We joined Pangbourne College last year, the same time the new Head, Oliver Knight. We’ve been really impressed. We love it. DC loves it. DC moved from another independent seniorschool and has absolutely thrived both academically and personally. It's been lovely to see ❤️
If you’re going to base your decision on anything, I’d say base it on the calibre of the Head. Mr Knight is exceptional — hugely respected in academic circles, with a proven track record of results. He’s also a genuinely a very nice, grounded person, and that really sets the tone for the whole school.
Under his leadership, there have been big changes: teachers now solely teach, sports coaches solely coach, and pastoral staff focus just that. It’s helped attract excellent staff — including some brilliant hires from the state sector. It’s a smart change — academic staff can concentrate on teaching, sports coaches can drive performance, and pastoral care is more focused and consistent.
One of the biggest positives has been the academic consistency. The quality of teaching is strong across the board, and we’ve noticed real improvement in our child’s academic results. More importantly, DC’s attitude towards learning has completely transformed. There’s a real “we’re in this together” ethos — teachers don’t just deliver a lesson and move on; they genuinely work with the students to ensure they understand and feel supported. Students are expected to take responsibility, but they’re guided where needed every step of the way — it’s a great balance. There’s a strong focus on helping each child reach their academic potential — whatever that looks like for them.
Sport has been restructured so every pupil, no matter their age or ability, gets access to top-level coaching, best pitches etc — not just the 1st teams.
Mobile phones are handed in during the day (a good thing, in our opinion - however, I’m not sure 6th form would agree 😉)
The school is very focused on developing well-rounded young people, not just chasing grades. As Mr Knight said at a recent open day — the goal is to raise confident, capable individuals who’ll contribute positively to society. And are able to cope with real life.
That really resonated with us. We had offers from two other top independent schools — ones many would consider more “prestigious” — but we were looking for something more grounded and down-to-earth. A little less London. And have definitely found that at Pangbourne.
Hope this helps, It’s a very personal choice, but we’ve been thoroughly impressed.
Good luck x
PS: Not a teacher — just a parent who moved their child and couldn’t be happier with the decision. We live locally and the bus service is great — very sociable and works well. We didn’t look at Shiplake, as it’s a bit too far for us, and we don’t know anyone currently there.