Felsted School has again been recognised as one of the top schools in the UK by its inclusion in the annual Tatler Schools Guide and is on this year’s shortlist for a prestigious Tatler Schools Award.
The independent day and boarding school for 1,000 girls and boys in north Essex is regularly selected by the editors of Tatler Schools Guide and in the 2025 edition Felsted appears alongside Eton College, Harrow School, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Millfield School and Repton School.
The review of Felsted in the Tatler Schools Guide 2025 highlights the school’s ‘strong sense of community’ and notes that pupils at the school ‘make the most of the opportunities at their disposal to discover their strengths and talents’ and to develop ‘an understanding of world issues and a desire to make a positive difference’, while having ‘plenty of fun too’.
Felsted’s commitment to sustainability particularly impressed the Tatler reviewers and the school has earnt a place on the shortlist for the Tatler Schools Award for ‘the school that has gone green and champions environmentally-friendly Initiatives’.
Said Felsted Head Chris Townsend: ‘It is an honour to be included in the Tatler Schools Guide yet again and to be able to share with a wide readership our multi-faceted education, which encourages young people to use their knowledge and skills to make a positive difference to the lives of others both today and tomorrow, near and far. This includes instilling in pupils of all ages an understanding of their responsibility to protect our environment for the benefit of future generations.’
Many environmentally-friendly measures have been introduced across the school site as part of the ‘Felsted for a Sustainable Future’ initiative, including working towards a zero usage of single-use cups, an increase in the use of biodegradable and plastic-free items and the installation of recycling facilities for batteries, printer cartridges and even contact lenses. Composting and the re-use of natural materials has been stepped up and natural habitats on the school campus are being re-wilded to encourage new species of flora and fauna to thrive.
Felsted School was founded in 1564 by Richard Lord Riche, Lord Chancellor to King Edward VI, and the school is set in north Essex countryside, 20 minutes from Stansted airport and an hour from both London and Cambridge. It was one of the 12 founder members of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference and is a lead member of the Round Square Conference of world schools.
Main entry points to the school are at the ages of 4, 7, 11, 13 and 16 and scholarships and bursaries are available. Around 80 per cent of Felsted students aged 13 to 18 board, and a fifth of those are from families not based in the UK.
The vast majority of leavers secured places at their first-choice university or on highly competitive degree apprenticeship programmes.
The school is well known nationally for its success in the arts, sports and medicine, and alumni include former Surgeon-Gynaecologist to Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Marcus Setchell; England Rugby player Max Malins; Playwright Alecky Blythe; a leader in Reproduction, Endocrinology and Fetal Research, Professor Lucilla Poston, as well as Virologist and Broadcaster Dr Chris Smith (‘The Naked Scientist’), and the four sons of Oliver Cromwell.
