Westminster Under School, London

About Westminster Under School

”Westminster Under School is an independent school and preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 and is attached to Westminster School in London.The school was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey. In 1951 the Under School relocated to its own premises in Vincent Square. Due to rising numbers of pupils in the 1960s and 1970s, the school moved again in 1981 to its present site (which was a former hospital) overlooking the Westminster School playing fields in Vincent Square. There are 285 pupils attending the school. The school has a strong musical tradition and provides choristers for St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey. It also excels in sport, drama (winners of the recent Shakespeare Schools Festival), chess and Latin. Most boys attending the school move on to Westminster School after the completion of either Common Entrance or Scholarship examinations (The Challenge, in the case of Westminster School), although a number of boys each year go on to other schools, including Eton.The interim Master was Philip Lough, who came out of recent retirement and reigned from Autumn 2015 to Summer 2016. The new, current Master is Mark O'Donnell, joining from St. Martin's Ampleforth. There are currently 47 members of staff.The school fees for 2015-16 are £5678 per term.HistoryThe Under School was founded in September 1943 in 2 Little Dean's Yard by the former Headmaster of Westminster School, John Traill Christie. There were only 6 teachers when the school was established and only 31 boys. Dean's Yard was used as a playing field for the boys and the roofless remains of the School, the bombed school hall were used as a playground. St Faith's Chapel in Westminster Abbey served as the school chapel. For much of the Under School's history, the final year was known as the Upper Remove and the second to last year was known as the Remove. Read more

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