Welcome to Hatherop Castle School

Dear Rendcomb College parents

We would like to start by saying how sorry we were to hear the news. Hatherop and Rendcomb have had many years of friendly competition and lots of families have enjoyed being part of both school communities.

Hatherop Castle is a happy and high-achieving day and boarding school, for children aged 2 to 13, homed in a castle in beautiful Cotswold countryside just half an hour from Rendcomb College. With a focus on encouraging children to experience the adventure of childhood, an education here is infused with creativity and fun, but our exam successes at Year 6 and Year 8 demonstrate that a happy life is not at the cost of academic rigour.

We have an extensive network of bus routes, with friendly drivers picking up pupils from across the local area. We are always reviewing these routes, so if your town isn’t currently part of our network, please ask and we’ll be happy to consider adding it. We also offer a flexible range of boarding options, perfect for new boarders, in our newly refurbished boarding houses.

Hatherop Castle is a member of Wishford Education, a leading group of independent schools with a commitment to delivering the highest standards of education and customer service. Being part of the group offers significant benefits to pupils, parents and staff, as well as security in an uncertain and fast-changing environment.

We recognise this is an extraodinarily difficult time for the Rendcomb community. We stand ready to support you as you look for a new school for your children. If you would like to find out whether Hatherop Castle might be the right choice for you, our friendly and approachable Registrar Gemma Rodgerson will do all she can to ensure that the process is easy and smooth.

Our commitment to you

  • We will support your child to settle in quickly and with confidence;
  • Smooth transition – we will offer a swift and easy admissions process;
  • Fees – we will match fees currently being paid, including honouring scholarships and bursaries;
  • Visas – for international students, we will take care of all the paperwork to transfer your visa across;
  • Uniform – we will gift you a voucher to cover the cost of new uniform;
  • Devices – we provide a personal device for students in Year 4 and above;
  • Transport – our large fleet of buses cover much of the Rendcomb catchment and if additional routes or stops are required, we will arrange these.

Next Steps

You can contact Gemma direct on 01285 750206 or at admissions@hatheropcastle.co.uk, or submit your details via the form below and we will get back to you.

Book a personal tour

Gemma will be in touch to answer any questions you might have and arrange a bespoke tour, which you can do individually or with other Rendcomb parents, with or without your children.

We are also holding a special Open Afternoon for Rendcomb College families on Friday 6 February from 2pm. If you would like to come to this private event, please let Gemma know.

Following the tour, we will invite your child for a taster day, where they will be buddied up with one of our friendly pupils, and can spend the day enjoying a stimulating day of learning and adventure. They may wish to come with one or two friends, and we can accommodate that too.

Once we are both happy that your child will be happy and thrive with us, we will make a formal offer and help you to complete the paperwork to confirm a place.

About Wishford Education

Wishford Education is a group of 11 schools across the south of England. Local to Rendcomb College are Westonbirt School, Cricklade Manor Prep and Hatherop Castle School. Each has its own character, but they share a core ethos, providing high-quality learning, outstanding opportunities and a happy, caring environment in which children achieve amazing things.

Having planned carefully for the changes which have impacted the independent schools sector in recent years, the group is secure and well positioned, with a strong balance sheet, an agile governance and leadership structure, and access to significant capital.

For more information, please visit www.wishford.co.uk