Hazlegrove Preparatory School is committed to celebrating childhood. A vibrant and creative curriculum, exceptional pastoral care and stunning rural Somerset location combine to make children feel nurtured, motivated, inspired and encouraged to love learning for life. Hazlegrove is a thriving community where children flourish. Pupil numbers are buoyant and pupil achievement is outstanding with an average of over 30 scholarships and awards each year as well as individual and team national champions on the sports field and national recognition for its musicians. This co-educational preparatory school at Sparkford, Somerset is the school of choice for London parents as well as being very popular with those in the South West and boarding families looking for a full boarding school with everything that will offer a child. Hazlegrove is part of a foundation which also incorporates King's School, Bruton - a senior school located less than 10 miles away in Bruton. Around 30% of Hazlegrove pupils will progress to King's Bruton with the remainder going to other schools throughout the UK including Eton, Charterhouse, Winchester, Marlborough, Millfield, Sherborne, Sherborne Girls', Cheltenham Ladies College, Canford and Bryanston.
History
The school’s history reaches back in time to 1519 during the reign of Henry VIII and as part of the King’s School Bruton Foundation, Hazlegrove is part of an educational lineage which spans nearly five centuries. The school was founded by Richard Fitzjames and his nephew John Fitzjames of Redlynch whose family crest incorporated the bearded dolphin which remains part of the school crest today. The school is part of a foundation created by Richard Fitzjames with his nephew John Fitzjames whose family crest incorporated the bearded dolphin which remains part of the school crest today. After only twenty years of existence, the school was closed with the dissolution of the Monasteries resulting with the surrender of the Abbey including all the endowments of the school to Henry VIII until 1547, and then Edward VI, his son. For ten years the school ceased to exist until a "humble petition" was presented to Edward VI requesting him to restore the endowments of the school. This was granted with the school being called the Free Grammar School of King Edward the Sixth. This Royal Foundation led to a crown being placed above the dolphin on the school crest. The original endowments of the school were re-granted to a Corporation that was to consist of twelve governors. This may be the first school ever to have a Governing Body with an unbroken record of the proceedings of the meetings of the Governors dating back to 1553. Hazlegrove Preparatory School was created when the Junior School was moved to Hazlegrove House, after World War II in 1947, to be able to satisfy the increasing demand for places. A new building for the school costing £1.6 million, designed by the architects Feilden Fowles, was completed recently, the Fitzjames Building, which has become the hub of many activities within the school.
Boarding
Approximately 1/3 of pupils aged 7 to 13 board full-time at the school with the majority staying in at weekends. A full programme of activities takes place evenings and weekends. There are three boarding houses: Blackford, Lankester and School House the latter being in the historic Hazlegrove House itself. At Hazlegrove, boarders are the heartbeat of the school. It’s of paramount importance to the School that children feel safe and happy staying there and the thriving community of around 100 full-time boarders is testament to the School's success. Experienced houseparents and boarding staff take care of the children’s physical and emotional wellbeing, ensuring they have a relaxed and fun time at school. The boarding was last inspected as part of the Integrated ISI Inspection in the Autumn Term, 2015 and again as part of the Regulatory Compliance Inspection in September 2018. The School was considered to be outstanding in all nine areas of judgement.
Curriculum
All pupils participate in sport, music and drama. Forest School / Outdoor Education, Latin and Mandarin feature alongside traditional academic subjects. Able pupils are stretched to scholarship level and the school has a CReSTeD accredited Learning Support Unit to help pupils with additional needs. The curriculum has a real, hands-on feel where children participate and are not just spectators. The School is passionate about developing in the children, genuine awe, wonder and curiosity at the complexities of life and the world - past, present and future. The breadth and balance in the curriculum give pupils an opportunity to get excited about the lessons they have each day. Activity and investigation enable pupils to learn to think for themselves and to solve problems. The curriculum at Hazlegrove prepares children for the next phases of their lives, for the demands of a more specialised senior education and, in the longer term, to be able to meet the challenges of the workplace and to thrive in their personal and professional lives, understanding their responsibilities in making the world a better place. In Year 4, pupils join the rest of the Prep School in attending school on Saturday mornings from which the children benefit in a myriad of ways; whether it be the space this creates over the course of a week to explore topics and interests to the pressure that this removes from having to fit everything in from Monday to Friday.
