WHAT? WHERE?

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Aerial View

Time for a review update for Walthamstow Hall, an Independent Girls’ Day School, in central Sevenoaks, educating pupils from 7 to 11 years at the Junior School, on site in Blackburn House, and girls from 11 to 18 in the Senior School.

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Summer BBQ on front lawn

A school with a well-established reputation – it’s 188 years old and one of the oldest girls’ schools in the country and certainly the oldest in Kent. That’s not to say that it’s stuffy or out-dated, far from it – with a state-of-the-art Sixth Form Centre and a real sense of energy and purpose.

FACILITIES

This town-based Senior School – with a total of 379 pupils in the Senior School – sits tidily in at the end of Sevenoaks High Street and next to Knole Park (gorgeous National Trust grounds with a wild deer herd).

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Senior School exterior

When you enter the gates you’re greeted with the handsome Victorian Arts and Crafts-inspired main building, (pictured above). The Junior School is also on site, in its own purpose-built building, and younger pupils also make use of many of the ‘big school’ facilities too.

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent The Ship Theatre

Beyond this original Senior School building, the school is a bit of a Tardis with so much lying beyond, including a Sports Centre and swimming pool, the Science Block, smart Arts Centre and the ‘in the round’ Ship Theatre.

Walthamstow Hall, Sevenoaks, Kent, Sixth Form Centre, Lang Centre

But what’s really at the beating heart of the school is the Lang Centre (pictured above and below), a striking purpose-built addition, created for the Sixth Form. The natural flow revolves around this central area as the pupils move between their lessons, which works well.

Walthamstow Hall, Sevenoaks, Kent, grounds Sixth Form Centre, Lang Centre

SPORT

Just outside it there’s a field (pictured above), where the school plays lacrosse (they’re proud of this). I ask if they have to travel quite far for lacrosse matches. Answer: they travel to Benenden, schools in Surrey and, yes, further afield too.

Walthamstow Hall, Sevenoaks, Kent, girl playing lacrosse

There’s a good variety of sporting activities on offer here – including football, hockey, cricket and trampolining. As well as the lacrosse pitches, there are courts for tennis and netball and also a Sports Centre which includes a sports hall (pictured below) so rain needn’t stop play, with four Badminton Courts, a Gym, Dance Studio and sports classroom.

Walthamstow Hall, Sevenoaks, Kent Sports Hall badminton

In fact, badminton is big here, Wally Hall have international players in the student body and are hosting the England Badminton county qualifier this year.

The Centre sits alongside the 25 metre, six-lane, in-door swimming pool, thank you very much.

Walthamstow Hall, Sevenoaks, Kent Sports Centre swimming pool

Being so central they may not be surrounded by rolling fields but that doesn’t detract from the offering here. Instead the school makes good use of the great resources at close hand, like Holly Bush All-weather Pitch, in the winter which is next door and lit and dry for evening practise of lacrosse. Running Club takes place in Knole Park, come rain or shine twice a week.

Walthamstow Hall, Sevenoaks, Kent dance studio

There’s a dance studio (above) where yoga, judo and Taekwondo also take place, a squash court and fitness gym. There’s also Mulberry hall, a dedicated space for gymnastics, with a sprung floor.

MUSIC & DRAMA

The choir is extremely popular (pictured below). The School’s Main Hall, with larger audience capacity, is used for bigger Music concerts, from formal orchestral pieces to the more informal ‘Wally Pop’ and ‘Wally Stage and Screen’.

Walthamstow Hall Senior School Kent Choir

The Music classrooms behind the Hall have been extended to include an additional music classroom, a percussion room and 6 new practice rooms for individual instrumental and singing lessons, including a doubly sound-proofed room for drumming practice. It’s pretty smart stuff.

The Ship Theatre has a pretty professional set up and is the first port of call for the school’s drama productions. This flexible theatre space, ‘in the round’ has capacity for an audience of 200 and is the stage for all plays from examined monologues to the larger school productions.

There is a senior play performed by students from Year 10 – 13 every November and a play for students in Years 8 & 9 every Summer. Senior School production of Jane Eyre received a glowing write up from the National School Theatre Awards and involved more than 40 pupils.

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Senior School Production of Jane Eyre

All productions are supported by live music from Walthamstow Hall musicians and technical and backstage support from student theatre crews. Younger students help stage manage the senior production and vice versa.

Worth noting – 93 per cent of this year’s Year 11 Drama students gained a 9 in their GCSE exams (the others were an excellent 8). In addition to school performances, around a third of students take additional Trinity Drama Awards up to Grade 8 and clean sweeps of the highest Distinction grade are not uncommon.

CREATIVE ARTS

The Creative Arts play a vital part in school life, both within the curriculum and as a part of the co-curricular programme. In Years 7,8 and 9 all pupils study Art, Drama and Music and also have lessons in Creative Textiles and 3D Design, with many going on to study these subjects at GCSE and A Level.

There is a separate 3D Design dedicated studio (pictured below) and it’s a very popular subject. The space is fully equipped for carpentry, metal work, laser cutting and ceramic work, to name a few.

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent 3 Dimensional Design

ACADEMICS

Academics are very good. Students take 10 GCSE subjects and, in 2025, 70% of GCSE grades were a 7 to 9.

In 2025’s A Levels, 79% of students achieved grades A*-B grades, and one third of the cohort achieved all A*/A grades.

This year, students who completed an Extended Project Qualification in Year 12 have achieved the highest results yet. Ten girls chose to undertake a piece of work on top of their A Levels, with seven receiving the highest A* grades and three receiving an A.

Walthamstow Hall Senior School Lang Centre Y13 Biology — Sixth Form lessons take place inside the Lang Centre

Sixth Form is the pinnacle of school life and with a new Head of Sixth Form, Emma Wood, the offering here is strong. Pupils can chose from an impressively wide range of subjects, with most of their lessons taking place in their own building, the Lang Centre. This keeps them central in the school but at the same time, allows them the all-important independence and privilege that those at the top of the school deserve.

It’s a brilliantly designed space, a real bonus to the school and the lessons we popped our head into reminded us very much of tutor groups in a university setting. As well as lots of teaching classrooms and dedicated spaces for independent study, there’s also plenty of room for socialising with sofas and a large kitchen.

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Senior School Science

Also, they are extremely proud of the school’s Value Added score- the school ranks in the top 15% for GCSEs and the top 20% for A-Levels nationally among independent schools for student progress. This means the academic boost given to a student during their time at a school and are a good indicator of any school’s ability to help your child reach their academic potential.

Leavers progress to prestigious universities (this year’s university offers include Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Durham, UCL, Bristol, Exeter and Bath) to study a wide range of subjects, from Veterinary Medicine to Acting.

PASTORAL CARE

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Senior School Girls

The Senior School is organised into three pastoral teams; Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 & 9), Key Stage 4 (Years 10 & 11) and Sixth Form (Years 12 & 13). There is a Pastoral Head and Assistant Head for each team and all staff liaise closely to support every individual effectively – the size of the school allows for this bespoke approach.

Pastoral Heads and Form Tutors provide guidance and monitor personal and academic well-being, working alongside pupils who are actively involved in reviewing their own progress and setting personal targets. All pupils are encouraged to speak freely and openly to any member of staff if they have any concerns.

THE HEAD

Walthamstow Hall School Headmistress Ms Louise Chamberlain

Walthamstow Hall Headmistress, Ms Louise Chamberlain, (pictured above) joined Walthamstow Hall in the summer term 2023 and is the over-arching Headmistress of both the Junior and Senior school.

She’s very friendly with an infectious energy and enthusiasm. There’s also just the right sprinkling of old school to carry the mantle of tradition but she’s also the kind of dynamic head that you’d hope would inspire a new generation. It’s clear she’s developed an approachable, easy rapport with the students.

Chamberlain obtained a BSc Honours degree in Applied Microbiological Science and began her teaching career as a teacher of Science. With this background, not surprisingly, Chamberlain is a huge STEM advocate and even runs an extremely popular Forensic Club for the Junior School girls after school, and a Medical Ethics club for Year 11 and above.

A recent case for the girls to solve being an on-site interactive crime scene of Goldilocks & The Three Bears, where pupils used forensic science techniques to investigate the classic whodunit, analysing clues like porridge temperature, chair damage, and bed suitability to draw their conclusions. The older the age group, the more gory the story!

QUIRKS & USP

Well, one USP is that Walthamstow Hall is now the only independent day Senior School for girls in Kent.

A real feature of school life here is the expectation to try things out and take part. They have as many as 6 Houses – so that the students can get to know each other better – and it certainly seems to create a suitable amount of House loyalty and pride.

Every half term ends on a House event from House Bake Off, House Tug of War and House Benchball, which are all popular. But the pinnacle of the House Year is House Music in the Spring term where every student, and most of the teachers gets on the stage to perform.

Every member of Y7 is automatically in the choir. The girls are strongly encouraged to choose at least 3 lunch time activities per week, which are accommodated by with an extended lunch hour (12.45 – 2.10pm) so that everyone can try something out and not have to rush their essential eating/refueling time. They choose these activities during a co-curricular fair that takes place at the beginning of the term.

As a parent of teens that have been through the transition to senior school, this seems like a great idea – clubs can seem daunting, they only want to join those with their friends… This way the girls have to try stuff out – and they’re bound to love it.

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Senior School Geography Iceland Trip

In that vein, the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award scheme is taken very seriously here. Most Year 9 pupils take Bronze DofE and many progress all the way to Gold in Sixth Form. As well as the usual excursions to theatres and galleries, school trips take pupils far and wide. In the last two years students from Year 10 – 12 travelled to Iceland (pictured above), Borneo, New York and Nepal

WRAP AROUND CARE

This is a day-pupils only school so no flexi-boarding, but there is the option to come in for Breakfast from 7.30. There is also a regular, Senior School ‘Friday Fry Up’ where a specific year group of parents and students are invited to come in for a hearty breakfast (including vegetarian and fresh fruit and yoghurt options too!) At the end of the day there’s the option to stay in supervised study, clubs, matches or rehearsals until 6pm.

LITTLIES

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Junior School canine mascot

Having spent over 20 years on a separate site, in Sept 2025 the Junior School actually returned to its original home on the same site as the Senior School, but in its own independent building, called Blackburn House.

The move also marked a shift in year groups and the Junior School now offers places to girls from Year 3 to Year 6, (so pupils from 7 to 11 years old) and is on the cosy side with around 40 pupils currently on roll. The younger girls have the advantage of using the ‘big school’ facilities, like the swimming pool and theatre – and over half go onto attend the Senior School. (Read the full review of Walthamstow Hall Junior School here).

ISI REPORT

Click here for report.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Walthamstow Hall Sevenoaks Kent Phone Policy

Wally Hall was ahead of the game when it came to mobile phone use. It has always been the case that students in Years 7 – 11 hand in their phones at morning registration and only get them back before they go home. Sixth Formers are trusted to keep their phones in their bags during the school day. Read our HOT TOPIC: Should smart phones be banned in schools, with staff and pupils from the school, for a wider view on this.

TRANSPORT

Walthamstow Hall is within easy walking distance of Sevenoaks train station, which is less than 30 minutes to central London. Together with a mini bus to and from Sevenoaks station, the school also runs multiple mini bus routes, with a new Tunbridge Wells route launching in September 2026 – for a full list click here.

FEES

Senior School: £10,063 per term. One price from Y7 all the way through to Sixth Form.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Parents agree that taking part and being active in the school is an expectation for the girls – and one which they fully endorse. Pupils are busy. Girls are encouraged to ‘show up, without showing off’.

Pupils are known – in a world where there is a deficiency of attention, girls receive it here. They aim high and aspire in an environment that is positive, not judgemental.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Those seeking tradition and reputation (with a purposeful, rather than pushy approach). Ideal for families moving to Sevenoaks to take advantage of the fast commute into London or for those in the surrounding countryside (you can get to the school in 2 mins by bus, or just 10 mins walk, from Sevenoaks train station). For many an all-girl environment offers liberation, the chance to be themselves and freedom from self-consciousness in their teen years.

Not for: Those seeking a rural school location, the girls can and do enjoy the freedom of being able to travel into town (although it’s hard to think of a nicer town for your daughter to descend on with her friends to Wagamama). Not for anyone that needs the fall-back option of flexi-boarding as this is a day-pupils only school.

Go see for yourself: The next Senior School Open Morning will take place on Fri 6 Mar 2026. Book her e.

Walthamstow Hall, Holly Bush Lane, Sevenoaks TN13 3UL, Tel: 01732 451334, walthamstow-hall.co.uk

Walthamstow Hall Senior School, Sevenoaks

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