Windlesham House School
In Deo Fidemus
Founded in 1837 by Charles Malden, Windlesham House is one of the oldest preparatory boarding schools in England, set high on the South Downs near Pulborough in West Sussex. It was among the first prep schools in the country to become co-educational, welcoming girls in 1967, and is now part of the Charterhouse Family of Schools, while keeping the relaxed, outdoor, family character that has defined it for generations.
Key Facts
Location : Washington, West Sussex
Type : Co-educational, day and boarding
Age Range : 4 to 13
Pupil Numbers : Approx. 300 pupils
Founded : 1837
Motto : In Deo Fidemus ("In God We Trust")
Academic Profile
Windlesham prepares pupils for Common Entrance and senior school scholarships, with small classes and a broad, well-rounded curriculum. Almost every pupil goes on to a first-choice senior school, with scholarships won regularly across academic, music, art, drama, and sport, to schools including Eton, Harrow, Charterhouse, Marlborough, Radley, and Winchester.
Co-Curricular Life
The school's South Downs setting is central to daily life, with forest school, tree climbing, and its own nine-hole golf course among an unusually outdoor and active programme. Music, drama, and art all have a strong presence, supported by dedicated performing arts spaces, and every child belongs to one of six houses named after great explorers. A deliberately compact site, where everything lies within a short walk, gives boarders in particular a safe and settled home.
Admissions Essentials
Children join Windlesham from age four, into the Pre-Prep, and at later stages as places allow, with full, weekly, and part-time boarding available alongside day places. The admissions process begins with a visit to the school, followed by a taster day, or an overnight stay for prospective boarders, considered alongside a recent school report and standardised scores rather than a formal entrance examination. Scholarships are available for academic promise, music, art, drama, and sport.
In Essence
For a child who is happiest outdoors and learns best with room to explore, Windlesham offers a rare, unhurried kind of childhood on the South Downs, where real academic preparation, genuine kindness, and the freedom to be young go together, before a confident move on to a leading senior school.