Hill House School
Hill House International Junior School
Introduction
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Hill House is one of Britain’s largest, most unconventional and extraordinary pre-prep day schools. Situated in Knightsbridge, behind Harrods, the school buildings are spread over six sites throughout Chelsea and Knightsbridge. 1,050 chidren (600 boys, 450 girls) attend the school from the ages of four to 13, with basic fees around £2,315 - £2,833 a year.[1] Half the pupils are British, while the other half comes from all over the world. Pupils generally go on to do the common entrance exam (girls usually at 11) to go onto public schools such as Alleyn's, Westminster, St Pauls and City of London. Prince Charles (the Prince of Wales) used to go to the school. So did the promising footballer Max Noble who currently at 16 plays for Fulham Football Club as well as for Wales at youth level.
Life at Hill House
Hill House was founded in September 1951, by Lt. Colonel Henry Stuart Townsend OBE, who was a man who liked to do things his own way. The uniform at Hill House is smart and colourful (where his wife insisted not to copy other schools with dull and grey uniforms) and knickerbockers are used, which were modelled on breeches used in Switzerland. There are no set classrooms, and usually every hour, pupils change classrooms for different subjects with different teachers, or go to games. Pupils are usually seen on the move, and are often seen throughout Chelsea and Knightsbridge, walking in a distinct crocodile form, or can be seen in one of Hill House’s distinctive brown minibuses. The school remains a family business as it is owned by Lt. Colonel Townsend's son, Richard Townend. Mr Townsend is also, like his father was, the headmaster.
The Colonel
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Unlike other schools, the Colonel insisted on doing things his own way, and often made his own decisions on the spot. As a result, there is no board of governors, no administrative staff, no deputy, no bursar, no secretaries, no office or typewriter. As a result the school still doesn’t have a web site. He was often very approachable, unlike other prep schools, and was often seen on the doorstep of his school in the mornings, where he greeted parents. There were no entrance exams, instead he insisted on meeting the parents of prospective pupils. Pupils were able to start on any day of the academic year, which is divided into four terms rather than three.
The Colonel appointed teaching staff himself, and again made his decision on the spot, unlike other schools, where a committee appoints staff. He insisted on good manners and discipline from pupils, as he believed, you can’t teach properly without them. Therefore, he prefers staff to come from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, as they are often quite strict, the latter, having been through National Service.
Switzerland
Hill House also has a permanent annexe in Switzerland, and the Colonel used to commute there every week on Thursday returning on Monday. From the ages of eight to twelve, pupils used to have the opportunity to go to Switzerland to stay at four weeks at a time, then it was changed to 2 weeks. As well as normal lessons, skiing and climbing are offered as well as other activities. This was to prepare pupils for boarding school. Sadly he dies a few years ago, his son, Richard took over. VIVEK PATEL
Field Day
The annual Field Day (sports day), is held at the Duke of York barracks in King’s Road, Chelsea, on the second Wednesday of July, starting at 2pm in the afternoons. A full game of cricket is played for the first half-hour or so, as parents attend, then the different sports and activities which are offered in the school are demonstrated on the field, usually for five to ten minutes at a time. All pupils participate on a 100 metre race. The highlight of the field day, is the gun run, which is the disassembly and assembly of a replica cannon, and pupils race around the field with each component of the cannon through an obstacle course, similar to a military tattoo. http://mmm-danone.bebo.com
Sports
Sports and activities at Hill House includes the following: athletics, gymnstics, circuit training, tennis, squash, badminton, cricket, swimming, volleyball, water polo, lacrosse, rock climbing, rowing, shooting, rugby, horse riding, fencing, basketball, football, netball, hockey. A well equipped games room includes darts, snooker, pool, and table football. Famous sporting venues were used such as Queen’s Club and The Oval. Parks such as Battersea Park, Hyde Park and Richmond Park are used for most of the outdoor sports.
Trivia
- The whole school attended an assembly on Wednesday mornings.
- Safety of the boy and girl, is the first of the school’s four principles. Therefore swimming is of most importance, and everyone is taught to swim by the age of 5.
- School houses were named after the mountains in Switzerland – Rosa, Naye, Midi and Grammont.
- The Colonel had a shooting brake Bentley.
- The motto of the school is “Semper Vigilans” – always vigilant.
- Before Field Day, a photograph of all the pupils of the school are taken on the stand used for the parents on Field Day, which is then sold at the Field Day for £50 (1996).