Pottery and pirouettes for the future king at the 'haven for pushy parents': Prince George's £6,000-a-term mixed prep school boasts a rooftop playground, ski lodge in Austria and its first rule is 'be kind' 

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Prince George will enroll as a pupil at private Thomas’s School in Battersea, south London, this September - confounding speculation that he would follow in his father’s footsteps at Wetherby.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen Thomas’s, one of four family-run schools in London - and not even its Kensington branch, a stone’s throw from their royal residence.

Instead they have chosen the co-educational outpost in well-to-do Battersea, south west London, the heart of what is dubbed locally as ‘nappy valley’.

Controversially, the £6,000-a-term school is said to 'ban' best friends. 

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Kensington Palace have confirmed that Prince George will attend Thomas' Battersea school in September - in a break with tradition. It was thought he would attend Wetherby, where his father was educated (the three-year-old is pictured with Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte at church on Christmas Day in Bucklebury, Berkshire)

Headmaster Ben Thomas said schoolchildren should have 'lots of good friends' to stop people from having their feelings hurt, according to the Daily Telegraph. 

He wrote on the website: 'Thomas’s Battersea is a busy, thriving, purposeful school, educating 540 boys and girls between the ages of four and 13.

'As you would expect of any Thomas’s school, the most important school rule is to 'Be Kind'. We offer a rich and broad curriculum, with Art, Ballet, Drama, ICT, French, Music and PE all taught by specialist teachers from a child’s first day in school.'

It is a very middle class, aspirational area of London full of bankers, journalists and City types – not the traditional Eton-style feeder school royals have been sent to in the past. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen Thomas’s, one of four family-run schools in London - and not even its Kensington branch, a stone’s throw from their royal residence

In a letter to parents today, the £6,000-a-term school’s head masters, Ben Thomas and Tobyn Thomas, said: ‘A statement will be made today by Kensington Palace announcing that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have decided on Prince George's next school.

'In advance of that announcement, we are delighted to let you know that they have chosen Thomas's and that from September Prince George will be a pupil at Thomas's Battersea.

‘This is clearly a significant moment for their family and most certainly for Thomas's. Like so many parents, the Duke and Duchess have put a great deal of thought into the choice of their eldest child's first "big school". 

'We are honoured that the aims and values of Thomas's reflect those that Their Royal Highnesses would like for Prince George's education. We are deeply conscious of the trust that they, like all Thomas's parents, are placing in us and we hope very much to live up to their expectations.

‘The Duke and Duchess have made it clear that they do not wish Prince George's attendance at Thomas's to change its aims, values or ethos in any way. They would like, as far as is possible, for him to enjoy the same education that all of our pupils receive and for them to join the school community as all of our new parents do.’

Its website describes it as a ‘busy, thriving purposeful school’ which has 540 boys and girls between the ages of four and 13

Prince George dressed in a navy quilted jacket and light blue rucksack grinned as he made his way into Westacre Montessori School near the family home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk

They added: ‘There has of course been a certain amount of planning and preparation in advance of this announcement, particularly in the areas of security and communication. Pupils will be told the news at school today, members of staff have been briefed. ‘

In a statement Kensington Palace said: 'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will send their son, George, to Thomas's Battersea from September 2017 this year. Their Royal Highnesses are delighted to have found a school where they are confident George will have a happy and successful start to his education.'

Established by David and Joanna Thomas 40 years ago, the school described itself as being ‘happy, dynamic and vibrant’ and one that prides itself on its ‘excellent academic results’.

Its website describes it as a ‘busy, thriving purposeful school’ which has 540 boys and girls between the ages of four and 13.

It’s motto is ‘Be kind’ and there is great emphasis on kindness, confidence and humility, as well as academic results.

Prince George, third in line to the throne, will also have the chance to take part in the school’s exceptional arts, music and drama programme. It also has a flourishing sports department and encourages its pupils to learn outdoors too

Princess Diana with William and Harry at Weatherby school in Notting Hill in 1989

The Kensington branch of the school – there are also schools in Fulham, Clapham and Battersea – traditionally feeds pupils into elite public schools such as Eton, attended by William and his brother Harry, St Paul’s.

This year that the Cambridges and their children would be moving back to London this summer.

William and Kate have spent the past two years in relative seclusion at Anmer Hall, their spacious Georgian mansion on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in rural Norfolk, after William took a part-time job as an air ambulance pilot.

But the prince has decided to move his family back to capital when his contract with East Anglian Air Ambulance comes to an end this summer.

Although he has yet to announce his future plans in detail, it is widely anticipated that William, 34, will finally become a full-time working royal in order to help relieve his ageing grandparents.

Princess Charlotte, who will turn two in May, will also start nursery school in London, in contrast to her brother who has attended a small local village nursery, the £5.50 an hour Westacre Montessori.

Interestingly, the statement also made clear that William and Kate still very much see ten-bedroom Georgian mansion Anmer Hall as their principle family home, despite £4.5 million of tax-payers money being spent on turning the 22-room Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace into their official London residence.

It said: ‘Since 2014 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have used Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace as their official residence when carrying out Royal duties, while basing their family primarily at their home in Norfolk. This arrangement has allowed The Duke to work as a pilot with the East Anglia Air Ambulance, a role he has valued hugely. Their Royal Highnesses love their time in Norfolk and it will continue to be their home.’

Kensington Palace have said the Duke and Duchess' wish to increase their official work on behalf of the elderly Queen, who will celebrate her 91st birthday next month, and for the charities they support, mean they need to be based in London.

The monarch, who, along with her 95-year-old husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, has battled increasing bouts of ill health in recent years, has already said she will no longer undertake long haul travel.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were said to favour Wetherby Kensington because it is less likely to attract photographers. Pictured: the site that the new school will occupy

She is also making small but increasingly noticeable tweaks to her diary, such as handing over public investitures and carrying out more engagements at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

William has described his time working as an air ambulance pilot as a ‘huge privilege’ and says he will carry his experiences in the job with him for the rest of his life.

Although some have questioned his attempts to juggle royal duties with a second job as spreading himself too thinly, William has always argued the role will offer a ‘valuable perspective to my royal work for decades to come’. 

William has often been accused of being ‘workshy’, having resisted taking on a full-time royal role until now, a charge that was again levelled at him last week when the Mail revealed that he had skipped a major Commonwealth Service with the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family to go on a ‘lads’ ski weekend in Switzerland.

He has always privately argued, however, that there are enough senior royals ready to help the ageing Queen with her duties, allowing him to pursue ‘public service’ in another direction, at the same time as spending more time with his children while they are young. 

Prince George most recently attended Westacre Montessori School near the family home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

Westacre, which is more than 30 years old and situated in a former chapel, runs on the approach developed by Italian educator Maria Montessori in the early 1900s.

The 'child centred' technique uses children's natural instinct to learn through play, and allows them freedom to develop at their own pace.

In its latest Ofsted report, Westacre was described as a 'bright, attractive and welcoming environment'. 

Last month it was reported that William and Kate are expected to leave their Norfolk residence behind for Kensington Palace this year.

Both William and Kate are set to take on even more royal duties in 2017, after stepping up their responsibilities this year. 

William's contract as a pilot East Anglian Air Ambulance comes to an end this month. 

The Duke and Duchess are also reportedly hoping to expand their own Royal Foundation charity and want to focus more on causes like mental health.

Prince William and Kate, along with Prince Harry have openly lent their support to the helping people battle mental health issues.