Abberley Hall School
Encyclopedia
Abberley
Abberley is a picturesque village in north west Worcestershire, England. It is situated on the northern slopes of Abberley Hill , between the River Severn and River Teme. The village had a population of 830 in 2001.-Location:...
about halfway between Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
and Tenbury Wells
Tenbury Wells
Tenbury Wells is a market town and civil parish in the north-western extremity of the Malvern Hills District administrative area of Worcestershire, England. The 2001 census reported a population of 3,316.-Geography:...
in the north-west of the county of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The school began in 1878 as the Dame School in Blackheath, Kent. In 1896, it became a private school and was named Lindisfarne. The school was moved to Abberley in 1916, and the property was purchased In 1921 by Gilbert Ashton, a former pupil of Lindisfarne, who took over as headmaster and re-named it Abberley Hall School. The school became a trust in 1958, and is now managed by Abberley Hall Foundation, a UK Registered Charity (no. 1088863) Pupils come from a variety of backgrounds, including families and service personnel living and working abroad, professionals from the Birmingham and Worcester areas, and traditional farming families. The pre-prep and nursery serve a more local area.
Campus
The campus comprises Abberley HallAbberley Hall
Abberley Hall is a country house in the north-west of the county of Worcestershire, England. The present Italianate house is the work of Samuel Daukes and dates from 1846-49. Since 1916 it has been occupied by Abberley Hall School. It is a Grade II* listed building...
, a Grade II* listed building and its gardens and grounds, which are also listed as Grade II on the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
. The grounds also contain the Abberley Clock Tower
James Piers St Aubyn
James Piers St Aubyn , often referred to as J. P. St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations.-Early life:...
which can be seen as far away as Clent hill, and which was the setting for the children's book by Gene Kemp
Gene Kemp
Gene Kemp Nee Rushton is a British author best known for her children's books. Her first novel, The Pride of Tamworth Pig was published in 1972. She won The Other Award in 1977 and the UK Carnegie Medal in 1978 for The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler ...
, The Clock Tower Ghost.
Curriculum
Pupils follow a curriculum that prepares them for entrance into public schoolsPublic School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
(independent schools) , taking Common Entrance, Winchester Entrance or Scholarship exams. Class sizes are small, averaging 11 pupils. Most subjects have their own dedicated classrooms and there are two science laboratories and specialist facilities for computing, DT, music and PE. The majority of pupils continue their education at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, Malvern College
Malvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
, Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
, Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, Cheltenham Ladies College, and Malvern St James. The school also provides for individual pupils with special needs including: Dyslexia or Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), and Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD).
All pupils take part in the major sports, an Astroturf pitch provides opportunities for hockey, , golf, croquet, riding, fishing, archery, shooting, Ricochet and climbing. The school has an indoor swimming pool.
International activities
The school has its own chalet in the French Alps where the pupils spend two three-week periods whilst at Abberley, totally immersed into the French language and culture. The chalet is also used for skiing holidays.Notable former pupils
- Sir Geoffrey Howe, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons, and Deputy Prime Minister.
- Timothy EggarTimothy EggarTimothy John Crommelin Eggar is a company director, a Governor of Shiplake College, an independent school for boys in the village of Shiplake in Oxfordshire, and is a former British Conservative Member of Parliament....
, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Trade and Industry, - Owen PatersonOwen PatersonOwen William Paterson is a British Conservative Party politician and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He is the Member of Parliament for North Shropshire.-Early life and career:Paterson was born in Whitchurch, Shropshire...
, incumbent Secretary of State for Northern IrelandSecretary of State for Northern IrelandThe Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of... - Philip DunnePhilip Dunne (politician)Philip Martin Dunne is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for the Ludlow constituency in Shropshire....
, politician, Member of Parliament
Headmasters
- Gilbert Ashton (1921-1961)
- Ronnie Yates (1961-1974)
- Michael Haggard (1974-1996)
- John Walker (1996-present)