What the Good Schools Guide Says About Teddies

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THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

Pupils and parents

on the matter will vary) see Shells going cold turkey, other than at weekends, in first term. Nokia handsets available for those that want to call home – aim is to encourage engagement with school life, not to create misery. Access to Summertown restricted: ‘It’s in their long term better interests,’ school explains – and most parents welcomed the idea that their teenagers would be hitting the tennis courts rather than Tesco (plenty of opportunity for that, too). Housemasters ‘who were running a social club’ have been moved along, we heard. Opinion divided, from ‘things were getting out of hand’ to ‘it’s a shame they can’t sneak off to the pub anymore’ via ‘it’s a bit sergeant major!’. More reciprocity to sanctions: damage school property and you’ll find yourself picking up litter. ‘We’re just bringing Teddies into line with where it needs to be in the modern world,’ says warden. Changing a culture takes time: give it a couple of years and incoming cohorts won’t know any different.

Majority from Oxford, London, home counties; 40 nationalities represented. Coach service scoops up boarders in South Kensington and more at Beaconsfield. New routes being introduced from Dulwich, Putney, Chiswick, Maidenhead. Less rarified than some: one parent’s claim of ‘almost a grammar school feel’ seemed a bit of a leap, but we saw what she meant. Blingy? Not really. Glossy? Yes, a bit, but frankly who doesn’t enjoy champagne and a branded toffee apple on bonfire night? ‘It’s a special place that doesn’t attract alpha parents,’ says one, delighted to find it ‘quite low key, really.’ ‘Pretty normal’ mix, says another, ‘in that some people have a castle, but most don’t.’ Is Teddies cool, we wondered? It’s what we’d heard. The warden smiled: ‘If by cool you mean popular and in demand, then yes.’ Mullets recently became so popular they had to be banned: irony alive and well. Lots of cool cats amongst alumnae: actors Sir Laurence Olivier, Emilia Clarke (Games of Thrones – though school production of West Side Story makes it onto Wikipedia), Florence Pugh (Little Women); Jon Snow (journalist); Kenneth Grahame (author of Wind in the Willows). Money matters Push on means-tested bursaries aims to have 160 pupils receiving significant financial support in the coming years. School works with Springboard charity too. ‘It’s a very grounded community; he got scooped up by it,’ says one parent. Fees comparable with similar schools; day fees may seem steep but don’t forget you’re getting everything that boarding offers except an actual bed.