Kensington Preparatory School

Kensington Preparatory School is an independent day school for girls aged 4–11 in Fulham, London, England.^[1] It was named "Prep School of the Year" by The Sunday Times for the 2009-10 school year.^[2] Despite its name, the school is not located in Kensington although it was founded there. In the Second World War, the school had to be relocated as the site was used for sheltering and was occasionally bombed.

History

Kensington Prep School traces its history to Chelsea High School, the first school founded by the Girls' Public Day School Company (now the Girls' Day School Trust). It opened in January 1873 at Smith Street in Chelsea with 20 girls under headmistress Miss Porter. In 1879 it moved to Cromwell Road in Kensington and was accordingly renamed Kensington High School. The original Chelsea High School continued functioning until 1894.^[3] In 1888 Kensington High moved once more to Lytham House, also in Kensington, but it was destroyed by a bomb in 1941. The school was relocated to Phillimore Gardens as a temporary measure for the duration of World War II while the management searched for a better location.^[4] In the end, the senior school was closed several years after the War ended while the junior school remained open and became Kensington Prep.

Structure

The school is divided into the Pre-Prep and Prep departments. Pre-prep consists of girls in Reception to Year 2 (Key Stage 1). Many girls continue on to the Prep, which consists of Years 3-6.^[5] After Year 6, girls often continue their education at sister GDST schools or boarding schools outside London.^[6]

Former pupils

Kensington High School

• Emily Davison, suffragette^[7]
• Eleanor Rathbone, MP and women's rights campaigner^[8]
• Madalyn Aslan, author

References

External links

• School Website
• Profile on the ISC website
• Profile at MyDaughter
• Profile on the GDST website
• Profile on the Good Schools Guide