Windlesham House School
Encyclopedia
Windlesham House School was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden
and was the first boys' preparatory school
in the United Kingdom
. The independent school is located near Washington
, West Sussex having moved there in 1934. It caters for over 300 pupils, both boarding and day, aged from four to thirteen years. The pre-prep is called Little Windlesham and teaches the four to seven year olds. The 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) site nestles in the South Downs
and has a variety of facilities including six sports pitches, woods, the Malden Family Theatre, a new library, indoor swimming pool and tennis courts.
Charles and Elizabeth Ann Malden were the last of five generations of Malden heads from 1837 - their joint headship alone lasted nearly 40 years (1957 to 1994). They were leaders of their time, insisting on being known not by their surname, Malden, but by the more informal Mr & Mrs Charles. In 1963 the School was among the first to become a Trust and in 1967 Windlesham was the first traditional boys' boarding prep school to become co-educational.
There is also an alternate naming convention for the pupils - for example, the children who have one year left at the School are called the Ones and so forth. Leavers invariably go on to their first choice school and many go on to some of the top senior independent schools in the country.
The School is to host a large outdoor event in the Summer of 2010 called Odyssey. This follows on from an Elements event in 2007 that raised £35,000 for the nearby Chestnut Tree House Hospice. Taking place on 3-4 July 2010, open to the public and will, hopefully, raise thousands for charity. Plans are being made place to mark the centenary of the Windlesham House Association, the School's former pupils, in 2010.
The Headmaster, Richard Foster, has now been at the School for several years. The new Chairman of Governors, Lucinda Williams, is the great great great granddaughter of Charles Robert Malden, who founded the School way back in 1837, and is the eldest daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Ann Malden.
Charles Robert Malden
Charles Robert Malden , was a nineteenth century British naval officer, surveyor and educator. Discoverer of Malden Island in the central Pacific, which is named in his honour. Founder of the Windlesham House School at Brighton, England.Malden was born in Putney, Surrey, son of Jonas Malden, a...
and was the first boys' preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The independent school is located near Washington
Washington, West Sussex
Washington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located five miles west of Steyning and three miles east of Storrington on the A24 between Horsham and Worthing. The parish covers an area of 1,276 hectares...
, West Sussex having moved there in 1934. It caters for over 300 pupils, both boarding and day, aged from four to thirteen years. The pre-prep is called Little Windlesham and teaches the four to seven year olds. The 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) site nestles in the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
and has a variety of facilities including six sports pitches, woods, the Malden Family Theatre, a new library, indoor swimming pool and tennis courts.
Charles and Elizabeth Ann Malden were the last of five generations of Malden heads from 1837 - their joint headship alone lasted nearly 40 years (1957 to 1994). They were leaders of their time, insisting on being known not by their surname, Malden, but by the more informal Mr & Mrs Charles. In 1963 the School was among the first to become a Trust and in 1967 Windlesham was the first traditional boys' boarding prep school to become co-educational.
There is also an alternate naming convention for the pupils - for example, the children who have one year left at the School are called the Ones and so forth. Leavers invariably go on to their first choice school and many go on to some of the top senior independent schools in the country.
The School is to host a large outdoor event in the Summer of 2010 called Odyssey. This follows on from an Elements event in 2007 that raised £35,000 for the nearby Chestnut Tree House Hospice. Taking place on 3-4 July 2010, open to the public and will, hopefully, raise thousands for charity. Plans are being made place to mark the centenary of the Windlesham House Association, the School's former pupils, in 2010.
The Headmaster, Richard Foster, has now been at the School for several years. The new Chairman of Governors, Lucinda Williams, is the great great great granddaughter of Charles Robert Malden, who founded the School way back in 1837, and is the eldest daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Ann Malden.