In March 2020, Dr Hugh McCormick founded a college in London dedicated to helping students affected by the pandemic. Copperfield London supported many young people as they battled with the most unpredictable educational conditions.
In October 2020, Hugh moved to Switzerland to open a school in the Swiss Alps with British investor John Porter.
Like for so many who have now spent years in Verbier, one visit was persuasive enough: the challenge now was to recruit students, staff and find a campus.
By January 10 2021, Copperfield’s 12-strong team was ready to open its doors to 30 curious students and their families. 18 months later, we have 28 teaching staff with 211 years of teaching experience, 55 university degrees, and are expecting over 60 students in January 2023.
We are an international school founded in 2021 to fulfill a vision of a world-class school in the Swiss Alps: an international community in a unique and inspiring setting.
We teach young people to live with both compassion and courage, developing the moral compass, strength of character and technical skill that they will need, whatever they wish to do.
Our school will always be student-centred. We start each day, each lesson and each interaction by asking ‘what is best for the student?’, and each of our decisions flow from that principle.
We offer all of this under three of the world’s best academic programmes for international schools: the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, A–Levels, the Cambridge IGCSE, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
3 - 18 YEARS
3 - 18
Ages
3 - 18
Rue de la Bérarde 10, Le Hameau 1936 Verbier, Switzerland
Rue de la Bérarde 10, Le Hameau 1936 Verbier Switzerland
Our parents say...
It’s no exaggeration that everyone in the school knows each other’s names and faces. That’s special.”
11-16 YEARS
Northwood Senior
“Welcome To Northwood Senior – An Independent Co-Educational Secondary School For Ages 11 – 16 In South West London Offering A Transformational Education
I am delighted to be the first Head of Northwood Senior, Northwood Schools’ new co-educational secondary school for pupils aged 11- 16 which opened its doors in September 2020.
Education should be relevant, challenging, inclusive and above all stimulating – and at Northwood Senior, it is. However, this is not at the expense of a child’s enjoyment of learning, nor does it involve anxiety or putting children under unrealistic pressure.
At Northwood Senior we focus on developing a life-long love of learning and self-growth. As a smaller school we can get to know every pupil really well so that we can nurture their strengths and equip them with the necessary skillset to tackle the future with confidence. Through a rigorous curriculum designed for the modern world, we can help pupils develop the higher order learning skills that will stand them in good stead for the future. As a community with a culture of support, we provide not only excellent academics but a fully rounded learning experience in a smaller, more bespoke setting.”
“I am excited to be able to offer something truly different from the pressure-cooker environment that seems to be true of too many schools – particularly in London.
We have a beautiful building with easy transport links and a warm and welcoming community so if you are looking for a smaller, more inclusive school that can transform your child’s educational experience, please come and find out more about our approach to modern secondary education.
Northwood Senior is a new, dynamic, co-educational secondary school in South West London, offering a transformational education for pupils aged 11-16.
We are academically ambitious: Our pupils enjoy an education that is rounded, stimulating and healthy – both physically and mentally; an education where good grades and GCSE success is still important – along with healthy competition in sport, drama, music and the arts, but where the focus is on developing the self; building reflective, community-minded young adults who have a passion for learning and the skill set and confidence to tackle the exciting futures that await them. Our modern and stimulating curriculum includes thematic studies, maths mastery, hands-on science, and cross-curricular learning, alongside well-being, community work and life-skills – plus plenty of Sport, Drama, Art, and DT. Our innovative approach creates more active engagement in lessons, the development of higher order thinking skills, strong teamwork, and motivated pupils who are better able to develop the real-world analytical and problem-solving skills that pays dividends in examinations and the workplaces of the future.
We are pastorally kind: As a smaller school, what matters to us most is building a community in which children can thrive. We have a strong and supportive tutorial and house system to ensure that every pupil is well known by every member of staff.
Entry is via Head’s interview, digital data, and references from current school. We offer regular taster sessions and All-Rounder Scholarships for both Year 7 and Year 9 entry.
Exit is to the next step that’s right for each pupil – whether that’s college or school to do A Levels, B-tec or something else.
If you are looking for a smaller school that offers outstanding teaching, where every pupil is known well by every member of staff and which can help them develop the confidence and skills required for the challenges of modern life, please come and see us. We look forward to meeting you.
Northwood Senior is an independent co-educational secondary school for ages 11 - 16 in South West London
Hampton Court House is a place of magic, wonder and inspiration, where the children are at the heart of everything we do. As Head, I am unashamedly and unapologetically idealistic about the power of education to transform young people, and HCH is the perfect environment for this to happen. Walking through the gates at HCH transports our children to a special place where they can thrive and flourish, where they are respected and valued as independent and autonomous individuals, and where they are known and deeply cared for by every member of staff. Our children are empowered, enabled, and treasured.
Our ethos and vision focuses on sparking creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking through an exciting and progressive curriculum facilitated by passionate subject specialists who have chosen to teach because they love their subject and are lifelong learners in themselves, but also because they wish to share this knowledge with young people. As well as being a place that buzzes with scholarship and academic enquiry, we also celebrate experiential learning and all of the so-called ‘soft-skills’ learned through the performing and expressive arts, sport, and activities where our children can be challenged outside of their comfort zone, celebrated for their intrinsic passions and skills, and where they can learn so much about who they are and what makes them tick.
Most importantly, however, HCH prioritises the mental health and wellbeing of each and every member of our community; pastoral care is the golden thread that runs through everything we do. Our children are nourished and nurtured as we help them navigate their way through developing their sense of self. Our guiding principles are kindness, respect and compassion for others and this is reflected in our ‘inner curriculum’ based on empathy, emotional literacy, and emotional intelligence. We want our children to be happy, confident, and understand themselves, but also understand and care for those around them. It is this combination that will help them make the world a better place.
There are so many other attributes that make HCH such a special school, whether that is our French immersion programme and focus on languages, ballet provision, informal dress code, late Sixth Form start, or how all staff are referred to by their first name. Our beautiful buildings and garden provide our students with the physical space to run, play, imagine and enjoy the freedom and other wondrous aspects of being young. HCH is unique and distinct, and we are proud to be so because we know how motivating, inspiring and nurturing this is for the young people in our care and how it helps them achieve their highest potential.
I cannot wait to welcome you to the school so you can see the magic, vibrancy, and collective joy of HCH first-hand.
It is important to us that children enjoy being here and look forward to coming to school. We wish to lay the foundations of a lifelong love of learning.
We believe that children need some (guided) freedom in order to develop their own style with taste and discretion. Pupils and staff have mutual respect for each other. The staff, including the Principal, are addressed by their first names. Whilst there is a dress code, there is no uniform.
Hampton Court House is an ‘all through’ school teaching pupils aged 2–18. Some students choose to move on after 11+ in Year 6 or through Common Entrance or Scholarship papers in Year 8. But most pupils elect to stay on to GCSE in Year 11 and A-levels in the sixth form.
The Nursery and Reception classes provide a highly stimulating and welcoming environment for children to learn through interaction with each other and adults. They learn through play with songs and games and through the enthusiasm of their teachers.
Children hear spoken French around them each day, which prepares them for the Lower Years (Years 1–4) which is a fully bilingual environment. After this, in Year 6, all pupils sit internal 11+ examinations, and 13+ examinations in Year 8 in English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geography, French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Latin. In the Upper Years, students will make their own decisions that will shape their future and can select specialisms from a wide range of subjects.
Hampton Court is a co-educational all-through school.
“Cardiff Sixth Form College is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence. Academic achievement, university placement, and skills for future career success are core elements of our provision. Developing critical, creative learners who can collaborate and communicate well, leads to the education of individuals fit for the future.
Founded as a small, private tutorial college in 2004, Cardiff Sixth Form College has quickly grown into the leading academic A-level school in the UK…”
Staff are experts; students are motivated and together; the results are inspiring. University placements are wide ranging and impressive, both in the UK and internationally.
In 2017, Cardiff Sixth Form College became a part of the Dukes Education family. We are proud to be a part of this family, contributing to and gaining from our relationship with the diverse range of other college family members, as well as the exceptional university preparation offered through Oxbridge Applications and A-List UK.”
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Cardiff Sixth Form College was founded in 2004 as a small, private tutorial college focusing on academic achievements. It has gained a name for itself as the Top Independent School in the UK, after catapulting to the top of the league tables in 2010, a position it has almost exclusively occupied ever since.
Its unique, ‘East-meets-West’ approach to education has developed from a careful study of the most successful teaching philosophies worldwide. The college integrates the rigour and discipline prized in Eastern education with the value placed on individual creativity and intellectual curiosity in the West.
The outcome of this global approach is not only unparalleled results but a student body that goes on to win places at a clutch of the most prestigious universities in the world. 100% of students achieve A*-B and 94% A*-A.
Best private A-level college in the UK
Cardiff Sixth Form College has won the accolade of being placed at the top of the Education Advisers’ league tables for the eighth consecutive year, in two categories: Top Private Co-educational Boarding School, and Top Independent Sixth Form College.
Cardiff has also topped the independent schools league tables, published by The Sunday Telegraph and The Times, more often than any other school in the UK.
Cardiff Sixth Form College welcomes GCSE and A-Level students.
“The quality of the curriculum, teaching and learners’ achievements is excellent. Students receive an extremely good education in accordance with their objectives and the college’s aims…arrangements for the health, safety and welfare of students are excellent…the effectiveness of governance, leadership and management is excellent.”
ISI Inspection Report, 2016
2-18 YEARS
Eaton Square Schools
– A letter from the Principal
“I am delighted to have been given the opportunity of introducing you to Eaton Square School. Almost 40 years ago we opened our doors to our first class of boys and girls when we were situated in St. Peter’s Church, Eaton Square. Today we cover various sites in central London and have more than 600 students and yet the early vision for the school when it was founded remains as strong and true today as it always has been.
At Eaton Square we passionately believe that each and every child has the capacity to excel. All of the boys and girls are given the opportunity to flourish, be it in a single subject area or across the range of curriculum areas they are introduced to should they so wish. There are no barriers to the students being given the opportunity to do their very best within the warm, supportive and caring environment which encompasses the school…”
The concept of being able to join the school at two-and-a-half years old and to then flow through until GSCE and A-level is one which is not new but which is relatively rare in central London. This approach provides both parents and pupils with great stability and reassurance whilst allowing each individual to progress and develop at their own pace.
In 2018, Eaton Square became a part of the Dukes family and it is quite fitting that this union was made. The Dukes approach and philosophy is closely aligned to our own and the support which they have given, and continue to give, allows the school at all levels to grow and improve accordingly, whilst at no time affecting who we are.
Through Dukes, the last step of the educational journey will be made possible when in September 2020 we will open our doors once again to a new intake, but this time to those entering the sixth form. The sixth form will be housed in the same area as where the school began all of those years ago which has a sublime serendipity to it.
It has been an amazing journey for the school during the last 40 years and the future is no less exciting.”
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Eaton Square Schools is a co-educational, all-through collection of schools in central London, educating children from the age of 2 to 18 years old.
Offering continuity of education during the important, formative years of a child’s life, the school is a vibrant, popular community where children learn not only the skills but also the values that will prepare them for the next stage of their life at senior school and beyond.
The education at Eaton Square has a traditional British foundation, but a modern and international outlook. Equal emphasis is placed on intellectual, artistic, aesthetic, physical, and musical pursuits. ln addition, teaching staff want children to learn moral and spiritual values that will make them happy and confident in themselves, without arrogance. The school celebrates the diverse skills and aptitudes of London pupils, and maximises the benefits of their learning from and interacting with each other.
Eaton Square Schools offer a continuous education.
Our students can stay with us from nursery to A-levels and benefit from consistent values and quality of teaching thoroughout their journey with us.
“Older pupils display an enthusiastic interest in the world around them and have an infectious attitude to their learning. They strongly appreciate the support they receive, and relish the opportunities to explore and research when provided the opportunity.”
ISI Inspection Report, 2016
Little Dukes
Eaton Square Nursery Schools
Eaton Square Nursery schools offer a seamless co-educational learning environment from early years onwards. Read more about our nurseries under Little Dukes.
“I am delighted to introduce you to Hampstead Fine Arts College, founded in 1978 for the study of the Arts and Humanities. Our aim has always been to instil a love of learning in students of all ages and to help students achieve entry into outstanding higher education establishments.
Our ethos is rooted in the belief that, with the right encouragement, students flourish both academically and creatively. All subjects are taught with expertise and enthusiasm by tutors who have a genuine love of their subject…”
Students are fortunate to be taught by many who, as well as being highly experienced educators, are often distinguished musicians, artists, filmmakers, writers and actors. The informal nature of relationships between staff and students strengthens high expectations and encourages a rigorous approach to work.
The college is a unique bridge between school and university, a place that encourages self-discipline and self-motivation. On leaving, our students graduate to top universities and leading Art, Design, Music and Performing Arts Colleges in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.”
The school is located in a charming part of Belsize Park, with the main site situated in a secluded courtyard, originally a Victorian dairy, away from the bustle of the street.
The spirit of creativity and close, personal teaching remain hallmarks of the school’s atmosphere. Teaching staff are committed to helping students identify their own unique way of contributing something special to the wider world. Most students join the college because they are seeking a school that will allow them freedom of expression and remove some of the restrictions of traditional independent alternatives. Students wear no uniform, and are taught primarily in round-table formats, reminiscent of university seminars rather than traditional classrooms. Despite this, there are high expectations for behaviour and performance. The Good Schools Guide quotes a parent who summarises it well, “What we like about the college… is the industrious informality. They take the job seriously, but don’t wear it too formally.”
Virtually all students leaving the senior school go on to higher education at a range of universities and Art, Music, and Drama schools. Typical destinations include the University of Oxford, King’s College London, Central St. Martin’s, and Edinburgh, to name a few.
Explore Hampstead Fine Arts
See what our students have to say about the college.
Hampstead Fine Arts has award-winning Film Studies, Photography, and Art and Design departments.
Fine Arts College recently opened its lower school for younger students.
A haven of culture, creativity and kindness amidst the tumult of north London selective schools.
The Good Schools Guide
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