The Troutbeck School was founded by parents determined to provide their own children with an education grounded in independence, scholarship and Christian character.

Our family moved from the United Kingdom to the United States in 2007. During those years our daughters were educated within Montessori schools in Maryland and later in Massachusetts. We came to value deeply the habits this approach cultivates: concentration, responsibility, courtesy and satisfaction in careful work.

When we settled in Zimbabwe in January 2014, we felt strongly that this standard of education should continue.

Troutbeck Primary

In the absence of suitable provision, we established it.

A dedicated classroom was prepared, a trained graduate teacher appointed and the full range of Montessori materials obtained to support the primary years. What began as provision for our own family steadily became a small school as other parents sought a similar environment for their children.

Boarding developed in a measured way, allowing access to families from further afield while preserving the close supervision and sense of community that remain central to the school.

Offices of the Ministry of Education in Nyanga and Mutare have taken a supportive interest in this work. We believe the school to be distinctive within Zimbabwe in offering an authentic Montessori primary setting.

Troutbeck Secondary

As our pupils grew older, parents asked that the same atmosphere of order, attention and academic seriousness should extend into the examination years.

The school therefore prepared candidates for qualifications offered by Cambridge Assessment International Education.

The first cohort, in 2022, achieved nine A grades.
The second cohort, in 2024, repeated this achievement.

Such results are gratifying. They arise from steady expectations, small classes and pupils who learn to take responsibility for their work.

The Directors

Edwin Davies was brought up in Scotland. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Edinburghand a doctorate from University of London. Before turning his full attention to education he worked for many years with Lonza (LinkedIn)

Grace Mugadza was raised in Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. She holds both a Master’s degree and a PhD from University of Cambridge. Alongside her work at the school she has founded businesses and supported a range of community and Montessori initiatives in the United States..