Stonar School, founded in 1895, is a non-denominational UK independent day and boarding school, at Cottles Park, near Atworth, Wiltshire, south-west England.^[1] The school occupies 80 acres of parkland and gardens in a location about 8 miles from Bath. There are about 420 pupils from 2 to 18 years old. An ISI inspection in 2018 found the school "excellent".^{[citation needed]}

Quick Facts Address, Coordinates ...

Stonar School
Address
Cottles Park Atworth Wiltshire , SN12 8NT England
Coordinates	51.3888°N 2.2178°W / 51.3888; -2.2178
Information
Type	Other Independent School
Established	1895
Local authority	Wiltshire
Department for Education URN	126512 Tables
Head teacher	Matthew Way
Gender	Co-educational
Age	2 to 18
Website	www.stonarschool.com

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The school was established in 1895 as a girls' school at Stour House, Sandwich, Kent, and adopted the Stonar name when it moved to the larger Stonar House, also in Sandwich.^[2][3] The school was evacuated to Cottles House when the Sandwich premises were requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence in 1939.^[2]

The school was acquired in 2013^[2] by Globeducate, a subsidiary of American private equity firm Providence Equity, which operates over 50 schools in several countries.^[4] Boys began to be accepted by the school in 2016 and it became fully coeducational.^[2]

The Grade II-listed Cottles House was designed by Thomas Jelly and John Palmer of Bath as a country house for Robert Hale, and built in 1775–78 on the site of an earlier house belonging to the Hale family.^[5] The name comes from the Cotel family who held the manor (also known as Little Atworth) in the 13th century.^[6]

The house was extended c.1832 by H.E. Goodridge, who also designed St Michael's church at Atworth.^[5][7] The result is described by Historic England as "rambling L-plan" and by Pevsner as "early 19th-century Gothick".^[8]

The room which is now the school library has a late 16th-century stone chimney piece with caryatids, which may have come from the earlier house;^[6] Pevsner states it is splendid but "much too big for the house".^[8] Elsewhere, joinery including doors and window shutters is from the early 19th century, and there are Adam-style fireplaces on the first floor.^[5]

Stonar offers an equestrian education alongside the academic curriculum.^{[citation needed]} Facilities include an indoor school, an 80 x 40m surfaced arena, four cross-country courses and stabling for up to 65 horses and ponies. Guest trainers include Mary King.^{[citation needed]}

• Pamela Kirkham, 16th Baroness Berners (born 1929), hereditary peeress and former Conservative member of the House of Lords (1995-1999).
• Thorhilda Abbott-Watt (born 1955), diplomat.
• Laura Ford (born 1961), sculptor.
• The Hon Charlotte Long (1965–1984), actress.
• Romola Garai (born 1982), actress.
• Georgia Hardinge (born 1984), fashion designer.
• Holly Bodimeade (born 1997), actress.

• List of schools in Wiltshire