Cothill House is a day and boarding coeducational independent school for preparatory pupils in Cothill, Oxfordshire, which houses around 160 pupils from the ages 7–13.
History
The school was started in 1860 in Dry Sandford, before moving to its present location in 1870. Previously a boys' school, it began to move towards co-education in 2024. The school was operated by the Prep Schools Trust, a charity registered in England. and in September 2025, became part of Radley Schools Group.
In 2024, the school was listed by the Oxford Mail as one of 45 Oxford schools with stories of sexual harassment and abuse collected by the website Everyone's Invited.
Cothill is situated on a 26-acre site is just a short drive from central Oxford, and the school is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading prep schools. For the last 150 years Cothill House was solely for boarders, yet this changed in September 2023 when it opened the door to day pupils for the very first time. This coincided with the arrival of a new headmaster, George May, who was previously a housemaster at the nearby Radley College. In September 2025, the school began to accept girls.
Present school The school is academically successful, and the class sizes are small, with an average of 14 pupils per class. Cothill House routinely sends boys to destinations such as Eton, Harrow and Radley.
Cothill is a nurturing, dynamic day and boarding school committed to helping every child discover their strengths. The school has a family feel with core values rooted in kindness, humour, teamwork, curiosity and respect.
Headmasters 2023: George May 2011 – 2023: Duncan Bailey
Notable alumni Gaj Singh of Jodhpore, diplomat and politicianDhananajaya Singh, The House of Marwar (Lotus Collection, Roli Books, 1994), p. 204 John Bradbury, 2nd Baron BradburyGeorge Edward Cokayne, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom: extant, extinct, or dormant, vol. 13 (The St Catherine Press Ltd, 1940), p. 408 Hugh Stockwell, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe'General Sir Hugh Stockwell' in Patricia Burgess & Trish Burgess, eds., The Annual Obituary 1986 (Chicago & London: St James Press, 1989), p. 677 James Charles Macnab of Macnab, Chief of Clan Macnab'MACNAB of Macnab, James Charles', in Who's Who 2012 (London: A. & C. Black, 2012) Rupert Thorneloe, British Army Officer Richard Dinnick, BAFTA nominated writer Alexander Gordon, 7th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair'Aberdeen and Temair, 7th Marquess of' in Who's Who 2012 (London: A. & C. Black, 2011 Jeremy Thorpe, British politician, leader of the Liberal Party 1966–76 Richard Symonds, civil servant Hugh Pym, British journalist and author Archie Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, British aristocrat
References
External links Official Website Cothill House at the Independent Schools Council