Manor House School: A Dedicated Nursery and Prep School
From September 2026, Manor House School entered an exciting new chapter as a dedicated Nursery and Prep School for children aged 2 to 11.
As part of the Effingham Schools Trust, Manor House now offers a future-focused educational journey specifically designed for younger learners, providing a nurturing environment where children can thrive academically, socially and personally during their formative years.
Significant investment in the Manor House campus has created an exceptional setting for Nursery, Lower Prep and Upper Prep pupils, with specialist learning spaces and facilities tailored to this important stage of education. Our progressive approach combines high academic standards with outstanding pastoral care, helping every child develop the confidence, skills and character needed for the future.
Senior education for girls is now provided at St Teresa’s School, ensuring a seamless educational pathway within the Trust. Together, Manor House School and St Teresa’s School offer families the benefits of a carefully structured diamond model, delivering age-appropriate education at every stage.
For more information about the Trust’s diamond model, please click here.
The Trust has also strengthened its early years provision through nurseries at both Manor House and Cranmore, operating under a unified leadership structure to ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for families across the Trust.
At Manor House School, we remain committed to Unlocking Potential, nurturing Thriving Individuals, creating Boundless Opportunities, developing Future Ready learners and providing a truly Balanced Education. As part of the Effingham Schools Trust, we are proud to be large enough to challenge, small enough to care.
CEO APPOINTMENT
The Effingham Schools Trust is pleased to be led by Rachel Owens, who joined the Trust as Chief Executive Officer in September 2026, following the retirement of Mike Farmer after many years of dedicated service.
Rachel brings a wealth of educational leadership experience, having worked across a wide range of school settings throughout her career, including boarding and day schools, single-sex and co-educational schools, and both independent and state sectors. After studying History at Somerville College, Oxford, she began her teaching career at Bury Grammar School in 1992 and has since held a number of senior leadership positions.
Prior to joining the Effingham Schools Trust, Rachel served as Headmistress of St George’s School, Ascot, before becoming Headmistress of St George’s Weybridge in 2016. Alongside her school leadership roles, she has made a significant contribution to the wider educational community, serving as Vice-Chair of the HMC Sports Committee, Chair of HMC Projects, and a governor at several schools.
A passionate advocate for education, Rachel is committed to creating environments where young people can flourish academically, personally and socially. Her extensive leadership experience, strategic vision and dedication to pupil development will help drive the continued success of the Effingham Schools Trust.
Rachel lives locally with her husband, Tom, and has twin sons who are currently at university. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, travelling and supporting her sons’ hockey matches.
Under Rachel’s leadership, the Effingham Schools Trust looks forward to an exciting future, continuing its commitment to unlocking potential, nurturing thriving individuals and providing boundless opportunities for every pupil.
EFFINGHAM SCHOOLS TRUST ANNOUNCEMENT JULY 2023
In 2019 neighbouring schools St Teresa’s and Cranmore formed the Effingham Schools Trust partnership to create a diamond model school, a powerful and exciting educational proposition, delivering all the advantages of both single sex and co-education to girls and boys. We are delighted that Manor House has joined the Trust from September 2023 forming a dynamic educational triumvirate.
A diamond school is, quite simply, the best of both worlds, leading to an outstanding experience. It is an approach that not only elicits excellence from pupils, but also from teaching staff who are able to tailor their professional techniques to age, stage and gender. Three modern, progressive schools, Cranmore, Manor House and St Teresa’s Effingham have enviable track records, delivering best practice teaching to their pupils, whilst maintaining exceptional pastoral care.Combining these skills will provide a distinctive and distinguished education.
The new partnership will allow each school to focus on its strengths whilst retaining its individuality, presenting to all pupils an extraordinarily rich variety of shared events, facilities and resources to provide a distinctive and distinguished education for pupils of all faiths and backgrounds.
The Trust’s diamond model will offer the benefits of the co-ed classroom to very young pupils, the benefits of the single sex classroom in later prep and secondary years, before finally returning to co-education Sixth Form.
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