A leading independent prep school in Somerset, offering excellence in education for 2-13 year olds
On Friday we welcomed the KK Tiger group (12 children and two members of staff) from Fangcao South Primary School in Chengdu, China.
They flew into Gatwick and stopped at Stonehenge for a quick bit of sightseeing en route before joining our regular boarders for supper and games on the front lawns.
In a jam-packed two week immersion programme, they will enjoy everything that Perrott Hill has to offer, while also benefiting from cultural trips to London and Oxford.
“Following the success of last year’s programme, we are delighted to welcome another group to Somerset from China.
“The aim of this programme is to give the children experience in a UK boarding setting.
At the same time, we know they will have lots of fun, and form great friendships.”
To enquire about our short stay programmes, as well as full international boarding, please contact admissons@perrotthill.com
Tea and cake on the front lawn, with over 130 VIP guests, made for a very special day.
As Headmaster Mr McCullough said in his welcome address, “Grandparents play an important role in the all-round development of the next generation, and we thank you for all you do to support our children.”
We were blessed with a glorious spring evening for this year’s Promenade, our annual musical extravaganza which saw performances of an exceptionally high standard from 85 musicians in Years 3 to 8.
Parents and friends gathered for a picnic on the front lawns whilst they were entertained by our two rock bands Perrock! and Perroll! At the end of their set, Sholto McD serenaded the audience on the bagpipes, before leading everyone to the Theatre to hear the Senior Choir and Orchestra perform music by Jacob Collier and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As the evening progressed, our audience promenaded around the school to hear music performed in four different locations.
Our string players entertained at the Music School where two Year 8 violists, Daisie F and Jessica J starred in a specially arranged Sonata. The guitars, recorders, flutes, and chamber choir performed in the Grundy Hall, where the audience also encountered a Perrott Hill first – six Year 8 pianists presenting a twelve hands arrangement of Schubert’s Marche Militaire, performed on three pianos! On the North Lawns, our wind, brass and percussion players put a groove into the evening with their jazz improvisations in ‘Mandela’ and a rousing performance of ‘Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White’ complete with solo sliding moments from our trumpeters!
We then gathered in the Sports Hall, enjoying the cathedral-like acoustic with a moving rendition of ‘Can you hear me?’ from our Senior Choir and Staff & Parent Choir including sign language. We ended the evening, back in the Theatre, for a rendition of Madness ‘Our House’, arranged for orchestra and massed choir by one of our Year 8 pupils, Joe A, which received a standing ovation from the audience.
Following the event, we were delighted the receive the following feedback: “Congratulations on a totally amazing Promenade last night, you raised the bar again from last year and a huge thank you for a fantastic event!!”
“Everyone was so engaged, and the children did themselves and you proud.”
“The passion, enthusiasm and inspiration that resonated throughout shone through all the performances.”
We had the perfect conditions for our Prep School Sports Day – warm and sunny with a light breeze. Ideal for the gathered families, who started arriving from 9am with picnic hampers in tow, as well as our keen competitors.
While everyone gave their all, the standard of sportsmanship was particularly high this year, with 10 school records broken!
Congratulations to Zach O (100 and 200m), Oscar S (turbo javelin), Sidney C (hurdles), Freddie V (shot put), Harriet V (girls turbo javelin), Alice S (turbo javelin), Rocco C H (boys’ shot put), Penelope G (girls’ shot put) and Emma Bull (girls’ shot put).
Prizes were also awarded for best overall performance:
Senior Victor: Reggie C, Senior Victrix: Evie G
Middle Victor: Will S, Middle Victrix: Lottie S
Junior Victor: Inigo G, Junior Victrix: Allegra
Long Distance Cup: Sam B
Sprint Cup: Zach
Mr Cole Cup for Endeavour: Felicity
The overall winning house was Quantocks.
With first-class effort and teamwork from the children, enthusiasm from the gathered supporters, and the most glorious of settings, this event is always a highlight in the school year.
As Headmaster Mr McCullough said, “A Perrot Hill Sports Day is hard to beat!”
“I have really fine-tuned this trip over a number of years,” said Head of Geography, Mr Coverdale, “to ensure maximum learning and enjoyment.”
The annual post-exam trip to Cornwall offers Year 8 pupils an action-packed week with body-boarding, camping and paddle-boarding; to surfing, swimming and orienteering (to name just a few of the activities). But beyond the excitement, the programme has been thoughtfully designed to build key life skills.
As Mr Coverdale explains, “This week is all about developing independence and learning to take responsibility.
“Points are awarded throughout the week and prizes given at the end. It’s a big incentive to work together – keeping your tent clean, helping pack and transport kit, and generally pitching in with the washing up and day-to-day running of the camp.
“These guys also have to make their own packed lunches each day and, under supervision, take charge of the evening cooking.
“This group was absolutely brilliant — so positive, enthusiastic, and willing to help out. The trip was a huge success once again. Although of course, I’ve already made a few notes on how to make it even better next year.”
Congratulations to Peppy, Willoughby and Albert, who have all secured places at highly selective senior schools.
This September, the boys will start in Year 9; Albert and Peppy at Winchester College, and Willoughby at Eton College.
Admission to these prestigious institutions is highly competitive. Eton seeks candidates who demonstrate not only academic excellence, but also strong character and leadership potential. Winchester is similarly selective, offering just 140 places into Year 9 from over 400 applicants.
“We work closely with parents to find the right school for each child, and each year our Year 8 cohort move to a wide variety of state and independent schools,” said Headmaster Mr McCullough.
“That said, I am extremely proud of what these boys have achieved. They have all been through a rigorous selection process to gain entry to two of the finest schools in the country.”
Our ‘parents and friends’ cricket team, the Perrott Hill Plodders 114-9 (20 overs) beat The King’s Cavaliers 98-6 (20 Overs) by 16 runs.
On Tuesday, the Plodders headed to King’s Bruton, to take on the King’s Cavaliers searching for their first win of the season. After winning the toss and electing to bat, OPH’s Dan Wyatt and Charlie Binns got things off to an unusually successful start. After a flurry of boundaries the first wicket fell in the sixth over, with the score on 42. The middle order then experienced a wobble that would put the finest Panna Cotta to shame, James Salaman finally coming to the rescue with some mighty blows. Late and steady runs meant we finished with a respectable 114, from our allotted twenty overs.
In reply the Cavaliers started strongly but never got ahead of the run rate. Richard Wakely and Simon Sheldon bowled tightly, restricting their batters despite seven dropped catches by the Plodders. It was lovely to see Jamie Streatfeild practising for sports day with some energetic boundary fielding and Jules Campbell took a fine catch in the covers. A very good and hard-fought win to get the Plodders off the mark in 2025.
New players are most welcome (some might argue they are quite frankly needed) – please contact Alex at alexander@ahrichards.co.uk
Congratulations to our talented Year 7 and 8 mathematicians who achieved certificates in the 2025 UK Maths Trust (UKMT) Junior Maths Challenge. This is a national competition designed to encourage mathematical reasoning and develop precision of thought and problem-solving capabilities.
We were absolutely delighted to see 10 pupils (James R, Marco, Saba, Luca M, Etienne, Joe, Thalia, James C, Esme and Sam) receive Bronze certificates, and 4 (Max, Albert, Willoughby and Martha) receive Silver certificates. Special mention to Martha (pictured) who was the top scorer in Year 7.
Best in School (and Year 8) was Freddie (pictured) who achieved a Gold Certificate, with a score that qualifies him to enter the next round of the competition: the Junior Kangaroo.
“This is a tremendous achievement,” said Mrs Crane Head of Maths.
“I am delighted with the progress being made in Maths by children of all abilities, and especially pleased to see the hard work and commitment of these particular pupils recognised by the UKMT – a really well-regarded national competition.”
It has been an exceptional year for our current Year 8 pupils, with over 50% of them securing prestigious scholarships to top schools across the country.
Awards have been achieved across the board in academia, sport, music, art and drama to schools including Canford, Bryanston, King’s College Taunton, Blundell’s and King’s School, Bruton.
“This is talented group,” said Headmaster Mr McCullough, “who have demonstrated natural ability across a range of disciplines.”
“But as we know, talent alone is not enough. What has made this group really stand out is their sheer determination and willingness to learn and improve. In that respect they have been extremely positive role models to the pupils following in their footsteps.”
At Perrott Hill we pride ourselves on the way we prepare our children for senior school. Whilst we enjoy the security of being part of an educational group of schools (www.perrotthilleducation.com), we continue to enjoy the qualities of a genuinely independent prep school, and as part of this we are able to offer impartial advice around the best next steps to find the right fit for each child. This approach is reflected in the wide range of schools that our pupils move into in Year 9.
“This cohort have proved just what is possible, if you start with a strong foundation,” Mr McCullough added.
“We look forward to keeping in touch and seeing where their talents take them.”
