Thomas's London Day Schools
Encyclopedia
Thomas's London Day Schools (also known as Thomas's Preparatory Schools or simply Thomas's) are four private preparatory schools in London, UK. They are located in Kensington
, Battersea
, Clapham
and Fulham
, as well as two Kindergartens in Battersea and Pimlico
. They are a family run establishment, and have come to be seen as a feeder for major British Public Schools
such as Eton
, Dulwich
, City of London
, Radley
and Westminster
.
Officer
to join his wife in founding a school for older children. Following the acquisition of a building in Cadogan Gardens in 1977, the "Kensington Court Lower School" came into being with two teachers and eleven pupils. In less than four years the school, now named "Thomas's", had over two hundred children. Demand for places continued to increase and, in response to this, Thomas's expanded in 1981 into two buildings in Cottesmore Gardens, just south of Kensington Gardens, to create Thomas's, Kensington.
By the end of 1989 the Preparatory School at Cadogan Gardens needed more space and in August 1990 the freehold was acquired of the former Sir Walter St John's Grammar School
in Battersea. The school, which became Thomas's, Battersea, moved to its extensive new premises in October 1990 and the leasehold buildings in Cadogan Gardens were sold.In September 1992 Thomas's Kindergarten, Battersea was started in the crypt of St Mary's Church. At the end of 1992, with an increasing demand for places, the freehold was secured of the magnificent former Clapham County Girls' School in Broomwood Road and the new Thomas's, Clapham opened in September 1993.
In September 1995, David and Joanna Thomas's two sons, Tobyn and Ben, were appointed Principals, having worked in the schools for a number of years. In June 1998, a charitable foundation was formed. The aims of the charity, Thomas's Schools Foundation, are to assist certain parents financially with the education of their children and to run local community projects. In 1999, David and Joanna Thomas retired from active management of the schools, which are now run by Tobyn and Ben. Ben is also Headmaster of Thomas's, Battersea. In 2000 and 2001, a £4m construction programme was carried out to enhance the facilities at Thomas's, Clapham and Thomas's, Battersea. In 2002, an opportunity arose to improve Thomas's, Kensington through the acquisition of a nearby school, Lady Eden's. Lady Eden's was closed in Summer 2002 and its buildings converted to become the Lower School of Thomas's, Kensington. The existing buildings in Cottesmore Gardens were extensively refurbished and now house the Preparatory School. The premises of Thomas's, Kensington are freehold.
In 2004, Thomas’s acquired a long lease on the buildings formerly owned by the London Institute for the Chelsea College of Art and Design in Hugon Road, SW6. The school, which overlooks South Park, was built from 1892 and was opened on the 29 October 1894 in order to educate 1,200 children. The buildings have 35000 square feet (3,251.6 m²) and are set on a 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) site. A £1.3m refurbishment programme by the landlords commenced in January 2005 and Thomas's, Fulham opened in September 2005 as a co-educational preparatory school for children from 4 to 11 years old. The school is expected to grow from Reception upwards up to 400 pupils by 2012.
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
and Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, as well as two Kindergartens in Battersea and Pimlico
Pimlico
Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....
. They are a family run establishment, and have come to be seen as a feeder for major British Public Schools
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
such as Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Dulwich
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, City of London
City of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
, Radley
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
and Westminster
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
.
History
Thomas's was founded in 1971 when Joanna Thomas, an actress and mother of three young children, started the Ranelagh Kindergarten in a Pimlico church hall (now Thomas's Kindergarten, Pimlico). Six years later, the success of the Kindergarten and the strong demand for London day schools of quality encouraged David Thomas, a former Gurkha RegimentGurkha regiment
' may refer to:* Brigade of Gurkhas, Nepalese soldiers who serve Within the British Army* Gorkha regiments , various infantry regiments in the Indian Army, recruited primarily from Nepal* Gurkha...
Officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
to join his wife in founding a school for older children. Following the acquisition of a building in Cadogan Gardens in 1977, the "Kensington Court Lower School" came into being with two teachers and eleven pupils. In less than four years the school, now named "Thomas's", had over two hundred children. Demand for places continued to increase and, in response to this, Thomas's expanded in 1981 into two buildings in Cottesmore Gardens, just south of Kensington Gardens, to create Thomas's, Kensington.
By the end of 1989 the Preparatory School at Cadogan Gardens needed more space and in August 1990 the freehold was acquired of the former Sir Walter St John's Grammar School
Sir Walter St John's School
Sir Walter St John's was founded in 1700 for twenty boys of the village of Battersea. As the population and the English educational system changed, so did the school...
in Battersea. The school, which became Thomas's, Battersea, moved to its extensive new premises in October 1990 and the leasehold buildings in Cadogan Gardens were sold.In September 1992 Thomas's Kindergarten, Battersea was started in the crypt of St Mary's Church. At the end of 1992, with an increasing demand for places, the freehold was secured of the magnificent former Clapham County Girls' School in Broomwood Road and the new Thomas's, Clapham opened in September 1993.
In September 1995, David and Joanna Thomas's two sons, Tobyn and Ben, were appointed Principals, having worked in the schools for a number of years. In June 1998, a charitable foundation was formed. The aims of the charity, Thomas's Schools Foundation, are to assist certain parents financially with the education of their children and to run local community projects. In 1999, David and Joanna Thomas retired from active management of the schools, which are now run by Tobyn and Ben. Ben is also Headmaster of Thomas's, Battersea. In 2000 and 2001, a £4m construction programme was carried out to enhance the facilities at Thomas's, Clapham and Thomas's, Battersea. In 2002, an opportunity arose to improve Thomas's, Kensington through the acquisition of a nearby school, Lady Eden's. Lady Eden's was closed in Summer 2002 and its buildings converted to become the Lower School of Thomas's, Kensington. The existing buildings in Cottesmore Gardens were extensively refurbished and now house the Preparatory School. The premises of Thomas's, Kensington are freehold.
In 2004, Thomas’s acquired a long lease on the buildings formerly owned by the London Institute for the Chelsea College of Art and Design in Hugon Road, SW6. The school, which overlooks South Park, was built from 1892 and was opened on the 29 October 1894 in order to educate 1,200 children. The buildings have 35000 square feet (3,251.6 m²) and are set on a 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) site. A £1.3m refurbishment programme by the landlords commenced in January 2005 and Thomas's, Fulham opened in September 2005 as a co-educational preparatory school for children from 4 to 11 years old. The school is expected to grow from Reception upwards up to 400 pupils by 2012.
Uniform
Pupils are required to wear a uniform, which changes for the summer and winter. It consists of Navy Blue trousers or skirt for girls, a blue shirt for boys and in the winter a blue jumper for boys, and in the summer a light blue dress for girls. Only boys wear insignia, with a unicorn on the jumper and a snake clasp belt.Feeders
The top private school entrances from Thomas':| School | Pupils |
|---|---|
| Godolphin and Latymer School Godolphin and Latymer School The Godolphin and Latymer School is an independent school for 700 girls aged eleven to eighteen in London. Ms Margaret Rudland was the head mistress of the school for over 20 years before being succeeded by Ms Ruth Mercer.-History:... |
78 |
| Francis Holland Francis Holland School Francis Holland School is the name of two independent day schools for girls in central London governed by the Francis Holland Schools Trust... |
63 |
| Dulwich College Dulwich College Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,... |
53 |
| James Allen's Girls' School James Allen's Girls' School James Allen's Girls' School, or JAGS, is an independent day school situated in Dulwich, South London, England. It has a senior school for 11–18 year old girls, a prep school for 7–11 year old girls , and a pre-preparatory school — JAPPS — for 4–7 year old girls.-Jags History:The school is part of... |
50 |
| St Paul's Girls' School St Paul's Girls' School St Paul's Girls' School is a senior independent school, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England.-History:In 1904 a new day school for girls was established by the trustees of the Dean Colet Foundation , which had run St Paul's School for boys since the sixteenth century... |
47 |
| St Paul's School, Boy's | 46 |
| Downe House Downe House Downe House School is an independent girls' boarding school in Cold Ash, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, for girls aged 11-18.-History:Downe House was founded in 1907 by Olive Willis, its first headmistress, as an all-girls' boarding school... |
38 |
| More House | 38 |
| Latymer Upper School Latymer Upper School Latymer Upper School, founded by Edward Latymer in 1624, is a selective independent school in Hammersmith, West London, England, lying between King Street and the Thames. It is a day school for 1,130 pupils – boys and girls aged 11–18; there is also the Latymer Preparatory School for boys and girls... |
38 |
| Queen's Gate School Queen's Gate School Queen's Gate School is an all girls' independent school in South Kensington, London.The Good Schools Guide described it as a "Charming popular school, with a mixed intake, which does jolly well by its girls."The school is located in Central London... |
35 |
| Eton College Eton College Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor".... |
35 |
| City of London City of London School The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School... |
22 |
Alumni
- Georgina MoffatGeorgina MoffatGeorgina Moffat is an Australian / English singer-songwriter, actress and model. Georgina currently uses an alias for her music career. She is the great granddaughter of poet, actress and muse Iris Tree, the granddaughter of Ivan Moffat, and the great great granddaughter of RADA founder Sir...
, Actress, SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death... - Charlotte RitchieCharlotte RitchieCharlotte Ritchie is an English actress and member of the classical crossover band All Angels.Ritchie joined the National Youth Music Theatre aged eleven and performed in a touring production of Pendragon in Japan, as well as appearing in summer productions in London, Devon and Edinburgh with the...
, Singer, All AngelsAll AngelsAll Angels are a British classical crossover group formed in 2006, consisting of Daisy Chute, Rachel Fabri, Melanie Nakhla andCharlotte Ritchie.... - Florence WelchFlorence WelchFlorence Leontine Mary Welch is an English singer-songwriter, best known worldwide as the lead singer of Florence and the Machine...
, Singer, Florence & The Machine - Bruno Diamond, Son of Nigella LawsonNigella LawsonNigella Lucy Lawson is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. Lawson is the daughter of Nigel Lawson, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Vanessa Salmon, whose family owned the J. Lyons and Co. empire...
- Oliver Jenkins, Actor, Miss Potter