Thorpe Underwood Hall and the Estate, is where my family and I have lived for decades. In 1990 we became responsible for Chapter House Preparatory School and Queen Ethelburga's College. Since that time our Charitable Foundation has invested, and continues to invest every year, substantial amounts of capital in new resources ~ to date £20 million. Each year our Charitable Foundation provides over £1 million of Awards. (see Awards & Remissions at the bottom of this page). So is the reason our Schools have more than doubled in numbers and become so academically successful, all due to the magnificent facilities our pupils enjoy? Our facilities are but part of the answer. Over the years our huge investment in new academic, boarding and leisure resources ensures our pupils have every opportunity to be successful, with over 97% of Senior School students gaining a place at University. It is pleasing Chapter House has a history of being a UK Top Preparatory School for Academic Results and QE College has a history of being a Sunday Times Top UK School for GCSE and A-Level results.

Whilst ensuring that our facilities are the very best we have been careful to ensure that the old country house charm has not been lost. We rightly have the reputation that our boarding accommodation and care is the best of any independent school in Europe. However we ensure our day pupils too have a superb Day Centre. So whilst it is true our pupils lack for nothing, there is still something else that creates our special ethos. We are not a large school and every pupil is treated as an individual. Many parents pleasingly comment that our common sense approach to the day-to-day needs of our young people is different to the approach taken by some other schools.

As Provost, Principal Trustee of the Charitable Foundation and Chairman of Governors I continue to live and work on the campus with my wife. As the lives of my wife and I are inextricably bound up with the schools we notice the care and dedication shown by all of the staff. Perhaps the difference is our staff are really concerned what happens to our pupils. When necessary, sensible and fair discipline puts a wayward young person back on course. On another day a member of staff will go out of their way to help.

Parents and pupils find it reassuring that they can talk easily with Mandy Pickles, the Head Teacher of Chapter House, or any of the staff. I am pleased our team strives to work in partnership with parents. In essence our community is a family. As a family orientated school we are intensely proud of our children. We rejoice when we see the children mature and move on into the wider world as confident and successful young adults.

To attempt to define our ethos into specific areas is almost impossible. Suffice it to say that being a little different and so special works very successfully for our pupils.

Brian R Martin FCMI. FFA. FinstD
Provost - Principal Trustee
Chairman of Govemors