Felsted School Review 2026: Four Centuries and Still Forward-Thinking

Queen Elizabeth II visited in May 2014 to mark Felsted's 450th anniversary, walking the same grounds where Oliver Cromwell's four sons once studied alongside the mathematicians John Wallis and Isaac Barrow. Today, 460 years after Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, founded this school, Felsted remains rooted in that heritage while pursuing a distinctly modern educational philosophy. Spread across an 80-acre Essex campus midway between London and Cambridge, this mixed independent day and boarding school serves approximately 1,000 pupils from age 4 to 18. For students staying through the sixth form, results are genuinely strong; the A-level programme ranks in the top 25% of schools in England (FindMySchool ranking), and most leavers progress to university. Sixth Form results tell a compelling story: 64% of A-level grades reach A*-B, with substantial cohorts securing places at Russell Group universities and Oxbridge. But this is not a purely academic hothouse. The school's naming as Boarding School of the Year by the Times Educational Supplement in 2023 reflects something deeper: a boarding culture that treats the school day as just one piece of a genuinely immersive educational experience.

Just inside the gates during drop-off, the campus reveals itself as a working collision of old and new. Victorian brick buildings stand beside the gleaming, technologically sophisticated Music School opened in 2009 and designed by Nicholas Hare. Chapel bells mark the day. The school motto, Garde Ta Foy (Keep Your Faith), carries its Church of England roots into everything the school does, though the community itself is genuinely diverse; approximately 20% of students from Year 9 upwards come from overseas, creating an authentically international atmosphere without feeling forced.

Head Chris Townsend, now in his tenth year, has shaped Felsted into something his appointment itself signalled: a school uninterested in resting on heritage. His background in co-educational boarding schools (he was previously Housemaster and Head of Boarding at Stowe) shows in every detail. The residential experience isn't a bolt-on; it's central. Of the 1,000 pupils, approximately two-thirds board from age 11 onwards, creating a genuinely lived community. The school operates eight boarding houses, each named and with distinct personality: for girls, Stocks, Follyfield (the 'Follies'), Garnetts and Thorne; for boys, Elwyn's, Gepp's, Deacon's and Windsor's. Two day houses, Manor and Montgomery's (the 'Monts'), serve the remaining families.

Parents and staff describe the atmosphere as purposeful but warm. Pupils seem genuinely engaged rather than simply pressured. The inspection framework has changed since the 2019 Ofsted equivalents, with ISI now examining schools across multiple dimensions rather than assigning single grades. In December 2023, following their new framework inspection, Felsted's leadership, management and governance, quality of education, pupils' physical and mental health, and safeguarding all received positive findings. Inspectors noted particularly the school's "well-designed, broad and balanced" curriculum and "effective" teaching. Most tellingly, they observed "effective pastoral care and a school culture that promotes mutual respect; successfully supporting pupils' physical and mental health and their emotional wellbeing."

The school feels genuinely Church of England without being theologically narrow. Morning chapel happens regularly; boys and girls from all backgrounds participate. The Prep School chapel choir and Senior School choir both feature prominently in school life, and Christmas services remain genuinely anticipated events. Yet explicit religious requirement is tempered with genuine inclusivity; the EDI committee and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion efforts suggest this is a place where diversity is actively fostered, not merely tolerated.

GCSE Performance

Felsted's secondary performance sits below England average. In 2024, the average Attainment 8 score was 33.7 compared to the England average of 45.9. The school does not publish granular grade distributions for GCSE, but the broader pattern is clear: this is a school where pupils of mixed ability coexist, not one where selection creates a top-tier cohort. For a school with no entrance selection, this reflects honesty about intake diversity. However, it's critical to understand: GCSE results here are not the destination. The school's genuine strength emerges in the sixth form.

A-Level & Sixth Form Performance

This is where Felsted's academic reputation properly crystallises. At A-level in 2024, 64% of grades reached A*-B, well above the England average of 47%. Specifically, 11% achieved A* grades and 22% achieved A grades. The school ranks 545th for A-level results, placing it comfortably in the top 25% in England (FindMySchool ranking). Senior students describe the curriculum as genuinely challenging; the school offers 25 A-level subjects alongside the International Baccalaureate Diploma, which roughly one-third of Sixth Formers choose.

Most strikingly for universities, students demonstrate measurable progress. Government data indicate that Felsted's pupils make progress between GCSE and A-Level placement in the top 5% of schools in England, a figure the school actively promotes. This value-added progress is particularly significant for a school with a comprehensive intake at GCSE; pupils who arrive with modest prior attainment often leave having made exceptional progress.

In 2024, leavers demonstrated strong destination patterns. 61% of the cohort progressed directly to university. Critically for competitive applications, Felsted maintains real Oxbridge entry: in the measurement period, 9 students applied to Oxbridge combined (Cambridge and Oxford), with 1 receiving an offer and ultimately securing a place at Cambridge.

Beyond Oxbridge, students regularly secure places at Russell Group universities, though the school does not publish a specific percentage breakdown. Regular destinations include Imperial College, UCL, Edinburgh, Durham, Bristol, and Warwick. Psychology, Economics, Politics, and English feature as particular strengths at A-level, and students selecting these fields routinely progress to leading universities.

The curriculum follows a traditional academic structure with meaningful breadth. From Year 7, sciences are taught separately (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), not combined. Latin, Spanish, and French all feature prominently. The school offers classical languages (Greek at A-level) and maintains specialist teaching in design technology, computer science, and digital media.

Teachers have demonstrable subject expertise. Inspectors noted particularly the "excellent relationships between staff and pupils" and the school's emphasis on "meticulous planning." Classes average 14 pupils at GCSE and drop below 10 for many A-level sets, allowing genuinely differentiated instruction. The extended school day means teaching time is substantial; this isn't a school that races through content.

The music school, opened in 2009 and designed by Nicholas Hare, houses a 200-seat recital hall with room for an audience of more than 150, a recording studio, percussion suite, dedicated drum room, and a Steinway Model B Grand Piano. This isn't window dressing; the physical environment actively shapes what becomes possible musically. The school maintains a unique partnership with the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, allowing talented musicians to pursue an integrated programme combining Felsted academics with specialist conservatoire-level tuition.

For families choosing boarding, Felsted offers authentic residentiality without separation from day pupils. Contemporary, flexible, and full boarding options all exist. Full boarders live on site for weeks at a time; weekly boarders return home for weekends; contemporary boarders attend 3 nights per week, a significant step up from traditional day arrangements but maintaining family contact.

The boarding houses operate as genuine homes. Each house has a resident Housemistress or Housemaster, an Assistant HM, a matron, and a resident tutor. Younger boarders share dormitory-style accommodation, while older students progress to individual study-bedrooms. This isn't a hotel experience; houses have their own identities, their own traditions, their own competitive spirit. House competitions drive everything from drama productions to chess, creating genuine inter-house camaraderie.

Weekends follow traditional patterns. Saturday morning school remains compulsory, with afternoon sporting fixtures expected. Sundays feature brunch followed by coffee club and a choice of either an external outing or indoor activities including dodgeball, baking, chess, water polo and craft-making. Regular outings include shopping and cinema trips to Braintree, Chelmsford and Cambridge, evening meals at local restaurants, and visits to theme parks. All houses have games consoles and subscriptions to film libraries and sports channels, providing comfort and entertainment within the boarding environment.

The school holds "Sleep Champion" status awarded by the Boarding Schools' Association following an audit of facilities and bedtime routines, demonstrating genuine institutional attention to rest and wellbeing.

A massive support network underpins pastoral care. Beyond the house system, every student has a tutor, subject teachers, a house matron, chaplain, peer counsellors, and house and school prefects. The school maintains a purpose-built wellbeing centre where pupils can access space, reflection, and advice from trained staff.

The inspection noted particularly the "effective safeguarding measures" and confirmed pupils understand how to stay safe. For a boarding school, this verification matters deeply.

The co-curricular programme spans over 50 named clubs and societies, a range that genuinely allows each student to craft their own Felsted experience. Rather than listing exhaustively, the genuinely distinctive offerings reveal the school's values.

Music: A Defining Strength

The Senior School Orchestra, Wind Band, Jazz Band and Funk Band represent the ensemble tier, with students also participating in regular concerts. The Full Choir opens to all, with a selective elite choir for advanced singers and specific choirs for special events. Choral Scholars support the Prep School chapel choir. The annual "House Shout" singing competition drives house cohesion. Individual instrumental tuition from "highly qualified professional musicians" operates across the school.

The state-of-the-art Music School opened by Dame Evelyn Glenlie in 2009 houses 13 teaching and practice rooms alongside the 200-seat recital hall. The Guildhall partnership means exceptional musicians don't face a choice between Felsted academics and elite musical training; they pursue both. The annual "Swing into Spring" event showcases prep and senior musicians and staff together, suggesting genuine permeability across the school.

Sixth Form music scholarships exist specifically, including unique Junior Guildhall/Felsted dual scholarships offering "an outstanding musical pathway for talented pupils."

Drama: Highly Professional and Accessible

The Hunt Theatre, equipped technically to the standard of any small professional theatre, seats 128 with fully computerised lighting and sound controls, extensive lanterns and sound equipment, dressing rooms, and a front-of-house box office with licensed bar. Larger productions use the senior school's majestic Grignon Hall and the prep's Ross Hall.

Annual drama productions feature each prep year group. The senior school mounts an annual play (musical every two years), creating genuine theatrical production experience. Under the guidance of a dedicated Head of Drama and full-time Theatre Manager, pupils can learn responsibility for all technical aspects: sound, lighting, make-up, wardrobe. Many pupils also direct productions. The school's drama touring programme has international reach; biennial productions have toured American high schools, with one performing Stephen Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in 2008, subsequently repeated with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2010), The Secret Garden (2012) and Cabaret (2014).

STEM and Technology

Design Technology, Computer Science, and Digital Media all feature prominently. The school offers robotics through the Physics and Engineering Society (building and controlling VEX Robotics kits), electronics (simple control circuits and soldering kits), and astronomy (weather permitting, using the school's own telescopes). Young Engineers targets pupils with D&T passion for project work that might feed into competitions.

CREST awards allow students to choose their own subject and complete hands-on investigations in a STEM area of choice. Awards can be internet-based, involve laboratory research, or construction, presented as video, presentation or written report. This student agency matters; teenagers aren't following predetermined scripts.

The school maintains partnerships with Guildhall for music, but also with professional sporting bodies: Saracens Rugby, Essex Cricket, Mavericks Netball and Blue Hornets Hockey offer support, resources and professional coaching.

Academic Societies Beyond the Standard

The Andrew Society admits by application only and targets Year 12-13 pupils with genuine intellectual curiosity. The Roberts Society similarly targets Years 9-11 for academic enrichment outside curriculum. The Medical & Veterinary Society provides industry specialist activity. Geography Society, History Society, Philosophy Society and Critical Thinking all function as genuine inquiry spaces rather than subject reinforcement clubs.

Model United Nations requires serious engagement; students visit The Hague, participate in the Felsted Model United Nations Conference, and attend conferences hosted by external companies and other schools. Public Speaking focuses on debate, argument construction, and oracy skills including body language and Standard English. Felsted's Pride Society and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee are student-led initiatives.

Sports: National Recognition and Access

The core sports, Rugby, Hockey, Cricket, Tennis and Netball, feature competitive representation. Girls' hockey competes at national level, with recent team membership in national finals. Cricket has seen similar national representation. The girls' netball programme shows competitive excellence. The partnerships with Saracens, Essex Cricket, Blue Hornets, and Mavericks mean elite coaching reaches the school regularly.

Beyond elite sport, every pupil is encouraged to participate in individual and team sports. The facilities match this ambition: 25 tennis courts, 6 netball courts, 3 squash courts, two astroturf pitches, heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, two sports halls, and a professionally managed gym. For equestrian enthusiasts, polo is available (by application/invitation at an additional charge of £60 per lesson) at Silver Leys Polo Club with external HPA coaches; no prior experience necessary but participants must be confident cantering. Show jumping and dressage also feature for experienced riders.

Specialist coaching in athletics, football, and junior leaders programmes feed progression pathways. The DofE Award scheme (Bronze, Silver, Gold) engages students in structured personal development.

Service and Global Engagement

Volunteering runs Friday afternoons, with students supporting local residential care homes (dementia, old age, physical disability, sensory impairment), sheltered accommodation, charity shops, and primary schools. This isn't tokenistic; volunteering hours count towards IB CAS and DofE requirements, but the genuine impact on pupil sense of global citizenship is evident. The school partners with Magic Bus (Mumbai) and the Sparkle Foundation (Malawi), creating meaningful international service engagement.

Round Square membership (the school is a full member of this international conference) offers genuine global educational perspective. The International Summer School brings hundreds of global students to Felsted each summer, creating cultural understanding through lived experience.

Tuition is substantial. From September 2025, Prep day fees range from £4,710 per term (Years R-2) to £9,342 per term (Years 7-8). Senior day fees are £12,216 per term. Boarding options include contemporary (3 nights per week) at £15,114 per term, weekly (5 nights) at £17,322 per term, and traditional full boarding at £18,702 per term.

Additional charges apply for instrumental tuition (£40.45 for half-hour lessons), examination fees, some minority sports, and societies. Music scholarships and dual Felsted/Guildhall scholarships offer fee reduction for talented musicians.

The school explicitly states families should expect to receive up to six invoices per academic year, with fees invoiced termly in advance. Payment options include bank transfer, cheque, Flywire online system, or telephone card payment. Payment plans via School Fee Plan allow monthly instalments, spreading the burden.

For forces families and clergy, additional financial support exists. The school notes Felsted is a registered charity (no. 310870) that reinvests surplus back into the school rather than distributing profit.

Felsted is non-selective at entry; no entrance exam at 11+. The school accepts pupils from a wide catchment, with day buses running routes across the region. Entry at 13, 16 (sixth form) and even Year 5 are all possible. International pupils from as early as Year 5 are welcome, with optimal entry points at Years 7, 9, 10 and 12.

The school offers a LEAP (Language Enrichment Academic Programme) course for international students requiring English language support before mainline entry. This suggests genuine commitment to integration rather than mere international fee revenue.

Scholarships are available in Music, Academic, Sport, and Art/Drama at entry points Year 9 and 12, offering a pathway for talented pupils whose families cannot afford full fees. The Hunter & Wallis Scholarships specifically support academic excellence. Bursary support exists, though specific percentages aren't published on the standard admissions page.

The school day begins at 8:20am for Years 3+ (years 5-8) and 8:50am for Prep. For Years 5-8, school ends at latest 5:50pm Monday-Friday, except Wednesdays when day pupils depart after sporting fixtures at 3:45pm. Saturday morning school begins from Year 7 (optional Year 5-6), concluding around 2:00pm after afternoon sporting commitments.

Wraparound care exists for Prep: Breakfast Club from 7:30am (optional extra) and the Woodlanders After School Club from 3:30pm-5:45pm for Reception-Year 2 (bookable half or full sessions). A fleet of minibuses serves multiple routes, arriving by 8:10am and departing at 6:10pm, also running Saturday mornings.

The campus sits in rural North Essex, with Stansted Airport just 20 minutes away, Chelmsford and Stansted train stations approximately 20 minutes by taxi. London Heathrow and Gatwick are roughly one hour by car.

Strong A-level performance masks weaker GCSE outcomes. This school works best for families prioritising sixth-form success, not those seeking excellent results across all five years. Students arriving with lower attainment at GCSE often blossom at A-level, but expectation-setting matters; this isn't a school where every child achieves top grades at 16.

Boarding is central to identity, not optional extra. Approximately two-thirds of pupils board. The school's genuine strength emerges through the boarding culture and extended pastoral networks. Day pupils are welcome and integrated, but families choosing purely day education should recognise they're slightly swimming against the tide of institutional personality.

The Church of England character is genuine. While the school welcomes pupils of all faiths, Christian worship and values permeate daily life. Families uncomfortable with regular chapel and explicitly Christian framing should look elsewhere.

International diversity is real but concentrated in upper years. Approximately 20% of students from Year 9 upwards are international. This creates genuine cultural breadth but means international experience is not evenly distributed across all year groups.

Felsted works best for families seeking a genuinely international, boarding-centered education where sixth-form success matters more than early teenage achievement. The A-level programme is legitimately strong (top 25% in England), Oxbridge representation is real, and university destinations are excellent. The co-curricular offer is genuinely exceptional; few schools of any type offer the breadth and seriousness in music, drama, STEM and service that Felsted delivers.

The boarding culture is the school's genuinely distinctive feature. This isn't a place where boarders are housed as an afterthought; they're central to the school's entire identity and support systems. For families seeking that immersive educational model, whether their own children board or not, Felsted delivers authentically.

The main caveat is honest: this is not a school for families whose children find early failure devastating. The comprehensive intake and genuine ability range mean GCSE results are mixed. Many pupils thrive with this; others may find the experience less supportive than they anticipated.

Best suited to families valuing international perspective, boarding immersion, strong sixth-form outcomes, and breadth beyond pure academics. For such families, Felsted's 460-year heritage now aligns genuinely with contemporary educational thinking.