WHAT, WHERE?

The Gregg School is an independent, non-selective co-ed Prep and Senior school in the outskirts of Southampton, with 330 pupils aged 11-16 in the Seniors and 70 aged 4-11 at the Prep. The Senior school moved to the imposing 23-acre Townhill Park House estate in 1994, while the Prep is located nearby in central Southampton, with plans in motion to unite the two sites. Both have small average class sizes of just 13 – a rarity the school is proud to maintain.

Dating from the late 1800s, Townhill Park House was improved and extended in 1911 with fantastic Italian-style architecture commissioned by former owners Lord and Lady Swaythling. The original long driveway has been re-routed and the grand house is tucked away, reached through residential housing. Beyond the gates, the peaceful, country house estate atmosphere endures.

FACILITIES

The Gregg School Townhill Park Southampton

The Gregg School takes its role as custodians of the historic site seriously. The impressive Gertrude Jekyll-designed gardens, orchard, wisteria-covered pergola and Grade II-listed Sunk Garden here are all well maintained with the help of a group of volunteer gardeners. Indoors, the building’s country house legacy is preserved in rooms like the stunning walnut-panelled school hall and the meeting room that was previously a sumptuous boudoir for former owner, Lady Swaythling.

The estate also features beehives, outdoor table tennis tables, an outdoor classroom with bell tent, firepit and teaching area and an outdoor pizza oven, too. Looking out of classroom windows, it’s not uncommon to see a family of deer roaming around.

CREATIVE ARTS

Printing art at The Gregg School Southampton Hampshire

The Gregg School really punches above its weight when it comes to the creative arts and design. Art students have access to top-notch printing facilities, photography studios, textiles equipment and a wide-format printer, with after-school clubs in lino printing, paper making and GCSE sketchbook support. The results speak for themselves: 70% of GCSE students achieve Grade 8 or above and trips to St Ives, the Tate, the Barbara Hepworth Museum, and Porthmeor Print Studio bring projects to life. Design Technology is equally impressive, with 3D printers, CAD/CAM vinyl cutters and a full suite of power tools; students excel in 3D Design GCSE projects and competitions like F1 in Schools.

Drama thrives in a bright Atrium with plentiful props and costumes, offering free lunch clubs, an annual musical at Theatre Royal Winchester, theatre trips and professional workshops. Music is lively and inclusive, with ensembles from orchestra to jazz band, tuition on a wide range of instruments and 100% GCSE pass rates. Across all disciplines, The Gregg School combines brilliant facilities, expert teaching and plenty of opportunities for students to shine – on stage, in the studio, or behind the scenes.

SPORT

For a small school, The Gregg holds its own competitively. The school itself has a cricket pitch and pavilion, netball courts, playing fields, an athletics track, cross-country routes through the estate – all complemented by a fleet of minibuses whisking pupils off to nearby facilities for swimming, bouldering, tennis, golf, skiing, trampolining and more.

Sport thrives both on-site and beyond, with co-curricular activities from rugby, football, netball, cricket, swimming and athletics to table tennis and rowing, plus an Elite Sports Programme for regional, national, and international performers including dancers, sailors, rugby and football players.

Pupils regularly shine in competitions: Hampshire U17 selections, district swimming gala winners, ISA national medals and football teams climbing the league ranks.

COOKING

Surrounded by woodland, The Gregg School’s modern Hart Building is home to a light, bright, well-equipped, 100 sqm MasterChef-style food and nutrition suite. Nearly half of Years 10 and 11 choose GCSE Food, while KS3 cooks all year round and can join the free after-school Cookery Club. Students clearly love getting stuck in, achieving solid GCSE results (100% Grade 4+) and even taking part in competitions like Springboard FutureChef, encouraging future foodies and equipping them with the important life skills needed to knock up a repertoire of meals.

THE GREGG PREP

Currently a short minibus ride from the Senior School, Gregg Preparatory School will relocate to the Townhill Park House Estate in summer 2026, bringing prep and senior pupils onto one shared campus. The Prep is small by design, with modest class sizes and a deliberately close-knit feel. Pupils follow the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate, which focuses on project-based learning and practical skills and there are regular links with the Senior School, particularly for sport and Forest School. The result? A prep where children are well known – and a transition to senior school that feels more like a step than a leap.

ACADEMICS

Academically, The Gregg School is proudly non-selective, with entry based on reports, assessments and time spent getting to know each child. The focus is on potential and progress rather than prior attainment at 11 and the aim is simple: children feel happy and confident – and go on to achieve strong GCSE results – often beyond expectations – and regularly around two grades higher than their original baseline assessment predictions from Year 7.

The GCSE offering is broad: three modern foreign languages, four humanities, four art subjects, plus Statistics and Further Maths. Timetables are shaped around pupils’ preferences wherever possible and academic support is put in place quickly when needed. While comparisons with selective schools are not like-for-like, the value added here is notable, with an average uplift equivalent to two grades from Year 7 to GCSE.

In 2025, 43 per cent of grades were 7–9 (A/A* equivalent), 95 per cent of pupils achieved five or more Grade 4s and above and there were 100 per cent pass rates in 13 subjects, including sciences and Further Maths. Each year, several pupils achieve strings of 9s and it’s not unusual for a student to gain national recognition for performance in the top percentage nationally. Most leavers (94 per cent of the Class of 2025) move on to local sixth forms and colleges, well prepared for their next step.

PASTORAL CARE

Pastoral care at The Gregg School is one of its quiet superpowers. Smaller senior year groups contribute to a genuine family feel where pupils are truly known as individuals. Tutors meet their groups every morning and stay with them as they move up the school, supported by a dedicated pastoral office, safeguarding-trained staff, a calm DSL room with soft seating and a SEN suite offering one-to-one support and ELSA provision. There’s a strong focus on wellbeing, outdoor and experiential learning and helping every child find their “thing” (sporty or not), alongside Personal Social Development lessons, the Respect Programme and thoughtful touches like a screen-free library space at break and lunch – making it a school where students feel safe, supported and confident to be themselves.

THE HEAD

Sherilee Sellers Headteacher The Gregg School Southampton

While any good headteacher is passionate about their school, few live, breathe it and have quite the same history behind them as The Gregg’s.

Appointed as headteacher in 2010, Sherilee Sellers joined The Gregg as a teacher in 2001, going on to become Deputy Head. Before that, she was a geography and environmental sciences teacher in various West Sussex schools and colleges. But her roots here go back much further: she was also a pupil – and the school’s head girl – when The Gregg was located in nearby Portswood, (now home to The Gregg Preparatory school).

Friendly and proud of The Gregg, its pupils and the “incredible” teachers who she works hard to retain, along with academic standards she also puts a lot of emphasis on pupil wellbeing, resilience, outdoor learning and preserving a safe and happy environment.

QUIRKS

It’s pretty unusual for a city school to occupy a grand estate – and even more unique to find it slap bang in the middle of residential housing. Likewise, visitors aren’t usually welcomed into a lavish former boudoir that hosted Queen Mary (but how fabulous).

ISI REPORT

Read the latest ISI report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phones are switched off on arrival and stay in bags until the end of the day. Phones can occasionally be used when appropriate at a teacher’s request – for example for photography or research.

TRANSPORT

Transport is a major tick for parents at The Gregg School, with over 90% of pupils travelling in on the school’s extensive minibus network. A fleet covering 21 carefully planned routes is tailored each July to run as close as possible to pupils’ homes, meaning no long queues, small groups of up to 15 per bus and a friendly, familiar feel where students quickly get to know their drivers and fellow passengers.

FEES & SCHOLARSHIPS

Fees at The Gregg Schools are competitively pitched, starting from around £12,500 per year in the Prep and rising to just under £20,000 per year for Senior pupils in Years 9–11, inclusive of VAT. Textbooks, stationery and most co-curricular activities are included in the fees, with flexible payment options available termly, annually or monthly, alongside sibling, alumni and military discounts. A limited number of means-tested bursaries (up to 50%) are offered each year, making the school accessible to a wider range of families.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Parents are understandably enthusiastic about The Gregg – its nurturing environment and focus on individual interest and development gives kids a lot of choice. Pupils I speak with have a lot of enthusiasm for school life, from sport to theatre trips and appearing in school shows, the welcoming library with latest books and seriously impressive art and design work.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: The Gregg School is progressive in its broad curriculum and open to new ideas. Well nurtured pupils have plenty of opportunities, while the individualised academic focus means they often outstrip early predictions and go on to achieve strong results across a broad range of subjects.

Not for: The Gregg is proud of its small cohort and class sizes. If you’ve a small-fish-in-a-big-pond type of child, this might not be a big enough ocean for them.

Dare to disagree? Be my guest! Individual tours are available by appointment, or book an open event.

The Gregg School, Townhill Park House, Cutbush Lane, SO18 3RR. Tel: 02380 472133. www.thegreggschool.org

The Gregg School, Southampton

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