Choosing a preparatory school for your child is never easy, and in London the competition for the best schools is daunting. So if you are in the process of looking at your options, you might want to consider an out-of-London school, with all the benefits of space, a more rural environment and less of the London pressure. One such school is Papplewick, based in Ascot, Berkshire, which can offer all this and much more – and is easily accessible to West Londoners via its two popular daily bus services from Chiswick and Brook Green.

Papplewick’s 200 boys enjoy plenty of space to run around in, with the school’s 15 acres of land opposite Ascot Racecourse. It offers day, weekly and full boarding for boys from the ages of six to 13 and there is plenty of flexibility for day boys to stay over for special activities.

The school has an excellent record for academic achievement and feeds many of the UK’s top independent senior schools including Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Wellington, Stowe and Bradfield. There are many scholarships won here - in the last two years there have been no less than 26 awards, including two King’s Scholarships to Eton. The success of the boys is attributed to the strong supportive relationships with its team of dedicated professional staff, who raise the bar above the boys’ heads, who in turn reach for and often exceed, that bar. For all its success, Papplewick is non-selective.

But Papplewick is not just about academic achievement. For instance, sport at the school is a very important part of daily life. The three main team sports are rugby, football and cricket, and inter-school matches are also played in tennis, hockey, swimming, athletics, squash, basketball, golf, shooting and polo. The school boasts a large sports hall, covered pool and floodlit astroturf.

Boys can also work off their energy via a huge range of extra-curricular activities, such as riding, arena polo, elite athletics, table tennis, karate, cross-country, fly fishing, clay pigeon shooting, fencing, golf, skiing, water polo, circuit training and aqua-fit. There are clubs to suit every personality – including Warhammer, chess, cooking, Bibliomaniacs, junior craft, eco-club, Lego Club, iPad sessions, miniature set design, Macbeth, K'nex, school newsletter, camp craft, film and cinema and photography. Every boy takes part in at least two activities, and they are encouraged to try out as many new experiences as possible during the course of their time at Papplewick.

At the school’s Herpetology Club – the most popular, with around 100 members - the boys buy snakes or lizards for a small sum and help to feed them on particular days of the week. As well as looking after the animals as pets, they study them in science lessons, where the boys weigh them, observe how many times they shed their skins and look at the number of mice they need to eat to grow to a certain size. Through this study, boys start to learn basic genetics – for instance, they have tried to breed different kinds of frogs and bearded dragons in unusual colours. The Club owns around 60 snakes – mostly corn snakes and all constrictors (not poisonous) - more than 20 bearded dragons, and a number of leopard geckos.

As well as all the more traditional subjects in the curriculum, there is plenty at Papplewick to interest boys with a more artistic inclination.

Art

Education in art is seen as a time in the week when pupils are encouraged to extend their powers of creativity, imagination and awareness of the visual world, and in addition to develop their mental powers. The school follows a structured teaching programme which builds upon the boys’ skills as they progress through the school. An appreciation of different cultures and artists throughout history is encouraged. Papplewick has a well equipped art room with additional facilities for both ceramics and printmaking.

Music

The Music Department aims to develop and nurture the musical talents of all the boys and fosters a love and enjoyment for music-making of all styles and genres. All boys receive class music lessons with a considerable emphasis on Music Technology in Years 5-8. Three quarters of the boys learn a musical instrument and there is a flute group, a string ensemble, a wind band, and the 'Papplewick Blue Notes' for jazz-orientated guitarists.
Papplewick is fortunate in having a purpose built Music School which consists of a large teaching room, a fully equipped Music Technology suite with 20 Apple Mac computers and midi keyboards with notation and sequencing software, twelve practice rooms all with new Yamaha or Weber pianos, a designated drum room, and a library. There is a two-manual and pedal pipe organ in the Chapel and a Yamaha grand piano in the school hall.

Drama

Drama begins in the Lower school where boys are encouraged to listen to each other and work together to a common goal. They take part in poetry reciting and class plays as well as variety shows which blend public speaking, music and group work. Throughout the school, each year every year group takes part in a stage play as well as having weekly drama lessons in the Michaelmas and Lent terms to foster the work begun in the Lower school. All take part in a Spring Arts Festival at Easter. The senior boys often do plays in chapel as well as put on full musicals each Christmas. This has become the greatest team sport as most productions have large casts.

‘Boys can be boys’ at Papplewick, while a huge emphasis is put on kindness, with the most coveted award on Speech Day going to the boy who has shown the greatest enthusiasm for life, contribution to the community and above all kindness to others.