Hampshire &amp; Isle of Wight

<p>It’s a wonderful school. My children love it!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT? WHERE?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-kids-outside-school.jpg" alt="Children outside Prince's Mead school in Winchester" class="wp-image-32102" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-kids-outside-school.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-kids-outside-school-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-kids-outside-school-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-kids-outside-school-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-kids-outside-school-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://www.princesmeadschool.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prince’s Mead</a> is a co-ed Prep school (3 &#8211; 11 years) in the village of Kings Worthy, just outside of the county capital of Winchester.</p>



<p>More bijou than other local independent schools, there&#8217;s 13 acres of gorgeous Hampshire countryside &#8211; complete with woodland &#8211; centered around the beautiful Worthy Park House.</p>



<p>The school caters for around 300 students, with a popular nursery opened in 2020. Class sizes max out here at 20, so larger than other outfits but there&#8217;s a real benefit to having more peers to interact with without getting anywhere near some of the heady numbers in the state system.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-facilities">FACILITIES</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="668" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolForest-8260.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15588" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolForest-8260.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolForest-8260-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolForest-8260-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolForest-8260-720x481.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The school has a whopping and incredibly well-maintained sports hall, along with two full-sized tennis courts and plenty of space for sports. </p>



<p>Where Prince&#8217;s Mead really comes into its own is the clever use of the grounds. There&#8217;s outdoor learning in Grays Wood with a bonfire pit and its very own zip-wire. On top of this, there&#8217;s an Outdoor Classroom which is used for every subject going, plus a Wild Flower Meadow and even a bee hive, which Year 6 pupils get to harvest honey from.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone wp-image-15589 size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="688" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolHR-7407v2.jpg" alt="PrincesMeadSchoolHR-7407v2" class="wp-image-15589" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolHR-7407v2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolHR-7407v2-300x206.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolHR-7407v2-768x528.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchoolHR-7407v2-720x495.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wild Flower Meadow</figcaption></figure>



<p>Heading indoors, the latest extension to the building boasts a fantastic&nbsp;dining hall and classrooms, all of which have been built with a neutral decor concept. With simple colours and calming vibes, it embraces a Scandi ethos and makes it all about concentration and learning rather than the shiny, distracting wall displays of old.</p>



<p>The music room is also a sight to behold. Located inside the Grade II listed building, its grand surroundings are also home to African drums and other obscure instruments, plus your usual violins, guitars and drums.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-academic-results">ACADEMIC RESULTS</h2>



<p>The academics here are really very good, and definitely match up to (and even beat) some of the more known name schools in the area. Add to that the&nbsp;school also offers the 13+ pretesting for&nbsp;those who wish to have it.</p>



<p>And while those who are aiming to send their kids to the &#8220;prestige&#8221; senior schools will have to find provision for Years 7 and 8 elsewhere, the school and the staff are extremely hands-on to get the kids to where they want to be without hot-housing.</p>



<p>Children in previous years have won scholarships to Embley, Godolphin, St Swithun&#8217;s, King Edward VI, Lord Wandsworth, Alton, Downe House, St Gabriel&#8217;s, Wells Cathedral, Sherborne and Sherborne Girls, in academic, sport and creative disciplines.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sport">SPORT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-sports-min.jpg" alt="Sports running pupils Prince's Mead Winchester " class="wp-image-32110" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-sports-min.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-sports-min-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-sports-min-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-sports-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-sports-min-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Sport is an integral part of school life here and is also quite flexible based on parents &#8211; and kids &#8211; preferences and goals. The swimming teams have quite the reputation in the local area for winning, enhanced by the fact they don&#8217;t actually have an on-site pool.</p>



<p>The PE curriculum covers hockey, basketball, tennis, rugby, netball, football, athletics and cricket, and when you encompass the after-school activities, kids have the choice of activities including karate, pilates, street-dance, fencing and ballet. And although the school isn&#8217;t right on the coast, there&#8217;s still opportunity for sailing as well.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-head">THE HEAD</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-15581"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28443" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Princes-Mead-School-Adam-King-min-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Adam King took up the role as headmaster in September 2022. Previously, he was head of Thorngrove School, a co-ed prep in Berkshire, House Master at Giggleswick School in the Yorkshire Dales and St Faith’s School in Cambridge. Alongside his role as Head, King is also a Compliance and Educational Quality Inspector for ISI, on the Academic Committee for the Independent Schools Examinations Board and the Secretary of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools District 10 Committee.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-littlies">LITTLIES </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-littlies-min.jpg" alt="Young children woodland Forest outdoor learning school Prince's Mead Winchester" class="wp-image-32103" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-littlies-min.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-littlies-min-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-littlies-min-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-littlies-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-littlies-min-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>A brand new nursery opened in 2020 for children aged 3 &#8211; 4. Take-up was swift and places sold out almost straight away, with high demand from parents of siblings and an influx of new families moving to the area from London. The youngest pupils get plenty of fresh air and outdoor fun in the playgrounds, Gray&#8217;s Wood, playing fields, tennis courts and 13 acres of countryside, with a straightforward transition to reception the following year.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quirks">QUIRKS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="668" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchool-87791.jpg" alt="Princes Mead Monty the Dog" class="wp-image-15585" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchool-87791.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchool-87791-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchool-87791-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/10/PrincesMeadSchool-87791-720x481.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Prince&#8217;s Mead is absolutely ALL about the quirks and they fully embrace them in daily school life. Starting off with the cutest and fluffiest of them all, the school has its very own Pastoral Dog &#8211; Monty. Monty pops into school a few times a week and helps the kids to relax and unwind, taking him for walks and generally enjoying his company.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-tortoise.jpg" alt="Girl with a tortoise school pet" class="wp-image-32100" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-tortoise.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-tortoise-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-tortoise-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-tortoise-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-tortoise-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Speaking of animals, in keeping with the school&#8217;s eco ethos, there&#8217;s chickens to help tend and a pet tortoise the pupils adore. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-Gardening-Club.jpg" alt="Children gardening at Prince's Mead School in Winchester interest club" class="wp-image-32098" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-Gardening-Club.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-Gardening-Club-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-Gardening-Club-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-Gardening-Club-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/09/Princes-Mead-Gardening-Club-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Prince&#8217;s Mead also has an avid gardening club who&#8217;ve successfully grown their own tasty veg and had it served up for lunch.</p>



<p>The wealth of other super quirky interest clubs here include magic, mini pop stars, Nerf and origami (along with more traditional art, dance, drama and sports). Parents groaning at the thought of all the after school ferrying needn&#8217;t fret as the school has a fleet of minibuses that offer pick up and drop off for families with a late service for clubs. Hoorah!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fees">FEES</h2>



<p>Competitive for the area. Fees here start at £4,120 per term for Reception, up to £5,980 in Year 3 and £6,505 per term in Year 6. This includes minibus transport, lunch and insurances, including dental. In the nursery, a full day 8am &#8211; 4pm is £60 with EYE funding and £72 without, plus £18 for extended hours (4-6pm).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-word-on-the-ground">WORD ON THE GROUND</h2>



<p>The school has previously flown under the radar of those who are not in the immediate vicinity. However, the wonderful &#8220;village school&#8221; vibe and strong relationship with home makes it super popular with both parents and kids alike. An influx of families moving to the area post-pandemic has increased competition for places as the school has no plans to increase class sizes. Prince&#8217;s Mead is definitely a school with a community-feel that&#8217;s come on leaps and bounds in terms of its facilities, pastoral care and academic offerings.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>GOOD FOR:</strong> Outdoorsy kids who would benefit from a smaller, cosier setting. This is very much a local school but has all the extra little bits that really set it apart. Also, if you&#8217;re a fan of Scandi culture and aesthetics you&#8217;re going to LOVE the traditional-meets-modern amalgam they have going on here.</p>



<p><strong>NOT FOR:</strong> Those looking for a totally through school or a prep school setting right up to 13. Also, the village school vibes may be a bit too snug and cosy for kids who prefer a bigger size of pond.</p>



<p><strong>DARE TO DISAGREE? </strong>Book a spot on the next <a href="https://www.princesmeadschool.org.uk/admissions/register-for-open-days/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">open day on Friday 11</a><a href="https://www.princesmeadschool.org.uk/admissions/register-for-open-days/"> October</a> 2024. To arrange a visit to the school call registrar, Emma Vincent, on 01962 888000. </p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.princesmeadschool.org.uk/">Prince&#8217;s Mead School,</a> Worthy Park House, Kings Worthy, Winchester SO21 1AN. Tel: 01962 888000</em></p>


Prince’s Mead, Winchester

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