Developing remarkable people
A family of leading independent schools based in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, offering high quality education and care for boys and girls aged 5 months to 18 years.
Welcome to Berkhamsted School
We are committed to the thriving of young people in our care – their development, their membership (with their parents) of our community, and their flourishing within a culture which is ambitious and accepting. I know that your time is precious so I recommend you start with the short film below which explains our ethos and aspirations for our pupils.
I hope this provides a useful launchpad for your exploration of our schools and helps you as you seek the best future for your child.
Richard Backhouse
Principal Berkhamsted Schools Group
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Martin Walker appointed as next Principal of Berkhamsted Schools Group
We are delighted to announce that Martin Walker has been appointed as the next Principal of Berkhamsted Schools Group from April 2026. Martin will take over from Richard Backhouse, who has done an outstanding job as Principal over the last ten years.
Read moreSchool Journey
The perfect environment for very young children to take their first steps into the wider world.
Read moreDay Nursery
Age 0 – 3 Co-Ed
A supportive, family community which fosters a strong sense of belonging.
Read morePrep
Age 7 – 11 Co-Ed
Our role is to inspire, support and foster a love of learning.
Read moreHeatherton
Age 2 – 4 Co-Ed Nursery4 – 11 Girls
Exceptional single-sex classroom education with co-educational opportunities for boys.
Read moreBoys
Age 11 – 16Day & Boarding
Where girls flourish academically while allowing them to experience co-educational opportunities.
Read moreGirls
Age 11 – 16Day & Boarding
A dynamic and diverse community that offers a stimulating and supportive environment.
Read moreSixth
Age 16 – 18 Co-EdDay & Boarding
Single sex or co-ed?
Can you really ‘have it all’? At Berkhamsted we offer families the opportunity to join our community from 5 months in our Day Nursery providing a through educational journey to Sixth Form at 18. Often choices need to be made – but not at Berkhamsted – you can have it all!
Big or small?
Within our Group of Schools, we can offer all the facilities of a large School of 2,000 pupils – a sports centre with 25m pool and astro, an outdoor centre with high ropes, and a theatre. However, as each of our Schools are located on their own campus with the largest at 550 pupils, they are small enough to ensure that every individual pupil is known and can flourish within a secure, nurturing environment. Our campuses also change to be suitable for each curriculum stage, meaning that a pupil who starts at our Nursery will feel like they have been through a changing school journey without feeling that they have ‘outgrown’ their environment by the time they reach our Sixth Form.
Day or boarding?
Berkhamsted has a small boarding community of pupils from the UK and abroad. Many of our families enjoy the flexibility that our boarding facility provides for busy families, with the ability to offer early breakfast or supper or the possibility of emergency overnight care, if needed. Our boarding houses offer flexi opportunities from Year 7 with weekly and full boarding from Year 9.
Town or country?
The School is situated within the idyllic Chiltern Hills market town of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire with a local community vibe similar to the ‘London village atmosphere’ that our London families enjoy; yet it is only 30minutes direct from London Euston and under 40minutes by car from both Heathrow and Luton airports – making it an easy commutable town. Our location has the benefits of being in a bustling town, with easy access to the countryside.
Old or new?
Berkhamsted’s history dates back to 1541 when it was founded by John Incent, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, with our original Old Hall still at the heart of our community. But we are a forward-looking modern school. A dual focus on teaching IT skills alongside an immersive use of IT to enhances learning experiences from Pre-Prep through to Prep, where from Year 5 pupils are issued with their own personal Microsoft Surface Device. Our teaching staff have developed a curriculum that encourages pupils to understand how best to utilise technology as part of their learning. In 2025 we will open a new Sixth Form, focused on providing an environment which bridges the move between school and university or the workplace. Our classrooms will facilitate the ‘Harkness style’ of learning where the teacher will join the group at a boardroom table for a more discursive way of teaching, and the café will be a place where both staff and pupils can relax and develop working relationships as they would in any workplace.
All rounder or academic?
It is hard to tell when your child is young what type of young adult they will grow up to be. The earliest years are where the foundations for future success are cemented, meaning our children are nurtured to become independent, confident leaders of their own learning. Leadership opportunities are plentiful from 3 years old with an emphasis on personal and social development. As our children mature and move between our sites, Berkhamsted offers pupils the opportunity to become academically ambitious through various extension societies including leadership and debating. In addition, the school offers strong Oxbridge entry programmes. Pupils may decide that they wish to develop their creative side through Drama opportunities from their first performance in Reception through to A Level or put their energy into Sport – for which Berkhamsted is currently ranked 7th in the country. The School also offers an established Duke of Edinburgh programme led by our own Outdoor Education team. These opportunities allow your child to have an all-round and ambitious education which we believe is what develops remarkable people.
New Sixth Form
Our newly opened Sixth Form Centre offers state-of the-art education facilities for generations of Berkhamsted students.
Find out morePlease read more about our Anti-Modern Slavery policy in our 2025 statement:
News
Berkhamsted Group, Heatherton | 11.02.2026
International Day of Women and Girls in Science at Heatherton
Read
Berkhamsted Group, Boys, Girls, Podcast, Prep, Sixth Form | 11.02.2026
Eton Fives at Berkhamsted: new podcast episode
Read
Last Friday, our Year 10 pupils from @berkhamstedboys and @berkhamstedgirls teamed up to explore political systems and policy.
Working in pairs, they selected a key issue shaping society today and investigated how different political parties approach it. From the economy and social welfare to environmental policy and crime, the range of topics was impressively broad. Pupils then cast a vote for the party they felt best represented them.
This project is part of Year 10’s Character in Action programme, which is one rotation within Friday stretch. These sessions are designed to challenge pupils’ thinking, broaden their experiences, and build essential soft skills.
Developing political awareness is a vital part of preparing young people for life beyond school, and it’s inspiring to see our pupils engaging thoughtfully with current events and learning from one another.
Living with a teenager or pre-teen can be challenging!
That’s why we’re offering `What is going on in my teenager`s head?, a practical online workshop run by @supportinglinks, a well-respected parenting support consultancy.
🗓 Tuesday 17 March 2026
⏰ 19:15 – 20:15
💻 Online via Zoom
🎟 £12.50 per person
👥 Open to all parents and carers of Berkhamsted Schools Group pupils aged 10 upwards
This online session will help you understand:
✅ How the brain is changing and developing during the pre-teen and teen years
✅ Why adolescent brain development has a huge impact on teen behaviour
✅ What adolescent behaviours look like
✅ How we can support our young people during this huge change in their lives.
💬 "Thank you! I have just re-listened to it and I am so grateful to be given a second change to get the information. You are so knowledgeable."
Book now via the link in our bio!
Every day is #SaferInternetDay at Berkhamsted, with our pro tech, pro boundaries approach.💡
As a smartphone-free school, our pupils spend lunchtimes connecting face-to-face; talking with friends, playing sport and discovering new passions through extra-curricular activities.
The benefits for our pupils is clear:
✨ Digital literacy – thinking critically about phone use, social media and wellbeing
✨ Digital resilience – learning how to disconnect and stay focused
✨ Academic success – improved public exam results and value-added scores
✨ Stronger social skills – building character, confidence and real-world connections
✨ Research driven – an evidence informed approach to the use technology and AI to enhance pupils` learning.
Because learning to use technology well starts with learning when to switch it off. 📵💬
Have you ever served and cut a cork ball? Suggested a ‘let’ to your opponent, or played on ‘step’ for your final point? 🧤
If you have, you may know all about the subject of our latest podcast episode: the traditional handball sport, Eton Fives.
In this episode, we speak with Head of Rackets, Mr Davey, alongside a Year 6 and a Year 13 student, as they share their experiences of playing the distinctive sport of Fives. With competitive teams across every year group, regular fixtures, and growing participation in games and inter-house competitions, this little-known sport has been a cherished part of Berkhamsted life for many years.
Last week, we took part in the U13 nationals at @eton.college. Our pupils did extremely well, with five pairs in the top 10 out of 48 pairs, winning the plate A2 and runners-up in Plate A.
To find out more about the sport and what it is like to play at Berkhamsted, listen to the episode now on all major platforms. 🎧
Scholars Event Spotlight ✨
Last Friday, our Scholars enjoyed an inspiring Academic Enrichment event in the Forum at the new @berkhamstedsixth Zaha Hadid building.
✈️From aviation and engineering to human evolution, staff shared passions beyond the curriculum, sparking brilliant questions, confidence, and curiosity throughout.
Events like this are a key part of our Scholars Programme, led by Mr Harrison, Head of Academic Enrichment, and are designed to encourage intellectual curiosity, discussion, and a love of learning beyond the classroom.
#BerkhamstedScholars #LearningBeyondTheClassroom #BerkhamstedSchool
@berkopreprep was filled with awe and wonder last week, as we celebrated our annual Creative Arts Week. ✨🎭🎨
Inspired by the book ‘The Wonder’ by Faye Hanson, pupils took part in a rich array of activities that sparked their creativity and stretched the limits of their imaginations. 📚💭
From imagination hats, puppets and papier mâché heads to paint pendulums, Matisse animals and Kandinsky circles, to parade-inspired dance routines, samba rhythms and body percussion.🕺🥁🎨🔵🧢🎭
Creative Arts Week was a highlight of January, helping pupils to explore the power of their creativity and discover the breadth of different artistic disciplines. In line with our Early Years education focus, learning through play, pupils stretched their sense of innovation, imagination and lateral thinking skills. We can’t wait to see how our future artists, dancers and musicians continue to fill Haresfoot with colour in the months ahead 🎨🎶
Thank you to our visiting teachers from @jigsawberkhamsted and @beatgoesonuk for leading such wonderful, creative workshops and our @berkhamstedprep learning leaders for supporting the younger pupils.
Come to our Pre-Prep Open Event on Saturday 7 March to see our vibrant site and creative opportunities, for yourself.
🎫Book via the link in our bio.
#CreativeArtsWeek #BerkhamstedPrePrep
2016 was a big year for Berkhamsted!
👑Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II came to visit
🎉 It was our 475th anniversary year
🎓Richard Backhouse joined the School as Principal
🤡 Staff Panto – Snow White and the 475 dwarfs
🎭 Moliere’s The Hypochondriac
🌈 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
🥍 2016 U19A National Schools Lacrosse Champions
Can you spot yourself in any of the photos?
Share your memories of Berkhamsted in 2016 in the comments 👇
#2016trend
Going strong on @youtube since 2014!
We’ve reached 1000 subscribers on @youtube.
Like and subscribe to stay informed, entertained and help us reach our next milestone.
Please join our Director of International Admissions, Chris Sutton for a drinks reception on Friday 6 February, 19:00 – 22:00 at La Rambla by Catalunya, 3071-73 Level 3, IFC Mall, Central, Hong Kong.
Current, former, prospective parents and @oldberkhamstedians are all welcome.
Please contact csutton@berkhamsted.com for more details.
Taking reading to new heights 📚⛰️
@berkolibrary’s New Year’s resolution is to get as many pupils enjoying reading as possible, and this week, they’ve taken their initiative to new heights…
On Monday, celebrated filmmaker and author Matt Dickinson (@writermatt) visited Berkhamsted to speak to our pupils. A passionate reader and writer, Matt is also best known for an extraordinary achievement: summiting Mount Everest more than once.
Matt shared photos, videos and first-hand stories from his journeys up Everest, bringing to life the bravery, resilience and determination needed to reach the summit. His experiences perfectly captured our values of Being Adventurous and Aiming High, inspiring pupils to think beyond their comfort zones.
Following the talk, pupils reflected on what they’d learned by writing journalistic-style opinion pieces debating the question: “Should Everest be closed?” This encouraged thoughtful discussion around ethical, scientific and environmental issues, while developing creative and critical writing skills.
Matt’s visit also marked the launch of the Year 9 Summit Challenge – a new reading initiative that tracks pupils’ progress by matching the number of books read to their ascent up a literary mountain. With 24 mountain challenges inspired by the world’s highest peaks, each linked to different subject areas, the challenge is designed to build confidence, support GCSE preparation and spark new interests along the way.
As we celebrate 2026 as the National Year of Reading (@go_all_in_2026), we’re proud to continue creating inspiring opportunities that nurture a lifelong love of reading.
Thank you to Matt for an unforgettable visit and watch this space to see where our readers climb to next. 📖✨
🎵 Last week’s music showcase at @BerkhamstedSixth was a joy to watch.
Highlights included the Year 12 band performing ‘Blowout’ by Radiohead, Seren singing ‘Returning Time’ by Olivia Dean, Kai on the piano with ‘City of Tears’, by Christopher Larkin, Charlie & Oscar performing ‘Agony’ from the musical Into the Woods and Rosie and Vanessa performing ‘The Wind Rises’ by Joe Hisaishi.
We were delighted to welcome Gareth Owen from @guildhallschool for an inspiring piano masterclass with our talented musicians 🎹
Through one-to-one coaching and an engaging group workshop, pupils explored interpretation, tone and sound, gaining fresh perspectives on their performances.
Thank you, Gareth, for such a motivating and enriching day. 🎶
