WHAT? WHERE?

A village-like day and flexi-boarding school and nursery for boys and girls aged 2 to 13 with a palpable aura of happiness and purpose among pupils and staff alike. Cumnor sits just outside the pretty village of Danehill on the edge of the Ashdown Forest, between Haywards Heath and East Grinstead. Despite the impressive size of the campus, Cumnor is characterful and nurturing, and the ample space is used extremely effectively to both ease the transition for little ones into the upper years, and allow older pupils a taste of independence and responsibility before moving on to senior school. Academically successful despite being non-selective, Cumnor regularly sends pupils to some of the country’s leading senior schools including Brighton College, Tonbridge and Wellington as well as top Sussex destinations including Hurst, Ardingly and Eastbourne. The school’s ethos is ‘Aim High, Be Kind and Dare to be Different’ and achieves this by focusing on developing happy, confident and secure children. What’s more, they are now offering a Performing Arts Scholarship – for children starting Year 7 in September 2024 which includes London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) lessons, individual music tuition, specialist dance lessons and £500 off termly fees.

FACILITIES

Arranged across a site spanning some 60 acres with heaps of outdoor space and sports pitches, the Cumnor campus is well-organised and intuitive to navigate. Buildings are a mix of the purpose-built, such as the lovely and award-winning Cumnor Nursery which sits within its own bright and colourful world, and the sympathetically converted such as the classrooms situated within an old stable block which ooze character and charm.

The Cumnor Nursery is a spacious wood-panelled building surrounded by plentiful free-flow and outdoor space which overlooks the school fields, allowing for interaction between little ones and older pupils. Inside it’s beautifully laid-out and surprisingly clutter-free for an early years space rich in provocations for teaching and learning. There’s also a quiet sleep room for younger children.

Pre-prep also has its own dedicated space, right at the heart of the site arranged in a quad facing into a dedicated playground known as Grace’s Garden. The main redbrick school building houses year 3 above the administrative offices and spaces, offering pupils a fabulous view over the sports pitches to the rolling countryside of the High Weald.

Right in the middle of the site sits a gorgeous 17th century barn which houses the music department. Inside it’s huge and acoustically inspiring, with high ceilings and a mezzanine level for performances. Pupils hone their craft here and build confidence ahead of performing in one of the school’s many creative arts spaces.

Further up the site sits the jaw-dropping prep school. The separate art and ceramics studio is an incredible facility, flooded with light, with a rooftop space for the older students to focus on project work.

Then there’s The Peake, the state-of-the-art STEM building complete with three laboratories and a design & technology space so large it could be a sports hall. It’s an extremely grown-up building, with a senior school feel to it and the downstairs acts as an informal common room for year 8 pupils, who can pop in to chill out and make themselves a slice of toast or two. There’s no danger of Cumnor children feeling intimidated by the size and scope of facilities at their chosen college.

Other notable highlights include the 300-seat theatre with professional sound and lighting which was ably hosting a dress rehearsal for the school Nativity when Muddy visited, an absolutely magical outdoor theatre tucked behind a building that looks like Shakespeare’s Globe but is in fact for prop storage, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a dance studio and a boating lake.

SPORT

Cumnor has both the facilities and the reputation to please all sporty children and families. There are seven (count ‘em) sports pitches, an Astroturf, four courts, a nine-hole golf course, a climbing wall, an athletics pitch, cricket nets and a sports hall – not to mention the two swimming pools.

The curriculum covers all the usual suspects – football, cricket, rugby, hockey, netball, athletics, swimming and hockey, alongside yoga, golf and cross-country and pupils participate in sport daily. Girls cricket is a particular strength of the school so expect Cumnor to build on this success in future. Oh, and match teas are said to be the best in Sussex.

Pupils participate in sport daily, and many go on to win sporting scholarships to destinations like Brighton College, Charterhouse and Roedean.

CREATIVE ARTS

You can always tell how a school feels about the creative arts by its investment in this area and Cumnor has the art, music and drama facilities of a professional-level performing arts school. All pupils perform a Shakespeare play in the outdoor theatre before leaving – it’s something of a rite of passage and must be an absolutely magical experience for all involved, given the atmosphere and setting of the theatre.

Pupils from Cumnor go on to win scholarships across art, music and drama to local senior schools as well as further afield. All pupils take part in performances and study musical instruments, and those who become passionate about these disciplines are given ample opportunities to explore their full potential.

ACADEMICS

Children are taught by specialist teachers from pre-prep onwards which contributes to the excellent academic standards at Cumnor. Learning happens both in the classroom and outside – the school has a dedicated woodland school called Woodpeckers, which makes use of the fantastic outdoor space. There’s also a learning support building, called The Treehouse, where pupils of all ages can be supported one-to-one by specialist teachers in a fun way.

At Year 7 and 8, the Common Entrance process has been streamlined to only incorporate the core subjects of English, Maths and Science leaving the school free to embrace its own new curriculum, ‘Kudos’, and innovative approaches to teaching sport, creative arts, technology and other vital life skills such as entrepreneurship, where young people get the opportunity to design their own businesses. It’s all aimed at giving them the skills to succeed in a modern world – creativity, communication and confidence.

Academically successful despite being non-selective, Cumnor regularly sends pupils to some of the country’s leading senior schools including Brighton College, Tonbridge and Wellington as well as top Sussex destinations including Hurst, Ardingly and Eastbourne.

THE HEAD

Drawn to Cumnor from Kenya where he was head of St Andrew’s School in Turi, Fergus Llewellyn has just completed his third year at the helm of the school. During that time he, his wife Tamsyn and their children, who attend the school, have had to navigate Covid restrictions and rebuilding the school community after the pandemic.

Relationships with parents and families have been nurtured through using the lovely glass-fronted bistro at the heart of the school and encouraging parents to stay for coffee and a catch-up after drop-off. Organised activities for parents including wellbeing sessions, Pilates and use of the school swimming pool have been laid on, all timed to fit in with modern working schedules so parents can make the most of the school’s facilities before heading back to their desks for 9.30am. Mr Llewellyn is extremely mindful of the pressures on families, especially those with two working parents, and huge thought is given to wraparound care and ways to make engaging with the school as easy and convenient for parents as possible.

He’s equally aware of the pressures on children and the impact of the pandemic, along with other stressors like exams, and remains passionate about the importance of pastoral care and pupil wellbeing.

He’s also committed to increasing the social inclusivity of the school through schemes such as The Cumnor Foundation, which exists to pay for the private education of outstanding pupils from the state sector, and bursaries for existing parents. A new Performing Arts scholarship for children joining in year 7 was announced in January 2024.

Facilities-wise, the school can’t be faulted and there are no current plans for major new academic or sporting facilities, so in future expect the focus on development within Cumnor to embrace the priorities of pupil learning and wellbeing.

BOARDING, WRAPAROUND AND PASTORAL CARE

Flexi-boarding is offered for Year 7 and 8, allowing pupils to gradually become more independent and confident and prepare for senior school. Boarding is family-run and house parents live onsite along with their own children. Every few weeks, boarders have a semi-formal dinner with staff in which they try new culinary fare and get to grips with more formal dinner etiquette.

All children from nursery upwards are offered wraparound care from 7am to 7pm. The nursery even offers ‘jim-jam sessions’ where children are dropped in their PJs at 7am and returned fed, watered, happy and back in their PJs at 7pm ready for bed! As the children grow different levels of care are offered including breakfast and after-school clubs and activities.

Pastoral care and wellness starts with the ethos that a happy, content child will be best-placed to reach their full potential. A full pastoral programme, Jigsaw, includes a wellbeing hub for pupils, staff and parents, visiting speakers throughout the academic year, an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant practitioner, and a new PSHE curriculum. Cumnor has always been a leader in mental health and wellbeing support, having been the first school in the UK to introduce the innovative iSpace curriculum which was developed by the school’s former Director of Compliance, Health & Welfare.

WORD ON THE GROUND

The school is highly regarded both in the local area and nationally and parents really seem to pick up on is how happy their children are. It’s hard to imagine childhood being anything but golden and idyllic here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Phones aren’t allowed in school.

TRANSPORT

The school currently offers two dedicated mini-bus routes serving Cuckfield (via Lindfield and Haywards Heath) and Crowborough (via Lewes, Uckfield, Cooksbridge, and Newick). Travel can be booked on a regular or one-off basis.

FEES

Starting at £2,710 per term for Reception (after free entitlement) and rising to £7,790 per term in Year 8 for day pupils. Additional fees for boarding range from £750 per term for two nights a week to £1,200 per term for weekly.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Cumnor has the facilities, curriculum and leadership in place to support all children, from sporty types to academic stars and everybody in between. Great for families who want to prioritise children’s happiness and wellbeing as well as achievement.

Not for: Intake is from the local area as there’s no full boarding.

Dare to disagree? The next open week will be commence on 23 Sept.

Cumnor House Sussex, London Road, Danehill, Haywards Heath, RH17 7HT, 01825 790347