Age range. 2–11 years.
Number of pupils. 139 plus 51 in the Nursery.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Day: £3,314–£6,668. Boarding: £10,239–£11,358. Weekly Boarding: £8,860–£9,978.
The Prep School is made up of the Pre-Prep department (age 2–7) and the Prep School (age 7–11). Pupils accepted into the Prep School normally make a smooth transfer to the Senior School at age 11 when scholarships may be awarded.
Academic work. The School prepares children for the academic demands in the Senior School. Pupils complete internal standardised baseline tests throughout each academic year. The School is not restricted by the National Curriculum; the aim is to ensure high academic standards within a friendly, creative and stimulating environment.
Children are assessed regularly for both academic achievement and effort, and feedback is given to both children and parents. There are several opportunities throughout the year for parents to meet with teachers to discuss their child's progress.
As well as driving high academic standards, there is an important focus on developing ‘Learning Powers’ such as resilience, curiosity and motivation.
Boarding. We offer boarding for pupils from Year 4. Our youngest boarders live in the beautiful house and grounds of Claver Morris with a priority to create a warm and caring family environment for them. The children are very well looked after by a resident family – community living lies at the heart of their daily lives. They all eat breakfast and most evening meals together; the House is extremely spacious and includes excellent facilities, including separate rooms for games, music and relaxing. The House has a lovely family feel and yet is large enough for the children to form lots of strong friendships.
Creativity. We have close ties to Wells Cathedral and all their boy and girl Choristers attend our School, which is set in beautiful grounds just to the north of the Cathedral. A number of pupils are Specialist Musicians who enjoy the expert tuition of the Music Department, which is one of the four in the UK designated and grant-aided by the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme. Scholarships are available.
Drama, music and dance are considered vital activities to bring out the best in children. In our state-of-the-art Cedars Hall, we offer a full programme of concerts during the year for all age groups as well as big productions and small year-group dramas. The School has established drama exchange links with schools in other European countries.
A whole-school arts week each summer allows all aspects of creativity to come to the forefront for every pupil. Themes have included the Caribbean, Somerset and China; pupils experience workshops in the areas of art, dance, drama and music. Regular exhibitions and performances are a feature of the School.
Sport. The School has many excellent facilities, such as the sports hall, dance studio, Astroturf pitch and swimming pool. Pupils experience a wide range of activities on the games field. Sport is played to a high standard with rugby, cross country, netball, hockey, cricket, swimming, athletics and gymnastics being the main sports; basketball and badminton are also available. A full programme of inter-school matches and house matches is available for all pupils in Year 3 to 6. Many clubs and activities run at lunchtimes or after school.