Age Range. 3+–11 Co-educational.
Number in School. 182.
Fees per academic year (2024-2025). £10,290 (excluding VAT) inclusive of lunch, day trips, Spanish lessons and personal insurance cover.
Located in the leafy suburbs of south Liverpool, Carleton House is Merseyside’s leading co-ed Preparatory School (13th in the Sunday Times Parent Power 2019). We are a Catholic school that welcomes children of all denominations.
Our most recent external ISI Educational Quality inspection judged both the achievement of our pupils, including their academic development and personal development, to be ‘Excellent’ – the highest possible judgement. All regulatory requirements were fully met.
“The quality of the pupils' academic and other achievements is excellent. The school’s aim to develop a love of learning, foster intellectual curiosity and expand cultural horizons are successfully met.”
Carleton House Preparatory School ISI Report June 2022.
Our school motto, “They can because they think they can” truly embodies the spirit of Carleton House. Our school is a lively, vibrant community that gives its pupils a first-class education for the 21st century.
Small class sizes (maximum of 23) and a high ratio of teaching staff to pupils enable the well-qualified and experienced staff to provide individual attention in a friendly, caring atmosphere. We nurture the development of the whole child – academically, spiritually and in the sporting and cultural aspects of their lives. Through excellent teaching and the close relationship that exists between school and home, our pupils are challenged, encouraged and supported to achieve their very best.
The implementation of all National Curriculum subjects ensures a broad, well-balanced curriculum is followed, but great importance is given to Maths and English as success in these subjects is central to development in other areas. Additional specialist teaching is provided for children requiring support in the basic subjects.
The children are taught Spanish throughout the school from Nursery to Year 6.
All children receive curriculum music lessons from our specialist teacher. Children in Year 3 to 6 benefit from instrumental music lessons through our external music tuition partner Pulse. Individual piano and guitar lessons are also available.
Children in Years 3 to 6 take part in weekly swimming and gym lessons at a local pool.
Emphasis is placed on high academic standards with our children being prepared for a variety of Entrance examinations at 11. A high percentage of our pupils successfully gain places at selective schools of their choice.
Our children are prepared for and take part in the English Speaking Board (ESB) examinations in year 5 and 6, supporting their public speaking skills.
We place a high importance on the development of computing skills for all pupils, with children from Year 1 to Year 6 benefiting from specialist computing teaching in our newly refurbished computing suite. This is complemented through the use of iPads in class based lessons.
A wide range of sports and extracurricular activities are offered to both boys and girls, including football, netball, cricket, rounders, chess, debate club, orchestra, cookery, singing and speech choir. The children compete in local sporting events as well as choral festivals and national quiz competitions.
Theatre and educational visits to enhance our curriculum are provided in all year groups. Our residential trips start in Year 3 with an overnight stay in Barnstondale, followed by a two-night stay in Shropshire in Year 4, a weekend in Lockerbie in Year 5 and culminating in a week long residential for our Year 6 pupils. These residentials provide field and adventure activities that help build confidence and self-esteem outside of the usual classroom environment.
Our open door policy encourages positive engagement with our parents, with regular parent/teacher meetings and biannual written reports on pupils progress.
A thriving Parent Teacher Association provides social functions for parents while raising funds for extra equipment for school and our chosen school charity.
After-school provision is provided by the ‘Kids Club’. This operates daily from 3.30pm until 6.00pm and school is open from 8.00am for early drop-offs.
Parents are welcome to visit the school by appointment.
Charitable status. Carleton House Preparatory School is a Registered Charity, number 505310. It exists to provide education for boys and girls.