New Hall School, Chelmsford, has announced that it is entering into a formal collaboration with St Anne’s Preparatory School, marking an exciting development for both schools and the beginning of a new chapter for St Anne’s, following its centenary year in 2025.
The collaboration builds on a long-standing relationship between the two schools. St Anne’s pupils have traditionally progressed to New Hall, and the schools share families, staff connections and a history of collaboration and shared expertise.
Under the partnership, St Anne’s will continue to operate as a small, independent, co-educational preparatory school for pupils aged 3–11. It will retain its site, leadership, staff, traditions and distinctive identity, and will not become an extension of New Hall. There will be no change to its size, structure or day-to-day experience.
Mrs Katherine Jeffrey, Principal of New Hall School, said: “We are delighted to welcome St Anne’s into the New Hall family of schools. Built on shared values and a long-standing relationship, this collaboration allows us to support St Anne’s in securing a bright and exciting future. Both schools will maintain their own identities and will be strengthened by the opportunities to collaborate, sharing best practice and educational excellence. The Robson family members, who have managed the school with dedication and care for the past 36 years, have created a strong foundation and shaped St Anne’s into the wonderful school it is today. We believe this new partnership will bring lasting benefits for pupils, families and staff across both communities.”
New Hall’s Chair of Governors, Philip Wilson, said: “New Hall is a trusted provider of education, having achieved outstanding/the highest grade possible in all inspections in the past 20 years. Community outreach is a priority for us, both through collaborating with other schools – maintained and independent – and through the award-winning work of the New Hall Voluntary Service. New Hall has substantial experience running the Academy Trust for a small village primary school since 2013. As its sponsor, New Hall has enabled Messing Primary School to be the popular, thriving and excellent village school that it is today, with a full roll of 88. We hope that this will bring St Anne’s families and staff assurance that their much-loved school has a successful and stable future ahead.”
From the 2026–27 academic year, the Trust that runs New Hall School plans to take on the running of St Anne’s from the Robson family. This type of partnership is well established within the education sector and is designed to secure the long-term sustainability of small preparatory schools.
The collaboration will enable New Hall to offer St Anne’s families the option of an independent education pathway through to age 18/19, while maintaining St Anne’s strong academic focus and successful preparation for grammar school entry and 11+ scholarships.
From September 2026, St Anne’s will adopt a Catholic ethos, reflecting the values-led education at the heart of New Hall, while remaining inclusive and welcoming; admissions will continue to be open to all who support the School’s values.
St Anne’s pupils will benefit from enhanced opportunities through the partnership, particularly in RE; music; creative and performing arts; and modern and classical language, alongside continued academic excellence. Leadership continuity is assured, with Mrs Eveleigh continuing as Head Teacher
