Welcome

Welcome to the Portland Place School website. I hope that its pages will give you an insight into our ethos. Whether you are a first time visitor or someone who knows the school well, you should have user-friendly access to the information you are seeking. Please do let us know if this is not the case.

If you are interested in finding out more about us, we firmly believe that our current pupils and parents are our school’s best ambassadors. I very much hope, therefore, that you will take the opportunity to come and visit us to experience for yourself what gives Portland Place its special atmosphere.

I know that current parents value in particular the warm, caring environment where every pupil is genuinely recognised as a unique individual.

It is an honour for me to be taking up the challenge this year of building on former Headmaster Richard Walker’s precious legacy. Portland Place’s holistic ethos aligns directly with my own approach to education in its broadest sense. Our thriving and extensive extra-curricular programme complements academic study. We strive for excellence both inside and outside the classroom by setting pupils (and ourselves) demanding but realistic targets.

Boys and girls at Portland Place gain a sense of self-worth from being valued for who they are and for what they can contribute. This in turn instils a sense of self-belief, which is the platform for both academic achievement and success in later life.

My responsibility is to ensure that the community that is Portland Place School continues to support our pupils on the journey to becoming articulate and empathetic young men and women fully prepared for the challenges of adult life.

Timothy J Cook

Headmaster, Portland Place School

Mr Cook took up the Headship of Portland Place at the beginning of academic year 2011/12. He previously held posts as Head of Middle School and Head of Upper School at Dulwich College, London SE21 (where he spent 14 years) and, most recently, Deputy Head at St Dunstan’s College, London SE6. He was educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and Leeds University, where he obtained a first class degree in Modern Languages. He is married to Karin – who works in international finance, and they have two teenage children.