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UK private school’s major merger with multiple prep schools

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Radley College is a boarding school for pupils aged 13 to 18, and earlier this month it received international acclaim when it was included in the Spear’s Schools Index 2026, which named the 100 best private schools in the world.

It was included along with Cothill House prep school near Abingdon.

READ MORE: Global recognition for private school

At the beginning of May last year Radley College and Prep Schools Trust, which includes Cothill House and Chandlings Prep School, announced they were merging in one of the most significant mergers in the charitable independent schools sector.

Chandlings and Cothill, which educate boys and girls from two to 13, are located close to Radley College – one of three remaining full boarding schools for boys aged 13-18. 

Prep Schools Trust is a family of seven junior schools across the country, including Kitebrook in the Cotswolds on the Oxfordshire border which educates 330 pupils.

All eight schools joined forces to form Radley Schools Group in September 2025.

The Council of Radley College, which manages the private school, took on the controlling responsibility for the group.

Radley Schools Group said in a statement: “Radley Schools Group believes in the timeless and authentic values of high quality charitable independent education.

“Through the strength and stability of our group, we are committed to providing exceptional educational opportunities for all our pupils throughout their childhood.

“Blending the very best of tradition and innovation, we seek to develop young people of outstanding character and purpose for generations to come.”

John Moule, Warden of Radley College (Image: Radley College)

John Moule, The Warden of Radley College, has overseen the merger, while retaining his day-to-day responsibilities at Radley.

The chief executive of Prep Schools Trust, Tom Beardmore-Gray, had already announced his decision to retire last summer after serving PST for seven years.

He was succeeded as chief executive by Andrew Ashton, Radley’s Bursar.

Prefects at Radley College (Image: Andrew Walmsley/Radley College)

Mr Moule said following the launch: “This is a wonderful opportunity for Radley College to work together with Cothill House, Chandlings Prep and Kitebrook Preparatory School to protect the timeless and authentic values of high quality charitable independent education for families in Oxfordshire.

“That is why we are coming together to create Radley Schools Group.

“Through the strength and stability of a wider group, we are committed to providing exceptional educational opportunities for all our pupils throughout their childhood.

“Blending the very best of tradition and innovation, we seek to develop young people of outstanding character and purpose.

George May, headteacher at Cothill House (Image: Cothlll House)

“We, as a college, remain committed to our all boys all boarding offer but this merger will enable us to be a dynamic, thought-leader on the issues of pastoral care, teaching and character education for generations of children to come.”

George May, head of Cothill House, said at the time: “This is an incredibly exciting chapter for Cothill.

“Our pupils already benefit from Cothill’s highly sought-after teaching, pastoral care and extensive extracurricular programme, creating an environment where they can embrace adventure, curiosity and friendship whilst also preparing them for the very best senior schools in the country.”





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Jeremy Clarkson has to pay for his own Amazon Prime account

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The 52-year-old said that neither she nor her boyfriend receives a free subscription from Amazon, even though they front one of the streamer’s biggest British shows.

Ms Hogan made the admission in an interview with content creator Lucas Stewart on his YouTube channel.

Asked directly whether she was given a complimentary Amazon Prime or Prime Video account, the Irish former model and actor replied: “I share my son’s.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson and Christian Horner team up to raise over £1m

“We don’t get any goodies.”

She went on to explain that sharing subscriptions is simply how many younger viewers now choose to spend their money.

“Children nowadays are just like, ‘Yeah, I’ll just get this subscription,’ and that’s their way of spending money whereas we used to buy cigarettes and more alcohol,” she said.

“This is their spending money, so I share it with him.”

Clarkson’s Farm, which follows Mr Clarkson’s attempts to run his Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds, has been one of Prime Video’s breakout UK successes since it launched in 2021.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson’s girlfriend reveals his ‘true colours’ amid ‘misconceptions’

Ms Hogan has become a key part of the series, often seen running the Diddly Squat Farm Shop and appearing alongside Mr Clarkson and farmer Kaleb Cooper.

In the interview, she also reflected on how the attention from the show has changed her life, but the Independent report focuses on the unusual fact that one of Prime Video’s best‑known on‑screen personalities still relies on a family login.

Amazon Prime currently costs £8.99 a month in the UK, with membership including access to Prime Video, music, deliveries and other services.

The company has tightened its rules on account sharing in recent years, but Ms Hogan’s comments suggest that, inside the Clarkson household at least, the stars are still paying customers.





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Jeremy Clarkson and Christian Horner team up to raise £1m

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Mr Clarkson, who lives in Oxfordshire, hosted a fundraising auction for Sir Chris’s Tour de 4 charity at a clay pigeon shoot in Northamptonshire, organised by Mr Horner, who lives near the Oxfordshire border close to Banbury.

The event, held at the Marston Estate, raised £1 million in a single afternoon, with much of the final total coming from an extraordinary intervention by Mr Clarkson, as The Times reports.

Speaking on his Sporting Misadventures podcast, Sir Chris, 50, said: “Jeremy Clarkson did the auction at the Tour de 4 clay shoot that Christian Horner put on and we raised £1 million in an afternoon.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson’s girlfriend reveals his ‘true colours’ amid ‘misconceptions’

“We got to £850,000 with all the tickets and the tables and the auction, and they wanted to hit £1 million.”

At that point, Mr Clarkson turned to the guests who had flown in by helicopter and asked for £10,000 from each of them.

Sir Chris revealed: “Jeremy said, ‘Right, there are people here who have arrived in helicopters.

“‘Everyone here who has got a helicopter, I want ten grand.’ So he went around the room going, ‘Ten grand from you, ten grand from you,’ and he got £150,000 from people, and that’s what made it up to £1 million.

“It was astonishing. I don’t think anybody else would have got away with doing that, but he has that presence. It was a fantastic afternoon, really good fun.”

READ MORE: Brooklyn Beckham vows to ‘always protect’ his wife in new statement

Sir Chris, a six-time Olympic gold medallist, founded the Tour de 4 cycle challenge after being diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer.

He has since become a high-profile campaigner for better screening and awareness, using the event to “change the perception” of what it means to live with an advanced cancer diagnosis.

Mr Clarkson, known for Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Amazon’s Clarkson’s Farm, revealed earlier this year that he had undergone surgery for an aggressive form of prostate cancer after it was picked up in a routine medical.

He has since said he is in remission and urged men to get checked.

READ MORE: King Charles strips 10 people of honours in 2026 – check the list

Tour de 4 will return to Glasgow this September, starting and finishing at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

The inaugural ride attracted more than 5,000 participants and raised over £3 million for cancer charities, with this year’s event again supporting Macmillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Now, Cure Leukaemia, Prostate Cancer UK and Maggie’s.

Mr Hoy has said his diagnosis has changed the way he looks at each day. Speaking earlier this year, he reflected: “I never imagined that I’d be able to get to this point where I’m actually just living life and not just living life, but actually appreciating it more than ever.

“It’s just about appreciating the mundane fun of life, the mundane elements of life which can be wonderful.”





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‘Devoted’ husband and father killed in Cotswolds fire

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The blaze broke out on Monday (August 3) in fields behind houses in Chipping Campden, just across the Oxfordshire border in Gloucestershire.

74-year-old gardener and landscaper Francis Owens died at the scene after a large fire erupted in dry fields behind Berrington Road and Castle Gardens.

Emergency services received multiple 999 calls at 5.38pm reporting a fast‑moving blaze.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said 13 fire engines were deployed at the height of the incident.

READ MORE: Drone shots show new £24m luxury Cotswolds holiday resort opening in 2027

Deputy chief fire officer Nathaniel Hooton said: “We were called at 5.38pm on Monday 3 August following multiple reports from members of the public about a large fire in fields behind Berrington Road and Castle Gardens in Chipping Campden.

“As a service, we extend our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and to the wider community.

“At the height of the incident, 13 fire engines were in attendance. This was a multi‑agency response.

“We worked extremely hard with colleagues from neighbouring fire services to bring the fire under control.”

Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed that Mr Owens, from the local area, was declared dead at the scene.

READ MORE: 80s singing legend to headline music festival amid bid to save historic pub

A police spokesperson said: “Following a fire in Chipping Campden last night, a man in his 70s from the local area was sadly confirmed dead at the scene.

“His family and the coroner have been informed, and our thoughts remain with all those who knew him at this time.

“Police do not suspect any third party involvement in the death.2

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Owens’ son Patrick described his father as “the Renaissance man of Chipping Campden” and an “amazing father” who had been devoted to his wife Mandy for 50 years.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established, and Gloucestershire Police and the fire service say investigations are continuing.





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