Upper Prep (Years 3 – 6)

The upper part of the Prep School, which is for children aged 7 - 11, enjoys an excellent unique building with specialist teaching rooms, as well as spacious well equipped form rooms.

As in the early years of their education, pupils in Years 3 and 4 are taught by form teachers in their classrooms for much of the curriculum. Music continues to be taught by specialist musicians and in Year 3 this includes specialist teaching of a stringed instrument. The children are taught by a specialist Science teacher in the science room and the Languages teacher inspires the children to adopt a love of languages in German, Russian, Spanish and French. In Year 5, pupils are introduced more to the idea of moving from room to room to work with specialist teachers for more of their subjects, thus preparing them for the pattern of study they will experience in the Senior School.

Form teachers have special responsibility for the welfare of each girl and boy. This is immensely important as academic success is strengthened by careful nurturing which embraces the personal development and well-being of an individual child.

The School Day: Years 3 - 6

School starts at 8.35am and finishes at 3.50pm
Morning break 10.30am - 10.45am
Lunchtime break 12.15pm - 1.15pm
Afternoon break 2.50pm - 3.00pm

All children in Year 3 have a school lunch which is included in the fees. All children in Years 4, 5 and 6 may have a school lunch or bring a packed lunch. The cost of a lunch for a child in Years 4 - 6 is £4.26 per day.

Four times a week the school day begins with assembly. All assemblies may include a simple form of Christian worship. On Tuesday mornings, an assembly is conducted by the Chaplain in the School Chapel.

Breakfast Club: Year 1 - Year 6

A supervised Breakfast Club for chidren in Year 1 to Year 6 is available from 7.45am to 8.30am. Children are able to choose from a range of cereals, toast, juice and tea. Pupils should be booked in a minimum of 24 hours in advance to ensure a place is available. To book a place for Years 1 to 6 please call Lower Prep Reception on 01473 281302. The cost of each session is £3.85. Childcare vouchers can be used as part payment of Breakfast Club fees.

Late Stay: Years 3 - 6

Children in Years 3 to 6 may be booked into Late Stay, which runs from 3.50pm to 5.30pm at the end of each school day. The cost of each session is £8.27 for the full session or £5.10 for a session before or after a club. This includes refreshments. Childcare vouchers can be used as part payment of Late Stay fees.

Entry Procedure: Years 3 - 6

There are four year groups in the upper part of the Preparatory School: 7+, 8+, 9+ and 10+. Ages are taken from 1 September. This means that a child entering the Prep School into Year 3 should have had his or her seventh birthday by 1 September in the proposed year of entry. Likewise, children should be eight by the 1 September for entry into Year 4, nine for entry into Year 5 and ten for entry into Year 6.

Children are usually tested for entry in the January preceding the proposed September entry date. Occasionally, children are admitted to the school in the Lent and Summer terms. The entrance test consists of assessments including Mathematics, English and Non-Verbal Reasoning. A child's behaviour is also assessed. The Preparatory School will ask for a confidential report on a candidate from his or her present school. See here for more details about the admissions process.