Cothill House School
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
About Cothill House School
Set in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside, just outside Oxford, Cothill House has been providing an inspirational all-round boarding education and unrivalled opportunities for boys aged 8-13 for 150 years. From September 2025 Cothill will transition to a co-educational school.
Established in 1870, Cothill is recognised globally as one of the country’s leading boys’ boarding prep schools with an exceptional record of preparing pupils for the top public schools.
Our aim is to foster every pupil's happiness, confidence and individual passions, helping them to achieve their potential, to cultivate their love of learning and to stimulate their love of life. Cothill pupils flourish in an environment where hard work, integrity and originality are both valued and rewarded.
Our Aims
Cothill House provides an inspirational education and unrivalled boarding opportunities for pupils in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside where:
- Each pupil is treated as an individual, nurtured and encouraged to find his strengths and develop his independence.
- Staff instil a love of discovery and learning amongst the pupils, encourage a growth mindset and build their confidence.
- Pupils are prepared for the challenges they will encounter at the next stage of their education and beyond.
- Pupils are encouraged to embrace teamwork, be happy, busy and polite.
- The qualities of leadership, personal responsibility, kindness, truthfulness and respect for others are nourished.
- A wide range of opportunities are provided to inspire, enable and embolden all pupils, and assist in their personal, social, academic, physical and cultural development.
- To provide a friendly and caring boarding environment that reflects the atmosphere and ethos of home.
- To safeguard and promote the physical and mental welfare of every pupil.
Our Values
Courage - To help pupils to have courage on the sports field and the courage of their convictions in the classroom
Originality - To promote the creative side of every pupil
Teamwork - To create an environment in which teamwork is highly valued
Humour - To ensure the challenges of everyday life are tackled with a sense of perspective and good humour
Integrity - To develop confident, self-disciplined pupils who understand and value integrity
Love of Learning - To instil in pupils a passion for learning about the world
Love of Life - To help pupils acquire knowledge and skills that will enable them to prosper in later life
Location
A leading prep boarding school that is familial, quirky and unashamedly traditional. Confident and well-adjusted pupils work hard, play hard and jump at the many, varied opportunities on offer. Limited tech, larking in the fresh air, the beautiful setting and first-class education are all key elements in arcadian Cothill. We’ve no doubt the girls will love it just as much as the boys.
- Good Schools GuidePastoral care has always been one of Cothill’s strengths – the school community is small, closely knit and it’s hard to let children fall through the cracks when the numbers are small and teacher attention high. A daily meeting between pastoral and academic teachers known sweetly as ‘Tingaling’ flags any issues, and there’s a counsellor who comes in on Tuesdays to support pupils who need help. The Head teacher’s two dogs are unofficial therapy pets, seen around the school and walked by various boys and there’s a wellbeing chill-out space The Nest, newly created. Impressively there’s a ‘movement initiative’ in place, first introduced in 2023, to help rectify any issues the boys may have with posture, breathing, mobility and stability due to the modern scourge of gaming and screen time. Pretty cool. I also loved the jigsaw in the hallway, ready for any boy to stop and let his mind wander for a minute or two.
- Muddy Stilletos