Introduction

Cumnor House School for Girls was founded in 1910 by Fred Chappell as The Downs which acknowledged it's location on the Woodcote Downs. It occupied one of the earlier properties built on the estate which was the brain child of William Webb, which later became known as the Webb Estate.

Edgar Dodd took over the school in September 1920 where there were between twenty five and thirty pupils. It is through Edgar's vision that the school has made the Webb Estate it's home for the last one hundred years.

In September 2010 the school became part of the Cognita Schools group and has benefitted from significant investment and refurbishment of the buildings and teaching facilities.

Cumnor House School for Girls is unique as an IAPS preparatory school in the Croydon area. We accept girls from four to eleven years, with main entry years at ages four (Reception) and seven (Year 3).

We provide a wide-ranging education both within and outside the classroom, whilst thoroughly preparing girls for the entrance requirements of their senior schools.  

Our girls leave with a confidence, an enthusiasm for participation and an appetite for learning and achievement that are the hallmarks of a good preparatory school, giving them the best possible foundation for the future.