Loyola Preparatory School Review 2026: Catholic boys’ prep with a clear 11-plus pipeline

Independent preps do not typically publish the same national benchmark data parents see for state primaries, and there are no standardised Key Stage 2 performance figures available to compare here.

The most decision-relevant academic evidence is the published senior-school outcomes. For leavers 2024/25, the school lists entries, offers, scholarships (music, academic, and sport), and acceptances across a spread of independent, grammar, and state-maintained destinations. Examples include acceptances at Chigwell School (4), Bancroft's School (4), Brentwood School (2), Forest School (0), and St Paul's School (1). The list also includes grammar and state destinations, including Ilford County High School (2) and Trinity Catholic High School (2).

There is also a broader headline claim on the school’s “Why choose” content that, in 2024, pupils secured 38 offers and 6 scholarships to “top academic schools”. Treat that as an indicator of breadth of success rather than a standalone metric, because the destinations table provides the more granular picture.

Curriculum intent is framed around cohesion and progress, with subject leaders and staff working from “challenging curriculum maps”. The curriculum list is broad for a prep, including Spanish, music, art, physical education and games, and ICT, with specialist teachers used in several of these areas.

A concrete example of how this is operationalised is the approach to English and communication. The school describes an English curriculum anchored in high-quality children’s literature, with oracy threaded through the years, starting with show-and-tell in Kindergarten and building towards presentations and interviews by Year 6. That matters for 11-plus readiness because confidence in spoken language and interview performance is often a differentiator in competitive admissions.

In Key Stage 2, the school describes the day as starting between 8.15am and 8.30am and ending at 3.05pm, and it also states that maths and English are taught with streaming, supported by two teachers and a teaching assistant. That is a specific commitment of staffing and structure, and it signals an intention to tailor pace

For a prep, “next steps” is the story. The school publishes a school-by-school list for leavers 2024/25 that includes both independent and state routes.

For independent destinations, the list covers a range of profiles, from academically selective London day schools to Essex independents. The entries and acceptances include Bancroft's School, Chigwell School, Brentwood School, New Hall School, and Felsted School, alongside selective out-of-area outcomes such as St Paul's School.

For grammar routes, offers listed include Ilford County High School and King Edward VI Grammar School.

For state-maintained routes, the list includes acceptances at Davenant Foundation School, Roding Valley High School, and Trinity Catholic High School.

If you are comparing shortlists, this is exactly the kind of information that is easier to interpret when you map it against your own non-negotiables. FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature is useful here because it lets you keep a shortlist of likely senior routes alongside this prep option, then refine based on journey time and admissions fit.

Admissions are handled directly by the school, with a tour-led process and assessment from Year 1 onwards (including 7+). The school describes a step-by-step pathway, including a visit, a tour with the headmistress, and an assessment day or half day once an application form and questionnaire are submitted, alongside a non-refundable application fee.

Entry points are flexible. The school notes it is common to join from the term after a child turns 3, or via 7+ for Year 3, with occasional availability in other year groups depending on places.

For families planning 7+ entry, the school’s current information highlights a winter assessment window. It states a registration deadline of Thursday 29 January with assessments held on Tuesday 3 February. Dates like this can shift annually, so treat them as a pattern anchor and confirm the live cycle on the school website before planning around them.

The school positions wellbeing as an active programme rather than a reactive service. It describes a wellbeing day once per half term, including skills such as meditation, breathing techniques, and positive affirmations, plus a lunchtime drop-in.

Pastoral expectations are set firmly, including an explicit stance that bullying and discrimination are not tolerated, and a stated focus on early identification of vulnerable pupils and early intervention.

According to the most recent Independent Schools Inspectorate inspection (18 to 20 June 2024), the school met the Standards, including in safeguarding.

Co-curricular life is structured and termly, with a published Lent Term 2026 clubs timetable. The list is specific enough to give a real sense of what children can actually do in a typical week. Examples include Lexia (literacy club), Touch Typing Club, Lego Club, Junior Choir, CAFOD Club, Chess Club, Sketch Club, Puzzle Club, and School Council meetings, alongside after-school options such as Schola, choir, and Cooking Club for PP2.

Sport is also clearly organised around fixtures and training squads. The clubs timetable includes football training split by age and squad, plus hockey training, and the school references football, rugby, and cricket teams competing against local independent schools.

Facilities reinforce that breadth. The school’s sports page lists an AstroTurf pitch and a full-size hard court, plus informal play areas such as a table tennis zone and the Pirate Ship, with younger pupils having their own lower playground.

For 2025/26, the published termly fee for PP1 to Rudiments (Years 1 to 6) is £5,520, VAT inclusive. The same £5,520 figure is also shown for Reception from the term after a pupil’s fifth birthday.

The school also publishes several additional charges and inclusions. Fees are presented as covering tuition, lunch, books, stationery, and some timetabled after-school activities for Reception to Year 6. Educational visits and other excursions are listed at £26 per term, with extended residential trips charged separately, and some activities charged where additional specialist staff are required.

One-off items listed include a £60 application fee and a £1,000 acceptance deposit.

Financial support is a mix of scholarships and means-tested help. The school describes the Hume Scholarship as typically covering 50% of the Whitsun term fee, awarded annually based on end-of-year English and maths exams in Year 2, and continuing through Years 3 to 6 subject to performance. It also states that bursary applications are considered for Years 3 to 6 based on availability, income, and ability.

Nursery and Early Years fee structures are affected by funded hours and eligibility, so the right approach is to check the school’s published information for the current Early Years detail rather than relying on a single headline number.

The school day has staggered end times by age. The school publishes dismissal at 2.50pm for Kindergarten, 3.00pm for Reception, and 3.05pm for older year groups, with pupils arriving between 8.15am and 8.30am.

Wraparound care is clearly defined. Breakfast Club is offered with two drop-off options, 7.15am to 8.15am including breakfast for £6.75, or 7.45am to 8.15am for £4. Homework Club runs 3.15pm to 4.14pm for £6. After-School Club is offered in three sessions, 3.15pm to 4.15pm for younger pupils, then sessions to 5.15pm and 6.15pm, each listed at £6.75.

Holiday provision is also on-site. The school states it provides four onsite holiday clubs during school holidays, covering most weeks.

For travel, Transport for London lists Buckhurst Hill Underground Station on the Central line, which will be the obvious public transport anchor for many families.

• A very explicit 11-plus focus. The school’s published messaging and destinations data keep returning to senior-school preparation. That suits many families, but those wanting a lighter-touch approach may prefer a prep with less emphasis on outcomes.

• Costs beyond headline fees. Even with inclusions like lunch and books, there are additional items such as £26 per term for educational visits, plus charges for residential trips and some specialist-run activities. Budgeting works best when you treat tuition as the base layer, then plan for the extras.

• Wraparound works well, but it is segmented. After-school sessions are structured into set time blocks, which is helpful for planning, but it may not match every family’s working pattern unless you use the later sessions.

• Boys-only is a real choice, not a detail. The school argues that boys benefit from tailored teaching and pastoral assumptions. Families who prefer co-education throughout primary will want to weigh that carefully.

This is a focused, Catholic boys’ prep with a pragmatic mix of small-school familiarity and structured ambition. The most persuasive evidence is the published 11-plus destinations list, which shows breadth across independent, grammar, and state routes, plus named scholarship outcomes.

Best suited to families who want a boys-only setting, who value a clear senior-school pipeline, and who will use wraparound and holiday options as part of normal weekly logistics. If this is on your shortlist, FindMySchool’s Map Search is useful for comparing daily travel practicality against other prep and senior-school combinations.