Schools fly flag for country education

Is there an ideal time to move out of London? Is boarding still relevant in today’s world? Can we futureproof our children? How important are fresh air and muddy knees when it comes to schooling?

These burning questions and more will be addressed at a special event in London by leading figures from six top prep and senior schools as they make a case for families educating their children at country schools and away from the relative confines of the capital.

Educating Outside London will take place at Beaufort House in Chelsea on February 5 and will feature informative talks by experienced educationalists from respected prep schools Highfield and Brookham in Hampshire, Ludgrove in Berkshire and Hanford in Dorset who will answer key questions which are being asked more and more by current London parents.

They will be joined by representatives from leading senior schools Marlborough College (Wiltshire), Radley College (Oxfordshire) and Downe House School (Berkshire).

Since the onset of Covid in 2021, more and more families have moved out of London, citing better quality of life, more green space and more sense of community as they make a beeline for the Home Counties and south-east England.

Further to that, the lure of a country education for their children – and all of that fresh air and those muddy knees - has grown ever stronger for families with school-age children who still wish to remain within easy reach of the capital.

Suzannah Cryer, deputy head of a prestigious London prep school before taking on the role of Head two years ago at Highfield and Brookham, a thriving co-ed day and boarding school for children aged 2-13 which occupies 175-acre grounds, will ask attendees to consider if there is an ideal time to move out of London, citing the flexibility of Highfield and Brookham’s multiple year-group entry points and how boarding offers all the benefits of a country education to their children as they either stay in London or wait to move at a time to suit them.

Mrs Cryer said: “We’re delighted to be joining forces with such prestigious schools in February to fly the flag for rural education. We all have a common link – we all have the health, happiness and wellbeing of our children at the heart of everything we do, and we look forward to meeting city-based parents who might be considering the switch to a countryside education for their children.”

And she added: “Being blessed with such big and wonderful grounds, outdoor learning naturally plays a big part in our everyday curriculum. From building dens at forest school to tending our vegetable plots and from undertaking science experiments to painting among the daffodils, our children gain so much from being outside. The fact that the children have the time and space to learn, to play, to think and to breathe in such a safe and nurturing setting is truly wonderful for their wellbeing and their mental health, and we find that it pays handsome dividends back inside the classroom.”

Educating Outside London, which has been running since 2015, will be held at Beaufort House, Chelsea, on February 5, from 6.30pm-8.30pm. To book a place, visit highfieldandbrookham.co.uk/outside-london.