Striking the perfect balance

Richard Backhouse, Principal of Berkhamsted School, explains the ‘diamond model’ of learning and how to achieve a well-rounded education.

Modern parents face an overwhelming number of considerations before finding the right school for their child. Would a large school with vast facilities or a smaller, family-like environment benefit their child? A single-sex or a co-ed school? A big city or rural campus? Boarding or day? Academic or holistic? Situated in a picturesque market town in Hertfordshire, Berkhamsted is a group of six independent schools that provides the best of both worlds, all within 30 minutes from London.

Pupils get all the benefits of being single-sex, and all the benefits of being co-ed. One of under 20 diamond schools in the UK, Berkhamsted offers co-education during Pre-Prep and Prep and single-sex education from ages 11 to 16 before returning to a co-education setting during Sixth. Beginning their journey through Berkhamsted School in a co-ed Pre-Prep and Prep, pupils learn to cooperate with the opposite sex from an early age. To attain their full potential, pupils require different support once they enter adolescence. But senior pupils still enjoy performing arts, school trips, and coach journeys to and from school together to ensure they don’t miss out on opportunities to socialise with the opposite sex. Our diamond structure retains a distinctive girls school and boys school ethos in the 11-16 years, whilst also preparing Sixth Form students for a life after school in which young adults collaborate without regard to gender.

With over 2,000 pupils, Berkhamsted offers the facilities you’d expect of a large school, from a 25-metre swimming pool to a 500-seat theatre. But the school’s scale does not compromise personalised support for every child. Across the Schools Group, every pupil has a form tutor who not only oversees their academic, but also their personal, emotional, and social development. Berkhamsted can provide individual care to every child while still providing the resources of a larger school. With the largest school in the group hosting just 500 pupils, Berkhamsted is really just a large group of many small, personal schools. All of our Headteachers know each of the pupils individually.

Berkhamsted is a day school but offers flexible boarding options. Within its diverse 2,000-pupil population is a small boarding community, predominantly made up of international boarders. But pupils don’t have to be full-time boarders to be cared for after the school day. If parents’ work plans change, pupils of all ages are provided with a high standard of flexible Wrap Around Care outside of core school hours and pupils can flexi-board from Year 7 one or two nights a week. This flexible approach to boarding means pupils can enjoy a safe space to wind down after a busy day while parents prioritise work commitments knowing their child is cared for- it’s the best of both worlds for parents and pupils!

Located in a quaint market town, pupils appreciate the quiet and peaceful setting to study in while knowing they are never far from the bustle of a large metropolis thanks to London Euston station being a 30-minute train ride away. We offer all the advantages of living in both the country and the city.

In such an idyllic and traditional setting, few would imagine the school- established in 1541- to promote a modern education. However, inside the almost 500-year-old walls, Berkhamsted encourages a forward-thinking approach that places every child at the centre. Pupils engage in AI Super-curricular courses, they enjoy lessons fuelled by the latest education research, and each pupil learns on a Microsoft Surface Pro device from Year 5 to Sixth. But this modern approach does not mean Berkhamsted loses sight of the school’s age-old traditions. From regular chapel services to the annual celebration of the School’s Founder’s Day, Berkhamsted strikes the perfect balance between tradition and innovation.

Berkhamsted is the perfect school if you’re looking to develop your child into a well-rounded young person, both academically and holistically. Pupils become academically ambitious through debating societies and enjoy tailored support to help them get into their university of choice, but they can also throw themselves into performing arts, sport, and outdoor education. While Berkhamsted boasts incredible academic results (45% of GCSE results were awarded at Grade 8 or 9 in 2023) the school also ranked in the top ten schools for sport by School Sports Mag and has one of the largest Duke of Edinburgh cohorts in the country. Berkhamsted’s holistic approach to education means parents don’t have to decide between an excellent academic or co-curricular offering, they enjoy the best of both.

Offering a distinguished and proud heritage combined with the latest and most innovative teaching, I’d encourage you to visit Berkhamsted for yourself to discover how we offer the best of both worlds.

This article first appeared in the 2024/25 edition of Which London School? & the South-East, which you can read in full below: