Thomas’s Battersea

Focus

Kindness, encouragement

Day fees 2024/25

$34,500–$39,000 (incl. VAT)

Pupils

600

Ages

4–13

Spear’s Review

Thomas’s Battersea, part of the excellent Thomas’s day schools group of schools in south and southwest London, was the school to which Prince George and Princess Charlotte were sent and remains the choice of many affluent West London families.

The most important rule at all their schools, the group says, is ‘be kind’, and the approach to teaching and learning emphasises thinking and questioning – something the school calls the ‘enquiry mindset’. This strategy equips children to adapt to and negotiate the future; develop resilience, curiosity and leadership; learn scholastic and societal skills; and discover how to apply their knowledge.

Alongside academics, music, drama and sport (the school has a rooftop playground to make the most of the typically small London footprint) are all taken up enthusiastically.

School Profile

Thomas’s London Day Schools is a family-run group of co-educational independent schools that provide a forward-thinking, outward-looking education, based on a strong set of values, for boys and girls in central London. A Thomas’s education starts at the age of 2 and will soon end at the age of 18. Thomas’s Battersea, an integral part of this group, is a preparatory school for more than 600 pupils aged 4 to 13.

A Thomas’s education is founded on the original school rule ‘Be Kind’, a broad curriculum and academic success. We take a four-dimensional approach to education, developing knowledge, skills, character and meta-learning. We offer a curriculum that fosters an enquiry mindset, is inspiring, relevant and contemporary, and ensures both breadth and depth of educational experience.

We offer a vibrant mix of creative arts, sport and outdoor activities. We stage 10 drama productions a year, provide exceptional sporting opportunities and include a dedicated curriculum of outdoor learning, with activities ranging from canoeing and rock-climbing to bushcraft and woodland adventures, as well as overseas trips to Barbados, Croatia, Sweden and to our own outdoor learning centre in Austria.

It is our aim that every pupil leaves Thomas’s with core values and a strong sense of social responsibility; inner strength and positive physical and mental health; academic success and a love of learning. We strive to ensure that a Thomas’s education equips all of our pupils with optimism about and preparedness for the future, setting them on a path to become net contributors to society and to flourish as successful, conscientious and caring citizens of the world.

Senior school destinations 

Leavers go on to schools including Eton, Charterhouse, St Paul’s and Thomas’s own senior school nearby.

Head teacher

Rupert Hawkins took on the headship of Thomas’s Battersea ahead of the 2024/25 school year. Prior to his current role he was senior deputy head and deputy head – future schools at Thomas’s Battersea. Schooled at Harrow, Hawkins received an MA in theology from the University of Edinburgh, his PGCE from Goldsmiths in London and a Master of Education in educational leadership from the University of Buckingham.

Admissions

Thomas's Battersea is a selective school; main entry points are at reception and Year 7. The school also welcomes applications for occasional places in Years 1 to 6 and Year 8. 

Accessibility

Heathrow Airport: 1 hour

Location

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