Spratton Hall School is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

preparatory school that welcomes girls and boys aged 4–13, located in the village of

Spratton Spratton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire. The local government authority is West Northamptonshire. Before changes in 2021 it was governed by Daventry District Council. At the time of the 2001 census, th ...

, 8 miles outside Northampton, England, on the A5199 Welford Road.

History

Spratton Hall

The main school building was built in the late 1700s on the site of an earlier farmhouse and owned by the Clark family as a private home. It is mainly constructed from limestone from

Kingsthorpe Kingsthorpe is a suburb and civil parish of Northampton, England. It is situated to the north of Northampton town centre and is served by the A508 and A5199 roads which join at Kingsthorpe's centre. The 2011 Census recorded the population of ...

The school

Ownership of the building passed through several hands until Kenneth C Hunter and his wife Joan bought it and opened it as a boys’ boarding school in 1951 with 20 boys. They chose the deer for the new school's crest. The deer was originated from a tale of Saint Hubertus' vision, Patron Saint of Hunters. In 1972 the Charitable Trust was established so the school was administered by a board of governors. The Hunters remained with the school until their retirements in 1975 and Mr Bickley became its first Head Master. In 1987 it became a day-only school and turned co-educational nine years later.

Former Heads

*1951–1975: Mr and Mrs K C Hunter *1975–1996: Mr Bickley *1996–2005: Dr Robin Barlow *2005–2013: Mr Stephen Player *2013–present: Mr Simon Clarke

Campus and facilities

The present-day campus consists of various buildings surrounding the historic Spratton Hall, now called "Main House", and subsequent buildings were added as the school expanded. The School has of grounds, including a wooded area designated for use as a "

forest school Forest School or Forrest School may refer to: Educational philosophy * Forest school (learning style), a learner centred outdoor learning approach. Religious philosophy * Thai Forest Tradition, a Theravada school of Buddhism in Thailand. * Sri La ...

Curriculum

Pupils are prepared for entry into an

and public schools, which traditionally admitted pupils at age 13. As such, the curriculum of the prep school section prepares pupils to take the

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 set ...

at the end of Year 8.

Notable people

Former pupils are known as "Old Sprattonians". * Michael Ellis, politician *

Mark Haddon Mark Haddon (born 28 October 1962) is an English novelist, best known for '' The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' (2003). He won the Whitbread Award, the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, Guardian Prize, and a Commonwealth W ...

, author of ''

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Its title refers to an observation by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes (created by Arthur Conan Doyle) in the 1892 short story ...

'' *

Harry Mallinder Harry Mallinder (born 13 June 1996) is an English professional rugby union player for Black Rams Tokyo in Japan Rugby League One. Early life Born in Sale, Greater Manchester, Mallinder resided there until 11, attending both Tyntesfield and B ...

, professional rugby player

Former staff

Matt Dawson Matthew James Sutherland Dawson, MBE (born 31 October 1972) is an English retired rugby union player who played scrum half for Northampton Saints and then London Wasps. During his international career he toured with the British & Irish Lion ...

coached rugby while playing for the

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...

before the sport became professional. *

Tenniel Evans Walter Tenniel Evans (17 May 1926 – 10 June 2009) was a British actor and, latterly, clergyman. Family Walter Tenniel Evans was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His middle name derived from the illustrator Sir John Tenniel, a distant relation.

taught at the school during a slack period in his performing career.

References

External links

Official WebsiteProfile
on the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 schools in the United Kingdom's independent education sector. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the bus ...

website
1950's photos of the school
— Spratton Local Historical Society archives {{authority control Independent schools in West Northamptonshire District Educational institutions established in 1951 1951 establishments in England Preparatory schools in Northamptonshire