HILDEN OAKS SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL TRUST LIMITED

What HILDEN OAKS SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL TRUST LIMITED does

Hilden Oaks School Educational Trust Limited is an independent co-educational preparatory school and nursery located at 38 Dry Hill Park Road, Tonbridge, Kent, operating as a registered charity (No. 307935) under a Board of Trustees. Founded in 1919 by Mrs Alys Keith-Lucas, the school serves children aged 3 months to 11 years across three departments: Early Years (Nursery for 3-month-olds, Kindergarten for ages 2–3, Preschool, and Reception), Pre-Prep (Forms 1–2), and Prep (Forms 3–6), with a total enrolment of nearly 200 pupils. Core academic delivery follows the National Curriculum enriched by a Values-based Education framework (Kent's first IVET-accredited prep school, awarded 2017), with specialist teaching in PE, French, Spanish, ICT, and Music from the early years, plus Forest School outdoor learning, a Digital Literacy curriculum covering coding and AI awareness, Learning Support (SEND) services, and wrap-around care operating 50 weeks per year.

The school runs on a subscription-based tuition model charged per term, with recurring revenue streams including Preparatory fees (Forms 1–6), Nursery and Preschool fees (flexible term-time or 48-week all-year contracts), wrap-around care and holiday clubs, individual music lessons, and acceptance of government Early Years Funding. Pricing is described as competitive within the independent sector, with a £500 registration deposit, termly bank-transfer billing, and means-tested assisted places administered via Bursary Administration Limited (BAL). Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer through a single campus: families enter via the school website, Open Mornings led by Form 6 pupils, 45-minute personal tours with Headteacher Mrs Sharon Wade, taster days, and word-of-mouth referrals; no third-party resellers or multi-site operations exist. Technology infrastructure is modest and consumer-grade — iPads issued to pupils, Microsoft Teams for virtual assemblies (notably during COVID-19 lockdowns), the Famly app for nursery parent communication, and standard school management systems — with no proprietary platform, no API surface, and no disclosed data assets.

The trust is governed by a Board of Trustees (Chair Martin Phelps) with Mrs Sharon Wade serving as Headteacher since September 2024 (the twelfth in the school's 105-year history), supported by a Senior Leadership Team including Deputy Head Austen Hardwick, Head of Early Years Rachel Gibb, and Bursar Andy Whitaker. There have been no funding rounds, acquisitions, or external shareholders; the entity is a private limited company structured as a charitable trust with no parent company or subsidiaries, reinvesting all surplus into facilities and education.

Name

HILDEN OAKS SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL TRUST LIMITED

Legal name

Hilden Oaks School Education Trust Ltd

Website

https://hildenoaks.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Independent co-educational preparatory school and nursery in Tonbridge, Kent, operating as a charitable trust and serving approximately 200 children aged 3 months to 11 years through Early Years, Pre-Prep, and Prep departments with Values-based Education and ISI 'excellent' inspection ratings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Preparatory Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (624410), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nursery School Programs (2–4 Years) (EDACACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB), Drop-In / Flexible Nursery Care (EDACACAF), Special Needs–Inclusive Nursery & Playgroups (EDACACAJ)

Keywords

• Independent preparatory education
• Nursery and preschool care
• Values-based education
• 11+ examination preparation
• Wrap-around childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Tonbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. School Fees - Preparatory: Tuition fees for Pre-Prep (Forms 1-2) and Prep (Forms 3-6), charged per term. Competitive pricing compared to many independent schools, operated as charitable trust reinvesting all fees into facilities and education.
2. Nursery & Preschool Fees: Flexible options including daycare (year-round same days/sessions) and term-time only contracts. All-year-round contracts operate 48 weeks per year. Session-based attendance options.
3. Wrap-around Care & Clubs: Before-school care from 7.45am and after-school care until 6pm including tea. Holiday clubs during 50 weeks per year. After-school clubs varying each term including sports, music, and creative activities.
4. Music Lessons: Individual or shared music lessons available to Reception through Form 6. Lessons in piano, singing, violin, percussion, drum kit, guitar, and ukulele. ABRSM exam entries arranged through school.
5. Early Years Funding: Accepts government Early Years Funding for 3-4 year olds (15 hours/week term-time or 12 hours/week all year-round). Working Parents Funding available for 9 months to 4 years (means-tested eligibility).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hilden Oaks School & Nursery is an independent co-educational preparatory school and nursery operating from a single campus in Tonbridge, Kent. It provides full-time education and childcare for children aged 3 months to 11 years, structured across Nursery (Kindie, Kindergarten, Preschool), Pre-Prep (Reception, Forms 1-2) and Prep (Forms 3-6), with enrichment in Music, Speech & Drama, Forest School, Sport, Digital Literacy and Learning Support (SEND). Fees are charged per term, with wrap-around care available 50 weeks per year.

Product overview

Hilden Oaks is an independent co-educational preparatory school and nursery offering outstanding early years and primary education for children aged 3 months to 11 years. The school operates three distinct departments: Early Years (Nursery for babies from 3 months, Kindergarten for ages 2-3, and Preschool), Pre-Prep (Reception and Forms 1-2), and Prep (Forms 3-6). The core educational program is supplemented by extensive enrichment offerings including Forest School, Music Department (with individual instrument lessons), Speech & Drama (with annual productions), Digital Literacy/Computing, Sport & PE, and Creative Curriculum Days. Additional services include Wrap-around Care (before/after-school and holiday clubs providing 50 weeks of care), and Learning Support (SEND) services. The school follows Values-based Education principles with a focus on developing kind, brave, and brilliant pupils prepared for 11+ and Common Entrance examinations at top grammar and independent secondary schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nursery (Kindie, Kindergarten, Preschool) Early years nursery provision for children aged 3 months (Kindie) through Kindergarten (2-3 years) to Preschool, with year-round and term-time attendance options, flexible session timing, and specialist music and PE teaching. Allocated places through the school's Acorn House facility.
• Reception First year of formal schooling based in the Stable Block, introducing children to a fully structured day and core National Curriculum Key Stage 1 subjects, with specialist teachers for ICT, Music, French, and PE.
• Pre-Prep (Forms 1 and 2) Key Stage 1 programme where children begin formal schooling, developing as citizens with discipline and focus on courtesy, using the Read Write Inc. programme and the Creative Curriculum Programme.
• Prep (Forms 3-6) Key Stage 2 programme with increased academic expectations, preparation for the Kent Test (11 Plus) and Common Entrance exams, specialist teaching, and extra personal responsibilities for pupils in Forms 5 and 6.
• Wrap-around Care and Holiday Clubs Before-school care from 7.45am, after-school care until 6pm with tea provided, and holiday clubs, alongside after-school clubs that vary each term (sports, music, creative activities). Care available for 50 weeks of the year.
• Forest School Outdoor learning programme led by a qualified Forest School Leader (20+ years experience), developing physical, social, emotional well-being, self-esteem, confidence, resilience, creativity, and respect for nature through activities such as fire lighting, den building, and tool use.
• Music Lessons and Music Department Weekly class music lessons from Nursery to Form 6 by a specialist teacher, plus individual and shared lessons in piano, singing, violin, percussion, drum kit, guitar, and ukulele, with ABRSM exam entries arranged through school.
• Speech and Drama Annual productions for all children from Reception through Form 6, plus individual and small group speech and drama lessons progressing towards LAMDA examinations.
• Digital Literacy (Computing) Computing curriculum covering online safety, digital literacy, touch typing, coding (block coding progressing to HTML and Python), and AI education, with each pupil having access to their own iPad.
• Sport and Physical Education Physical education and sports programme including specialist PE teachers, swimming lessons, House competitions, and inter-school fixtures across football, rugby, netball, hockey, cricket, athletics, and cross-country.
• Learning Support (SEND) Additional learning support during morning intervention time with the SENDCo and a specialist teacher, including dyslexia screening, personalized plans, EHC Plan support, and a visiting speech and language therapist.
• Creative Curriculum Days Whole-day cross-curricular enrichment session held once per half term for Pre-Prep and Prep, centred around common themes such as Safer Internet Day and Kind Brave Brilliant.

Quantifiable outcome

• Almost all pupils pass 11+ and Common Entrance exams
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, support and minor.

• Values-based Education / International Values Education Trust (IVET)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation partnership with IVET for Values-based Education implementation. Hilden Oaks is one of only three schools in Kent awarded the IVET Values Quality Mark. The school was the first accredited Values-based Education Prep School in Kent (2017).
• FamlycoreTechnology or IntegrationParent communication app partnership providing easy-to-use secure platform with unique personal news feed for nursery parent communication, celebrating children's learning and development.
• 360safe.org.ukcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline Safety Mark accreditation through 360safe.org.uk, recognizing robust online safety policies and carefully planned curriculum.
• Citizen FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold SMSC Quality Mark awarding body. The Citizen Foundation verified Hilden Oaks' SMSC development, one of only a handful nationwide to achieve Gold level.
• Bursary Administration Limited (BAL)supportOthersIndependent company used to review and assess all assisted place applications, involving confidential application forms, home visits, and documentary evidence.
• Fiona Penny Bespoke Home FindersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated relocation agent recommended to parents moving to Tonbridge from London or further afield.
• Kent Home FindersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRelocation agent partner helping incoming families find housing in the Tonbridge area.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yardley Court Preparatory School: Tonbridge-area independent prep school (ages 2-13) that directly competes for the same Tonbridge and West Kent families. Overlap in age range, Values-based ethos, wrap-around care, and 11+/Common Entrance preparation makes them the most proximate geographic competitor.
• Holmewood House School: Independent co-educational prep school in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, serving ages 3-13. Highly comparable scale (~200 pupils), full EYFS-to-Form 6 pipeline, and feeder relationships into the same grammar/independent destinations (Tunbridge Wells Girls/Boys Grammar, Sevenoaks School).
• Sevenoaks Preparatory School: Independent co-educational prep school in Sevenoaks, Kent, for children aged 3 to 13. Comparable 3-months-to-secondary pipeline with values-based ethos and small class sizes, drawing from the same affluent commuter catchment into the West Kent grammar/independent senior schools.
• The Mead School (Tunbridge Wells): Independent prep school in Tunbridge Wells serving ages 3-13. Comparable size, values-based ethos, and feeder-school positioning for Tunbridge Wells' grammar and independent secondaries; directly competes for adjacent-catchment families.
• Saint Ronan's School: Independent co-educational prep school in Hawkhurst, Kent, for ages 3-13. Comparable full-pipeline prep structure with broad extracurricular offering (music, sport, drama, Forest School-style activities) feeding into top grammar and independent senior schools.
• The New Beacon: Nearby independent preparatory school in Sevenoaks, Kent, serving boys aged 3-13. Directly comparable co-educational, Kent-based prep competitor competing for the same West-Kent feeder families preparing for 11+ and Common Entrance (and is itself listed as a 2025 destination school for Hilden Oaks pupils).
• Somerhill International School: Independent co-educational school near Tonbridge (ages 3-18), including a prep phase. Comparable charitable-independent structure, broad curriculum including Forest/outdoor learning, and serve overlapping West Kent / commuter-family demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Dulwich Prep School (Dulwich, London): Long-established London independent prep. Comparable curriculum philosophy (small class sizes, broad enrichment including music and digital literacy) and serves a feeder population for top senior schools — different geography but similar operating model and target demographic of professional dual-income families.

Regional players

• TreeHouse Nursery / Acorn Childcare (Kent regional nursery groups): Regional Kent nursery/childcare operators offering full daycare and wrap-around care. Comparable on early-years and wrap-around service delivery in the same West Kent geography, but without the prep-school continuity from nursery through age 11 that Hilden Oaks provides.
• Skinners' Academy / Skinners' Kent Primary: Kent-based state foundation-school ecosystem providing primary-to-secondary progression into Skinners' School grammar. Comparable in catchment and pipeline-targeting grammar entrance, but operates in the state sector as a tuition-free alternative to independent prep.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hildenoaksschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/hildenoaksschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hilden-oaks-school-educational-trust-limited

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HILDEN OAKS SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL TRUST LIMITED