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A prep that keeps things deliberately small, then uses that scale to run a tightly organised day and a surprisingly broad timetable. The setting matters here. The school sits just outside Faversham and makes purposeful use of nearby woodland, with access to around forty acres of Trustlands directly behind the site.
Leadership is stable and visible. The head, Mr Richard McIntosh, joined in September 2021. The more useful questions are practical: do you want a prep where the outdoors is used routinely, where prep-age pupils are nudged towards the 11+, and where wraparound runs late enough to cover commuting?
The school’s own strapline, We Care. We Share. We Strive. We Succeed., tells you a lot about the tone it aims for: upbeat, effort-focused, and socially aware.
Day-to-day routines lean on structure. The published timetable shows an early start with a formal 8:20am beginning for most pupils, assembly on most days, and clear end-of-day handovers that vary by age, 3:15pm for Early Years, 3:30pm for Pre-Prep, and 3:45pm for Prep. That kind of precision usually correlates with calm transitions and fewer grey areas around supervision, which matters more than it sounds in a small school where everyone notices everything.
Since the current head’s appointment in September 2021, the early years spaces and play areas have been refreshed and an outdoor woodland learning environment has been established on site. For families choosing an independent prep at ages three to eleven, that investment pattern is often a proxy for intent, the school is not just maintaining, it is actively shaping its offer in Early Years and the outdoors.
. What parents can do instead is interrogate the school’s curriculum design and the exit routes it prepares children for.
One useful signal is that the prep years include a formal extension strand called the Able and Interested programme. Pupils select from a menu that includes engineering, maths and problem solving, business start-up and development, scientific exploration, music composition (including digital music), plus options such as Ancient Greek or Japanese. The implication is straightforward: the school expects academic stretch before Year 7, and it is building confidence with more secondary-style thinking while pupils are still in a prep setting.
Another signal is how explicitly the school frames prep as preparation for senior entry. In practice, that means structured reasoning and maths assessment can form part of prep entry decisions (not just informal settling-in), and the school talks openly about standardised scores and 11+ projection.
Early Years is described as a blend of child-initiated sessions and teacher-led activities, with daily reading, phonics, and writing that progresses from early mark-making into short stories. Maths is taught through a mastery approach that is consistent with the rest of the school. The practical takeaway is that the nursery and reception years are not treated as a separate world, they are built to feed into a coherent approach across Pre-Prep and Prep.
In Prep, the school positions its teaching as individualised, and the small-school advantage is that staff can calibrate pace quickly. The best evidence of this is not a claim about being personalised, but the way enrichment is embedded as a weekly entitlement through Able and Interested, rather than a bolt-on for a handful of pupils.
PE is unusually structured for a small prep. The published outline describes two PE lessons a week for Pre-Prep, then for Prep a lesson plus additional games lessons and fixtures. That volume matters if you want sport to be more than an afterthought, while still leaving space for music, drama, and academic stretch.
This is a prep school with an explicit 11+ culture. The school’s own leavers note says most children currently choose to take the 11+ for entry into grammar schools, while others move on to independent education or local high schools.
The school also publishes named destination examples. A school newsletter lists leavers progressing to grammar and local senior options including Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School (Faversham), The Abbey School (Faversham), Borden Grammar (Sittingbourne), Barton Court Grammar (Canterbury), and Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar (Canterbury). For parents, this clarifies the likely direction of travel: the school is geared to selective Kent routes, and it is comfortable supporting applications where entry requirements are competitive.
Admissions are direct and relationship-led rather than a single deadline-driven funnel. The school encourages tours at any point and runs open mornings three times a year, while also welcoming visits on normal school days.
Entry points are flexible:
Nursery, children can attend full or part-time, and the school recommends increasing sessions over the year for a smooth move into full-time education later on.
Reception entry is in the September after a child’s fourth birthday.
Pre-Prep entry is typically after a successful half-day visit.
Prep entry (ages seven to eleven) may involve an entrance test covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning plus mathematics, alongside a day spent with peers for broader observation.
There are also clear financial steps once a place is offered. The school sets out a £100 registration fee at the point of joining the prospective list, and on acceptance references a £100 administration fee plus a £250 deposit that is refundable on leaving.
In a small school, safeguarding is often strongest when it is routine and frequently refreshed. The school’s inspection documentation describes regular safeguarding training, including a weekly quiz covering scenarios, and clear reporting routes with oversight from trained governors.
The day structure also supports wellbeing in simple ways: predictable breaks, separate lunch timings for younger and older pupils, and age-staged endings so the youngest children are not forced into the pace of the prep timetable.
The extracurricular menu is more specific than you might expect at this size. The activities list includes archery, taekwondo, cricket, dodgeball, gardening, and multisports on the physical side, then arts options such as chamber choir, string ensemble, recorder group, speech and drama, plus clubs including coding, cookery, creative writing, French club, film club, chess, book club, and mindfulness colouring.
Music has two distinct tracks. There are group activities (choirs and ensembles), and the option of individual tuition and LAMDA as extras. The practical implication is that children can try performance-based activities without needing them to be a whole-family lifestyle, but those with a genuine appetite can also build a more serious programme.
Sport is supported by facilities that go beyond a single playground. The sports department information references a purpose-built sports hall (with underfloor heating), on-site pitches for U9 and U11, and access to trust land for orienteering and cross-country, plus links to local facilities for astroturf and swimming.
Fees data coming soon.
The published school-day outline is detailed enough to plan around. School opens at 8:00am, formal lessons begin at 8:20am for most pupils, and the day ends at 3:15pm for Early Years, 3:30pm for Pre-Prep, and 3:45pm for Prep. Most activities finish around 4:45pm, and the latest advertised pick-up time from after-school care is 6:00pm.
Transport is a known issue for families outside immediate villages, and the school addresses it with a morning-only minibus route starting in Sittingbourne and running through Teynham, Lynsted, Doddington, and Newnham. Charges are stated as per-family rather than per-child from September onwards, and families are asked to flag demand early for the start of term.
Fees are published per term, with the school explicitly stating that the schedule for the year ending 31 August 2026 includes VAT from January 2025. Reception is £4,300 per term, Years 1 to 3 are £5,640 per term, and Years 4 to 6 are £6,330 per term.
Wraparound is available and priced separately. The school sets out after-school care charges by collection window, and notes that places are limited and should be booked in advance.
Bursaries are mentioned, but the school states they are currently under revision, so families should expect details to be confirmed directly during the admissions process.
Nursery fees are published by the school, but parents should refer to the school’s own fees page for early years pricing and eligibility rules. Government-funded hours may apply for eligible children, and the exact entitlement depends on local authority cut-off dates.
Small-school scale. One-form entry and a total capacity of 140 can be a real strength for individual attention, but it also means fewer “same-age” friendship options if your child needs a very wide peer group.
An 11+ direction of travel. The school’s leavers pattern points clearly towards grammar and selective routes. That suits families who actively want 11+ preparation, but it may feel misaligned if you are hoping for a lower-stakes transition at eleven.
Fees include VAT, and bursary detail is in flux. Parents get clarity on core termly fees, but financial assistance information is described as under revision, so do not assume support levels without direct confirmation.
Transport relies on family logistics unless you fit the minibus line. The morning minibus helps on a specific corridor; outside that, daily travel is likely to be car-led.
This is a prep for families who value tight routines, consistent expectations, and a clear pathway towards selective senior entry, with the outdoors used as a real part of the week rather than a marketing flourish. It suits children who respond well to structure, enjoy variety in clubs, and will benefit from small-scale attention across ages three to eleven. The main question is strategic: if an 11+ shaped environment is what you want, it is well aligned; if you are looking for a deliberately low-pressure route at eleven, you will need to probe how academic stretch is balanced day to day.
For families seeking a small independent prep with an outdoors dimension and a clear 11+ pathway, the evidence points in a positive direction. The most recent ISI regulatory compliance inspection (June 2023) confirmed all required standards were met, and a later ISI material change inspection (January 2024) again recorded the relevant standards as met, including safeguarding.
For the fee year ending 31 August 2026, the school lists termly fees of £4,300 for Reception, £5,640 for Years 1 to 3, and £6,330 for Years 4 to 6, with the school stating fees include VAT from January 2025. Nursery fees are published separately on the school’s fees page.
Outdoor learning is a defining feature, with access to woodland Trustlands directly behind the school and a Forest School focus presented as part of the offer.
Admissions are direct to the school, with open mornings typically held three times a year and visits welcomed on normal school days. Entry to Prep may involve an assessment covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning plus mathematics, alongside a day in school for observation.
The published timetable ends at 3:15pm for Early Years, 3:30pm for Pre-Prep, and 3:45pm for Prep, with activities commonly running to 4:45pm. After-school care is described as running up to a latest pick-up time of 6:00pm, and is charged separately.
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