Kingwell Court Preparatory School
Encyclopedia
Kingwell Court Preparatory School was a British boarding school
for boys.
The school was located in a remodelled Tudor home near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
and prepared boys for the Common Entrance Exam to enter a British Public School. It was founded by two head masters, Messrs K.V. Beech and W. Bennett. Mr Beech ran the school during WWII
while Mr. Bennett served as an officer in the British Army
. The school crest was an elephant; the motto: "Be strong, gently". School was divided into 4 sets: Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Bears.
There were two mistresses and about six resident masters, plus the two head masters and a retired nurse acting as the Matron and her assistant. The piano teacher lived in town and came to school on two afternoons a week to offer private lessons for an extra fee, after regular classes were dismissed. Evening prep was for one hour, devoting 20 minutes to each of three regularly scheduled subjects. Classes were held Monday through Saturday morning and all afternoons except on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Kingwell Court School merged with The Old Ride School
, which moved from its original home at Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire, in 1959. Boys from The Old Ride joined the Kingwell Court boys in a combined school, renamed "The Old Ride" in the winter term of 1959.
For a while the two sets of boys were easily distinguished by the fact that they retained their school uniforms - red for The Old Ride and purple for Kingwell Court. Eventually the purple phased out.When the two schools merged, the previous Kingwell Court division into four sets of boys (Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Bears) became the four Nations of Britons, Spartans, Trojans and Vikings, a continuation of the arrangement at the "old" Old Ride school. The Nations competed for the coveted weekly "Owl" trophy.
The school, then run by the Flynn family, closed down in the 1990s.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for boys.
The school was located in a remodelled Tudor home near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and prepared boys for the Common Entrance Exam to enter a British Public School. It was founded by two head masters, Messrs K.V. Beech and W. Bennett. Mr Beech ran the school during WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
while Mr. Bennett served as an officer in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. The school crest was an elephant; the motto: "Be strong, gently". School was divided into 4 sets: Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Bears.
There were two mistresses and about six resident masters, plus the two head masters and a retired nurse acting as the Matron and her assistant. The piano teacher lived in town and came to school on two afternoons a week to offer private lessons for an extra fee, after regular classes were dismissed. Evening prep was for one hour, devoting 20 minutes to each of three regularly scheduled subjects. Classes were held Monday through Saturday morning and all afternoons except on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Kingwell Court School merged with The Old Ride School
The Old Ride School
The Old Ride School was an independent school, at Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire, later at Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire.-History:...
, which moved from its original home at Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire, in 1959. Boys from The Old Ride joined the Kingwell Court boys in a combined school, renamed "The Old Ride" in the winter term of 1959.
For a while the two sets of boys were easily distinguished by the fact that they retained their school uniforms - red for The Old Ride and purple for Kingwell Court. Eventually the purple phased out.When the two schools merged, the previous Kingwell Court division into four sets of boys (Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Bears) became the four Nations of Britons, Spartans, Trojans and Vikings, a continuation of the arrangement at the "old" Old Ride school. The Nations competed for the coveted weekly "Owl" trophy.
The school, then run by the Flynn family, closed down in the 1990s.