52°46′08″N 2°22′44″W / 52.769°N 2.379°W / 52.769; -2.379

Haberdashers' Castle House
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Address
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Chetwynd End

, ,
TF10 7JE

Information
TypeIndependent preparatory school
Religious affiliation(s)Christian
Established1944
Department for Education URN123611 Tables
Chairman of GovernorsJames Penney
HeadmasterIan Sterling[1]
GenderCo-educational
Age2 to 11
Enrolment122 (in 2014)[2]
School TrustHaberdashers' West Midlands Academy Trust
Former pupilsOld Castilians
Parent InstitutionHaberdashers' Adams
Websitewww.castlehouseschool.co.uk

Haberdashers' Castle House is an independent preparatory day school for boys and girls, first established in 1944, at Chetwynd End, Newport, Shropshire.[2]

Haberdashers' Castle House is an associate of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. It is also a member of the Haberdashers' West Midlands Academies Trust founded by nearby original Haberdasher school, Haberdashers' Adams.

Architectural

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At Haberdashers' Castle House, buildings were previously a group of houses consolidated into one mansion that was called "Merevale" before the school was founded, begun in the late 18th century with early 19th century and further modern extensions.[3] In the grounds of the school is a mid-19th century brick folly consisting of a retaining wall with five embattled turrets and arrow slits.[4]

Character

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Haberdashers' Castle House

At Haberdashers' Castle House, the school is operated by the Haberdashers' Company under its own Castle House School Trust Ltd, a registered charitable organization, by up to twelve governors of the Trust.[5] It occupies a Grade II listed main building with extensive grounds.[2] Its "Cherubs Nursery" takes pre-school children aged from two to four.[6] From here boys and girls, in roughly equal numbers, go into the Lower School, which comprises a Reception class and Years 1 and 2. The Upper School then caters for children until they leave, usually at the age of eleven.[2][7]

At Haberdashers' Castle House, French is taught from the Nursery years on, and drama and dance begin in Reception. Sporting activities take place every day, and these include gymnastics.[2]

A new headteacher, Ian Sterling, took over Haberdashers' Castle House in January 2018.[1] The previous head, Richard Walden, was chairman in 2014 of the Independent Schools Association. Opening its annual conference in May 2014, he was critical of the state sector, claiming that "Schools are turning out too many amoral children because teachers cannot find the time to teach the difference between right and wrong."[8] This was disputed by the government's Education Secretary, Michael Gove.[9]

In 2023, Castle House became an associate of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers' and a partner of Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School, under a joint agreement with Gary Hickey, headmaster of Haberdashers' Adams and the Haberdashers' Company. [10]

Notable Old Castilians

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  • Piers Corbyn (born 1947), conspiracy theorist
  • Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949), politician, leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020 (younger brother of Piers Corbyn).[11]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Mr Crewe-Read speaks at Speech Day". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e ISI Inspection report on Castle House School Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine dated November 2014, accessed 13 September 2015
  3. ^ Historic England, "Castle House School, Newport (1054384)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 27 September 2018
  4. ^ Historic England, "The Folly at Castle House School, Newport (1307284)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 29 September 2018
  5. ^ Castle House School at collegeofteachers.ac.uk, accessed 13 September 2015
  6. ^ Cherubs Nursery at daynurseries.co.uk, accessed 13 September 2015
  7. ^ The Independent Schools Guide 2012-2013 (Gabbitas, 2013), p. 150
  8. ^ Schools turning out amoral students, says Shropshire headteacher dated 15 May 2014 at shropshirestar.com
  9. ^ Michael Gove rejects ‘amoral’ pupils claim by Shropshire head dated 18 May 2014 at shropshirestar.com
  10. ^ "Headteacher speaks of opportunities ahead as Newport school joins Haberdashers' family". Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  11. ^ Andrew Roth, Jeremy (Bernard) Corbyn (parliamentary profile at bishopsgate.org.uk), p. 10, accessed 13 September 2015
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