Head’s Welcome

Hello,

I am delighted to introduce myself as Head of Radnor House Prep School, which opened in September 2023. Having lived and worked in Richmond and Twickenham for over 20 years, I am very aware of the excellent reputation of Radnor House Senior School and so was so excited to be given this opportunity to establish the new Prep School. I look forward to working closely with parents, children, and the wider Dukes community to build upon Radnor’s established success.

I am very proud to be taking the school forward into its next chapter as a Nursery and Prep School for girls and boys aged 2 to 11. Education provides the best preparation for the next steps into senior school and life beyond, and in my view, children receive an education based on encouragement rather than pressure. The very best results come from a broad base, an interesting and challenging curriculum, and a strong and supportive network of parents, pupils, and school.

We have the chance to create something new and exciting at Radnor House Prep School, and our core principles of Resilience, Reflection and Respect underpin everything we do. Our children benefit from the chance to progress directly into Radnor House Senior School in addition to Hampton Court House in Hampton. For those who want to look at other 11+ schools, the preparation is thorough and targeted.

Radnor House Prep places a holistic lens over the curriculum; teaching children to challenge the question and then find their answers. Teaching them to seek, explore, dare to try, and be unafraid to fail. To balance a healthy mind with a healthy body. To learn who they are and their place in the world.

One of the benefits of a relatively blank canvas is that we can create a new and exciting curriculum. Our teaching draws on all the subject specialisms together to link teaching and learning. I know a number of parents express how much their children enjoy their project-based learning and this is the foundation on which our curriculum is based. There is a danger with the silos of individual subjects that you don’t share the contextual correlation that is particularly important for younger age children. By linking everything through the curriculum, we blend the academic rigour of subjects with the teaching of the real-life skills of teamwork and collaboration, investigation, and problem-solving, through topical examples.

The new premises at Kew Foot Road provide us with all that we need. There are two superb STEAM spaces, a science lab, rooms for music, drama, and, now much closer, plenty of space for PE and Games for all, including competitive sports fixtures at Richmond Rugby Club. There is a lovely spacious playground, access to a swimming pool, school hall, and library. The brand-new STEAM rooms are fully equipped for a combination of traditional practical skills alongside the more focused product design. Exciting projects such as the Dyson Award, Formula One design, drone coding and building, motorized race-ready boats, and stop-motion animation all form part of our new and exciting STEAM curriculum.

Our core teaching team are excited about our new and stimulating creative curriculum. We have specialist teachers for Science, History, STEAM, French, PE and Games, Music, Geography, and Drama. Each pupil has their own iPad and is taught to use these as an additional tool to extend and expand their knowledge and skills, fully embedded in the teaching and learning.

I am still as excited as ever about being able to offer the essence of the Radnor House Prep School at Kew Foot Road. Radnor Prep has never been about physical space but instead, it is about a philosophical, creative way of teaching and learning which opens up young minds, encourages them to take on new challenges, and leaves them fully ready to embrace whatever lies ahead.

Our mission statement remains the same:

If you haven’t explored every turn? How can you be bold, if you’ve never felt nervous? How can you know what you want, if you haven’t discovered what you don’t? How can you enjoy the win, if you don’t know how it feels to lose? How do you know the answer, if you don’t understand the question? We champion our children to be ambitious and inquisitive. To try new things and be unafraid to fail. Challenge structures and norms. Uncover what their best is, not someone elses. Experiment and change their minds. Balance different passions and ways of learning. Embrace change and the unknown. Discover who they are not who they want to be. Because Radnor House Prep is a place where curious minds can explore.

I look forward to welcoming parents to Radnor this year. To book a slot at one of our upcoming Open Days, please visit our Eventbrite page

Best wishes,

Mrs Stephanie Piper
Head

New Head Appointed at Radnor House Prep

Mrs Sasha Davies has been appointed as the new Head of Radnor House Prep School, Twickenham.

Mrs Davies, currently Head of Kew Green Preparatory School, takes up the role in September 2025. Current Head, Mrs Stephanie Piper, will step down as Head at the end of the summer term following a successful two-year period as founding Head.

Aatif Hassan, Chair of Governors at Radnor House Prep and Founder and Chair of Dukes Education said, “Mrs Davies has a wealth of experience having successfully completed one Deputy Headship and two Headships in the South-West London area, including her current Headteacher position at Kew Green Preparatory School. She has extensive knowledge of the local community and educational landscape, excellent relationships with other schools in the area and her values accord strongly with those of Radnor House Prep.”

“I am deeply grateful to Stephanie for her tenure at Radnor Prep. She has been an exemplary Head, and I am sure that parents and students alike will join me in thanking her for leading the school community so successfully. Mrs Piper brought many years of school leadership experience with her when I appointed her as Head and her drive and energy built the school from scratch to become the thriving community it is today. It was Stephanie’s vision that led to the significant investment in the STEAM spaces and podcast facility and the creation of an excellent staff team.”

Talking about her time at Radnor House Prep, Mrs Piper said, “Getting Radnor House Prep off the ground from its initial concept to a thriving, busy school has been one of the most enjoyable and satisfying periods of my career. I feel privileged to have led this wonderful school and to have seen the children flourish.”

Incoming Head, Mrs Davies said, “Radnor House Prep is a very special place, traditional in values but with a clear focus on the future and preparing children to succeed and thrive in a rapidly changing world. I am delighted to be joining not only this wonderful school, but the Dukes Education family.”