Tower House Preparatory School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2023, Neill Lunnon. Educated at Reading grammar - an ‘extraordinary education with inspiring teachers’ - then Exeter university (biological sciences and PGCE). First job at Wellington College where he met his wife Jane (now head of Alleyn’s). A stint at Eagle House (Wellington’s prep school) then back to the college as deputy head (pastoral). When he and his wife were appointed as heads of Fulham Prep and Wimbledon High School respectively, they relocated to London. Five years later he was delighted to accept the headship at Tower House having ‘fallen in love’ with a school that he felt ‘needed preserving and enhancing’.

Head has a ‘passion for all sport’, loves food and cooking, and decamps to ‘beautiful’ Dorset when he can. Had he not been a teacher, he reckons he’d have been a doctor, but told us, ‘I’m doing what I am meant to do.’ Looking ahead, he wants to ‘share the magic’ and ‘to raise the profile of the school in the local area and beyond’. He is determined Tower House should remain a standalone, non-selective, independent, single form entry, boys’ school.

Parents have nothing but praise: friendly, approachable, intelligent, responsive, organised. Several told us how he drove three hours to surprise year 4 on their residential trip; boys and parents were delighted.

Entrance

Catchment area traditionally ‘within a stone’s throw’ but expanding. Single form entry: non-selective in reception (priority for siblings then first come, first served). ‘Lightly’ selective thereafter. Special mention must go to the delightful ‘welcome to your new school’ booklet sent to boys joining reception: a perfectly pitched little keepsake.

Exit

One or two decamp at 7+ to the likes of King’s College Wimbledon or St Paul’s. After that, bucking the trend locally, virtually all stay until the end of year 8. In the last five years, a third to Hampton, Kings College School or St Paul’s. Brighton College increasingly popular. Also to Epsom College, Reed’s, Emanuel, St John’s Leatherhead, Tonbridge, Wellington, Rugby, Harrow, Eton and Cranleigh. Plenty of scholarships in the mix too – nine in 2024.

Our view

Located by Richmond Park, slightly limited space has been imaginatively and effectively used. The original building, complete with tower, has been extended and newer blocks contain classrooms, a sports hall, theatre, science lab and art studio. The most recent addition houses an outstanding multi-purpose sports hall (used daily for sports and regularly as a theatre) and the senior boys’ classrooms: tastefully spacious and bright with wooden shutters, pale wooden desks and blue lockers.

A small, tidy library rammed with books. Our guide told us, ‘It’s a really nice place to be’. A clear culture of reading with challenges, monitored by the librarian, and tasty prizes to ensure enthusiastic participation.

As we walked through the junior playground (a colourful area with all sorts of activities to pique a child’s interests), a small boy wandered past us. ‘There’s a real moving centipede in the toilet and I wonder what it’s doing there,’ he announced, revealing pleasing levels of confidence, observation and curiosity.

Main playground not huge, but big enough, with zones for active pursuits and quieter ones. On the day of our visit, generating much excitement, a ‘golden sunshine’ appeared in a window overlooking the playground signalling that it was officially hot enough for blazers and ties to be discarded and for top buttons to be undone.

The lessons we observed were inspiring, with lovely tactics for keeping young boys engaged and intrigued. ‘Say it like a mouse,’ instructed the teacher and the boys whispered. ‘Say it like a knight,’ gave them the excuse to shout the response. Lots of questions too. ‘Why is a clock like a ruler?’ leading to some intense discussion in one class.

Staff are praised by boys and parents alike: ‘cat nip for children’, ‘an unsung hero’, ‘exceptional’, ‘super-cool and super-fun’, ‘the be-all-and-end-all’ were just some of the compliments we heard. Many teachers display impressive skills when it comes to multi-tasking, combining roles and responsibilities, subjects and specialisms. One thoughtful year 8 boy said, ‘The staff are very versatile,’ which we felt summed it up beautifully.

A recent inspection highlighted the need to ‘enhance children’s understanding of technology’ and changes being implemented speedily. Acknowledging ‘AI is entering our lives’, older boys were discussing the pros (‘it’s a tool and will free people to do other things’) and the cons (‘it may make us lazy’ and ‘it may de-evolve us’). In terms of teaching and learning, school is keen to avoid ‘too much time being spent looking at screens’. A couple of parents in some (higher) year groups question the increased use of online platforms but most seem very content with the way things are done.

During our visit, we encountered a Fratin lesson. Ostensibly a means of streaming linguists, the class was divided in two: one group of around ten boys doing French and the other Latin before swapping around after the bell. Groups, too, for maths and spelling.

A year 5 maths lesson started with a quickfire session (adding and subtracting negative numbers). A calculation was then written on the board and boys volunteered answers. Most gave the same response but two begged to differ (with knowing smiles). The teacher explained: ‘Today we are going to learn about BIDMAS.’ The enthusiasm was palpable and we’d have liked to stay to hear more.

From year 3, specialist teachers for science (‘We do loads of experiments’), music, art, DT, drama, history and geography. No question that having a thriving year 7 and 8 makes the school an attractive proposition for subject enthusiasts.

Preparation for senior school entrance exams is steady and carefully managed, organised ‘with a light touch’ according to parents. One sensible older boy told us, ‘It was always going to be nerve-wracking but we all got through it with the help of the teachers.’ Some are tutored ‘a bit’. ‘The school does enough so it really isn’t needed,’ one parent insisted, although another said that those who do find tutors for their sons, ‘keep it very hush hush’.

Full-time head of learning support is a specialist dyslexia teacher. Currently ‘a handful’ of pupils with EHCPs receive one-to-one support for a range of conditions. A further 38 pupils on the SEND register whose needs are met through intervention groups run by support staff and outside agencies while specific strategies are implemented both inside and outside the classroom. Movement breaks, fidget tools, wobble cushions and other practical devices, plus social skills and nurture groups for those who need them. One parent described how her son was given ‘incredible support’ while another told us that her son’s experience had been ‘brilliant’ and explained how the school ‘has made him feel known and celebrated’ (in stark contrast to his experience at his previous school).

In the hall, the choir were preparing for a summer concert. There is something very special about young boys singing their hearts out. Head insistent that, for a boy who might struggle in some situations, finding a voice or a talent can be life changing. Eighty per cent learn an instrument with ‘lots’ playing the guitar. Several ensembles (classical and contemporary) plus orchestra and choir provide opportunities to develop and hone skills.

Schools often claim drama is ‘massive’ but here it really is. Huge, ambitious productions. Most recently, all seven Harry Potter tomes transformed by the remarkable head of drama (‘the most ambitious drama person ever’ according to one boy we spoke to and ‘a gem’ according to several parents) into a four-hour play split over two evenings. No fewer than 84 speaking parts (one for every boy who auditioned) and, of course, the backstage team too. Just to complicate things a little, to help boys understand the challenges of the silver screen as well as the stage, the Voldemort death scene was filmed and subsequently edited. With the wellbeing of trees in mind, programmes were not printed but accessed online via a QR code.

Perhaps no surprise that old boys include the likes of journalist and broadcaster Louis Theroux and actors Tom Hardy, Robert Pattinson, Rory Kinnear and Jack Whitehall.

Art is often collaborative. Loads of it around the school with nods to Lichtenstein, Warhol, Caufield and others. Ceramics, beautifully mounted and framed paintings, and drawings by individual boys evidence of raw talent and good teaching.

A range of clubs before, during and after school. Some offered by external providers, for which there is a charge, but most internal. A few parents bemoan the limited availability of places. Apparently, ‘super-organised parents’ generally manage to secure valuable slots for their offspring but boys whose parents are not hovering over their computer keyboards at the appropriate time can miss out.

Impressive enrichment activities for senior boys include the Tower Project which sees groups of boys running businesses for a year. Parents mentor while boys develop an understanding of digital and financial literacy, sustainability and marketing as well as building skills in teamwork and creativity.

On the day of our visit, huge excitement as year 8 headed off to White Waltham airfield to fly (yes, really) in helicopters and Piper airplanes. The final hurrah before heading off to pastures new.

Football, rugby and cricket the main sports. Boys access fantastic facilities at the Wimbledon community sports centre and the cricket pitch on Sheen Common. Fixtures from year 3. Ample opportunities for the less sporty to participate. ‘We won’t accept we’ve lost until the game is finished,’ we were told. They often win.

Six values - kindness, respect, courage, resilience, generosity and curiosity - ensure boys are set up to learn, make friends and contribute to school and wider society. There is a refreshing belief in childhood too: '‘If it snows, we will be going to Richmond Park, boys may get bumps and bruises but they will have fun.’

Links with Old Vicarage Girls’ School are being forged. A joint ski trip and a fashion show are planned while shared bus routes and a shuttle bus between the schools are in the pipeline. Some parents we spoke to were evidently unaware of this burgeoning relationship, but others told us, ‘They are definitely trying. It’s good and it’s needed.’ One parent said interacting with the girls had been ‘eye-opening’ for her son and his friends.

Wellbeing is prioritised. Pastoral care largely the responsibility of heads of year and form teachers but concerns are escalated if appropriate. Boys told us, ‘If you are worried you talk to a teacher and, even if it’s a small worry, they take it seriously.’

‘Everybody here is friends,’ one boy told us while another added, ‘We all watch out for each other.’ A parent described outstanding support given to her son during a particularly difficult time, not just by the staff but also by his classmates who, she told us, ‘Are just lovely little people.’

In lessons, evidence of a consistently applied set of expectations and sanctions for misdemeanours like ‘calling out and interrupting learning’. Warnings given and, should the miscreant re-offend, minus house points may follow. Boys told us that it is ‘really important’ to be honest and to own up when you have done something wrong. All felt the systems in place are fair and effective.

Parents, described by staff as ‘brilliantly sensible’, ‘down to earth’ and ‘grounded’, are largely professional (doctors, lawyers, finance) or work in media (authors, journalists, artists, actors). Many self-employed. Much needed wraparound care (from 7.30am until 6pm) is appreciated and parent morale ‘is really high’, we were told.

Money matters

Highly competitive fees are inclusive of everything, including residentials and trips (although not the biennial senior boys’ Barbados cricket tour). Bursaries and hardship awards (for existing pupils) when needed.

The last word

Parents are delighted with this ‘gem of a school’ which ‘makes every pupil feel valued’. Tower House radiates positivity. Opportunities abound and the school produces happy, erudite boys who are courteous, curious and kind. An impressive list of leavers’ destinations is testament to a job well done.

Special Education Needs

At Tower House we aim to ensure that all our staff have a thorough understanding of the educational differences of all our pupils and that the boys have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. We have an experienced SENCO who is also a specialist teacher for dyslexia and monitors the overall provision and support for pupils we are able to offer, as well as offering more specialist teaching for those who require it. Boys identified as in need of additional support are taught either 1:1, in small groups or in the classroom. These lessons take place within the school day with touch typing lessons after school for all those who wish to attend.

Leavers' destinations

Who came from where