WHAT? WHERE?

Red brick and tile Victorian villa Eton End Prep School Berkshire

Eton End School is a small co-ed Prep and Nursery in the village of Datchet. Set in six acres – sandwiched between Eton College and Windsor Castle – this nurturing Prep has a total of 215 pupils, aged 3-11. Don’t be fooled by the cute uniforms of boaters and caps, this is a school with traditional values but a very modern ethos that’s exciting and inspirational.

No sweeping drive, but the main building is a handsome Victorian villa with modern additions bolted on over the years. Founded in 1936, the school was created to teach the kids of Eton College masters. It later became a girls’ school and became fully co-ed in 2017 (previously boys moved on, aged six). Today, it’s a warm, welcoming place with a thriving community spirit.

Eton End Prep School Datchet Windsor Berkshire school in grey blazer and straw boater

The head has reinvigorated this small Windsor prep and created a culture that prioritises wellbeing and nurture alongside academic rigour. So, if you’re eyeing up a grammar school hot house, Eton End is not the place for you. This is a school focussed on getting kids ready for the ever changing world ahead of them, with kindness and inclusivity running through its veins. Intrigued? I know I was.

FACILITIES

Eton End Prep School Datchet Windsor Berkshire school

The outdoors is clearly a big deal at Eton End. The pupils can let off steam on the colourful hard court for tennis and netball and hit the playing field for athletics, cricket, football and rounders.

No swimming pool? I hear you cry. Why have your own when you can use Eton College’s pool for weekly lessons. Not many Prep schools get to use a competition standard 400m running track, but Eton End pupils pop down the road to Thames Valley Athletics Centre for track and field athletics and the annual Sports Day is held here too. Can you imagine? It must feel like the Olympics. Go Team EE.

Learning outside is a big deal round these parts – and the kids love it. Dive into the woodland and you’ll spot dens built by the children during break times. Just mind the stingers. There’s also an Outdoor Learning Centre with blackboard, benches and throne, plus an impressive adventure trail and climbing frame. There’s even a pond for scientific exploration and a children’s garden area with greenhouse and veg patch to get their hands dirty.

SPORT

Eton End mixed team football — Can you kick it? Yes, you can… gender neutral teams for PE

The usual roster of activities – football, netball, tag rugby, athletics, rounders, and swimming. But what I was most impressed with was the school’s commitment to gender-neutral sport. Mixed teams have become the norm here and they play competitive matches against other schools. Although, it can be tough to find mixed teams to play against. Let’s be honest, it’s a good start.

If you’re looking for a more alternative list of physical activity, extra-curricular fun includes gymnastics, street dance, Tai Kwando as well as more traditional sports.

MUSIC AND DRAMA

Eton End Prep School Datchet Windsor Berkshire school pupils playing the flute

Music is a much-loved part of school life and there’s plenty on offer for all ages and abilities to have a go. Join the Junior or Senior choirs. Play in the Percussion group, Ukulele Band, or learn the recorder or ocarina. Children take part in local competitions as well as performing at school events. So lots of opportunities to step into the spotlight. Ukulele, ocarina and recorder are taught in music lessons and many children have individual tuition with peripatetic teachers on guitar, violin, piano, brass, voice and drums.

Christmas and Easter are the biggies for music and drama. Prep children perform at the local church in Datchet at Easter and a carol service takes place each Christmas in Eton College’s Lower Chapel – a gothic beauty built for Henry VI. Pupils have also been invited to sing around the tree at Windsor Castle. Music and Drama often come together beginning in Nursery with the Nativity performances, along with Pre-Prep Christmas productions and then on to a Year 4 production each spring and a Year 6 production in the summer term.

GENERAL

Eton End Prep School Datchet Windsor Berkshire school pupil

Go to any school, and they’re all talking about STEAM. It’s not a lot of hot air (sorry) but the future-proof learning of science, tech, engineering, art and maths. Pinning all our hopes on future generations to use creative thinking and technical know-how to solve the world’s problems, big and small.

New Head Rachael Cox is keen to create a dedicated STEAM building at Eton End to super-charge what they do already. Some of the children already take part in the First Lego League – a national STEM challenge that encourages kids to investigate a real-world theme, develop teamwork, design and programming skills. How cool is that?

ACADEMICS

Eton End School Datchet Windsor Berkshire noys with class work

Classes are small, so plenty of attention is lavished on your little ones. It’s obvious from visiting the school that the focus is very much on making learning fun to ensure each child thrives during their time at Eton End.

Blended learning is trending in schools right now, and Eton End is no exception. From September 2023, the bring your own device to school policy will be rolled out. iPads with keyboards will become part of the kit list and will be used to enhance the lesson experience. The ambition is to become a Microsoft Showcase School – a techy kitemark of educational excellence. Coding and robotics are now used across the curriculum, and there are plans for a green screen and equipment to learn vlogging, podcasting and video editing skills. Very cool.

Leavers tend to go on to St George’s Ascot, Holme Grange, Heathfield School, Queen Anne’s School, Shiplake, Pangbourne College, Luckley House, local grammar schools, and they have boys sitting the Eton College exam. As a passionately non-selective school that’s a big tick.

HEAD

Head Rachael Cox Eton End Prep School Berkshire

Rachael Cox was has been in the Head hot seat since September 2022. This is her second headship, having previously held the top job at LVS Ascot Junior School. You’ll hear a lot about her mission to create a culture of ‘love, safety and nurture’. Rachael is passionate about educational research, growth mindset and neuroscience and is fizzing with ideas on how that knowledge will benefit the Eton End community.

What does it all mean? Well, if children feel safe and loved, then they’ll take more stretch and challenge themselves. She has also witnessed the impact multiple lockdowns and Covid has had on children. More kids are suffering from anxiety and some have experienced traumatic events in their lives already.

So taking the lead from psychology, neuroscience and educational research, the teaching methods and classroom environment will change at Eton End so that the kids thrive not just survive. The pared back design that can be seen in The Nest will roll out across the school, each classroom will have a sofa, chairs will be more comfortable and tables will be round or organised in a more collaborative way.

Rachael is setting up a parent library full of senior school prospectuses and books that parents might find interesting. What you realise is that she is a woman who is not short of ideas and has a supportive governing body who are keen to see many of them come to be. The school’s original motto: “I am, I can, I ought, I will” seems to be embraced by all ages. It’s an exciting new chapter in the school’s history and certainly make it stand out from the Prep school crowd.

LITTLIES

Rebranded and refurbished. The Nest is home to the Early Years children and you’ll immediately notice the brightly coloured desks, chairs and displays have gone and a serene, light-filled space has been filled with wooden furniture and toys and children’s work is created from natural materials. It’s soothing and a bit Scandi, but there’s a load of research that backs up this less in your face approach.

Too much colour can cause a sensory overload, creating an environment where they’re less likely to be highly involved and more likely to be distracted. On the flip side, in an environment with muted colours, natural textures become the most eye catching and, therefore, more valued. Loving the science of design. This design ethos is being rolled out across the whole school, so watch this space.

Some things haven’t changed, the rooms free flow with zones for messy play, focussed learning and creative activities, with their own outside play area. When the children move into Pre-Prep topics are set each term and applied to different subjects. French and Spanish are added to the timetable (handy if you’re on your summer hols). Music and PE are taught by the school’s specialist teachers.

As the kids progress through each year, a little more is added to their week. From Year 1, they’ll start swimming at Eton College pool and the Year 2s head to the Art Room for Art and DT. Come rain or shine, they’re all kitted out in boilersuits, and tootle into the great outdoors. There’s not a hope in hell’s chance of them coming home and saying they’re bored. In fact, they should be exhausted.

WRAP AROUND CARE

It’s superb. Eton End is very family focussed and frazzled working parents will love the early drop-off and late pick-up that fits around work. Kids arrive from 7.45am and have breakfast if needed (or a second breakfast in my kids’ case). Lessons finish at 3.30pm and there are three after school club sessions – Session 1 from 3:45pm, Session 2 from 4:45pm, and Extended Care from 5:45pm to 6pm. From Y3 Supervised prep sessions run Tue-Fri, 3.45-4.45pm, so no need to have the homework fight when you get home.

QUIRKS

Eton End Prep School Datchet Windsor Berkshire school pupils

Eton End is embracing failure. What? I know. But growing brains need to make mistakes to learn cool new stuff. The school is keen to change the culture to end that burning desire to produce perfect work, rubbers are starting to be exiled and failure is considered just as important as being right. Love love love.

With a cohort of girls and boys (a 50-50 split), equal opportunity is more than just a buzzword at Eton End. The children have choices that aren’t based on gender, culture or stereotypes. With so much of this stuff being chewed over in the news, it gives Eton End a modern edge. That’s not to say, the school’s producing a conveyor belt of woke kids. They’re laying the groundwork to respect individuality alongside a rock-solid commitment to high academic standards and excellent pastoral care.

Boiler suits are worn by all year groups. I told you the outdoors was important, and Eton End’s not going to let a bit of dirt or bad weather stop them from heading out. No excuses. Although optional right now for the older year groups, the gossip Eton End worms tell me it might not be for much longer. Yikes. Cue much eye-rolling from Y6 kids.

ISI REPORT

Rated ‘Excellent’ during its last inspection was in 2019. The inspectors raved about the pupils’ highly developed knowledge, communication and personal development. Given the glowing report, they suggested there could extend opportunities for outdoor learning. Read the report here.

FEES

Nursery fees start at £1,875 for five mornings (full days available, additional fees apply) – £3,325 per term (15hrs free provision available); Reception to Y6 is £3,525-£4,505. You pay extra for lunch, early and after school care, as well as some clubs and specialist music lessons. Sibling discounts are offered.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Eton End School Datchet Windsoe Berkshire girls playing

GOOD FOR: Parents looking for a nurturing, progressive school that prepares children for the real world. Great for kids who dare to be different and if you want a school that balances pastoral care and academic rigour.

NOT FOR: Traditionalists may struggle with Eton End’s thoroughly modern, forward-thinking approach. That said, there’s plenty of old school charm if you look hard enough.

DARE TO DISAGREE? The next Open Day is 12 Oct. To book a place contact the registrar on 01753 541075 or email registrar@etonend.org. Personal tours can also be arranged.

Eton End School, 35 Eton Rd, Datchet, Slough SL3 9AX. Tel: 01753 541075.

Eton End Prep School, Datchet

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