Tucked away in the heart of Chiswick, Orchard House School is quietly rewriting the rulebook on what a modern preparatory education should feel like. At our helm is Henrietta Adams, a headteacher whose warmth, clarity, and unshakable belief in children shape every corner of school life. Now in her second year leading the school and with over a decade as part of the education community in Chiswick, Henrietta brings a powerful blend of tradition, innovation, and heart to this thriving school.
An Orchard House education: inclusive, ambitious, joyful.
Spend a day at Orchard House and you’ll feel it immediately: the school is alive with energy, music, and purpose. From the first notes of a Year 1 soloist performing in front of an audience of 400 people at assembly, to the lively lunchtime debates in philosophy club, Orchard House pulses with confidence and joy.
For Henrietta, this isn’t a happy accident – it’s a deliberate culture, built on strong relationships, high expectations, and boundless opportunity.
“We believe in children being seen, heard, and celebrated. Orchard House is inclusive, non-selective and deeply ambitious. We have a diverse, international community that enriches every part of our school. Our teachers are passionate about finding each child’s strengths whether it’s music, running, maths or drama, and helping them flourish.”
From the youngest pupils to the oldest, there is a sense that every child matters, and that they are being known and nurtured by a team of staff who are both experts and enthusiasts.
Navigating the world
Henrietta herself is a visible, accessible presence in school life. From morning gate duty to impromptu chats with parents, she’s never far from the action. Children are used to seeing her in assemblies, at rehearsals, and teaching maths to some of the most able young pupils.
Her route to education is as fascinating as it is inspiring. Raised in nearby Bedford Park, she is a proud Chiswick native with strong local roots. After reading Music and French at Goldsmiths, University of London, she began a career in law where she thrived on structure, problem-solving, and high standards. But something was missing.
“I wanted to make a difference in young lives,” she recalls. “So, I gave teaching a go and never looked back.”
Henrietta trained in Primary French at the Institute of Education, having already become fluent through time spent in Paris and Le Touquet, and brought a musician’s ear and a lawyer’s rigour into the classroom.
Music, unsurprisingly, remains at the heart of school life. A flautist and pianist with a love of choral music, Henrietta has sung in many of the UK’s great cathedrals. At OHS, her passion flows into assemblies, concerts, and even the beloved ‘Orchard’s Got Talent,’ judged by staff and cheered on by the whole school.
A keen sailor, Henrietta built her own Mirror dingy aged 15 and sailed with her family on holidays in Suffolk. Later she qualified as a skipper and navigator and has crossed the Channel many times. “The skills required for sailing are completely transferable to running a school; a clear plan, skilled team with clear roles, a keen watch for changes in the environment, and strong communication,” she comments. “I love the camaraderie and teamwork of being on the water, and in school.”
Structure, support, and a no-phone policy
Orchard House is a school where traditional values and forward-thinking methods meet. Henrietta is a firm believer in structured learning, clear boundaries, and the importance of presence both physical and emotional.
The Learning Orchard, the school’s bespoke curriculum, takes the best of traditional British education and preparation for 11+ exams, and supercharges it with STEM, the arts, oracy and philosophy to create confident, thoughtful and articulate pupils. Every subject, lesson, and activity is rooted in the guiding principles of world readiness, powerful knowledge, holistic learning and leadership.
The Learning Orchard curriculum is now supplemented with the High Performance Learning (HPL) framework. HPL empowers teachers to foster deeper thinking, resilience, and teamwork, enabling every child to achieve their full potential, supported by regular assessments and responsive teaching strategies like ‘purple pen’ feedback time.
After trialling screen-based homework, this year, homework is returning to traditional, written work. “We listened to our teachers and to parent feedback and decided to make the switch. Teachers can provide feedback on written work more effectively than on screens and parents want support from the school to minimise distractions at home during homework time,” Henrietta says.
“We don’t allow personal devices in school and mobile phones are kept locked away each day. Children need focus, connection, and calm. Orchard House provides a wealth of opportunities for pupils and it is a delight to see them tackling new skills, sports and other co-curricular activities that will provide pleasure for many years to come.”
Orchard House has a strong emphasis on reading for pleasure and collaborative learning. “Learning to read is about so much more than simply saying the words. Reading at the end of a busy day is such a valuable time for parents and children to connect, relax and enjoy each other’s company without rushing to finish a book and get on to the next level. I want all children to enjoy stories as much as I did. The joy of classic books such as Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden have stayed with me for a very long time!”
Pastoral care that listens and responds
Pastoral care is personal and proactive at Orchard House. Every child completes a well-being questionnaire each term that forms the basis of an individual pastoral plan, helping staff identify and address issues early, and mental health support is available not just for pupils, but for staff too.
“Kindness is one of our core values,” Henrietta says. “It starts with how we treat each other – as colleagues, as teachers and as role models for the children.”
An evolving school with a strong compass
Henrietta’s leadership is marked by quiet strength, high standards, and a deep sense of purpose. She is candid, conscientious, and not afraid to take decisive action when needed. Her vision for Orchard House is clear:
“We want to be the best school in the area – in every area. Academics, sport, music, care, values. A school that prepares children not just for exams, but for life.”
With engagement in local charities, thoughtful EDI discussions with parents and strong pastoral support for staff, OHS is more than a school – it’s a diverse community with a conscience.
Looking ahead
There are challenges, of course – the never-ending juggle of managing a large staff, hundreds of families and the various enthusiasms of young children. But Henrietta is undaunted.
“You can see how effective an Orchard House School education is by the way our children come to school each day – happy, smiling and ready to learn – and of course, through the quality of our exam results and the number and wide range of scholarships our pupils receive.”
“What I love best about Orchard House are the days when the children are performing – when you see their confidence shine. That’s the magic of this job. And I feel incredibly lucky to do it here, in the community that shaped me.”
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