Prep School Guide
A guide to preparatory schools in the UK
Nursery and pre-preparatory schools - age range 2 - 7/8
Nursery education is provided by schools for pupils up to the age of 5 whilst pre-preparatory education caters for pupils aged 5–7/8. Many preparatory schools run their own nursery and pre-preparatory departments.
Pupils under 5 years old are seldom required to meet more than the most basic practical requirements for entry, but the Headteacher will wish to meet the child in advance. Some schools may set simple tests. Most schools offer entry at the beginning of each term.
The very youngest children attend either mornings or afternoons only, later progressing to a full day. The focus is on the development of academic, social, and language skills through play, music, drama and handicrafts. Pupils may cover basic letter and number work, handwriting and spelling. Approaches vary from traditional teaching methods to more modern styles.
Montessori schools teach according to a series of principles centred on observation of the individual needs of each child followed by provision of appropriate stimuli and tasks.
Preparatory schools - age range 7/8 - 13
Many preparatory schools will accept pupils from the age of 3. Entry is normally dependent upon an interview with the Head together with a satisfactory report from the previous school. Some schools set verbal or written entrance tests in English and Mathematics, although pupils entering the preparatory department of a pre-preparatory school which they already attend may be exempt from these tests. It may be difficult to join a school for the final one or two years of preparatory education when pupils are approaching Common Entrance or similar examinations. Schools preparing pupils primarily for Common Entrance may test older entrants more rigorously to ensure that they have the capacity to pass at 11, 12 or 13.
Preparatory schools cater for boys from 8-13, when they take the 13+ Common Entrance examination for entry into a Public School. To run parallel to the state system, many prep schools now take students until they are 11, and the senior schools from 11 onwards. This is frequently the case in day schools and girls' senior schools, whereas the traditional boarding schools still run for boys from 13 to 18.
Typically, independently educated boys will go to a pre-prep school from ages 4/5 to 8, to a prep school from age 8 to 13, and to a public school 13 to age 18.
Girls' private schools in England tend to follow the age ranges of state schools more closely than those for boys. A preparatory school for girls will usually take students from age 5 to 11, and independent schools for girls after prep school will usually begin at age 11 and continue to age 18, with no age 13 intake.
Most preparatory schools are preparing pupils for the Common Entrance examination, taken at 11+, 12+ or 13+ for entry to independent senior boarding or day schools, but some senior schools, particularly city day schools, may set their own entrance examinations. Some parts of the country retain the old examinations for entry to local grammar schools, requiring no formal preparation. The destination of school leavers and therefore the main academic focus of the school may well be influenced by available provision at senior level. The Headteacher of your child’s school will need to know which senior school you have chosen by the time your child reaches the last two years of prep school. Equally, the parents' choice of prep school will be influenced by the strength of the links between the prep school and the senior school they would prefer their child to attend.
Pupils are normally taught by class teachers until the age of about 8 and after this they may be grouped according to ability. By the age of 9 or 10 there is an increase in emphasis on subject teaching by specialists together with close attention to the requirements of the National Curriculum. This may be further complemented by elements such as current affairs and topical studies, group projects and field trips.
Formal assessments of academic progress and achievement, as well as performance in sport and other activities, are made regularly. Examinations are usually held twice a year or at the end of each term and the results are entered in the termly report for parents.