A schoolwhereevery childis known

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Brackenmoor is a co-educational independent day school for ages 2 to 18, with flexi and weekly boarding from Year 7, set on 74 acres in rural Hertfordshire.

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In 1887, the Reverend Thomas Ashby opened the old rectory on Ridgeway Lane to fourteen boys, with a motto that still hangs over the school today: Fide et Labore, by faith and hard work. Almost 140 years later, more than a thousand children aged 2 to 18 learn on that same patch of Hertfordshire, and the aim hasn’t changed: every one of them should leave known, stretched and kind…

Being known matters most. When a child knows someone here truly sees them, they find the courage to be stretched, and the kindness to help others along the way.

Dr Eleanor Whitcombe, Head

Head's welcome

Curious minds…

…from two to eighteen

A young girl playing with wooden blocks in a nursery classroom

Ages 4–7

Pre Prep

Reception to Year 2: learning through play, stories and the outdoors, in small classes where every child is known.

A boy in sports kit running across the school field

Ages 7–11

Prep

Years 3 to 6: specialist teaching, a broad curriculum and a growing independence, with sport and music every week.

A girl carrying books along a school corridor as other pupils pass

Ages 11–16

Senior

Years 7 to 11: a wide choice of GCSE courses and the clubs, trips and responsibilities that go with growing up.

A boy in school uniform standing on a path in the school grounds

Ages 16–18

Sixth Form

A levels taught in small groups, with tutors who help every student plan the next step, at university or beyond.

Beyond Brackenmoor

Our leavers go on to an exciting range of futures. In 2026, 92% went on to university, with 72% winning a place at their first choice, and popular destinations included Bristol, Durham, Exeter, Leeds, Nottingham, UCL and King’s College London. Six students took up places at Oxford or Cambridge, and 11 went on to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary science.

Destinations