Preparatory schools

The ability to understand twenty-first century technology is the first step to being able to control the creative power of computers. There is no doubt that prep schools must meet this challenge head on if we are to fulfill a leading role as educators of the next generation.

Outdoor learning enriches learning experiences and gives children and young people the opportunity to connect with nature. The potential of outdoor learning to improve academic outcomes has been long recognised by the government. In 2006 it signed a manifesto from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) stating: ‘We strongly support the educational case for learning outside the classroom....

The crucial process of transitioning from prep school to senior school has seen significant changes over recent years, with a more bespoke, nurturing and tailored approach sought by families.

In an assembled group at school, it is an obvious and easy question to ask – what do we value most highly in life? For some the first answer may be God, but more commonly – certainly among prep school-age children – it is ‘family’ or ‘love’. (Occasionally ‘time’ is offered up too, but more usually by old stagers in...

Wymondham College Prep School caters for pupils aged four to 11 and opened its doors in September 2020 to its founding cohort of 60 Reception-aged pupils. Over the coming years, the school will grow annually, primarily in Reception and Year 5 and 6, and eventually reaching its capacity of 452 pupils. The school is located on the same site as...

Say goodbye to school runs, endless testing and tutoring, mobile phones (at least in some prep schools) and chauffeuring increasingly frustrated children to endless after-school clubs. Instead, say hello to climbing trees, muddy knees and a carefree childhood. 

In the fifteenth century, King’s Choristers were provided with meals and clothing, and eight pence a week for their board. Things have certainly changed since then!

Boarding in a prep school brings a wonderfully diverse range of advantages, most importantly the amount of fun the children have. You only have to see the smiles on their faces and the excitement of planning what to do with their free time, to realise just how much boarding can enrich a child’s life.

In today’s rapidly changing and demanding world, where our view of life is distorted by social media and expectations of our young people are high, our prep boarding schools offer children an oasis into which they can escape.  

Like many boarding prep schools, Aysgarth has a vast activities programme and the boys work hard and have a great deal of fun. Boarding is not for everyone, but it does have enormous advantages and I would like to outline the key benefits here.