About Us

Respect. Kindness. Community. Curiosity. Conservation. 

Hampstead Hill School is an independent Nursery, Pre-Preparatory and Preparatory School based in the heart of Hampstead, London.

The Nursery and Pre-Preparatory School is based at St Stephen’s, a magnificent Grade I listed former church, and the adjacent School Hall (www.ststephenstrust.co.uk). Our Preparatory School site, opening in September 2024, is based at All Hallows Hall on Courthope Road.

Hampstead Hill is a non-selective school catering for children aged 2 to 11+ years.  There are five Year Groups at Hampstead Hill and each Year Group consists of four classes. The Lower School, based in St Stephen’s Hall and the Garden classrooms, is made up of Early Years (age 2–3) and Pre-Reception (age 3–4) and the Upper School, based in St Stephen’s, is made up of Reception (age 4–5), Year 1 (age 5-6) and Year 2 (age 6-7).

The Prep branch will grow as follows with one class per year group:

September 2024 – Year 3

September 2025 – Years 3 & 4

September 2026 – Years 3, 4 & 5

September 2027 – Years 3, 4, 5 & 6

Hampstead Hill provides the peace of mind and security that comes with traditional teaching and values.  Alongside a wide and varied syllabus, we offer a balanced, nurturing and happy environment that gives children a stimulating and exciting introduction to early education and encourages them to learn and grow.

In the Upper School, our main goal is to prepare children for the academic challenges of the 7+ entrance examinations to a wide range of future schools.  At the start of the Summer Term the Year 2 pupils, who have finished entrance examinations, move into Post Exam classes and the Year 1 pupils move into their Year 2 classes, giving the children due to sit 7+ examinations three full terms with the Year 2 Class Teachers. We will further prepare children for the challenges of the 11+ examinations to a wide range of Senior schools. 

With so many parents running extremely busy lives, it is important that a School recognises the pressures of today’s working arrangements.  Hampstead Hill offers flexible hours for younger children, with facilities available for up to ten hours a day, 51 weeks a year.  For parents who need it from the end of Reception Year onwards (5 years and over) we run a varied, exciting Holiday Scheme during all half-term and holiday periods.

NB: There is an additional daily charge for this service, which varies according to activities.

They have a great education. My kids cried about leaving the school. Teachers are really sweet with the kids, food is delicious and the kids come home with beautiful art work. Looking for a new school for your child? Hampstead Hill is a glory for every child.

I myself had trained to teach drama but had come to work at the school for a short period in the 1960’s to cover Hazel’s absence while she was in hospital, and during that time I became very involved in the development of a little boy who was later diagnosed with autism. By now I had a small daughter and feeling inspired by my experiences with this little boy I decided that a career in early education would provide me with a life I would really enjoy as well as enabling me to use my drama training to some extent.

Obviously I did stay and as the years rolled by I grew to love my chosen path more and more and found I thrived off the challenges it brought. In 1980, whilst raising my daughter and two small sons from my second marriage, I registered the school to take older children. Then in 1982 I expanded Hampstead Hill by opening the Pre-Preparatory Branch, originally in Willoughby Road, before moving it in 1990 to larger premises in Courthope Road. From there we moved again in 2009 – our 60th Anniversary year – into St Stephen’s, the magnificent Grade I Listed building that we are privileged to occupy today. My husband and I had taken up the challenge to restore St Stephen’s in 1998 and spent the next decade raising nearly six million pounds. He then supervised the actual restoration work with the support of English Heritage.

So from the sixteen pupils in 1949 we grew into the much larger family that is Hampstead Hill today, but we strive, and always will, to maintain the same happy, caring family atmosphere and educational ethos that we have always had. Hampstead Hill is most certainly a Mighty Oak that grew from a very small acorn but everything that is its ethos was born from Hazel’s beginnings. I am only sad that neither she, nor my dear sister Vanessa, have lived to see the culmination of the great and proud history of this school. I am however deeply grateful and happy that two of my children have also chosen to work at Hampstead Hill alongside me, as this will ensure that the family line and ethos will continue long into the future.