Woodcote House School

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Woodcote House has been in the Paterson family since 1931, although the school’s history dates back to 1816. We believe the guiding principles upon which we run our school are fundamental to the longevity and popularity of Woodcote. For Woodcote House, being small is one of our strengths. It allows us to operate as one large family, getting on with life and with each other. The school’s motto is ‘Live to Learn and Learn to Live’ and this is something that the whole school puts into practice.
We also believe it is important to generate and sustain self-confidence in each individual in our care and to foster an atmosphere of mutual tolerance, respect, and good manners. Our teaching and pastoral staff know the boys as individuals and take a genuine interest in their welfare. The average class size is kept to just 10-12 boys ensuring that boys receive individual attention and class discipline is always maintained. Small classes also give all the boys the chance to contribute to lessons – enabling them to listen and to be listened to.
A boarding school that is effectively ‘in loco parents must set clear and appropriate boundaries of behavior. With many years of experience on the staff, we know almost instinctively when boys are happy and therefore achieve.
Above all, Woodcote House is a friendly school and we encourage good, clear lines of communication between staff, pupils, and the school and its parents. Every boy is important at Woodcote – indeed every leaver’s photograph is on permanent display.
Located on the former London to Portsmouth Road, Woodcote House’s main school building was originally a Coaching Inn, almost certainly called The Pelican. It is believed that Snows Ride, off which the school is sited, was the favorite haunt of the infamous Captain Snow who, possibly in league with the innkeeper of The Pelican, made 18th century commuting extremely hazardous.
Following the battle of Waterloo, the building housed a small Gentlemen’s Academy, the purpose of which was to prepare around 20 young men for the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. The school still has some toy muskets used for arms drills.
In 1854 a boys’ boarding school was founded. The Paterson family bought the school in 1931 and with the help of a significant bonus from the wartime government for “staying put” during the Blitz, the school was expanded. The school marked its 150th anniversary in 2004.
We may never know quite what dastardly deeds took place down in the school’s White Cellar in Captain Snow’s time… it is currently the haunt of the school’s Warhammer Club.

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