Mowden Hall School

History

Mowden Hall School was founded in the eponymous Mowden Hall in Mowden, near Darlington, by Mr Frank Marchbank in 1935. The School was evacuated to Fallbarrow, Windermere, at the start of the war, before acquiring its present impressive site at Newton Hall, near Newcastle upon Tyne, in 1945; the former building was home to the Department for Education and its predecessor agencies for almost fifty years. Originally a traditional, boys-only, boarding preparatory school, Mowden Hall soon became well known as one of the leading prep schools in the North East. Mowden has welcomed girls since 1982, and opened a Pre-Prep Department in 1993.

Much work was done in the School’s early years at Newton to convert the former home of the Joicey family, which had been built in 1835 by the distinguished northern architect John Dobson, into a fully functioning prep school.

Boarding

Full, weekly and flexi boarding are available to pupils in the main prep school (aged 8 and above). Notably, boarders are not allowed to use mobile phones or other electronic devices, but are allowed and communicate with their parents by writing letters and payphones. Central to the ethos of life at Mowden Hall is the boarding tradition, and Mowden has a vibrant boarding community. Over three-quarters of the children in the Prep School board in some capacity. However, there is no compulsion to board at Mowden. Children can be Day Pupils, Flexi Boarders, Weekly Boarders or Full Boarders. Boarding starts in Year 4, and by the end of Year 6, many children are Full Boarders. Children may wish to transfer from being Day Pupils to Boarders, and can do so at any stage. There is provision for Flexi Boarding on a nightly basis, which can prove to be a useful introduction to boarding for some children.

The Head Matron works with her assistants and the School Nurse to ensure that the highest standards of care for all children are met. The matrons in turn report directly to the Headmaster’s wife, who oversees all aspects of domestic life within the school. The Headmaster and his family reside on campus and take part in the pastoral care of the boarders.

For boarders, there is a busy and varied evening and weekend programme. The school believes it is important to find the right balance between activities and opportunities for personal quiet time, but there is always a focus for Saturday evenings, and a good structure to the day on Sundays. In particular, the junior boarders (Years 4 and 5) are always kept well-occupied.

Academic

Mowden offers a continuity of education from the Mowden Pre-preparatory School (ages 3–8), to Mowden's Preparatory School (ages 8–13).

The school has a history of high academic achievement across all age ranges. The curriculum is broad from a young age, offering a solid grounding in the sciences as well as in English and maths.

Language-learning is also encouraged from a young age, so too the teaching of Latin and french.

Sport

A wide range of activities are available at the school: these include rugby, football, hockey, netball, tennis, cricket, athletics, badminton, cross-country, swimming. The school has extensive sporting fields, an indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, and a multi-use astroturf pitch, which was completed in September 2016.

Internally the school also has sporting competitions between Houses, as well as swimming galas, cross-country running and a full summer Sports Day.

Former pupils