inspire trust.
•We encourage personal agency.
•We embrace joy and laughter.
LEH gives pupils new opportunities and experiences that spark their imagination and ignite their ambitions. We teach and mentor them to develop their resilience and create a community of support so that they are brave enough to step out of their comfort zones and discover the outer edges of their brilliance. Our role goes beyond the purely academic.
LEH exists to help pupils develop their whole selves and to expand their horizons so that they see what is possible, rather than what they could settle for. We build emotional intelligence, engage pupils with relatable role models and provide opportunities for collaboration and leadership. We encourage our pupils to have a strong sense of self, so that they can go forward to make significant and meaningful impact in the societies they help shape.
LEH is one of the oldest independent girls’ schools in the country, founded in 1710 in Cripplegate under the Will of the Lady Eleanor Holles. In 1937, the school moved to purpose-built premises in Hampton. Numerous additions to the building have enabled the school to increase to some 999 girls, aged from 7 to 18 years, who enjoy a wealth of specialist facilities and the use of 24 acres of playing fields and gardens. Fourteen science laboratories, Learning Resources Centre, Sixth Form Centre and a separate Sixth Form Library, a Product Design suite, extensive computing and multimedia language facilities and a dedicated Careers area are complemented by grass and hard tennis courts, netball courts, 5 lacrosse pitches, track and field areas and a full-sized, indoor heated swimming pool refurbished in 2017. A Boat House, shared with Hampton School, was opened in October 2000 and a large Sports Hall, adjacent to the swimming pool, in September 2001.
September 2012 saw the opening of a new Arts Centre consisting of a 300-seat theatre, new Music and Art Departments, and Sixth Form Common Rooms, followed in September 2013 by a new dining room, a new suite of classrooms, two dedicated Drama Studios, and a Conference Room.
In 2018 the Gateway Building opened with a state-of-the-art Computing suite, and Product Design facilities. Both of these subjects are now offered at A Level.
More recently, the Quadrant building provides dedicated teaching space for the English and Mathematics departments and a new Sixth Form expansion project completed at the end of 2024, provides more informal study space and a refurbished and extended café area overlooking the school playing fields.
Both the Junior and Senior Schools are equipped with a lift for people with disabilities.
The School’s Statement of Purpose embodies the original aim, to encourage every student to develop their personality to the full so that they may become a person of integrity and a responsible member of society. It also emphasises the value of a broad, balanced education which provides opportunities for students to achieve high academic standards within a framework of disciplined, independent study whilst giving due importance to sport, music and the creative arts in general.
The Curriculum. In Years 7 the curriculum is broad with subjects including two modern foreign languages, Latin, Computer Science, Product Design and ‘Life Advice’ (PSHE) lessons. Girls have some option to choose in year 9 with additional subjects such as Mandarin and Classical Civilisation being introduced. Selection rather than specialisation for GCSE allows girls to respond to individual abilities and attributes, and every pupil continues to experience a broad education in which as few doors as possible are closed. A large sixth form of over 200 students means that a wide choice of A Level subjects is offered with additional options such as Economics, History of Art, Politics and Psychology on offer. Students will study three or four A levels. The majority of Sixth formers take up the option of the Extended Project Qualification which they complete in the Lower Sixth. Curriculum enrichment, joint with Hampton school, offers a wide range of subjects beyond the curriculum from thinking skills to car maintenance. There is an emphasis on leadership roles and extra-curricular activities. All sixth form students move on to further training, with the majority going to Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, as well as some North American universities. The supportive Careers programme, which begins in Year 9, continues throughout the school and uses external specialists, parents, past pupils, as well as the School’s own, trained staff.
Extra-Curricular Activity. A key strength of the school is the range and diversity of its flourishing extra-curricular provision. Some 120 clubs run each week ranging from Music, Drama and Sports to Outward Bound, CCF and subject clubs, all aiming to stimulate further and inculcate a love of learning outside the classroom. Sixth Formers lead a number of groups which focus on various political, environmental and ethical issues, including ‘Model United Nations’, ‘Amnesty’ and Eco-Squad. Sixth Formers are encouraged to take the initiative and form their own clubs with a Medic Group, Law Society and Book Club formed in the recent past. The School is very much at the heart of the local community and has developed a wide range of activities to ensure that students are aware of their social responsibilities, including Service Volunteers which works with disadvantaged local school children and the elderly, and running numerous activities in local primary schools, including language and drama clubs. Pupils are strongly encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities.
The Junior School (192 pupils aged 7–11) is accommodated in a separate building in the grounds. It is an integral part of the whole school community and uses many of the specialist facilities available for Seniors.
(See entry in the IAPS section for more details.) Entrance. Pupils may enter the Junior School from the age of 7, the Senior School at 11 years, and Sixth Form at 16 years. LEH Junior School pupils are guaranteed places in the Senior School (other than in exceptional circumstances). All external applicants must sit the School’s competitive entrance examinations, which are held in November for Sixth Form entry and December (7+ and 11+) each year, for admission in the following September. There are no internal hurdles for entry to Sixth Form. Registration and Entrance Examination Fee is £150, or £200 for overseas applications.
Scholarships and Bursaries.
11+ Entry Academic Scholarships: Academic scholarships are expressed as percentages of the full fee and will thus keep pace with any fee increases. Awards are not means-tested and are for 10%. The awards are based solely on performance in the school’s own Entrance Examinations and subsequent interview.
Governors’ Bursaries: Candidates who sit entrance papers at any stage from 11+ onwards may be considered for a bursary award. These are available for up to 100% of fees, plus extras, and are means tested and subject to annual review.
Sixth Form Academic Scholarships: Scholarships worth 10% of fees over the two years of Sixth Form study are offered to internal and external candidates who sit the Sixth Form Entrance and Scholarship Examination in November before the year of proposed entry.
Music Scholarships: Both Scholarships and Exhibitions for Music are available at 11+ and 16+. These are for 10% and 7.5% of fees respectively, plus free tuition on one instrument. Candidates must satisfy academic requirements in entrance papers before being invited to a music audition. Full details are available from the school.
At 16+ only: Scholarships are also available in Art, Sport, Drama and STEM (one in each).
Fees per term 2024-2025. £6,869 in the Junior School; £8,294 in the Senior School, excluding 20% VAT. Fees are inclusive of books and stationery and exclusive of Public Examination fees.
Former Pupils’ Association. Holles Connect. Address for communications: Alumnae Administrator c/o Lady Eleanor Holles; email: alumnae@lehs.org.uk.
Governors & Staff:
The Cripplegate Schools Foundation
Chairman of the Board of Governors: Mr D H King, BSc, FCA
Vice-Chair: Mrs D Warman, BA (Hons), CFPID
Governors:
Mrs S Aziz, LLB
Ms S Bhasin
Ms A Blair, LLB
Mr P Davies
Mr M George
Mrs S Haggipavlou, BSC, FCA
Mrs A Heau, BA (Hons)
Mr S Hotchin, MA, BA (Hons)
Mr R J Milburn, MA, FCA
Mrs B Parson, CertEd, BEd Hons
Mr D Sandhu, BA (Hons), ACA
Mr T Woffenden, BA (Hons), MA, PGCE
Clerk to the Governors: Mrs R Peasnell, PgDip LP College of Law
Head Mistress: Mrs Rowena Cole, BSc, PGCE, MBA
Deputy Head: Dr D James, PhD King’s College London
Deputy Head Pastoral: Mrs A Poyner, BSc Exeter, MBA
Head of Junior School: Mrs P Mortimer, BEd Oxon
Director of Finance and Operations: Mr M Berkowitch, BSc, JD
Director of Teaching & Innovation: Mr D Piper, BA King’s College London
Director of Development & Communications, Mrs L Day, MSc King’s College London
Director of Outreach & Co-curricular, Dr R Taylor, PhD Brighton
Head of Sixth Form: Mr M Tompsett, MA Cantab
Head of Upper School: Ms F Ellison, MA Cantab
Head of Middle School: Mrs K Sinnett, BA Cantab
Senior School
Art and Design:
Mrs D Howorth, BA Hons Staffordshire (Head of Art)
Mr L Curtis, BA Slade School of Art, MA Royal College of Art
Miss E Hollaway. MA Wimbledon College of Arts
Ms A E Seaborn, BA Winchester School of Art
Miss S White, BA University of the Arts
Miss D Wellesley, BA Edinburgh
Classics:
Miss K C Eltis, BA Oxon (Head of Classics)
Mrs R Brown, BA Durham (Head of Year U5)
Ms Flora Ellison, MA Cantab (Head of Upper School)
Miss E Lewis, BA MA UCL
Mr D Piper, BA King’s College London (Director of Teaching & Innovation)
Miss L Spriggs, BA Durham
Computing:
Mr D Lawley, BSc Sheffield Hallam (Head of Computing)
Mr S Hughes, BA Lancashire, MA Bath Spa
Mr T Tovell, BA Essex
Miss E Lewis, MA University College (Manager of Digital Teaching and Learning)
Drama and Theatre Studies:
Miss S Torrent, BA Greenwich (Director of Drama)
Miss Victoria Bedford, MA Royal Holloway (Head of Academic Drama)
Mrs E Keevil, BA Lancaster
Economics:
Miss C Livingstone, MA Oxford (Head of Economics)
Mr R Malone, BA Harvard, MA Virginia USA
English:
Mrs E Gwynne, MA Durham (Head of English)
Miss A-M Wright, MA Aberdeen (Deputy Head of English)
Miss H Barnett, BA Durham (Head of L6)
Mr M Grundy, BA Goldsmiths
Dr D James, PhD King’s College London (Deputy Head)
Mrs U Renton, MA Aberdeen
Ms K Vines, BA Manchester
Ms E Maxey, BA Reading
Food and Nutrition:
Mrs H Boczkowski, BSc Bath Spa (Head of Food and Nutrition)
Mrs M Spriggs, BA Hons Leeds Metropolitan
Geography:
Mr L M O’Rourke, BA Southampton (Head of Geography)
Mrs K Hanna, BSc Edinburgh
Mrs R Lockett, BA Southampton
Miss A Perlowska-Goose, BSc Reading, MSc Oxford
History of Art:
Miss A Lindsay, BA Manchester (Head of History of Art, Assistant Head of U6)
Ms A Farnum-Ford, MA Courtauld Institute of Art
History and Politics:
Mrs N Miller, MA York (Head of History and Politics)
Mr N Allen, BA Nottingham
Mrs A M Bradshaw, MA St Andrews
Miss L Eades, MA Birmingham
Mrs B Farthing, BA Royal Holloway, University of London
Ms J FitzGerald, BA Newcastle, MA Central School of Speech & Drama (Head of Initial Teacher Training)
Mrs L Harding, BA Warwick (Head of L4)
Mathematics:
Mrs J Manns, BSc Sheffield (Head of Mathematics)
Mr S Blatch, MSc Oxford (Deputy Head of Mathematics)
Mrs N Banerjee, BA Delhi
Ms N Carden, BSc Leeds
Mr M Deacon, BSc Exeter
Mrs H Doshi, BSc City University London
Mr P Manns, BSc Essex (Head of Academic Information & Data)
Mrs M Najjar, BSc UCL
Miss R Nicholl, BSc King’s College London (Head of Year L5)
Miss J Orr, MMath Durham
Mr U Patel, BSc Hons Sussex, MA Ed Open University
Mrs A Poyner, BSc Exeter, MBA (Deputy Head Pastoral)
Mrs M Read, BSc Durham
Miss T Saunders, BSc University of Southampton
Mr C Sin, BSc, MSc Cardiff
Mrs K Sinnett, BA Cantab (Head of Middle School)
Modern Languages:
Mrs U Arrieta, BA Deusto, Bilbao (Head of Spanish)
Mr H Agulian, BA University College London (Head of French)
Mrs S Hewitt, MA Warwick (Head of German & Head of MFL)
Mrs A Buck, Universidad de Valencia, Spain (German and Spanish)
Ms R Hart, MA Oxon (Spanish, Head of PSHE)
Ms M-C McGreevy, BA Leeds, MA Bath (German and French)
Ms N Murray, BA, MA Leeds (French)
Mr H Ng (Mandarin)
Miss D Robbins, MA St Andrews (French)
Mrs A Rowe, BA Nottingham (French and German)
Mr M Tompsett, MA Cantab (German, Head of Sixth Form)
Music:
Mrs M Ashe, MA Oxon (Director of Music)
Mr B G Ashe, BA York, LRAM (Composer-in-Residence)
Miss C Overbury, MA Oxon
Ms A Prowse, BA Cambridge
Miss N Redman, BMus Manchester, MMus, GSMD (Head of Thirds)
Mr J Kennedy, BMUs Birmingham City
Mrs P Tate (Music and Drama Administrator)
Natural Sciences:
Miss L Mercer, BSc Edinburgh (Head of Science and Biology)
Miss A Boland, BSc St Mary’s London (Head of Psychology)
Ms D Blease, MSc Oxford (Head of Chemistry)
Mr J Stafford-Haworth, MSc University of London (Head of Physics)
Mr N Johnson, MSc Nottingham (Physics)
Mr A Brittain, BSc Canterbury Kent (Physics)
Mrs N C Camilleri, BSc Manchester (Physics)
Miss H Choi, PGCE UCL (Physics)
Mrs J Crook, BSc Nottingham (Chemistry)
Mrs P Earl, BSc Swansea (Biology)
Miss L Goodman, BSc University College London (Psychology)
Mr R James, BSc East Anglia (Chemistry)
Mrs S Jansz, BSc Bangor (Chemistry)
Mr S Kim, PGCE Kingston (Science)
Mrs H Lenox-Smith, BSc UCL (Biology)
Mr R Mangion, BSc King’s College London (Chemistry)
Mrs C R Nicholls, BSc Cardiff (Biology, Head of Year L4, Deputy Head of Careers)
Ms C Packer, BSc UCL (Chemistry, Head of L6)
Miss V Ranjan, BSc Durham (Biology) [maternity leave]
Mr P Reilly, BSc Liverpool (Biology) [maternity cover]
Miss C Shum, BSc UCL (Biology)
Miss L Mulvey, BSc Manchester (Psychology)
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics:
Dr I Jakeway, PhD King’s College London (Head of Philosophy, Religion and Ethics)
Mrs A O’Donovan, PgDip Oxofrd
Mr J Winterburn, BA Cambridge
Physical Education:
Miss D Mugridge, BA Hons University College Chichester (Director of Sport and Outward Bound Activities)
Mr R Lalor, MSc Loughborough (Director of Performance Sport)
Mrs D O’Brien, BA St Mary’s Twickenham (Head of Curriculum PE)
Mrs E Searle, BEd Hons Exeter (Head of Netball, Joint Head of L5)
Mr C Summers, MSc Chester (Head of Lacrosse)
Mrs K Leaney, BA Hons North Carolina, USA
Mrs C King, BEd Brighton
Miss C Masters (PE Graduate Assistant – Netball)
Miss K O’Connell (PE Graduate Assistant – Lacrosse)
Mr N Cousins (Duke of Edinburgh Manager)
Mr D Mihailovic (CCF Contingent Commander)
Mr M Hanreck (CCF School Staff Instructor)
Product Design:
Mr S G Bicknell, BSc Brunel, PGDip (Head of Product Design)
Mr D Smeaton, BEng Southbank Polytechnic
Ms M Spriggs, BA Hons Leeds Metropolitan (Food & Nutrition, Textiles)
Ms T Snook
PSHE:
Ms R Hart, BA Hons and MA Oxon (Head of PSHE)
Mrs A Bradshaw, MA St Andrews
Rowing:
Ms A Johnston, BA Newcastle (Head of Rowing)
Mr O Knight, BA Newcastle (Assistant Head of Rowing)
Mr J Kirkwood, BSc Roehampton
Ms A Leake, BA Newcastle
Mr G Stewart, BEng Surrey
Miss J Symons, MEng Loughborough
Careers:
Mrs N Hampstead, RCDP, CDI Qualified Careers Leader (Head of Higher Education and Careers)
Mrs C R Nicholls, BSc Cardiff (Deputy Head of Careers)
Miss E Felicien (Careers Coordinator)
Learning Support:
Ms S Reade, BA Universidade Estadual Paulista, Brazil (Head of Learning Support)
Ms C Campeanu, PGCert UCL
Learning Resources Manager:
Miss G Pearce, BA Bath Spa (Head of Library Services)
Ms K Hensman (Library Assistant)
Senior School Administrative Staff:
Head Mistress’s Personal Assistant: Mrs F Cuddeford
Registrar: Mrs M Bradley, BA University of Cambridge
Director of HR: Mrs Natasha Geoffrey, Assoc CIPD
PA to SMT/School Office Manager: Mrs S Spight
Estates Manager: Mr P Sisodiya
Finance Manager: Mrs M Seraphimova-Spasova, BSc Oxford Brookes, ACCA Member
Director of Information Systems: Mrs S Mahmood, BSc University of Westminster
Junior School
Head of Junior School: Mrs P Mortimer, BEd Oxon
Deputy Head of Junior School: Mrs R Yates, BA Cantab, LLM
Teaching Staff:
Mrs J E Allden, BSc London Chelsea College, MSc Kingston (Assistant Academic Coordinator & Head of Computing)
Mrs H Ash, BSc Bath
Mrs M Bass, BEd Natal
Mrs K Beetge, BA University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Miss J Chippendale, BA Brighton (Head of Junior School PE) [maternity leave]
Miss S Connor, BA Hons Kent at Canterbury
Mrs J Deverson, BEd Oxford Brookes
Mr J Estorninho, BEd Melbourne, Australia (Head of Junior School Music)
Mrs S Harding, BEd De Montfort
Mr A Hopkins, BSc Portsmouth
Mrs K Hurley, BA Middlesex
Mrs K Keightley, MA Edinburgh
Mrs L Kent-Skorsepova, MA Comenius, Bratislava
Mr J Miller, BSc Durham, MSc UCL
Mrs N Rees, MA Cantab
Mrs K Sehgal, BA St Mary’s London
Mrs M Walker, BA Canterbury Christ Church (Director of Studies Junior School)
Mrs L Cowin (Teaching Assistant)
Ms P Evans (Teaching Assistant)
Mrs E Hanreck (Teaching Assistant)
Junior School Administrative Staff:
Junior School Secretary & Personal Assistant to the Head of Junior School: Mrs A Rahman
Junior School Office Administrator: Mrs R Thomas Jones
School Nurses:
Senior School: Sister S Wilson, BSc Brunel NMC, DipHE South Bank
Junior School: Nurse L Parker, RCN
School Counsellors:
Senior School: Mrs G Young, BA, MBACP, Higher Diploma in Counselling
Senior School: Mrs L McDowell, MA Roehampton
Junior School: Mrs R Ticciati, SRCN, SRN, MBACP