Wetherby School is a group of
independent schools
An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
for boys aged two to eighteen in
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, owned and operated by the
Alpha Plus Education Group. Its
prep school is a member of the
Independent Association of Preparatory Schools
The Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS, formerly Independent Association of Preparatory Schools) is a schools association, representing around 670 preparatory schools.
The majority of IAPS' schools are in the UK, with other locations ...
.
The school is named after Wetherby Place, in turn named after a
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
town,
Wetherby
Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...
, and should not be confused with
Wetherby High School
Wetherby High School (formerly Wetherby Secondary Modern School) is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in the Hallfield area of Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England.
The school is run by the City of Leeds Local Education Au ...
, a local secondary school.
It has several notable former pupils, including
William, Prince of Wales
William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
Born in London, William was edu ...
,
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...
, and the actor
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...
.
History
Wetherby School was founded in 1951 as a pre-preparatory school for boys aged 4–8. In 2004 it opened a preparatory department (known as Wetherby Prep, and intended to be a separate school) in a nearby building, allowing boys to stay on until the age of 13. The prep school has since moved to its current location in the
City of Westminster. The pre-preparatory school had, as of 2017, 360 boys on its roll, including 88 in Reception. It has since opened a nursery section ("Little Wetherby") for boys aged 2½ to 4.
The school's original building, in 1951, was in Wetherby Place in South
Kensington (hence the name, Wetherby School) but in 1971 it moved to its present building in Pembridge Square, on the other side of
Kensington Gardens. The school building is a white stucco double fronted Victorian house in the Italianate style typical of Notting Hill and Holland Park architecture, constructed in about 1850. It is on the south side of Pembridge Square, a private garden square with keyholder-only access which the boys use as their playground.
Admissions
Pupils are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and operates, therefore, no entrance examination, test or interview. The result is that the school caters for boys of many different abilities and talents.
The fees for the 2019-2020 academic year are £7,710 per term and are increased each year in accordance to, among other factors, the ten year plan set by the
Alpha Plus Group
Alpha Plus Group is a private-equity owned English education company which runs a network of pre-preparatory, preparatory and secondary independent schools, colleges and nurseries. It is the second largest private education business in the UK. Th ...
for the valuation of its assets. The fees are currently higher than in comparable schools such as
Thomas's that charges £7,143 in Kensington and £6,429 in Battersea.
However, because fees are charged (and, to a lesser extent, because of the smart neighbourhood in which it is located), the boys tend to come from a fairly narrow professional family background. It is also a single-sex school, although it is in the same ownership as
Pembridge Hall, a similar school for girls which is also located in Pembridge Square. There are no formal joint activities between the two schools, but many children in each school have siblings at the other school.
Uniform
The boys wear a uniform of grey shorts, grey blazers with red trim, white shirts and plain red ties; and a grey peaked cap. The school logo "WS" in red is on the cap and on the breast pocket of the blazer.
Preparatory school
In 2004, Wetherby expanded to open a prep division for boys aged 7 to 13, sited in
Bryanston Square,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. In September 2012, Wetherby Prep was awarded 'Prep School of the Year' at the annual ''
Tatler
''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...
'' School Awards at the Dorchester Hotel.
The fees for the 2019-2020 academic year are £7825 per term and are increased each year in accordance to, among other factors, the ten year plan set by the
Alpha Plus Group
Alpha Plus Group is a private-equity owned English education company which runs a network of pre-preparatory, preparatory and secondary independent schools, colleges and nurseries. It is the second largest private education business in the UK. Th ...
for the valuation of its assets.
Senior school
Due to popular demand, Wetherby Senior School for boys aged 11 to 18 opened for its first intake in September 2015. It is located at the former premises of
DLD College London DLD can refer to:
* Data Retention Directive in Norwegian (''Datalagringsdirektivet'')
* Democratic League of Dardania, a political party in Kosovo
* Demon Lord Dante, an anime and manga series
* Deutsche Linux-Distribution (''German Linux Distrib ...
on
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...
Lane, a ten-minute walk away from the prep school.
The fees for the 2019-2020 academic year are £8310 per term and are increased each year in accordance to, among other factors, the ten year plan set by the
Alpha Plus Group
Alpha Plus Group is a private-equity owned English education company which runs a network of pre-preparatory, preparatory and secondary independent schools, colleges and nurseries. It is the second largest private education business in the UK. Th ...
for the valuation of its assets.
The Senior school continued to generate losses during the 2018/19 academic year and the parent company does not expect that the situation will change until 2021 the earliest.
Wetherby Kensington
Wetherby Kensington is the most recent school to join the Wetherby family, with their doors opening in September 2017. Wetherby Kensington is situated on
Wetherby Gardens
Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...
in
Kensington, which is the same street that the original Wetherby School was based back in 1951, and takes boys from Reception – Year 3 (4–8 years old). Helen Milnes, former Deputy Head Pastoral at Wetherby School
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...
, is the current Headmistress.
Alumni
*
Romeo Beckham
Romeo James Beckham (born 1 September 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for MLS Next Pro club Inter Miami II.
Early and personal life
Beckham was born in Portland Hospital in the City of Westminster, London. H ...
, professional footballer and son of
David and Victoria Beckham
*
Sir Lawrence Clarke, 7th Baronet, Olympic athlete and financier
*
Julian Fellowes
Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, (born 17 August 1949) is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, and a Conservative peer of the House of Lords.
He is primarily known as the author of se ...
, Baron Fellowes of
West Stafford
West Stafford is a village and civil parish in southwest Dorset, England, situated in the Frome valley east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 291. The village contains the public house
A pub (short f ...
, actor and writer;
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
peer of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
(2011–)
*
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...
, actor
*
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...
, younger son of
Diana, Princess of Wales and
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
*
Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme.
Early years and education
Julian ...
, cellist
*
William, Prince of Wales
William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
Born in London, William was edu ...
, elder son of
Diana, Princess of Wales and
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
*
Lord Frederick Windsor
Lord Frederick Michael George David Louis Windsor (born 6 April 1979) is a British financial analyst, and the only son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. He is married to British actress Sophie Winkleman. He is currently 52nd in the line ...
, son of
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
and
Princess Michael of Kent
Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, 15 January 1945) is a member of the British royal family of German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian descent. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, ...
*
Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark
Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αλέξιος; born 29 October 1998) is a member of the non-reigning Greek royal family, the eldest son and second child of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess ...
*
Damian Hurley
Damian Charles Hurley (born 4 April 2002) is an English actor and model. He is the son of actress Elizabeth Hurley and American businessman Steve Bing.
Career
In July 2016, it was announced that Hurley had been cast as Prince Hansel von Liech ...
, son of actress
Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English actress and model.
As an actress, her best-known film roles have been as Vanessa Kensington in ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997) and as the Devil in ''Bedazzled (2000 ...
*
Archie Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, British aristocrat
References
External links
School websiteSenior School websitePre-Prepan
Prep Schoolprofiles on the
ISC #REDIRECT ISC
{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
website
{{authority control
Independent boys' schools in London
Independent schools in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Preparatory schools in London
Independent schools in the City of Westminster