Polwhele House School is a day and

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: ** Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where ho ...

prep school Preparatory school or prep school may refer to: Schools *Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children aged 8–13 for entry into fee-charging independent schools, usually public schools *College-preparatory school, ...

at Polwhele House, near

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. It follows the thirteen-plus

Common Entrance Examination Common Entrance Examinations (commonly known as CE) are taken by independent school pupils in the UK as part of the selective admissions process at age 13, though ten independent schools do select at 11 using different test papers. They are se ...

syllabus. In 2020, the school announced plans to provide senior school education, slowly extending its leaving age to sixteen, with a Year 9 class to be launched in September 2021.Prep school to offer secondary school education
businesscornwall.co.uk, 15 January 2020, accessed 22 June 2020

History

In 1976 one the school’s founders, Rosemary White, launched a nursery and pre-prep school in her family home in Truro, calling it Boscawen Rose School.Head of Polwhele House: Information for applicants
at cloudfront.net, accessed 22 June 2020 This was a school for children aged between three and eight.Polwhele House School
at ''TES'', accessed 21 June 2020 By 1981, the high demand for places had encouraged Rosemary and her husband Richard White to open a new school at Polwhele House, transferring most of the Boscawen Rose School pupils there and including older children. They were joint heads of the new enterprise, which was to be a co-educational non-denominational Christian preparatory school. The leaving age increased to thirteen. After

Truro Cathedral School Truro Cathedral School was a Church of England school for boys in Truro, Cornwall. An ancient school refounded in 1549 as the Truro Grammar School, after the establishment of Truro Cathedral in the last quarter of the 19th century it was responsi ...

closed in July 1982, its task of educating and training the cathedral's boy choristers was transferred to Polwhele House, and the number of choristers is now eighteen. The Chapter of the Cathedral pays half of their school fees, and voice trials take place once a year in January, for boys aged between seven and nine. Girl choristers attend

Truro School Truro School is a coeducational independent day and boarding school located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, England. It is the largest coeducational independent school in Cornwall with over 1050 pupils from pre-prep to sixth form. It is a membe ...

. The Whites retired as joint heads in 2002, but remain the owners of the school, and Richard White (born 1943) is chairman of the Managing Council.

School site

Polwhele House is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

, standing in 32 acres of parkland, playing fields, gardens, and woods, about two miles north of Truro.Polwhele
at britishlistedbuildings.co.uk, accessed 22 June 2020 The earliest parts of the main house date from the 16th century, and granite arches from that time are the oldest features still to be seen.

Richard Polwhele Richard Polwhele (6 January 1760 – 12 March 1838) was a Cornish people, Cornish clergyman, poetry, poet and historian of Cornwall and Devon. Biography Richard Polwhele's ancestors long held the manor of Treworgan, 4 3/4 miles south-east of ...

, a clergyman and local historian, inherited the property from his father and in the 1820s renovated the coach house. In the 1860s, Thomas Carne Polwhele had the house remodelled and enlarged by

Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and d ...

. The Polwhele family motto, ''"Karenza Whelas Karenza"'', meaning "Love begets Love", is engraved on a stone chimneypiece in the drawing room of the house and has been adopted as the school’s motto.History of Polwhele House
at polwhelehouse.co.uk, accessed 22 June 2020

Curriculum

Polwhele House follows a syllabus leading to the Common Entrance Examination at 13-plus. There is a focus on music and drama, with concerts and productions taking place regularly throughout the year and most children taking part in them. A new Year 9 class will begin in September 2020, with the school’s leaving age then slowly rising to sixteen. The head, Hilary Mann, said in January 2020 "The school will grow by one senior year group each year, slowly and steadily. Our current buildings give scope for the first year expansion, and in time we can plan a redesign of the buildings and look to add any necessary new buildings."Charlotte Becquart
Everything we know about the new secondary school set to open in Cornwall
cornwalllive.com, 26 January 2020, accessed 22 June 2020

Extracurricular activities

The school has its own ponies, and most children learn to ride. There is a pony club at weekends and during the school holidays which is open to children who are not at the school. In May 2012, the

Olympic torch The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olympic ...

came to the school. In May 2017, it was visited by a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Merlin maritime helicopter based at

RNAS Culdrose Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (RNAS Culdrose, also known as HMS ''Seahawk''; ICAO: EGDR) is a Royal Navy airbase near Helston on the Lizard Peninsula of Cornwall UK, and is one of the largest helicopter bases in Europe. Its main role is ser ...

, and children were able to explore and discuss it with its crew.

List of heads

*1981–2002: Rosemary and Richard White (jointly) *2002–2009: Jeremy Mason, previously deputy head at the Pilgrims' School,

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

*2009–2019: Alex McCullough, previously Director of Studies at

Foremarke Hall Foremarke Hall is a Georgian-Palladian country house and manor house. Completed in 1762, the Hall is located at the manor (hamlet) of Foremark, near the hamlets of Ingleby, Ticknall, Milton, and the village of Repton in South Derbyshire, Engla ...

*2019– Hilary Mann, previously head of Roselyon Preparatory School,

Lanlivery Lanlivery ( kw, Lannlyvri) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about west of Lostwithiel and five miles (8 km) south of Bodmin. The Saints' Way runs past Lanlivery. Helman Tor, Red Moor and Br ...

A deputy head of the school, Dominic Floyd, went on to become head of Ashdown House, and then of Hazlegrove and the Mount Kelly Prep School.New head of Mount Kelly Prep chosen for ‘commitment’
tavistock-today.co.uk, 23 March 2016

Notable former pupils

Charlie Shreck Charles Edward Shreck (born 6 January 1978) is a former English professional cricketer who has also played first-class cricket in New Zealand. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. In the 2008 English cricket season, ...

(born 1978), cricketer

References

External links

Head of Polwhele House: Information for applicants
at cloudfront.net
Polwhele House School
at

Independent Schools Inspectorate The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect independent schools in England. These schools are members of associations, w ...

Polwhele House School
at schoolsmith.co.uk {{authority control 1981 establishments in England Cathedral schools Choir schools in England Preparatory schools in Cornwall Educational institutions disestablished in 1981 Truro