• "The child is at the very centre, and nurturing the special qualities of each child is paramount to our endeavours at Acorn" School Vision Statement

  • "The curriculum, teaching and achievement of students are outstanding. Students’ behaviour is exemplary and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding." Ofsted 2012

  • "Students leave the school as well educated, intelligently-opinionated, free-thinking adults." Ofsted 2012

The Acorn School is an independent, co-educational school situated in the lovely Cotswold town of Nailsworth, in Gloucestershire, The school is known for its unique approach in providing an outstanding holistic education.

About the School

The Acorn School is a dynamic, progressive co-educational school of outstanding quality, which accepts children from the age of 7 (or children who will be 7 in the course of the school year). There is an ethos- connected kindergarten, ‘STARLINGS’, within 200m of the school, which is run on the same lines as Acorn, as far as The Parents’ Charter is concerned. Starlings opens in September 2013. This initiative is independent of Acorn, and is run by Nikki Ellis, currently a lower school class teacher at Acorn. Applications for this new kindergarten can be sent to The Acorn School, and will be forwarded to Nikki.

The Acorn School continues education all the way through to age 19, when the majority of our students go on to university. All graduates from the school in the last sixteen years have gained a university place direct from the school without formal state examinations. This is a main feature of the school. The last graduates, who attended a number of different universities, achieved First Class Honours degrees, both BA and BSc. This term, all members of class 12 who have applied to university have achieved offers for undergraduate study at; Manchester (Science) , Sheffield (Environmental Science), School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) (Anthropology), Goldsmiths (Anthropology), University of the West of England (Sports’ Coaching), Warwick University (Astrophysics), Exeter University (Astrophysics), University of East Anglia (Environmental Science), Sussex University (Environmental Science)), Cardiff University (Sports Coaching ), Worcester University (Sports’ Coaching), Queen’s University Belfast (Anthropology), Warwick University (Astrophysics). These students, some of whom have opted to convert to a Master degree, will take up their places in October 2013. We wish them every success.

We are a small, family school with around 55 students. Our intimate size, strong sense of vision and human values, means that The Acorn School can focus on every child, seeing each one as a unique being. A thriving school community and a strong family ethos support this vision. Put simply, people know one another – students, staff and parents – and everyone has a strong commitment to the school’s values.

Our approach focuses on bringing out the innate intelligence and love of learning of our pupils, in order to foster confident, enthusiastic, caring and highly skilled children and young adults. The school was founded in 1991 and since then we have been enabling freethinking young adults to take their place in the world with confidence, based on a high level of self-esteem, a love of learning and high standards of personal conduct.

Our unique approach to education has attracted both national and international interest. Almost half of our families have moved to the area because of the school’s ethos. In the Upper School we accept a small number of students both from other parts of the United Kingdom, and abroad. The intention is for The Acorn School to become more international next year. We arrange accommodation with school families for students from abroad.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS are accepted subject to strict criteria, and will be placed in families that unequivocally stand by the school’s Parents’ Charter.

We are delighted to be one of less than 40 Independent schools in the country to achieve an outstanding OFSTED REPORT (since Ofsted started reporting in 1993).  Our inspection was made at 48 hours notice in March 2012.  You can read the report by clicking here.

Read an article about “the school that becomes a family” on the BBC website.

Read other recent news and features on the school.

The London Acorn School, a lower school at present, based on The Acorn School’s ethos,(www.thelondonacornschool.co.uk) started in September 2012. This is a new, independent venture, modelled on the Nailsworth school. www.thelondonacornschool.co.uk

Graeme Whiting, Headmaster of The Acorn School in Nailsworth, has been appointed The Director of Education at the London Acorn School.