Dear Parents,

Click here to view this document in printable format.

I wanted to tell you at the first opportunity of some very good news which will make us an even stronger school.

We have felt for some time that it would be in Shrewsbury House’s best interests for us to have our own Pre-Prep, ideally on a separate site. I am glad to say that we have now achieved that aim in the best possible circumstances.

We have just agreed that Milbourne Lodge Junior School in Esher will join forces with us. Many of you will know it well because your boys were there before coming to Shrewsbury House. It is an excellent school for boys and girls aged from 3 to 8. It not only has a very strong reputation, but also values similar to our own. For those who want it, this change means that we will be able to offer a first class education all the way through from 3 to 13.

For those who want to come to us later, we will still, of course, maintain our intakes at both 7+ and 8+ from our other highly valued feeder schools.  Furthermore, there will be no requirement that children who have been at the Pre-Prep should move to Shrewsbury House. Nor will there be a guarantee that they will be able to do so, as there will still be an assessment, as now.

Milbourne Lodge Junior School will change its name to Shrewsbury Lodge.  The Governing bodies of both schools will combine and I will be Chairman. Mark Ross will be the Headmaster in charge of both schools, with Shrewsbury Lodge having its own Head, reporting to him. 

Daily life at Shrewsbury House will continue as now. We do not have any plans to grow in size, nor to change the Shrewsbury House formula. While Shrewsbury Lodge will continue to take girls, we do not foresee Shrewsbury House doing so. Mark will of course need to dedicate time to Shrewsbury Lodge this term, not only to appoint a new Head, but also to get an in-depth understanding of what makes it tick and how it operates. Thereafter, once the new Shrewsbury Lodge Head is in place, his role there will become more of an advisory one.

For this term, Simon Ford (Deputy Head) and Jon Akhurst (Assistant Head), who more than proved themselves in Mark’s absence in December, will take on more day-to-day responsibility if Mark is at Shrewsbury Lodge.  That said, we expect that Mark will still be spending much of his time at Shrewsbury House.

Milbourne Lodge Junior School is just completing a major refurbishment of its buildings which will leave it very well-placed to flourish. By becoming one, larger entity we believe that both parts will prosper even further and that Shrewsbury House and Shrewsbury Lodge will become the natural first choice for even more parents in the area.

The Governors join me in hoping that you will share our enthusiasm at this move. We are certain that it is a great opportunity to be seized.  

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or Mark Ross.

Yours sincerely,

Chairman of Governors