'You can debate the pros and cons of co-ed versus single-sex until you’re blue in the face, but ask your average boy to define his perfect school and he’ll come up with something very like Papplewick. For head Tom Bunbury, it’s all about ‘celebrating boys' individual spark’, be it art (the best we’ve seen in a prep), music (the choir is up to cathedral standard), rowing on Eton’s Dorney Lake, or snake-charming (there’s an awesome herpetology club). Boarding is flexi and family-friendly, day boys jump on buses from Chiswick and Brook Green. Double figures head on to Eton and Harrow; others to Winchester, Charterhouse and Marlborough, with a record number of scholarships last year. Mr Bunbury is passionate about getting each boy into a school that matches his abilities and confidence. We love the sound of the U8s v Mothers football tournament. (boys won. Just).'