Prior's Field is an independent girls' boarding and day school in Guildford, Surrey in the south-east of England. Founded in 1902 by

Julia Huxley Julia Huxley (née Arnold) (1862–1908) was a British scholar. She founded Prior's Field School for girls, in Godalming, Surrey in 1902. She came from and had an exceptional family. Life Born Julia Arnold in 1862 to Julia Sorell Arnold, the gra ...

, it stands in 42 acres of parkland, 34 miles south-west of London and adjacent to the A3 road, which runs between the capital and the south coast.

Current ratings

Today, the school has 440 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend Prior's Field, with a third of UK and foreign students boarding on a full, weekly or flexible basis. The Headteacher is Mrs Tracy Kirnig, who joined in 2015 from Caterham School, Surrey and is the school's 11th head. In its most recent report, the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) awarded Prior's Field its top rating – excellent – across all categories of inspection, including quality of achievement, teaching, pastoral care, boarding and links with parents. Prior's Field pupils typically take 9 GCSEs in Year 11 and have a choice of 24 A-levels in the Sixth Form. In 2016, at A-level, 15 per cent of girls achieved A* grades, 76 per cent A-B grades and the pass rate was 100 per cent. At GCSE, 28 per cent gained A* grades, 55 per cent A*-A and 79 per cent A*–B. Students participate in over 40 termly clubs, including silversmithing, philosophy, riding, chess and debating. A supportive university application process ensures that girls move to higher education, the majority to Russell Group universities.

History

Prior's Field School opened on 23 January 1902, with only seven pupils. It was founded by

, the mother of Julian Huxley and

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

, niece of the poet

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lit ...

and granddaughter of Dr Thomas Arnold, headmaster of

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

, immortalised in the novel ''

Tom Brown's Schooldays ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is an 1857 novel by Thomas Hughes. The stor ...

''. The

Huxley Family The Huxley family is a British family; several of its members have excelled in science, medicine, arts and literature. The family also includes members who occupied senior positions in the public service of the United Kingdom. The patriarch of ...

is interesting historically for achievements across the fields of science, medicine, literature and education. Julian Huxley became a biologist, the first Director of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

and a founder member of the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

was the author of ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hiera ...

'' (1932).''Prior's Field School - A Century Remembered 1902-2002'' by Margaret Elliott, published by Prior's Field School Trust Ltd,

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

and

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

were family friends. The school motto, "We live by Admiration, Hope and Love," is from ''The Excursion'' by

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...

. Starting with a five-acre (2 ha) plot and a moderately sized house designed by

C.F.A. Voysey Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (28 May 1857 – 12 February 1941) was an English architect and furniture and textile designer. Voysey's early work was as a designer of wallpapers, fabrics and furnishings in a Arts and Crafts style and he ma ...

, Julia Huxley opened her school with one boarder, five day girls, a wire-haired terrier and her -year-old son, Aldous. Julia Huxley was married to Leonard Huxley, a biographer and writer and former assistant master at Charterhouse School. She died in 1908 at the age of 46, after only six years as Headmistress, and was succeeded by Mrs

Ethel Burton-Brown Ethel Ann Burton-Brown, née Marshall (1868-1927) was an English educator. She was headmistress of Prior's Field School from 1908 to 1927. Life Ethel Marshall was born in Hertford in 1868. She was the daughter of the Rev. Charles Marshall and Eliza ...

, who was Head from 1908 to 1927. The school magazine first appeared in June 1908, by which time there were 85 pupils and 86 Old Girls. Both Julia Huxley and Ethel Burton-Brown are buried in Compton Cemetery, the grave of the latter being designed by Mary Watts, wife of the painter and sculptor

George Frederic Watts George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817, in London – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. He said "I paint ideas, not things." Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical work ...

(1817–1904).

Architecture

Prior's Field, originally called Prior's Garth, was designed by prominent English Arts and Crafts movement architect

. The house has been Grade II listed on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

since May 1985. Many of Voysey's original features – stylised keyholes, door handles, air vents, and fireplaces – can still be seen in the school today, for instance in the Oak Hall, the Senior Common Room and the Bursary offices. The additions to the original house – formerly known as Private Side – were designed by Voysey's pupil, Thomas Müntzer.

Garden inspired by Gertrude Jekyll

The design of Prior's Field's rose garden was created by Leonard Huxley in collaboration with Gertrude Jekyll. It includes

herbaceous border A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants (plants that live for more than two years and are soft-stemmed and non-woody) arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. ...

s, dry

Bargate stone __NOTOC__ Bargate stone is a highly durable form of sandstone. It owes its yellow, butter or honey colouring to a high iron content. In some contexts it may be considered to be a form of ironstone. However, in the context of stone buildings loca ...

walls, a dipping pond and rock garden. In the early years, the care of the gardens was in the hands of lady gardeners trained at Swanley Horticultural College.

Prior's Field Centenary and 110th Anniversary

To mark the school's centenary in 2002, a £1.2 million sports hall was built. Designed in the style of Voysey and named the Centenary Sports Hall, it was opened by the physiologist and biophysicist

Andrew Huxley Sir Andrew Fielding Huxley (22 November 191730 May 2012) was an English physiologist and biophysicist. He was born into the prominent Huxley family. After leaving Westminster School in central London, he went to Trinity College, Cambridge ...

, the recipient of the 1963

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accord ...

and younger son of Leonard Huxley by his second marriage to Rosalind Bruce. The 110th anniversary of Prior's Field's foundation was marked in 2012 by a service in

Guildford Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, commonly known as Guildford Cathedral, is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral stands, with Viscount Bennett, ...

, construction of an all-weather sports pitch opened by the British Olympian hockey player Crista Cullen, and the annual Huxley Lecture in memory of the school's founder, delivered by the scientist and academic Susan Greenfield in November. In September 2013 the actress

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in ''On H ...

opened a new three-storey teaching centre, siting the Creative Arts subjects in one area, providing six additional classrooms, a new school entrance and facilities for maths and modern languages. In March 2017, the former Prior's Field Head Julie Roseblade opened a new Science, Technology and Music Centre, named the Arnold Building in memory of the school's founder,

Notable alumnae

Patricia Angadi Patricia Clare Angadi (née Fell-Clark, 23 September 1914 – 26 June 2001) was a British portrait painter and novelist, perhaps best remembered for introducing the Beatles to Ravi Shankar. Early life She was born Patricia Clare Fell-Clark on 2 ...

(1914–2001), portrait painter and novelist *

Enid Bagnold Enid Algerine Bagnold, Lady Jones, (27 October 1889 – 31 March 1981) was a British writer and playwright known for the 1935 story ''National Velvet''. Early life Enid Algerine Bagnold was born on 27 October 1889 in Rochester, Kent, daughte ...

(1889–1981), playwright and author of 'The Chalk Garden'', ''National Velvet'', etc.; great-grandmother of Samantha Cameron, wife of David Cameron * Jill Bennett (1931–1990), actress * Alex Evans (born 1989), actress *

Victoria Hamilton Victoria Hamilton (born 5 April 1971) is an English actress. After training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Hamilton began her career in classical theatre, appearing in productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the ...

(born 1971), actress *

Heather Joan Harvey Heather Joan Harvey (September 1899 – 1989), was a British writer and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician. Background Harvey was educated privately at Prior's Field School, Godalming, and Newnham College, Cambridge, where she graduat ...

(1899–1989), English writer and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician *

Lily James Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson (born 5 April 1989), better known by her stage name Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series ''Ju ...

(born 1989), actress *

Freda Utley Winifred Utley (23 January 1898 – 21 January 1978), commonly known as Freda Utley, was an English scholar, political activist and best-selling author. After visiting the Soviet Union in 1927 as a trade union activist, she joined the Communist P ...

(1898–1978), writer and activist *

Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock Helen Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, (née Wilson; 14 April 1924 – 20 March 2019) was an English philosopher of morality, education, and mind, and a writer on existentialism. She is best known for chairing an inquiry whose report forme ...

(born 1924), crossbench peer * Margaret Yorke (1924–2012), crime writer, winner of the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger Award, 1999 * Tessa Tennant (1959–2018), advocate of sustainable investment *

Tilly Smith Tilly Smith (born 1994) is an English woman who has been credited with saving the lives of about 100 beachgoers at Mai Khao Beach in Thailand by warning them minutes before the arrival of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Sm ...

(born 1994), credited with saving the lives of about 100 beachgoers at Maikhao Beach in Thailand

Notable staff

* Jane Lunnon, later head of

Wimbledon High School Wimbledon High School is an independent girls' day school in Wimbledon, South West London. It is a Girls' Day School Trust school and is a member of the Girls' Schools Association. History Wimbledon High School was founded by the Girls' Publ ...

and

Alleyn's School Alleyn's School is a 4–18 co-educational, independent, Church of England, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation ...

Admission

The main entry ages for Prior's Field are 11+, 13+ and 16+. Girls attend a Preview Day in November, when they undertake some informal tests and activities, and then sit an Entrance Exam the following January. At 16+, entrance is dependent on GCSE results and the outcome of an interview.

Fees, scholarships and bursaries

As at September 2017, day fees are £17,700, weekly boarding fees £27,900 and full boarding fees £29,925 per annum. Means-tested bursaries are available at all points of entry, including Sixth Form academic bursaries for day places, and may be up to 100 per cent of fees. Each year, a number of Prior's Field scholarships are awarded for entry at 11+, 13+ and 16+ for academic promise as well as in the areas of art, drama, music or sport.

References

External links

*
The Independent Schools Inspectorate's (ISI) March 2011 Report on Prior's Field
{{authority control 1902 establishments in England Arts and Crafts architecture in England Boarding schools in Surrey Buildings by C.F.A. Voysey Educational institutions established in 1902 Girls' schools in Surrey Grade II listed buildings in Surrey Grade II listed educational buildings Houses completed in 1900 Independent schools in Surrey