history

history of the school

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Garden House School was founded in 1950 by Margery de Brissac Bernard (1896-1994).

Miss de Brissac educated the children of diplomats and Prime Ministers including Winston Churchill and Alec Douglas-Home. She worked at the Admiralty during WWI and as a Red Cross nurse.
Following the end of WWII, she taught ballet in London. Success as a ballet teacher led Miss de Brissac to establish her own School. As a ballerina, her style, personal discipline and moral stance appealed to teachers and parents alike.

the essence of the Garden House child

The essential principles established in those early years: goodness, kindness, forgiveness and a happy, purposeful energy, remain at the core of the School. Dance, music, and singing remain pivotal to how Garden House School children thrive and develop.
In 1973, Miss de Brissac handed the ownership of Garden House School to Mrs Jillian Oddy, a parent at the School. Mrs Oddy led the school as the Principal. Under her leadership, the school grew gradually.
In 2020, her children Christian Warland and Sophie Strafford became joint Principals, having been Boys’ Head for 15 years and School Registrar for 25 years respectively.

Garden house is considered among the most prestigious pre-prep and prep schools in the country.

Over the years the School has flourished and it now educates boys and girls up to 11 years' of age.
Boys and girls are educated separately, except in Kindergarten. They are together for meals, clubs, school trips and numerous school events, lectures and presentations. In the 1990s, Garden House School opened a sister school in New York City. Close links exist between the London and New York Schools.
In 2004, the School moved from its original sites on Sloane Gardens and Pont Street to a purpose-designed building in Turks Row. The School continues to be family-run.

While respectful of our history, Garden House is grounded in the present and looking to the future for our children.

Garden House prides itself on its long-term commitment to the children. Alumni stay in touch and often return as parents and grandparents of a new generation of Garden House children.
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