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Preparation for senior school can dominate some preps. Here, it is planned, but not left to a frantic final year. The curriculum builds towards the 11+ over time, with reasoning introduced early and specialist teaching expanding as pupils move through the school.
It is a small independent day school with nursery provision, catering for ages 2 to 11, and it sits in the London Borough of Barnet. The school was founded in 1873 and moved to its current site in the 1950s, giving it a long local footprint while still presenting as a modern, tech-aware prep.
Leadership is currently in the hands of Mr Matthew Foley, who is listed as headteacher on official listings and school information pages; professional biographical information also places his start in September 2024.
The tone is strongly values-led, with behaviour framed around Golden Rules that apply from Preschool through Year 6. The language is deliberately consistent, with pupils given clear expectations about respectful conduct and fairness.
Pastoral care is described as deliberately preventative, aiming to address small worries before they become bigger ones. The class teacher is positioned as the daily anchor, and the structure is reinforced via a house system intended to mix ages and build a sense of belonging across the school rather than only within year groups.
The most recent ISI inspection (January 2023) judged both pupils’ academic and other achievements, and their personal development, as excellent, and confirmed that standards were met in the compliance inspection.
As an independent prep, there are no standardised national performance tables in the same way as state primaries, and this school does not publish headline KS2 outcomes in the usual format.
Instead, the most useful public evidence is the school’s inspection picture and its destination outcomes. The January 2023 ISI report describes strong progress from varied starting points, with pupils developing high-level communication and confident attitudes to learning. It also gives concrete examples of classroom challenge, including debating work linked to a visit to the Houses of Parliament, and practical science tasks such as fossil recreation and discussion of rock permeability.
Parents comparing local options may find it helpful to use the FindMySchool local hub comparison tools for nearby state primaries, then treat this school’s evidence base as inspection plus destinations plus fit, rather than a direct table-to-table comparison.
The curriculum is framed around personalised learning and small-group teaching, with subject specialists taking clear responsibility for pupils’ progress. The emphasis is on building breadth without sacrificing core English and mathematics, and pupils are also taught verbal and non-verbal reasoning as part of the longer-run 11+ runway.
In Early Years, the school describes an EYFS PLUS model. Preschool includes daily numeracy and literacy foundations alongside specialist teaching in French, music, and sport or PE, which is an unusually structured offer for this age. Children can join from the term they turn 3, and the curriculum is planned as a two-year rolling programme.
From Year 3, the school describes a shift into a more demanding ISEB-style framework for core subjects, alongside specialist teaching across the curriculum and drama added as a discrete subject. The intended implication is twofold: pupils build exam technique gradually, and interview confidence is developed as a curriculum strand rather than an add-on.
Technology is positioned as a structured part of learning rather than a novelty. The school references platforms including Learning by Questions, Century Tech, Firefly and Microsoft Teams, and it states that pupils in Year 3 and above are provided with a laptop as a 1:1 device.
For a prep, the most concrete outcome measure is senior school offers and scholarships. Here, the school publishes detailed destination data.
For the 2024 to 2025 cycle, 17 Year 6 pupils received 32 offers across a range of selective independents and academically competitive day schools, with 9 scholarships recorded, 8 academic and 1 sport. The offer list includes St Albans School (4), North London Collegiate School (3), Aldenham (3), Belmont (3), Merchant Taylors’ (2), and a spread of further options including Channing, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Schools, Immanuel College, Queenswood, and others.
The prior year (2023 to 2024) shows a similar pattern in scale, with 15 pupils receiving 37 offers and 10 scholarships (7 academic and 3 sport). This mix matters for families because it suggests the school is not tied to a single destination route. Pupils appear to leave for a wide range of targets, from high-selectivity London day schools to strong Hertfordshire and North London options, which can suit families who want advice tailored to the child rather than a fixed feeder pathway.
The school describes its admissions as rolling and capacity-led, with early applications recommended and considered in the order received. Offers are subject to availability and the admissions requirements at the time.
Entry points typically include Preschool (from the term a child turns 3) and Reception. For Reception, the school describes an informal assessment in the Autumn term prior to the year of entry, followed by an admissions meeting with a senior leader. For in-year places from Reception through Year 6, families are asked to register, provide recent reports, and pupils sit age-appropriate maths and English assessments followed by a taster session, with offers made in application order.
Open events are published on the school’s own pages, including an Open Morning and age-specific sessions such as Reception Little Roars and Kindercubs. Because dates on open-event pages can refer to the current term and may have already passed, it is safest to treat the pattern as termly, then check the most recent listings before booking. Families mapping the practicalities should also use FindMySchool’s Map Search to sense-check travel times and day-to-day feasibility, particularly if drop-off and pick-up will be tight around work schedules.
Pastoral care is described as deliberately structured. The class teacher is framed as the first point of contact daily, and the house system is used to build connection across ages. Golden Rules provide a shared behavioural framework for pupils and staff from the earliest years.
Safeguarding responsibilities are clearly allocated in published roles. The staff list identifies the headteacher and safeguarding leads, including the Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputies, with an explicit deputy for Early Years.
Wraparound appears to be in place, and school procedures describe after-school care as the default if a child is not collected by 3:35pm, with escalation steps if a child remains uncollected later. This is practical reassurance for working families, even if the exact club timetable and pricing varies by term.
The extracurricular menu is wide for a small prep, with clubs described as evolving by term. The school explicitly references activities including chess, Greek, Spanish, construction, board games, ICT, library club, handbells, and a range of sport.
Creative and performing arts are unusually detailed. Pupils from Preschool to Year 6 have weekly music with the Head of Music, and co-curricular options include choir, handbells club, string group and guitar ensemble, plus performance events such as tea-time concerts, carol concerts and end-of-year performances. Drama is timetabled from Year 3, and many pupils take additional LAMDA lessons, which develop communication and performance confidence in a formal structure.
The ISI report adds useful outcome texture, noting successes in Barnet Borough football, netball and cricket leagues, achievements in national competitions such as ISA 3D art (runner-up) and the Royal Mint writing competition, plus Primary Maths Challenge awards for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. The implication is that pupils are given both breadth and genuine opportunities to compete, which tends to suit children who enjoy performing, competing, and sharing work publicly rather than keeping everything classroom-contained.
*Bursaries may be available for eligible families.
Basis: per term
The published term dates for the 2025 to 2026 academic year show a traditional three-term structure, with Autumn term beginning on 03 September 2025 and the Summer term ending on 10 July 2026.
Early Years session timings are stated on the fees page, with Preschool sessions running from 8:30am to 3:20pm for full-day attendance. After-school procedures indicate that children not collected by 3:35pm move into after-school care.
On site, facilities include an ICT suite, dedicated Art and Design studio, music room, library and a fully equipped science laboratory. Outdoors, the school references a planting area, amphitheatre, astroturf football pitch, netball pitch and a giant chess board, plus regular use of local facilities including Poolside Manor swimming pool and Powerleague. For public transport context, Hendon Central Underground Station on the Northern line is the nearest obvious Tube hub in the area.
For 2025 to 2026, fees are published per term, with three terms per academic year.
Reception total termly fee is £6,381 (made up of £6,006 tuition plus £375 compulsory lunch).
Years 1 to 4 total termly fee is £7,393 (tuition plus £375 lunch).
Years 5 to 6 total termly fee is £7,859 (tuition plus £375 lunch).
The school notes that VAT is included in termly fees following its introduction on 01 January 2025, and that lunch fees are exempt from VAT.
One-off costs include a £120 registration fee at the point of application. The school also notes a 5% sibling discount for second and subsequent children.
For Early Years, the school states that government-funded hours are available for all 3 and 4 year olds in Preschool from the term after they turn 3, and it provides an indicative saving of approximately £900 per term in an independent-school setting. (Nursery and Preschool fee tables change by session pattern, so families should use the school’s published fees page for the current breakdown.)
Senior school focus starts early. Reasoning and structured 11+ preparation are woven in from the lower years, which is excellent for children aiming at selective destinations, but it can feel goal-driven for families who prefer a slower academic tempo.
ICT integration is a stated development point. The 2023 inspection recommended strengthening how ICT skills are applied across the curriculum, so parents may want to ask how this has progressed alongside the move to 1:1 laptops from Year 3.
Space is managed through smart use of facilities. Outdoor provision is strong for a London prep, but some sports provision relies on regular use of local partner facilities, which can mean more off-site logistics in the timetable.
Fees are transparent and inclusive of lunch, but still substantial. Lunch is compulsory and built into the termly figure, and VAT is already incorporated in the published totals, so families should budget using the all-in headline amounts.
This is a prep that takes both learning and next-step outcomes seriously. The evidence points to confident pupils, clear behavioural expectations, and a curriculum that ramps up steadily towards selective senior school entry, backed by detailed offer data and scholarship outcomes.
Best suited to families who want a structured academic journey, value small-school pastoral systems like a house structure and consistent rules, and are likely to pursue competitive senior school entry at 11. If your priority is a more informal, less exam-oriented primary experience, it is worth probing how the school balances ambition with pace for your particular child.
The available evidence is strong. The latest ISI inspection in January 2023 judged pupils’ academic and other achievements, and their personal development, as excellent. Senior school outcomes are also detailed and wide-ranging, with multiple scholarships recorded in recent published destination cycles.
For 2025 to 2026, published total termly fees are £6,381 for Reception, £7,393 for Years 1 to 4, and £7,859 for Years 5 to 6, with lunch included in those totals. A £120 registration fee applies at application stage.
Applications are handled directly by the school and are described as capacity-led, with early applications recommended and considered in the order received. For Reception, the school describes an informal assessment in the Autumn term before entry, followed by a meeting with senior staff. Open events and taster sessions are listed on the school site and typically run each term, so families should check the latest dates before booking.
Yes, preparation is described as scaffolded over several years, with termly ISEB assessments from Year 3 and explicit support for exam technique and interviews by Year 6. Published destination data shows offers across a wide spread of selective schools, with scholarships recorded.
The school describes a changing clubs programme, with examples including chess, Greek, Spanish, construction, ICT, library club, handbells, choir and LAMDA. The ISI report also references success in local sports leagues and national competitions such as ISA 3D art and the Royal Mint writing competition.
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