Headmaster's Welcome to Hazlegrove

Great Stories Begin at Hazlegrove Prep School

It is my great privilege and honour to be the Headmaster of Hazlegrove, and a pleasure to welcome you to this wonderful school. The values and charms of a country boarding prep school are as prevalent today as they have ever been, and Hazlegrove is at the forefront of this. We provide an environment where children can be children, enjoy the great outdoors, and develop a profound sense of curiosity, creativity and confidence.

Amidst our glorious 200 acres of grounds, we are blessed with many wonderful facilities such as our state-of the art Teaching and Learning centre, sports hall, indoor swimming pool, art and DT facilities, and theatre. These undoubtedly help put Hazlegrove into the leading category of schools in the UK. We are a day and boarding school in which a family ethos is at its very core. As a parent of boarding children, I am more than aware of the faith you invest in entrusting us to look after your children. We pride ourselves in our outstanding pastoral care, applying a proactive rather than reactive approach, in which every member of staff, whatever their role, is involved.

We also pride ourselves in our all-round excellence, and our pupils achieve awards in a variety of different disciplines to a range of the top senior schools in the country. However, learning goes well beyond the classroom. Our greatest desire is to provide as many opportunities and experiences for each child, so that they can discover their own unique skills and talents and develop into curious and passionate learners.

We believe that every child is a human being with immeasurable potential and it is our goal at Hazlegrove to find and nurture that potential. Integral to our nurturing environment is our “no-phone” policy, which has always been adhered to at Hazlegrove, both by our pupils and as importantly by our staff. We do, of course, promote and educate the use of technology through our curriculum, but we also recognise that separation from a personal phone use plays a key part in protecting our children from the pitfalls of social media and addictive behaviour patterns.

We want to ensure that they have the social, emotional and academic foundations to go on to thrive at senior school and beyond, equipped with a strong sense of the '3Cs': Curiosity, Creativity and Confidence. Ultimately, we want our children to become kind, confident and self-assured young people, in the backdrop of this unique, nurturing and inspirational school.

My wife Amanda and I look forward to welcoming you to Hazlegrove soon in order to show you this exciting school and share with you our vision and aims.

Ed Benbow
Headmaster

More info on Ed...

Hazlegrove sees the return to the West Country for Ed and his family. Ed was educated locally before attending Durham University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish, Russian and Economics. He went on to work at JPMorgan moving to Citigroup as a director in 2009. However, education was to prove the true calling for Ed, and he didn’t need much persuasion from his wife Amanda, an educational psychologist and previously an early years teacher, to swap the trading floor for the classroom. In 2012 he completed a PGCE in secondary mathematics, before moving to Pinewood School in Oxfordshire. There he ran the boarding for six years before moving to Cothill House as their Deputy Head. He has a Masters in Educational Leadership and is a keen sportsman and musician.

More info on Amanda...

Amanda has always worked in the world of education, completing a PGCE after her Psychology degree, and she started her working career as a reception class teacher in an inner London school for three years before moving on to become an Educational Psychologist. The skills she has developed over the last 25 years, from supporting children and their families across all phases of education, with a variety of different challenges and needs, have set her in good stead to work alongside Ed in promoting the strong family ethos and supportive community spirit that makes Hazlegrove the special place it is.

As the School Psychologist and a member of the Pastoral Leadership Team, Amanda works closely with staff, to promote the positive wellbeing of all of our pupils. She provides an additional layer to the strong pastoral support offered to all of the children both within the school day and boarding time, as well as a safe space for children to utilise at times of need. She is the Head of PSHE, and teaches PSHE to Years 7 and 8 pupils, which dovetails into the wider pastoral role Amanda has in the school. She is closely involved in the day to day activities of the school, and also acts as the link for the Friends of Hazlegrove committee and support them in their fundraising and events for our community.

Ed and Amanda live on-site at Hazlegrove with their children, Eli and Freddie, and two lively cocker spaniels, Pickle and Muffin. Both Ed and Amanda are passionate about the family boarding ethos that is central to Hazlegrove’s philosophy having both attended full boarding schools. They play an active part in the boarding community, working alongside the gaps and boarding staff to ensure children thrive and that parents feel a valued part of our school community. They fully immerse themselves in as many areas of the School as possible and are actively involved with all children from Nursery to Year 8, sharing a common desire to ignite the fire in every child.

It’s a place where children work and play hard, but where they also as importantly have bucketloads of fun and stay children until they leave at 13.

Good Schools Guide

...it's the school of choice for many families making the big move out of London.

The Good Schools Guide

The School has helped my children grow hugely in confidence and it should be applauded for that. It is a wonderfully happy and thriving atmosphere with a great sense of community.”

Feedback from RS Academics Parent Survey