Farleigh School Review 2026: Catholic prep with boarding from Year 3

Independent preps rarely have a single clean, comparable public results results in the way state schools do, so the useful evidence tends to be the quality of curriculum and the destinations the school secures, alongside external review of progress and teaching.

External review evidence states that pupils make good progress overall and that leaders use a detailed assessment framework to track progress and adjust planning. It also flags a specific improvement point: feedback is not equally consistent across the school, and this can affect how clearly pupils understand next steps. That is a constructive question for parents to take into a tour, for example, how marking expectations are calibrated across year groups and subjects.

The other concrete indicator at prep stage is senior school exit outcomes. The school publishes destination numbers year by year, with scholarships marked. For 2025 leavers, the published list includes multiple pupils progressing to Marlborough, Sherborne Girls’, Canford, Dauntsey’s, Radley and several other highly selective day and boarding senior schools, with scholarships indicated for many of these placements. The same format is published across earlier cohorts, which gives a more reliable picture than a single “best destinations” list.

The curriculum intent is described in the February 2025 report as broad and relevant, covering a wide range of subjects across the school. In early years, leaders are described as providing an environment that helps children develop communication and social skills, while older pupils benefit from a breadth that is supported by co-curricular choice rather than replaced by it.

The practical question for parents is what “breadth” looks like in daily time. The published daily structure runs from 8.15am registration and reading, through a full sequence of lessons, with day pupils signing out at 4.45pm and then optional prep or activities sessions into early evening. That timetable design makes sense for a prep with a significant boarding population, it allows day pupils to access the same enrichment and supervised prep time as boarders, rather than having boarding life feel separate.

Support for different needs is addressed directly in external review evidence, including adapted teaching for pupils with English as an additional language and effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The admissions assessment process also reflects this, with informal play-based observation for younger children and more structured assessment days for Year 3 and above.

For a prep, “destinations” is the main outcome parents care about because it shapes both academic ambition and the likely peer group in Years 7 to 13.

The published destination tables show a consistent pattern of placing pupils into a mix of highly selective boarding schools and strong day schools, with scholarships clearly marked. Recent cohorts list Marlborough, Radley, Sherborne, Sherborne Girls’, Canford, Dauntsey’s, Winchester, Eton, Bryanston, Cheltenham College, Downe House and others, with pupil counts provided for each named school by year. Parents can use this to sanity-check fit: if your target senior schools are well represented, the school will typically have the relationships and preparation routines to support that pathway.

Scholarship pathways also appear as a sustained feature rather than an occasional headline. The school’s published format makes it clear which destinations included scholarship awards in each year. For families weighing value, that matters because scholarships at 13+ can materially reduce senior school fee pressure, even if prep school fees are still significant.

Admissions are direct to the school rather than local authority coordinated, with a formal registration step and preference order set out in the admissions policy. The published admissions information states that registration is a formal expression of interest rather than a guarantee of a place, and it also sets out an explicit preference structure that includes practising Catholics, boarders and siblings.

Assessment is designed to be proportionate to age. Younger children are assessed informally through small-group play observation or a taster morning, while Year 3 and above involves an assessment day with reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary and mathematics. These assessment days are typically scheduled in the autumn and spring terms in the year before entry.

Open mornings are a key practical gateway, and the school publishes at least one dated event ahead. The next open morning is listed as Saturday 28 February 2026 (morning session), alongside a senior schools exhibition later the same day. Dates can move, so treat that as a planning anchor and re-check before booking travel.

If you are shortlisting multiple preps, FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature is useful here because independent admissions often run on different rhythms and it is easy to lose track of who requires which step, registration, visit, assessment day, deposit timeline.

Pastoral care in a boarding prep lives or dies on consistency, how issues are spotted early, and whether pupils feel safe raising concerns.

The February 2025 report describes thorough welfare, health and safety procedures and says safeguarding requirements are met, including in boarding. It also states that pupils are confident they can raise concerns and that they will be taken seriously by the safeguarding team.

The design of the day also supports wellbeing in a practical way. There are defined breaks, supervised transitions, and a structure that moves from lessons into prep and activities rather than asking pupils to shift gears without support. That matters for pupils who benefit from routine, especially those juggling boarding, sport, music and academic demands in a single day.

A prep can claim “lots of clubs”, but the more useful question is whether those clubs reflect a coherent philosophy. Here, the evidence suggests breadth and variety, with choices that span performance, technical skills, physical challenge and creative play.

The February 2025 report gives concrete examples across age ranges: circus skills, electronics, film making, water polo, woodland games and yoga. It also highlights woodland learning in pre-prep, described as hands-on learning that supports problem-solving, teamwork and physical development.

Wraparound provision also links directly to the co-curricular programme. Breakfast club is available from 7.30am to 8.15am on weekdays for signed-up day pupils, and the school states that day pupils can remain until 6.30pm on most weekdays after the two prep or activity sessions. The same page references roughly 45 after-school activities in a typical term and names a range including chess, cookery, go-kart building, lacrosse, netball, table tennis and touch rugby, among others.

For pupils who thrive on trying new things, this structure is a strength because it makes enrichment part of the normal day rather than an occasional extra. For pupils who need downtime, parents should ask how activity choices are balanced with rest, especially for younger boarders.

Fees are published on a termly basis for 2025 to 2026, and the schedule is presented as gross fees from September 2025, including VAT.

For prep-age day pupils, the published day fee is £10,485 per term for Years 4 to 8, and £8,909 per term for Year 3. For boarding, the published fees are £11,427 per term for Year 3 boarding, £12,525 per term for junior boarding (Years 4 to 6), and £13,890 per term for senior boarding (Years 7 and 8).

Reception and Years 1 and 2 fees are also published by the school for 2025 to 2026, but early years pricing varies by pattern and sessions, so parents should rely on the official schedule for the detail.

On financial help, bursaries are described as means-tested. The bursary policy also makes an important point: the school states it has limited resources for bursaries and that, other than exceptional circumstances, bursaries are not normally available for new applicants. That is worth understanding early if affordability depends on financial assistance.

Scholarships are positioned as a meaningful pathway, with published senior school destinations clearly marking scholarship outcomes.

Boarding begins early here, from Year 3, and the house structure is clearly defined.

The school describes three boarding areas with common rooms, separating junior boarding (Years 3 to 6) from senior boys’ houses and a senior girls’ house. The named senior houses are St Edward’s (Year 7), St Ignatius’ (Year 8) for boys, and St Theresa’s (Years 7 and 8) for girls.

Term dates and exeat rhythm are published with specificity, which is helpful for family logistics. For example, the school publishes multiple exeat weekends per term, and also posts provisional dates for Autumn 2026, including the return of boarders on Monday 7 September 2026 and first day of term on Tuesday 8 September 2026.

Transport logistics can be a deciding factor for London families. The school publishes a London transport service at exeats and half-terms, including an escorted train service linked with London Waterloo and a minibus option via Fleet Services.

The daily timetable is unusually explicit for a prep. Registration and reading begin at 8.15am on weekdays, and day pupils typically sign out at 4.45pm. Two structured sessions follow, prep or activities at 5.00pm and 5.45pm, which is when many day pupils are still on site. Supper for boarders is scheduled later, and the evening routine includes junior and senior roll calls and prayers.

Wraparound care includes breakfast club from 7.30am and later supervised options for day pupils into early evening, with supper options on most weekdays.

For travel, families splitting time between Hampshire and London should look closely at the published transport arrangements for exeats and half-terms, especially if you want a predictable routine rather than ad hoc trains and lifts.

• Bursary constraints. Bursaries exist, but the published policy states that bursaries are not normally available for new applicants except in exceptional circumstances. If your budget depends on support, clarify eligibility and realistic likelihood early.

• Boarding starts young. Boarding from Year 3 suits pupils ready for early independence and families who want the rhythm of a weekly house routine. It can feel a big step for pupils who need daily family contact.

• Feedback consistency is a stated improvement point. The February 2025 report highlights inconsistency in feedback quality. Ask how subject leaders and senior staff are tightening this, and what “good marking” looks like in each year group.

• Senior school ambition is real. Published destination tables show frequent progression to highly selective senior schools. For families seeking a more local, less pressurised route at 13+, check whether that aligns with your aims and your child’s temperament.

This is a Catholic boarding and day prep built around a clear moral framework, an extended school day, and a senior-school-facing culture that is unusually transparent about destinations. The strongest evidence points to an ethos of kindness and respect, firm behavioural expectations, and a curriculum plus co-curricular structure designed for pupils who like to be busy and involved.

Who it suits: families who want a faith-shaped education (even if not Catholic themselves), are open to boarding from Year 3 or at least to late days, and are aiming for competitive senior schools at 13+. The limiting factor is less about what is offered and more about fit, the pace of days, and the practicalities of boarding and fees.

For families weighing travel and routine, FindMySchool’s Map Search is a sensible next step to model your weekly logistics against published term dates and exeat patterns.