In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school (usually abbreviated to prep school) is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are called public schools. While many prep schools prepare their students for entry to a range of senior schools, some are closely associated with a single school, as Colet Court is with St Paul's School. Most British prep schools are primarily day schools, but many also take boarders.
Some maintained grammar schools which are otherwise free have a fee-paying prep department. Examples include Sullivan Upper School in Holywood and Bangor Grammar School, Bangor, County Down, both in Northern Ireland.
This use of the term in the UK is in contrast to that in the United States and Canada, where "prep school" means a university-preparatory school.
Boys' prep schools are generally for eight to thirteen year olds, when most pupils take the Common Entrance Examination for entry into a secondary independent school. Before the age of eight, the term "pre-prep school", parallel in the UK with a maintained primary school, is often used. Thus, most independently educated boys will go to a pre-prep school from the age of four or five until eight, then from eight to thirteen to a prep school, and from thirteen to an independent secondary school.
Girls' private schools in England tend to follow the age ranges of maintained schools more closely than those for boys. A girls' preparatory school will usually admit girls from the age of five, and they will continue to another independent school at eleven. However, as more girls now go on to boys' schools which have become co-educational, the separation is less clear.
The Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) is the prep schools' heads' association serving the top 500+ independent prep schools in the UK and worldwide, with a total of 130,000 pupils. The IAPS is one of seven affiliated associations of the Independent Schools Council (ISC).
List of British Preparatory schools
Below is a list of British prep schools and their headmaster or headmistress as of 1 November 2008.
- Abbotsford Preparatory School1, Urmston, Manchester
- Aberdour School, Surrey
- Abingdon Preparatory School, Frilford, Oxfordshire
- Aldwickbury School, Hertfordshire
- Alleyn Court Preparatory School, Westcliff-on-Sea
- All Hallows Preparatory School, Shepton Mallet
- Aldro School, Shackleford, Surrey
- Alton Burn, Nairn, Inverness-shire
- Altrincham Preparatory School, Cheshire
- Amberley House School, Clifton, Bristol
- Andean House School2
- Ardvreck School, Crieff, Perthshire
- Ashfold School, Dorton, Buckinghamshire
- Ashdown House, East Sussex
- Aysgarth School, North Yorkshire
- Ballyclare Prep, Ballyclare, Ulster
- Bancroft's Preparatory School, Woodford Green
- Beaudesert Park School, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire
- Bedford Preparatory School, Bedfordshire
- Beechenhurst School, Liverpool
- Beechwood Park Preparatory School, Markyate, Hertfordshire
- Belmont Mill Hill Preparatory School,Mill Hill, London
- Belmont Preparatory School3, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey
- Bilton Grange4, Rugby, Warwickshire
- Blue Coat School, Edgbaston, Birmingham
- Brentwood Preparatory School, Brentwood, Essex
- Brockhurst and Marlston House School, Hermitage, Berkshire
- Brooklands Preparatory School5, Stafford
- Broughton Manor Preparatory School6
- Burys Court School7 Leigh, Surrey
- Carleton House Preparatory School, Liverpool
- Caldicott School8 Bucks - Simon Doggart
- Cheam School
- Cheltenham College Junior School9 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- Chinthurst School, Tadworth, Surrey
- Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford - Martin Bruce
- Clifton College Preparatory School, Bristol
- Clifton Lodge, Ealing, London
- Colet Court, London - Tim Meunier
- Copthorne School10,West Sussex
- Cothill House11, Abingdon
- Cottesmore School, Crawley, West Sussex
- Coworth-Flexlands Preparatory School & Nursery12, Chobham, Surrey
- Cranleigh Preparatory School, Cranleigh, Surrey
- Crowstone Preparatory School13 - CPS Website,Rochford, Essex
- Crowstone Preparatory School13 - CPS Website, Westcliff on-Sea, Essex
- Culford Preparatory School, Culford School, Bury St. Edmunds
- Cundall Manor School North Yorkshire
- Davenies14 Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire - Mr C Watson
- Downsend School, Leatherhead, Surrey
- Downs School, Colwall, Hertfordshire
- Dover Court Preparatory School, Singapore15
- Dragon School, Oxford- John R. Baugh
- Duke of Kent School, Ewhurst, Cranleigh, Surrey16
- Dulwich Prep.17, London - Stephen Rigby
- Dulwich Prep., Kent18
- Dumpton School, Dorset19
- Durham Choristers School, Durham - Ian Hawksby
- Durston House, London
- Durlston Court, Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire
- Eastcourt School, Ilford, London
- Eagle House School, Crowthorne
- Eaton House The Manor School, London
- Edge Grove, Aldenham, Hertfordshire
- Edgeborough School, Farnham, Surrey
- Elm Green Preparatory School, Essex
- The Elms School, Colwall, Herefordshire
- Elstree School, [Woolhampton], [newbury], Berkshire
- Exeter School, Exeter, Devon
- Fairfield Preparatory School, Loughborough
- Farleigh School, Andover, Hampshire
- Feltonfleet, Cobham, Surrey
- Foremarke Hall School, Repton, Derbyshire
- Forest Preparatory School, Walthamstow
- Fulham Preparatory School, 20, London
- Gayhurst School, Buckinghamshire 21
- Glebe House School & Nursery, Hunstanton, Norfolk
- Gracefield Preparatory School, Bristol
- Great Ballard Preparatory School, Chichester
- Great Houghton Preparatory School| , Northampton.
- Godstowe Preparatory School, High Wycombe.
- Grace Dieu Manor School, Leicestershire
- Great Walstead School, Haywards Heath
- Gresham's Preparatory School, Holt, Norfolk
- Haddon Dene School Broadstairs kent
- The Hall School,22, Hampstead, London
- Hall Grove School, Bagshot, Surrey
- Hampshire School, knightsbridge, London
- The Hamlets School, Liverpool
- Haslemere Preparatory School, Haslemere
- Hazelwood Preparatory School, Limpsfield, Surrey
- Heath Mount School, Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire
- Hereward House School, Hampstead
- Highfield School23, Liphook, Hampshire
- Hilden Grange School, Tonbridge, Kent
- Hill House International School, Knightsbridge, London
- Holland House School, Edgware, London
- Holmewood House School, Kent
- Holmwood House School, Colchester, Essex
- Homefield School, Sutton, Surrey
- Horris Hill School, Berkshire
- Hurstpierpoint College Preparatory School, Sussex
- [Kensington Preparatory School], Kensington, London
- Kew College, Surrey
- Kimbolton Preparatory School, Kimbolton
- Kingswood House School, Epsom, Surrey
- King's House School, Richmond
- The King's School, Ely Junior School24, Cambs
- Kings School, Plymouth25, Plymouth Devon
- Knighton House26, Dorset
- Knightsbridge School Lennox Gardens, Knightsbridge London SW127
- Lancing College Preparatory School at Mowden, Hove
- Liverpool College, Liverpool
- Lockers Park Prep School28, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire*
- Ludgrove29, Wokingham
- Lyndon Preparatory School30, Colwyn Bay
- Maidwell Hall, Northamptonshire
- Malsis School31, North Yorkshire
- The Manor Prep School32, Abingdon
- Marlborough House School, Hawkhurst, Kent
- Milbourne Lodge School33, Esher
- Millfield Preparatory School, Street, Somerset
- Milton Keynes Preparatory School6
- Moor Park34, Ludlow
- Moreton Hall Prep School, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk35
- Mowden Hall School36, Northumberland
- The New Beacon Preparatory School37, Sevenoaks, Kent
- New College Preparatory School, Oxford
- Newland House Preparatory School
- Norman Court Preparatory School, Salisbury, Wiltshire
- Northcote Lodge, Wandsworth, London
- [[Norwich School], Norwich, Norfolk
- Notre Dame Preparatory School
- Oakfield Sch. West Dulwich
- Old Buckenham Hall (OBH)38
- Orley Farm School, Harrow, Middlesex
- Orwell Park School, Nacton, Suffolk39
- The Old Malthouse, Langton Matravers, Dorset 40
- Packwood Haugh School41, Shrewsbury
- Papplewick School, Ascot
- Pennthorpe School, Rudgwick
- The Perse Preparatory School42, Cambridge
- The Portsmouth Grammar Junior School43, Portsmouth, Hampshire
- The Pilgrims School44, Winchester, Hampshire
- [The Plymouth College Junior School]], Plymouth
- Port Regis45, Dorset
- Pownall Hall School, Wilmslow, Cheshire
- Prebendal School, Chichester
- Prestfelde School, Shrewsbury
- The Priory School, Banstead, Banstead, Surrey
- Quainton Hall School, Harrow, Middlesex
- Ranby House School, Ranby
- Ripley Court Preparatory School46, Surrey
- Rossall Junior School
- Royal Masonic School, Rickmansworth
- Rudston Preparatory School, Rotherham
- Runnymede St Edward's School, Liverpool
- Rydes Hill Preparatory School, Guildford47
- The Royal School Armagh48, Armagh
- The Ryleys School, Alderley Edge, Cheshire
- S Anselm's School, Bakewell
- Salisbury Cathedral School, Salisbury - Paul Greenfield
- Shernold School, Maidstone, Kent.
- Shrewsbury House School
- St Bede's Preparatory School, Manchester
- St Catherine's Preparatory School, Bramley
- St Cedds School49, Chelmsford
- St Christophers School50, Hove
- St Edmunds School, Canterbury
- St Edmunds School, Hindhead
- St Faith's School, Cambridge
- St George's School, Windsor Castle - Roger Jones
- St Ives School51, Haslemere
- St John's Beaumont Preparatory School 52 Windsor
- St John's College School, Cambridge53
- St Joseph's Preparatory School 54, Stoke-on-Trent
- Stoke Brunswick School, Ashurst Wood, Sussex
- St Martin's Ampleforth 55, North Yorkshire (formerly Ampleforth College Junior School and Gilling Castle)
- St Martin's Preparatory School 56, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire
- Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall (formerly "St Mary's Hall, Stonyhurst"; "Hodder Place")
- St Piran's School, Maidenhead
- St. Ronan's School, Hawkhurst, Kent.
- The Schools at Somerhill, Tonbridge
- Sevenoaks Prep School: 57 Sevenoaks, Kent.
- Springmead Preparatory School58,Beckington, Bath
- Staines Preparatory School,Staines
- Streatham and Clapham High Prep Department 59
- Summer Fields School, Oxford60
- Sunningdale School 61
- Sussex House School, London
- Sutton Valence Preparatory School, Kent 62
- Thorpe House School, Buckinghamshire 63
- Vinehall School Robertsbridge
- Warminster Preparatory School, Warminster, Wiltshire
- Wellesley House School, Broadstairs,Kent
- Wellingborough Preparatory School 64, Wellingborough, Northants.
- Westbourne House School, Chichester, Sussex
- Westbrook Hay School, Hemel Hempstead, Herts
- West Hill Park School, Titchfield, Hants
- Westminster Abbey Choir School, London - Jonathan Milton
- Westminster Under School, London
- Winchester House School, Brackley, Northants
- Windlesham House School, Washington, West Sussex 65
- Witham Hall School, Lincolnshire
- Wilmslow preparatory school, Wilmslow, Cheshire
- Woodford Green Preparatory School, Woodford Green, London
- Woodleigh School, Langton, Malton, North Yorkshire66
- Worksop College, Worksop
Former UK prep schools
See also
References
External links
