History

The history of Bassett House School

Bassett House School was founded in 1947 by Sylvia Rentoul, with just 6 pupils.

In those days there was a more regimented approach to education and the prevailing belief that ‘children should be seen but not heard’.

Conversely, Sylvia Rentoul passionately believed children should be encouraged to express themselves, and teaching should be both supportive and challenging, but, above all, must take into account the individual needs of each child.

Sylvia’s visionary philosophy not only endures but flourishes at Bassett House School to this day.

Ours is an intimate and happy school and has approximately 200 children across eight year groups.

It had two sister schools: Orchard House School in Chiswick and Prospect House School in Putney.

In February 2020, Bassett House, together with Prospect House and Orchard House, they all became part of Dukes Education.

Premises

Our school premises

Formerly a large family residence, the school’s main building was built in the late 19th century in the leafy streets of North Kensington. 60 Bassett Road was substantially purpose re-built in 2001, whilst holding true to the Victorian architectural principles of large, bright and airy rooms (though heated, lit and ventilated to 21st century standards). It now houses some ten classrooms and various play areas, including an outside play area.

The school’s premises also include the large hall at St Helen’s Church just round the corner, providing a professional stage and assembly hall/gymnasium, three classrooms, a custom-built kitchen and a garden play area.

The school has recently opened an additional building in St Helen’s Gardens: The Dairy (as it used to be a dairy). It houses our Early Years pupils (the Den and Lower 1) in three light and spacious classrooms and provides a large interactive learning zone. In addition we have a basement music/drama studio for the use of the whole school, together with smaller group tutorial spaces. There is also scooter and bike storage.

Our location allows us to walk to excellent nearby facilities including the Westway Sports Centre, Kensington Memorial Park and Kindred Studios (art studios used by professional artists).

Within easy reach of Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road underground (Circle or Hammersmith and City lines)
Nearby bus routes: 7, 23, 52, 70, 295, 316 and 452
Car sharing for pupils is encouraged via assistance from our parents’ association
We participate in an award scheme for scooting and walking to school

Breakdown of Classes

Our year group structure

LOWER SCHOOL

Den (nursery): age 3 to 4
Lower 1 (reception): age 4 to 5
Form 1: age 5 to 6
Form 2: age 6 to 7

Transfer to the Upper School is automatic.

UPPER SCHOOL

Form 3: age 7 to 8
Form 4: age 8 to 9
Form 5: age 9 to 10
Form 6: age 10 to 11

Parents are offered in-depth information and advice in choosing a subsequent school that will best suit their individual child.

About Dukes Education

Governance

Bassett House is part of Dukes Education.

Dukes Education is a family of schools and education organisations based in the UK. We bring together schools that are diverse in their offering and yet united as outstanding examples of teaching and learning.

Our philosophy is to support each individual to live with purpose, to encourage a love of learning and to act as a team. All of this is underpinned by a quality standard that runs through everything we do. We believe that education is a journey to be enjoyed and shared at every stage of life, unlocking extraordinary possibilities for every pupil.

As part of Dukes, Bassett House continues to lead on all decisions and retain its independence. Dukes adds to this the benefit of the collective, providing security and support, a platform for sharing best practice, and the reassurance of a host of all-through education options.

Aatif Hassan is the Chairman of Bassett House and he can be contacted by email: aatif.hassan@dukeseducation.com

Dukes Education

House Schools TrusT BURSARIES

Member of IAPS

Bassett House School is a member of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) which is a constituent body of the Independent Schools Council (ISC). The school is rigorously inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).