Polwhele House School is a co-educational, independent school located at Polwhele House, near Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom.
The school currently accepts pupils from Nursery (age 3) to GCSE, with the first Year 11 GCSE examinations taking place in Summer 2027.
History In 1976 one the school’s founders, Rosemary White, launched a nursery and pre-prep school in her family home in Truro, calling it Boscawen Rose School.Head of Polwhele House: Information for applicants at cloudfront.net, accessed 22 June 2020 This was a school for children aged between three and eight.Polwhele House School at TES, accessed 21 June 2020 By 1981, the high demand for places had encouraged Rosemary and her husband Richard White to open a new school at Polwhele House, transferring most of the Boscawen Rose School pupils there and including older children. They were joint heads of the new enterprise, which was to be a co-educational preparatory school. At that time, the leaving age increased to thirteen.
After Truro Cathedral School closed in July 1982, its task of educating and training the cathedral's boy choristers was transferred to Polwhele House, and the number of choristers is now eighteen.British Music Education Yearbook (Rhinegold Publishing Limited, 2008), p. 15 The chorister programme ended in the mid 2010s.
The Whites retired as joint heads in 2002.
School site
Polwhele House is a Grade II listed manor house, standing in 32 acres of parkland, playing fields, gardens, and woods, about two miles north of Truro.Polwhele at britishlistedbuildings.co.uk, accessed 22 June 2020
The earliest parts of the main house date from the 16th century, and granite arches from that time are the oldest features still to be seen. Richard Polwhele, a clergyman and local historian, inherited the property from his father and in the 1820s renovated the coach house."Rev. Richard Polwhele" (obituary) in The Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 163 (1838), pp. 545–549 In the 1860s, Thomas Carne Polwhele had the house remodelled and enlarged by Giles Gilbert Scott. The Polwhele family motto, "Karenza Whelas Karenza", meaning "Love begets Love", is engraved on a stone chimneypiece in the drawing room of the house and has been adopted as the school’s motto.History of Polwhele House at polwhelehouse.co.uk, accessed 22 June 2020
Curriculum Polwhele House follows a syllabus leading to the Common Entrance Examination at 13-plus.
There is a focus on music and drama, with concerts and productions taking place regularly throughout the year and most children taking part in them.
A new Year 9 class will begin in September 2020, with the school’s leaving age then slowly rising to sixteen.Prep school to offer secondary school education, businesscornwall.co.uk, 15 January 2020, accessed 22 June 2020Hilary Mann, Thinking Long-Term: Polwhele House School, independentschoolparent.com, January 2020, accessed 22 June 2020 The head, Hilary Mann, said in January 2020 "The school will grow by one senior year group each year, slowly and steadily. Our current buildings give scope for the first year expansion, and in time we can plan a redesign of the buildings and look to add any necessary new buildings."Charlotte Becquart, Everything we know about the new secondary school set to open in Cornwall, cornwalllive.com, 26 January 2020, accessed 22 June 2020
Extracurricular activities & facilities The school has its own stables, walled garden, forest school, playing fields and 32 acres of grounds.
Polwhele House School currently offers three scholarship programmes, in Equestrian, Sports and Performing Arts (PAS).
In May 2012, the Olympic torch came to the school.Olympic torch visits Polwhele House school, falmouthpacket.co.uk, 25 May 2012, accessed 22 June 2020 In May 2017, it was visited by a Royal Navy Merlin maritime helicopter based at RNAS Culdrose, and children were able to explore and discuss it with its crew.Peter Johnstone, Culdrose Merlin lands at Polwhele House, falmouthpacket.co.uk, 1 June 2017, accessed 22 June 2020
List of heads 1981–2002: Rosemary and Richard White (jointly) 2002–2009: Jeremy Mason, previously deputy head at the Pilgrims' School, Winchester 2009–2019: Alex McCullough, previously Director of Studies at Foremarke Hall 2019-2024: Hilary Mann, previously head of Roselyon Preparatory School, LanliveryNew head at Polwhele House at businesscornwall.co.uk, 4 September 2019, accessed 22 June 2020 2024-2025: Emma Edward, previously Founder and Head of Pre-Prep at Wotton House International School, Gloucester 2025: Mark Clutsom
A deputy head of the school, Dominic Floyd, went on to become head of Ashdown House, and then of Hazlegrove and the Mount Kelly Prep School.New head of Mount Kelly Prep chosen for ‘commitment’, tavistock-today.co.uk, 23 March 2016
Notable former pupils Charlie Shreck (born 1978), cricketer
References
External links Head of Polwhele House: Information for applicants at cloudfront.net Polwhele House School at Independent Schools Inspectorate Polwhele House School at schoolsmith.co.uk