Dear Cothillians 

I am delighted to share with you the exciting news that on 1st September 2025, the Prep Schools Trust is to merge with Radley College to form the Radley Schools Group. Cothill, along with the other schools within the Prep Schools Trust will merge into this new group under the leadership of Andrew Ashton, the current Bursar at Radley College, who takes over from Tom Beardmore-Gray as CEO 

The merger with Radley College will enhance Cothill's position as a global leader for prep school education.  Cothill is highly sought after for its excellence in academia, pastoral care and the breadth of its extracurricular programme, preparing pupils for the very best senior schools in the country.  As we move to coeducation, and offer select day places, the expertise and professionalism based on 320 years of pedagogical experience between the two schools, will ensure that Cothill remains at the pinnacle of offering an outstanding education as well as value for money.

I am delighted to be working alongside Andrew Ashton and John Moule, Warden of Radley College again, as well as the wider Radley College team, on this new venture, which will benefit our pupils enormously, enriching the opportunities they are exposed to.  This partnership will ensure that Cothill can continue to invest in facilities and staffing as well as the latest technology and academic thinking for our boys and girls.

I want to say from the outset that for the boys, Cothill will not become an exclusive feeder school to Radley.  Nor will boys be guaranteed a place at Radley based solely on their education at Cothill.   My team and I will continue to look at a wide range of senior schools for our Year 8 leavers, ensuring a bespoke fit for our childrens' future educational journey.  

We will of course be drawing upon the expertise and resources of Radley where possible.  Having spent 17 very happy years there, I have a strong working relationship with both John Moule and Andrew Ashton, as well as many others in their Marketing, HR, Admissions and Estates departments.   

Cothill has been going from strength to strength through an increasingly uncertain climate with pupil numbers in September the highest since Covid.  This news will continue to boost our ability to attract the brightest, the most talented and the most ambitious families, who are looking for outstanding pastoral care and for their children to be stretched and challenged in the classroom, on the pitches, on the stage, the music room, or in the arts.

You can learn more about the merger by watching this video.

With best wishes

George