Hereward House School (), also known as HHS, is an

Independent Association of Prep Schools The Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS, formerly Independent Association of Preparatory Schools) is a schools association, representing more than 660 preparatory schools. The majority of IAPS' schools are in the UK, with other locat ...

(IAPS)

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 ...

preparatory school for boys aged 4 to 13, located in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 14 Strathray Gardens, near

Swiss Cottage Swiss Cottage is an area in the London Borough of Camden, England. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and includes Swiss Cottage tube station. Swiss Cottage lies north-northwest of Charing Cross. The area was ...

and

Finchley Road Finchley Road is a designated arterial road in north-west London, England. The Finchley Road starts in St John's Wood near central London as part of the A41 road, A41; its southern half is a major dual carriageway with high traffic levels oft ...

. It prepares boys for London

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

s as well as London

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

s (including

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross, close to the Hertfordshire border. It was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it b ...

and

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

History

The school was founded in 1951 by Lionel and Mary (Bella) Brewester. It originally had six pupils, and was based Belsize Avenue. This number slowly increased until they moved to their current site (14 Strathray Gardens) in the 1960s. Today, the school teaches 171 pupils every day and employs 35 staff, 27 of whom are teaching staff. Pupils usually join the school from Transition to Year 1, but sometimes join in higher years. The school is split up into three main sections, the Junior School consists of Transition, Year 1 and Year 2, the Middle School consists of Years 3, 4 and the Senior School, which consists of Year 6, CE2 (Year 7) and CE1 (Year 8).

Operation

The school was named after the eleventh-century rebel leader,

Hereward the Wake Hereward the Wake (Old English pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/ , modern English pronunciation / ) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resistance to the Norman Conquest of E ...

. All four school houses, one of which each boy is allocated to, are named after ethnic groups from his time period: the

Angles Angles most commonly refers to: *Angles (tribe), a Germanic-speaking people that took their name from the Angeln cultural region in Germany *Angle, a geometric figure formed by two rays meeting at a common point Angles may also refer to: Places ...

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

and

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

As is customary in most preparatory schools, competition exists between the houses, in sports and academic life. All boys of all ages have to wear the school uniform, which is composed of mostly grey and black clothing, accompanied by the distinctive white and blue striped tie, and the

fleur-de-lis The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

embroidered blazer. This uniform differentiates the pupils from those of the other preparatory schools in the area.

Sports

Hereward House is known for its sports, specializing especially in football, which is played in the winter months, and cricket, which is played in the summer. In football, Hereward House competes against other schools, including

, UCS and

. Both cricket and football are played at Hampstead Heath Extension and Brondesbury Cricket Grounds, with football being played at

Astro-Turf every week. There are also inter-house competitions in the two sports, with the four houses competing against each other for inter-house glory. Cross country races are also frequently held at the Hampstead Heath Extension. The Hereward House Inter-School Cross-Country is an event in March at

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. The heath is rambling ...

Extension. Schools are invited from across London to compete for titles in under-eleven and under-thirteen races. This event is one of the largest inter-school competitions in London.

References

External links

Hereward House School website

ISC analysis

ISBI article

Notes

{{authority control Private boys' schools in London Preparatory schools in London Private schools in the London Borough of Camden Schools in Hampstead Swiss Cottage 1951 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1951