WELCOME TO
CLARENCE HOUSE
FOR 7-11 YRS

Welcome to Clarence House Preparatory School, an independent school for girls aged 7-11. We are the sister school of Jack & Jill and Nightingale House.

The Papirnik family opened the school in September 2016 alongside the current Headteacher, Mr. Hitchen. By 2020, girls were winning places to the most academic Senior Schools in London; at the time of writing, independently-verified maths and English data suggests we’re one of the top schools in the U.K. for English, maths and science.

How? Quite simply, we’ve taken what you’d expect of an academic independent school and married it to innovations taken from the very best schools in the world.

Ninety percent of what we’ll see at Clarence House Preparatory School (C.H.P.S.) is similar to other high-performing local preps. C.H.P.S. prioritises English, maths and reasoning, in preparation for independent and grammar school 11+ exams.

We provide rich experiences in sport, music, art and drama with lessons taught by dedicated subject specialist teachers, just like the girls will experience at secondary school.

But C.H.P.S. is different, too. We stand out from the pack in several important ways.

First, we are a small school. Attending C.H.P.S. is a little like the difference between a holiday in a cool boutique hotel and staying in a Marriot! Of course, the big hotel will probably have a grand pool, but it can be quite an impersonal experience. You’re one of hundreds. At C.H.P.S., every girl is seen. Every girl is in the football team. Every girl has a meaty role in the Year Three and Four play. Every girl plays her instrument to the parent body at our Afternoons of Poetry, Music and Dance. Every girl shares her work at our Exhibition of Beautiful Work and gives a five-minute Grit Presentation to her parents during Parents’ Evening. And every girl gets the time, the attention from teachers, that she needs to thrive.

Second, C.H.P.S. is a S.T.E.M. school. We have a dedicated lab and makerspace, where the girls learn to love science and engineering.

But most important of all is the third key difference: C.H.P.S. teaches girls how to learn. From day one, we teach pupils cognitive science: the science of learning. We’re the only prep school in London to play retrieval practice – the most powerful learning tool – at the heart of our lessons and homework. And we’re the only prep school in London give you and your daughter the fine detail of exactly what she needs to know and remember. Visit, and you’ll take away one of our unique Knowledge Books. A quick read will make clear why our girls go on to top sets at Senior School.

Do get in contact to arrange to a visit. We’d love to give you a 1:1 tour of the site – and the opportunity to meet our amazing girls.”

– Mr. Nick Hitchen, Headteacher

“It’s so nice and helpful to know that there is personalised plan to help [my daughter] to catch up her studies, and also care of her confidence on studies due to previous learning in the old school, plus those friendly, kind and helpful girls in her class. [She] feels so comfortable and really enjoys the life and studies in Jack and Jill – she specially commended this last week. We feel so happy for her too. Thanks so much again for the effort made by all teachers and school to let girls having wonderful time in Jack and Jill.”

Year 6 Parent

CodePen - Horizontal Timeline with Swiper

HISTORY

"The only way to educate young children properly is
within a homely atmosphere, so I am going to start my
own school here and now." Molly Papirnik, Founder, 1951

1951
Molly Papirnik founded Jack & Jill School in the dining room of her home on Nightingale Road with one boy and one girl, offering traditional education in the home from home environment that she felt to be of paramount importance. This is Nightingale House in Hampton where Reception to Year Two are based.
1953
Mrs Papirnik initially managed everything single handed, but extra assistance was required. She appointed her first teacher, Elsie, who remained with her for 30 years. Molly continued collecting and dropping off pupils in her car each day for many years. She also cooked for up to 50 girls in her kitchen at Nightingale House for 25 years. Both initiatives precursors to our current minibus and hot lunch provision.
1961
Continued rapid growth in numbers meant that Mrs Papirnik could no longer accommodate all in her home at Nightingale House. Therefore, the Nursery children moved to a series of rented hall areas within a few local places of worship until 1992 when they were able to move to a dedicated specialist space at First Cross Road, Twickenham.
1991
The school celebrated its 40th anniversary. Karen Papirnik was appointed the School's Principal and the celebratory cake was wheeled in by Cara Ventham, aged 4 years and a Reception pupil at the time. She is now the Deputy Principal and works with her mother, Karen Papirnik, to develop the school into its 8th decade.
July 1992
Jack & Jill School in Twickenham opened for the Nursery classes initially in the exterior outdoor portacabin classrooms whilst the neglected main building was adapted and refurbished for quality early years provision.
2001
The school's 50th anniversary was celebrated by many former pupils and teachers together with Mrs Papirnik at her home in Nightingale House. Mrs Papirnik became ill shortly after and passed away in November. She dedicated 50 years of energy and 'grit' to her beloved school and reluctantly left this in the care of future generations of the Papirnik family.
2008
Cara Ventham, daughter of Karen Papirnik, completed her university education and joined the Jack & Jill School as a full time member of staff.
Sept 2016
Clarence House Preparatory School (C.H.P.S.) opens. Nick Hitchen, Headteacher of Clarence House Preparatory School, joins. Jack & Jill School becomes the Jack & Jill Family of Schools, in recognition that there are now three schools in the group.
2019
The first cohort of Clarence House Preparatory School pupils receive excellent 11+ results, including scholarship offers from prestigious Senior Schools.
Apr 2024
The Papirnik family welcomes their next generation, Cara's daughter, Mollie, named after the school's founder and her Great Great Grandmother, Molly Papirnik.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Our research-based teaching techniques and small classes are the ideal learning environment for all children. The students’ achievements both in and out of the classroom are testament to this.

Ofsted 'Outstanding' 3 times in a row:

November 2014
September 2017
February 2020

50%

of pupils awarded an academic scholarship at 11+ in 2024

90%

of pupils received at least three 11+ offers in 2024.

Pupils in Year 6 reading at ‘greater depth’:

National Average 29%
C.H.P.S. 93%

Class size averages:

State Schools: 25-30
Other Independent
Schools: 15-25
Jack & Jill School: 10-18

Clarence House

One of the few remaining family-owned-and-run schools in the country.

Family of Schools Minibus Service

Our school transport offering is in keeping with our founder, Molly Papirnik’s, dedication to her students’ education – she spent many years collecting and dropping off pupils in her car, which she nicknamed Mildred, at the beginning and end of the school day. Today, our service is far more refined! We offer a comprehensive and flexible transport network through a fleet of minibuses operated by the Family of Schools.

There are two options when booking minibus transport for your child – our inter-school routes and our external routes:

External Routes:

Parents can book for transport to and from school on any of our external routes serving Hounslow/Isleworth, East Sheen/Richmond and Kingston/New Malden. The fee for our minibus service is covered under all breakfast club and after school club bookings.

All children – including those in our nursery – can use this service and are accompanied on their journey by qualified minibus escorts employed by the school. Return routes operate to all locations with staggered pick up times so that the older pupils can access the full range of after school clubs and complete their homework prior to leaving for home.

Inter-School Routes:

There is no charge for our inter-school minibus service which operates everyday between the three schools. This is a great option for siblings attending school across the different sites or students who live closer to one of the schools they are not attending. Parents can drop the children to their closest site and the Inter-school bus will take them the rest of the journey to school.