Spratton Hall School

Preparatory school in Spratton, Northamptonshire, England

Spratton Hall School
Address

Smith Street Spratton , Northamptonshire , NN6 8HP England
Information
Type	Preparatory school
Established	1951
Department for Education URN	122133 Tables
Head Master	Simon Clarke
Gender	Co-educational
Age	4 to 13
Website	https://www.sprattonhall.com/

Spratton Hall School is a private preparatory school that welcomes girls and boys aged 4–13, located in the village of Spratton, 8 miles outside Northampton, England, on the A5199 Welford Road.

History

Spratton Hall

The main school building was built in the late 1700s on the site of an earlier farmhouse and owned by the Clark family as a private home.^[1] It is mainly constructed from limestone from Kingsthorpe.^[2]

The school

Ownership of the building passed through several hands until Kenneth C Hunter and his wife Joan bought it and opened it as a boys’ boarding school in 1951 with 20 boys. They chose the stag for the new school's crest. The stag was originated from a tale of Saint Hubertus' vision, Patron Saint of Hunters.^[3]

In 1972 the Charitable Trust was established so the school was administered by a board of governors. The Hunters remained with the school until their retirements in 1975 and Mr Bickley became its first Head Master. In 1987 it became a day-only school and turned co-educational nine years later.^[4]

Former Heads

1951–1975: Mr and Mrs K C Hunter
1975–1996: Mr Bickley
1996–2005: Dr Robin Barlow
2005–2013: Mr Stephen Player
2013–present: Mr Simon Clarke

Campus and facilities

The present-day campus consists of various buildings surrounding the historic Spratton Hall, now called "Main House", and subsequent buildings were added as the school expanded. The School has 50 acres (20 ha) of grounds, including a wooded area designated for use as a "forest school".^[5]

Curriculum

Pupils are prepared for entry into a private and public schools, which traditionally admitted pupils at age 13. As such, the curriculum of the prep school section prepares pupils to take the Common Entrance Examination at the end of Year 8.^[6]

Notable people

Former pupils are known as "Old Sprattonians".

Michael Ellis, politician^[7]
Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time^[8]
Harry Mallinder, professional rugby player^[9]

Former staff

Matt Dawson coached rugby while playing for the Northampton Saints before the sport became professional.^[10]^[11]
Tenniel Evans taught at the school during a slack period in his performing career.^[12]

References

^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1998). Northamptonshire – The Buildings of England: Description of the Spratton Hall and reference to build date. London: Penguin Books. p. 407. ISBN 978-0-1407-1022-9.
^ Historic England. "Spratton Hall School (1280210)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
^ "Spratton Hall School, Spratton". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
^ "Spratton Hall celebrates its 70th anniversary". sprattonhall.com. 14 May 2022.
^ "Facilities". sprattonhall.com. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
^ "Where Pupils go after Spratton". sprattonhall.com. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
^ Old Sprattonians News. Autumn Term 2021. Spratton Hall School.
^ "Mark Haddon: How I overcame my horror of history". The Daily Telegraph. 10 May 2020.
^ "International Rugby Stars for Spratton Hall". isbi.com. 1 December 2014.
^ "Dawson happy to get his kicks off the field". The Guardian. 10 November 2005.
^ Matt Dawson: Nine Lives. Willow Publishing. 2011. ISBN 978-0007165674.
^ "Tenniel Evans: Taffy Goldstein in 'The Navy Lark'". The Independent. 17 June 2009.