Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a independent preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13, attached to Westminster School in London. The school was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean's Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey. In 1951 the Under School relocated to its own premises in Eccleston Square. Due to rising numbers of pupils in the 1960s and 1970s, the school moved again in 1981 to its present site, a former hospital, overlooking the Westminster School playing fields in Vincent Square. There are 285 pupils attending the school. The school has a strong musical tradition and provides choristers for St Margaret's Church in Westminster Abbey. It also excels in sport, drama (having produced winners of the recent Shakespeare Schools Festival), chess and Latin. Most boys attending the school move on to Westminster School after the completion of either Common Entrance or Scholarship examinations (in the case of Westminster School, the Challenge), although a number of boys each year go on to other schools, including Eton. The previous Master was Mark O'Donnell, who retired in 2020 due to ill health. Steve Bailey came out of his retirement in the 2020/21 academic year as an interim measure. The current Master is Kate Jefferson, who is currently on maternity leave, and so the Acting Master is Michael Woodside. There are 47 members of staff. The school fees for the 2020-21 academic year are £6,834 per term.