School History

Founded in 1897 by Mrs Clark, a successful School Mistress who moved from East Anglia to Muswell Hill, our school has a rich and varied history. During our almost 130 years, the school has survived two world wars (though not entirely unscathed – see below!), has seen the local area transform from semi-rural Middlesex to bustling urban north London and was the ‘seed’ from which grew a highly successful group, which today numbers 19 schools across the UK, France and Switzerland.

The Young Men and the Sea

Muswell Hill may be some distance from the coast, but our school has a long and proud seafaring association. Up until 1925, many boys leaving Norfolk House at 14 went straight into the Royal Navy as Cadet Officers. Even after the recruiting age for the Navy was raised to 15, many boys leaving Norfolk House joined the Merchant fleet as 14-year-old school leavers up until the 1940s.

Our proud maritime heritage is still visible today: our three Houses – ‘Victory’, ‘Warrior’ and ‘Challenger’ – are each named after famous historic Royal Naval vessels; our Year 4 pupils stay aboard a moored lightship for their summer residential trip and our weekly newsletter is called The Anchor!

Did you know...

Although we don’t teach it anymore, boxing used to be an important part of the Norfolk House PE curriculum for many decades
Up until World War 2, there used to be a girls’ school and a boys’ school at Norfolk House – see the timeline below to find out what happened to the girls’ school!
Pupils used to wear an orange blazer when they started at Norfolk House! Only when they became prefect or House Captains did they get the navy blazer that everyone wears today
Following the destruction of the girls school during a nighttime air raid in World War Two, Norfolk House School became a boys-only school right up until 1992
In the 1940s and 1950s, one of our pupils was Malcolm Field (later Sir Malcolm Field), who became the Chief Executive of WHSmiths, and later, the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority

Our Timeline

1897

Norfolk House School first opens at number 10, Muswell Avenue

1910

Norfolk House accepts pupils from Tollington School, which cannot expand rapidly enough to accommodate children from the new suburbs around Stroud Green and Crouch End

1948

Mr Cecil Standfast retires as Headmaster, William Howat takes over

1943-1949

Graham Andermarh attends Norfolk House. He recalls German bombs falling on Muswell Hill, including one incendiary bomb that fell into the atrium of Norfolk House School but failed to detonate. The girls’ school was destroyed in the same raid, but the boys’ school (our Upper School building) escaped with only some chipping to the floor tiles, which is still visible today!

1980

The Norfolk House Old Boys & Parents Association is founded

1981

William Howat retires. His son, Robin Howat, takes over as Headmaster

1992

Norfolk House becomes fully co-educational and welcomes girls and boys into the same classes together

2004

Norfolk House is acquired by Bellevue Education and becomes the first school of the group

2012

Plans go ahead to extend the Muswell Avenue site

2013

The Montessori House Nursery in Princes Avenue is acquired by Norfolk House to become the school’s Lower School site

2022

Norfolk House celebrates its 125th anniversary. By now, Bellevue Education, which started with Norfolk House, is a group comprising 19 schools across the UK, France and Switzerland

Ethos & Core Values

Meet the Team

School Development Plan

Policies & Inspections

Head's Welcome