Herne Hill School is the largest independent Pre-School and Pre-Prep in the country catering exclusively for 2+ year-olds through to Year 2, providing five years of continuous Early Childhood Education and Development in this period which research has unequivocally established as being the most important in the children's educational lives. 

We are well known in South London for the expertise and excellence with which we prepare children for life based on a bedrock of love and care across all domains of development - of course, the cognitive and physical, but with a special additional focus on the social, emotional and self-regulatory/executive function skills.

We are a member of the Independent Schools Association, the Independent Schools Council and the National Day Nurseries Association and are proud to have obtained a stellar assessment in the 2020 ISI whole school inspection  (quality of education and regulatory compliance check) - 'excellent' in all categories! We have also been consistently featured in the Good Schools Guide since 2013.

In summer 2021, we opened a new Kindergarten site at the tope of Herne Hill after two years of meticulous refurbishment to convert this site into a fabulous setting entirely tailored for the needs of our youngest 2+ children. It consists of a stately Victorian mansion, a naturalistic play garden with a large sans land and a tumble space in the 'bach' at the back of the garden.

Kindergarten children transition to our main site, which lies just three minutes away on foot, tucked away behind St Paul’s Church on Herne Hill. There, we cater for a two-year Reception cycle and two years of Key Stage 1. The site combines to provide a ‘homely’, safe and nurturing feel while at the same time being open, green and deceptively large. It offers  the perfect environment for young children to blossom and enjoy discovering how to learn.

Healthy hot lunches are freshly cooked on both site daily for all children and staff. Our food is considered to be of high-end restaurant-quality - second to none. We strive for this level of excellence across all aspects of education and development since we are acutely aware of the unequalled importance of the years the children are with us to be the most formative for their lives.

We invite you to explore our website and to contact us for further information or to visit the school – the only real way to experience our unique atmosphere.

Love - Care - Excellence encapsulates our commitment to excellence and our belief that love and care are prerequisites for optimal learning and development. They are essential to awakening a child’s innate curiosity and to establishing a positive cycle of desire to learn, success, confidence and happiness.

The school’s atmosphere lives this philosophy. It is a caring, friendly and happy place, and at the same time there is an air of achievement, respect and discipline. In addition, its co-education and the informal admissions procedures enable us to build a diverse community. We celebrate this community bond in our school song, which provides a good summary of the values we aim to convey to the children – particularly in the line “Be caring, think of others and work hard every day”.

Our staff all buy into this ethos.  They are a happy, fun, dedicated, enthusiastic and highly capable bunch who love children.  If you are of the same inkling, you might enjoy working with us.

Our team is uniquely friendly and supportive, united by a common belief in our eths of Love - Care - Excellence as well as shared passion and expertise for educating and developing young children in the most formative educational period of their lives through a largely play-based approach. If you're like us, you'll love it here!