Age Range. 7–13.
Number of Pupils. Boarding Boys 37, Boarding Girls 42, Day Boys 124, Day Girls 120.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Day £4,725-£8,200; Day Boarding £5,550-£9,025; Boarding £8,450-£10,825; International Boarding £9,500-£12,000.
Dean Close Preparatory School is a co-educational, Christian, family school which occupies the same campus as Dean Close School and is, therefore, able to share the outstanding facilities. These facilities include: 25m swimming pool, amphitheatre, shooting range, performance hall, 550-seat theatre and chapel. There are also extensive playing fields and sports facilities including hard tennis courts, floodlit astroturf hockey pitches and a sports hall, which houses a large gymnasium and dance studio. The Prep School also has its own teaching blocks and Music School, and a £4.5m building which opened in autumn 2013. This contains an additional 360-seat theatre and 8 teaching areas located over two floors, with dedicated drama rooms.
The new building also contains a music suite, which links to the existing Music School, and comprises 6 music practice rooms including a dedicated guitar room. The building has a formal reception area where parents and visitors are welcomed into the School.
There are two additional classroom blocks. One consists of 10 specialist teaching rooms including 2 laboratories and a computer centre. The other has 8 purpose-built classrooms, together with day house facilities, a Library and an Art and Technology block. There is also a separate dining hall and kitchens.
Although the Preparatory School is administered by the same Board of Governors as the Pre-Prep and the Senior School, it has its own Head and staff. There are 48 teaching staff who either hold degrees or diplomas in education. As well as a dedicated Director of Music, Director of Sport and Director of Drama. The music department is also supported by a team of excellent peripatetic music teachers specialising in a variety of instruments and in all sports, professional coaches encourage children to reach their potential.
Pupils follow a broad and stimulating curriculum. In Year 3, the majority of lessons are delivered by pupil’s class teachers, however, there are also speciality teachers for a number of subjects and as pupils move up the School, they see an increasing number of subject specialists. Subjects taught are English, Mathematics, Science, French, History, Geography, Religious Studies, Computing, PSHCE, Art, Design Technology, Music, PE and Games and Drama. Forest School is also taught in Years 3 to 6 and Latin and Spanish are introduced in Year 7. The academic curriculum is based upon an Independent Year 7-9 curriculum for Years 7 and 8.
The School has three boarding houses one for girls, one for boys and a mixed boarding house for the younger children. Each boarding house has a team of resident Houseparents, Tutors and a resident matron. The school also has a dedicated Flexi-boarding house offering day pupils the opportunity to board on an occasional basis.
The day pupils are accommodated in three purpose-built houses. Each is run by a Houseparent, assisted by House Tutors.
The main games for boys are rugby, hockey and cricket, and for girls, hockey, netball and cricket. Pupils in Years 7 and 8 have the option to play tennis instead of cricket in the Trinty term. Swimming, tennis, athletics and cross-country running are also taught and use is made of the School’s covered play area. Horse riding is available nearby.
A wide range of additional activities and clubs are also available: art, chess, Christian unions, fencing, football, gymnastics, dance, nature time and origami to name but a few.
With a Prep School population of 323, the sense of family-like community is developed in such a way that it is possible for every child to know each other and to be individually known, valued and cared about. The Prep School offers Academic, All-Rounder, Art, Drama, Music and Sports scholarships at 11+ and educates the Choristers who sing Evensong at Tewkesbury Abbey.
Charitable status. Dean Close School is a Registered Charity, number 1086829. It exists to provide education for children.