Abberley Hall was founded in 1889 and is a boarding school for boys and girls aged eight to 13 years. It has a number of day pupils who are encouraged to board before they leave. There is also a pre-prep and nursery with children from two-plus to eight attending on a daily basis.
Abberley prepares pupils, particularly from 11-13 years, for all good public schools such as Shrewsbury, Oundle, Uppingham, Eton, Winchester, Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Moreton Hall. It provides the academic, sporting and social grounding which is the foundation for sustained success.
The school’s aim is to achieve an informal and friendly approach to school life and to combine this with the discipline, which enables all pupils to reach their full potential.
The commitment to the needs of each pupil as an individual encourages achievement both in and out of the classroom.
Abberley Hall aims to deliver a curriculum that is as broad as possible, without sacrificing high standards of achievement. All children in all classes study English, mathematics, history, science, French, geography, PSE, religious studies, music, art and design, design technology and information technology. At age nine all children start Latin, while Spanish and Greek are also available.
A child’s confidence is built on the experience of success; the greater the number of opportunities that a school can provide, the greater chance of each child finding an area of success. This is the thinking behind the provision of an activities hour each weekday.
Hobbies vary, but a typical list includes snooker, cookery, classic film club, mountain biking, origami, skateboarding, Citadel miniatures, chess, .22 shooting, kite-making, pottery, observational drawing, table tennis and pop band.
The 90 acres of open and wooded grounds are ideal for making camps and dens and having camp fires, for tobogganing, nature study and fishing, – or just lying under a tree and reading.
The school also owns a recently-built chalet located on the outskirts of Bourg St Maurice and pupils go out to experience the French way of life first-hand. All children aged nine go to stay in the school’s chalet in term time in the Alps. For three weeks they gain a full experience of living and learning about a different country and at the age of 11 they have another three-week visit. The French chalet is also used for skiing holidays during the winter holiday period.
The Music Department is purpose-built with excellent facilities including 22 practice rooms, a large studio/classroom and a dedicated ICT suite with Sibelius software. The department boasts 16 instrumental and vocal groups which meet on a regular basis. There are a series of lunchtime concerts and the Chapel Choir take part in many concerts and services in churches and cathedrals.
The main sports are, for the boys, rugby, football and cricket and for the girls, hockey, netball and cricket and rounders. Over and above these sports there is much more on offer – cross-country, badminton, Ricochet, tennis, swimming in the indoor 25 metre pool, athletics, gymnastics and much more.
Abberley Hall is fortunate in having splendid facilities and a magnificent setting alongside an outstanding academic record that reflects teaching of the highest standard.
• Abberley Hall School, Worcester, WR6 6DD; tel: 01299 896275 (Preparatory School); tel: 01299 896101 (Pre-Prep and Early Years); www.abberleyhall.co.uk
