In summer, parents enjoy scones with jam and cream, washed down with Pimm’s, on the cricket boundary watching their sons defend the school against local preps. In winter, it’s sausage rolls and mulled wine on the touchline. But rest assured, the boys are also well fed, with katsu curry and ‘bang bang’ pasta being firm favourites. The Herpetology Club is popular among the ‘engaging, polite and modest’ pupils, with members caring for bearded dragons and gekkos. Years 7 and 8 use laptops, the junior dorms have been modernised, and on the to-do list is an upgrade of the science labs. They must be doing something right: Papplewick leavers won not one but two coveted King’s Scholarships to Eton last year.
Location: Windsor Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LH
Website: papplewick.org.uk
Head: Tom Bunbury
Pupils: 210 day and boarding boys
Ages: 6–13
Term fees: Day: £8,235; boarding: £10,720
