Wellesley Haddon Dene School is a private day preparatory school in the coastal town of Broadstairs in the English county of Kent. The earliest of a succession of schools which merged was founded in 1866. It educates boys and girls aged 2 to 11. The merger of Haddon Dene School with Wellesley House School to form the newly named Wellesley Haddon Dene School in 2022, was associated with plans to expand. The school also includes a number of pupils with Special educational needs and disability (SEND).
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History
The history of Wellesley House School dates back to 1866 but the present main building was built in 1897 to 1898 in 6 acres (2.4 ha) of grounds. The school had been originally called Conyngham House and was located in Ramsgate. In 1929 Haddon Dene School was founded separately. Haddon Dene was initially a boarding and day school for girls, with boys accepted from 1933. During World War II, Haddon Dene expanded and taught older pupils, where as Wellesley House was temporarily evacuated to Rannoch in Scotland while the Broadstairs buildings were used by the British Army. In the 1950s Haddon Dene moved for expansion reasons to a town block away of the grounds of Wellesley House. In 1969 Wellesley House merged with St Peter's Court, another local prep school, whose grounds were then redeveloped. St Peter's Court had had two sons of King George V as pupils. The King felt corporal punishment of Prince George, Duke of Kent when he swam too far out to sea at Joss Bay, despite being warned not to, was appropriate. Wellesley House School itself taught one of the Dukes of Gloucester in the 1950s and other prominent pupils included Mike d'Abo, Chris Cowdrey and William Fox-Pitt. Wellesley's House first headmaster was C.H. Rose followed by C.R. Taylor. Another early headmaster was Leonard Moon. Originally a typical boys-only boarding prep school, girls were admitted in 1977. Haddon Dene school's first headmistress was Miss Olive Vyse who continued until 1968. Haddon Dene was without boarders at the time of the merger, and with smaller grounds.
On 22 September 2022, Haddon Dene School merged with Wellesley House School to form the newly named Wellesley Haddon Dene School. The Premises for the new school are as for Wellesley House School, at 114 Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs. It was planned that the merger could eventually lead to an expansion of pupil number to a maximum of 320 pupils.
The school has a number of pupils with Special educational needs and disability (SEND), which in 2023 stood at 23.
Academics
As with prep schools that educate children up to age 11. Wellesley Haddon Dene prepares pupils for the Kent Test (11+) alongside potential pathways to Independent education .
Former pupils
Former pupils are known as "Old Welleslians". This list includes former pupils from St Peter's Court, which closed in 1969 and merged with Wellesley House.
Armed Forces
Peter de la Billière, former Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in the 1990 Gulf War
Sir Henry Leach, former First Sea Lord at the time of the 1982 Falklands War who convinced Margaret Thatcher to re-take the islands
John Ruggles-Brise, Honorary Colonel in the Territorial Army
The Arts
Reginald Bosanquet, former ITN newscaster on ITV
Sir Jeremy Child, actor
Pandora Clifford, actress
Michael Denison, actor
Siobhan Hewlett, actress
Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield, photographer
Oliver Preston, cartoonist
Sir Jocelyn Stevens, Chairman of English Heritage
Heathcote Williams, poet, playwright, actor and anarchist
Business
Neil Sclater-Booth, former New York City financier
John Cobbold
Patrick Cobbold