Hemdean House School was a mixed, independent, primary and nursery school for children aged 3–11. It was situated in the centre of Caversham in Reading, Berkshire, England. The school operated as a non-profit UK registered charity.[3]

Hemdean House School
Address
Map
Hemdean Road

, ,
RG4 8LR

Coordinates51°28′17″N 0°58′30″W / 51.47134°N 0.975134°W / 51.47134; -0.975134
Information
TypePrivate day school[1]
MottoLaborate et Gaudete
("Work and Rejoice")[2]
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England[1]
Established1859
FounderFrancis Knighton
Closed2024
Head teacherHelen Chalmers[1]
GenderMixed
Age3 to 11
Houses  Knighton
  Henderson
  Kennet
Colour(s)Light blue and Dark blue   
AlumniLizbeth Webb
Websitehttp://www.hemdeanhouse.co.uk/

Hemdean House School was founded in 1859 by Francis Knighton. In 1862 land was bought for £320. The new building was named Hemdean House.[4] The school formerly had a girls' senior school, which was closed in 2016.[5] In 2018, Hemdean House was listed 29th in the Sunday Times list of 100 best performing independent schools in the UK.[6]

On the 12th July 2024, Hemdean House announced and subsequently closed the school. This was mainly due to dwindling numbers of students, which led to fees totalling up to around £3,990 per term.[7]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Hemdean House School". Independent Schools Council. 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Small school with big expectations". Henley Standard. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  3. ^ Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection report October 2017 (PDF) Retrieved 12 February 2018
  4. ^ "A Brief History of Hemdean House School". Hemdean House School. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  5. ^ Anderson, Chris (21 April 2016). "Hemdean House School in Caversham considering closing senior school due to low pupil numbers". Reading Chronicle. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  6. ^ "School praise". Henley Standard. Higgs Group. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Reading independent school to close after 165 years". BBC News. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  8. ^ Kirk, Huia. "Elsie Smith". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Obituaries: Lizbeth Webb". The Telegraph. 22 January 2013. ISSN 0307-1235.
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