Cobham Hall School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

day and boarding school in the English parish of

Cobham, Kent Cobham () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. The village is located south-east of Gravesend, and just south of Watling Street, the Roman road from Dover to London. The parish ...

, for girls only in Years 7 to 11 and co-educational in the Sixth Form . It is a

Round Square Round Square is an international network of schools, based on the educational concepts of Kurt Hahn, and named after a distinctive building at Gordonstoun. Founded by a group of seven schools in the late 1960s, by 1996 it had grown to 20 member ...

school and a member of the

Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a membership association for the heads of independent and state girls' schools in the United Kingdom. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), and works with the Association ...

. The school is housed in

Cobham Hall Cobham Hall is an English country house in the county of Kent, England. The grade I listed building is one of the largest and most important houses in Kent, re-built as an Elizabethan prodigy house by William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham (1527� ...

, a

Tudor era In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

situated in 150 acres of historic parkland on the edge of the Kent Downs. The school featured in the film '' Wild Child'' in 2008, as the fictional school that the characters attended, called Abbey Mount. On 23 February 2021 it was announced that the school would become part of the

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private, Day school, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' ...

Foundation.

School

Cobham Hall was founded as an international boarding school for girls aged between eleven and eighteen by Bhicoo Batlivala in 1962. The school now accepts both day and boarding students. Since September 2022, Cobham Hall has also accepted boys into its Sixth Form. Approximately one-third of students are boarders, both UK and international; some 25 nationalities are represented.

Curriculum

Girls in Years 7 to 9 broadly follow the English National Curriculum alongside a skills-based development programme. Girls in Middle School (up to Year 11) follow the

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

curriculum. In the Sixth Form, A Levels are studied as part of a broad curriculum which also encompasses the Extended Project Qualification, The Ivy House Award, Global Critical Thinking, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award or Service, Sport, and a Tutorial programme to support students through the university application process. The school has a specialist EFL Department, as well as a CReSTeD accredited Student Support Department. The school also offers a range of tailored programmes for international students, including a Pre-A Level Course. Intensive English Support programmes are available for those whose first language is not English.

The building

There has been a

on the site since the 12th century. The current building consists of a pair of 16th-century Tudor wings and a later classical central block, the 'Cross Wing'. Alterations were made by

Sir William Chambers __NOTOC__ Sir William Chambers (23 February 1723 – 10 March 1796) was a Swedish-British architect. Among his best-known works are Somerset House, the Gold State Coach and the pagoda at Kew. Chambers was a founder member of the Royal Academy. ...

, c. 1767–70 The most notable feature of the interior is the two-storey Gilt Hall, c, 1770–81. The fourth earl of Darnley, who inherited in 1781, employed the architect

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the Neoclassicism, neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to ...

extensively. The landscape designer

Humphry Repton Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great designer of the classic phase of the English landscape garden, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown. His style is thought of as the precursor of the more intric ...

was hired to draw up a plan for the estate and two of his sons designed features of the building. Cobham Hall remained the family home of the

Earls of Darnley Earl of Darnley is a hereditary title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of Scotland and once in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation in the Scots Peerage came in 1580 in favour of Esme Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox, ...

until 1957 and is now home to the school. As of 2014 it was open to the public on a limited number of days each year. The building has been used as a film set. A scene in '' Agent Cody Banks 2'' in which

Frankie Muniz Francisco Muniz IV (; born December 5, 1985) is an American actor and racing driver. Muniz came to prominence in the 2000s playing the title character of the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2006), for which he was nominated for an E ...

fights Keith Allen in a room full of priceless treasures was filmed in the Gilt Hall. Scenes from an adaption of ''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode Serial (literature), serial between 12 March 1852 and 12 September 1853. The novel has many characters and several subplots, and is told partly by th ...

'' were filmed outside the building, and it was used in a few scenes in the comedy sketch show '' Tittybangbang''. The Hall is used as the school 'Abbey Mount' in the 2008 film '' Wild Child'' starring Emma Roberts and as the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

in the CBBC adaptation of ''

Hetty Feather ''Hetty Feather'' is a 2009 novel by English author Jacqueline Wilson. It is about a young red-haired girl who was left by her mother at the Foundling Hospital as a baby and follows her story as she lives in a foster home before returning to t ...

''.

Notable alumnae

* Francesca Amfitheatrof, jewelry designer * Princess Antonia, Duchess of Wellington * Alex Crawford, journalist * Catherine Fall, Baroness Fall, British political advisor *

Kate French Kate Lauren French is an American actress and Model (person), model. She is perhaps best known for her role as Niki Stevens on ''The L Word''. Early life Kate Lauren French was born in Flemington, New Jersey. Career Following in her parents' f ...

, modern pentathlete * Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading *

Annabel Heseltine Annabel Mary Dibdin Heseltine is an English journalist, columnist and TV and radio broadcaster. She was previously editor of the education magazine ''School House''. Early life Born in London, she is the elder daughter of the politician and for ...

, journalist and broadcaster *

Mishal Husain Mishal Husain (born 12 March 1973) is a British journalist, broadcaster and author. She is best known for having presented a range of BBC News programmes, most notably BBC Radio 4's ''Today'' programme. She has occasionally appeared as a relief ...

, news presenter * Annabelle Neilson, model and television personality *

Jane Percy, Duchess of Northumberland Isobel Jane Miller Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, (née Richard; born 11 May 1958), is a British aristocrat and businesswoman. She served as Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland from 2009 to 2024, and is best known for redeveloping the Alnwi ...

Romina Power Romina Francesca Power (born October 2, 1951) is an American and naturalized Italian actress and singer. She is the daughter of actor Tyrone Power and actress Linda Christian. With ex-husband Albano Carrisi, she formed the music duo Al Ban ...

, American-Italian singer * Anjali Rao, television news presenter *

Isabel dos Santos Isabel Kukanova dos Santos (; born 20 April 1973) is an Angolan businesswoman, the eldest child of Angola's former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the country from 1979 to 2017. As early as 2013 ''Forbes'' described how dos Santo ...

, daughter of the former President of Angola and billionaire businesswoman * Mary Ann Sieghart, journalist

References

External links

*
Cobham Hall School official website
* ISI Inspectio
ReportProfile
on the ISC website {{coord, 51, 23, 40, N, 0, 25, 07, E, type:landmark, display=title Grade I listed buildings in Kent Gravesham Country houses in Kent Boarding schools in Kent Girls' schools in Kent Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Round Square schools International Baccalaureate schools in England Private schools in Kent Educational institutions established in 1962 Grade I listed houses in Kent 1962 establishments in England