Established in 1905 by Miss Amy Hanson, Arnold House started its first term with just nine pupils. During these early days, Miss Hanson would borrow a carriage from a well-known St John’s Wood doctor, so that she could be seen driving around the neighbourhood in order to bring herself to the notice of prospective parents. Just after the turn of the century, Miss Hanson’s real task was to demonstrate that a headmistress could prepare boys for Public School as well as any headmaster. She did compete successfully with her male counterparts and the school flourished.
In 1937, Miss Hanson was joined by Mr George Smart who succeeded her as Head two years later. Mr Smart was Headmaster for thirty years, retiring in 1969, having been instrumental in making the school an educational charitable trust in that same year. Of this accomplishment Mr Smart said, “This was in line with the policy of many other preparatory schools which thus escaped the charge of being run for profit. Much more importantly it meant that schools were no longer dependent on the policies of one man alone and provided a surer guarantee of continuity to parents.”
