Set around Connaught Square, just off Hyde Park, Connaught House School is a compact independent prep for boys and girls aged 4 to 11, with a deliberately small scale and a strongly personalised feel. The school presents itself as family-run, with an emphasis on staff knowing children well and on building confidence alongside academic readiness for senior school entry at 11.
This is not a school that sells itself on league-table metrics. There are no published national exam measures in the available results for this phase, so parents should judge fit through curriculum approach, pastoral systems, staff expertise, and the school’s senior-school preparation track record. The school’s most recent external benchmark is an Independent Schools Inspectorate inspection in November 2025, which reported that all relevant Standards were met, including in safeguarding.
The defining feature here is scale. The school’s capacity is small, and the leadership narrative is consistent: individual attention, quick communication with families, and a culture where staff recognise patterns in pupils’ learning and wellbeing early.
Leadership is closely identified with the proprietor-principal model. Mrs Victoria Hampton is listed as Principal, and also as Chair, with governance held through the proprietor structure. That set-up can suit families who value clarity and speed in decision-making, because accountability is concentrated rather than dispersed across a large trust or governing body. The trade-off is that families should want the feel of a close-run organisation, with policies, systems, and culture shaped strongly from the centre.
The staff list suggests a school that invests in named subject leadership despite its small roll. Key Stage leadership is explicit, and there are designated responsibilities beyond classroom teaching, including a Designated Safeguarding Officer and a school counsellor. There is also specialist input through peripatetic staff and visiting consultants, which is often where small preps differentiate themselves when they cannot offer the sheer breadth of a larger setting.
For this school type, the most meaningful “results” are usually readiness for selective and non-selective senior schools at 11, scholarship outcomes, and consistency in day-to-day teaching. Connaught House School publishes a Future Schools section that references first-choice offers and scholarships and bursaries across recent years, but the numerical breakdown is presented visually, so it should be reviewed directly on the school’s materials when shortlisting.
In academic terms, the available evidence is primarily qualitative: curriculum intent, specialist staffing, and external compliance inspection. If you are comparing several small London preps, it is sensible to ask each school the same practical questions: how reading and writing are taught in the early years, what interventions look like in Key Stage 2, how mathematics challenge is managed for the most able, and what senior-school preparation includes in Years 5 and 6.
The curriculum is structured around the expected primary subject range, with explicit subject pages for areas including mathematics, music, and IT and computing. In mathematics, the stated intent is daily mathematical opportunities through focused teaching, play, and cross-curricular work, with an emphasis on problem-solving and conceptual understanding.
IT and computing is described in practical terms, with pupils using devices and tools such as iPads, programmable robots, and digital cameras, alongside a progressive skills approach. For families who care about early digital literacy, this matters because it signals a hands-on model rather than computing as an occasional add-on.
Music appears to be a signature area. The school describes music as a core element, and notes that most pupils have individual vocal or instrumental lessons, with progression up to ABRSM Grade 6 and beyond for some. The implication for families is twofold: children who are already musical can develop quickly with structured tuition, and children who are not yet confident can still access music as a normal part of the school day rather than a rare enrichment activity.
This is a prep with an explicit 11+ purpose. The school positions itself around preparing pupils for senior school entry at 11, and its Future Schools section frames progression for first-choice offers and awards.
Because the school’s published detail is presented visually rather than as a text list of destination schools and numbers, the practical step for parents is to treat senior-school outcomes as a core admissions question, not a footnote. Ask which senior schools are regular destinations, how many places are typically secured at each, and how the school supports different routes, for example selective tests, interviews, and scholarship preparation. If your child is aiming for a particular type of senior school, you want to see alignment between that target and the prep’s track record, not just general confidence.
Admissions are direct, and the school encourages early engagement. Registration is listed as available “any time from birth”, which is a strong signal that places can be planned well in advance, even if many families engage later when moving into the area.
The school calendar also shows an open day in the spring term, with a morning parent event and an early finish for the day. For 2026 entry planning, the broader pattern matters more than a single date, because open events often repeat annually around similar points in the term.
For families using FindMySchool tools, this is a school where it can be useful to keep a shortlist organised early, because registration can happen well ahead of entry and in-year vacancies will depend on cohort movement rather than catchment rules.
Pastoral capacity in a small school is often judged by role clarity and access to specialist support. Here, the published staff roles include a Designated Safeguarding Officer and a school counsellor, and the inspection documentation confirms safeguarding Standards were met at the time of the most recent inspection.
There is also clear internal responsibility for wellbeing leadership, with a SENCo and a named mental health lead listed within the staffing structure. For parents, that matters because it suggests that support is organised through named accountability rather than informal goodwill alone, which is important when a child’s needs are complex or change over time.
The extracurricular menu is unusually specific for a school of this size, and it is one of the most distinctive, verifiable differentiators available in the public material.
A clear example is chess. The school describes a resident International Grandmaster, Sheila Jackson, guiding pupils from beginner level through to competition in the Delancey School Challenge. That is a concrete pathway, not simply a weekly club, and it will suit children who enjoy structured progression and competitive milestones.
STEM-style enrichment is also explicit. The Coding and Lego Robotics Club is described as being delivered with Engineering Minds, involving building and programming robots, then moving into Scratch and FIRST LEGO League challenges. The implication is that children can experience real project structure and iterative problem-solving, which complements the mathematics intent described elsewhere.
Music and performing arts appear to be recurring pillars. Alongside instrumental and vocal tuition, the clubs listing includes multiple drama clubs per week, plus dance offered through peripatetic provision. For children who gain confidence through performance, this type of repeated stage practice can matter as much as academic stretch.
Fees are published for the academic year 2025/26 on a per-term basis, with VAT addressed explicitly.
Reception tuition fees are £6,885 plus VAT, shown as £8,262 per term.
Form One to Six tuition fees are £7,482 plus VAT, shown as £8,978 per term.
Registration is £120 (inclusive of VAT).
The school lists an additional charge of £475 for lunch and snacks, and notes it expects that charge not to be subject to VAT.
A sibling discount is described as 10% off tuition fees when siblings attend Form One to Six concurrently.
Financial support is positioned as available through bursaries, with families directed to apply via admissions. Scholarships are also described as available from 7+, awarded on academic performance in school or by examination for joiners. The school does not publish a percentage of families receiving support in the available material, so parents should ask how awards work in practice, including the typical scale of awards and whether bursary support can be combined with scholarships.
Fees data coming soon.
Term dates are published clearly, including staff inset days and term start and end points across 2025 to 2027. That helps working families plan around a traditional three-term pattern, including midday finishes on the final day of the summer term shown in the calendar.
Very small scale. A small roll can mean high attention and quick intervention; it can also mean fewer peers in a year group and less breadth in friendship groups. The right fit depends on your child’s temperament and social needs.
Cost structure includes VAT and extras. Fees are clearly stated, but families should budget for the tuition level plus the published lunch and snacks charge, and clarify what is included versus optional, such as instrumental tuition.
A purposeful pathway can feel fast-moving. A school oriented to 11+ readiness can suit children who enjoy challenge and structure; children who need a gentler pace may do better in a setting with less emphasis on senior-school transition.
Connaught House School is best understood as a small, centrally located prep with a strong emphasis on personal attention, specialist input, and senior-school readiness by 11. Families who want a compact setting, clear leadership, and enrichment that includes serious music, chess, and hands-on computing will find a coherent offer. It suits pupils who respond well to structure and close adult oversight, and who will benefit from purposeful preparation for the next school rather than a more open-ended primary experience.
The most recent external benchmark is the Independent Schools Inspectorate inspection in November 2025, which reported that all relevant Standards were met, including safeguarding. For many families, the stronger test of “good” at a prep like this is whether the culture and teaching match the child, and whether senior-school progression outcomes align with your target schools.
For 2025/26, fees are published per term and include VAT in the stated totals: £8,262 per term for Reception and £8,978 per term for Form One to Six. Registration is £120, and the school lists an additional £475 charge for lunch and snacks.
Admissions are direct to the school, with registration available “any time from birth”. Families typically engage early, attend an open event or visit, and discuss entry points and availability for the relevant year group.
Chess and STEM-style enrichment are unusually specific. The school describes chess taught by an International Grandmaster, and a coding and robotics club that includes building and programming robots and later working with Scratch and FIRST LEGO League challenges. Music and drama also feature strongly, including instrumental and vocal tuition and multiple drama clubs each week.
Music is described as a core element of the curriculum, with most pupils taking individual lessons and some progressing to ABRSM Grade 6 and beyond. If your child is musical, it is worth asking how timetabling works for lessons, ensembles, and performance opportunities across the week.
Get in touch with the school directly
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