Aims, Ethos & History

Read on to learn what makes us tick and to discover the heritage of our school, which opened its doors here in Walsall more than six decades ago.

Aims, Ethos & History

Read on to learn what makes us tick and to discover the heritage of our school, which opened its doors here in Walsall more than six decades ago.


Our aims, ethos and vision

Our aims....

To provide a first-rate independent education for boys and girls aged three to 16.

Giving every child the chance to develop their full potential in all areas; supporting them to become confident and caring individuals, who are proactive and independent; providing enriching opportunities, so they gain greater awareness of themselves, their community and the wider world.


Our ethos…

Our school is a place where the sense of a community is key, and a family-feel characterises daily life.

Providing an environment where children feel safe and cared for is of paramount importance, since this gives the child the best opportunity to be a happy learner. We appreciate everyone’s individuality, and cater to support their needs so they can thrive and be successful. Offering a broad curricular and co-curricular experience allows breadth and depth to develop in the pupils. Lifelong memories are formed through the time at the school, and a love of learning is instilled that will be key throughout a person’s life.


Our vision…

Ours is the first choice Nursery, Prep and Senior School in Walsall and we have a deserved reputation for making aspiration real

Teaching and learning is consistently outstanding; GCSE and 11 Plus results reflect the tremendous progress made by our pupils.  There is significant value added to each child.

Our Nursery prepares children for school better than any other locally and pupils’ achievement in our hugely successful Prep School continually exceeds national standards.  The GCSE curriculum provides a solid foundation for progression into further education and is attuned to regional economic opportunity and drivers.

The welfare and wellbeing of all pupils is safeguarded and promoted, delivering an excellent level of pastoral care.

Extra-curricular activities provide regular opportunity for enrichment, development and enjoyment, support pupils’ journey of self-discovery and encourage independence.

Parents enjoy superb service from all staff members in their every dealing with school to ensure their personal experience is always pleasant and productive.



The Hydesville Timeline

A brief overview of some of the key milestones in the school’s history.

1952

Hydesville Tower School opens its doors with 22 pupils on the roll. Founder Miss Dorothy Bryan, then aged 39, has fulfilled a long-held ambition to establish and lead an independent school.

1954

A school hall and additional classroom are built to accommodate growing pupil numbers.

1961

The school roll reaches 239.

1963

Mr Callender, the first Headmaster is appointed.

1973

No 23, Broadway North is bought by the school to create yet more classrooms.

1983

Mr and Mrs Farrell become the new owners and principals of the school.

1984

School founder, Mrs Flood (nee Bryan), passes away less than a year after retiring from her then post as director.

1987

No 29, Broadway North is acquired for additional teaching space.

1999

A modern extension housing additional classrooms is opened.

2007

The school is bought by Cognita, a worldwide group of schools founded by Sir Chris Woodhead, former head of Ofsted.

2014

Cognita continues to invest significant sums across the site to improve the fabric and flow of the school.

2015

The Nursery setting is refurbished and the opening extended to 50 weeks a year.

2015

Year 11 outperform their baseline GCSE predictions made in Year 7 by the greatest margin on record.

2016

Hydesville Nursery is rated as ‘outstanding’ by The Schools Inspection Service.

2018

We were visited by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) and successfully met all the standards.

2020

Senior School is ranked 14 in top small independent schools by the Independent newspaper.

2022

Hydesville Tower School celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2022 with events for alumni and current families.

2022

Hydesville Nursery is awarded ‘Top 20 West Midlands nursery’ for the second year running.

2022

Mrs Samra is appointed as the new Headteacher.

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