The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
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A prep where the word “small” does real work. With a capacity of 125 pupils, this is a one-form setting built around familiarity, clear routines, and a pragmatic approach to modern family logistics.
The school’s story has an unusually literary thread. The main building is described as the former home of Kenneth Grahame, linked in the school’s own history to The Wind in the Willows. The outdoor learning offer leans into that backdrop, with woodland sessions in nearby Bisham Woods and Forest School-style work referenced throughout the early years.
On academic positioning, this is a non-selective independent prep that still talks openly about 11+ outcomes. The school publishes its recent Buckinghamshire grammar qualification rates, and the headline for families is that preparation is structured, explicit, and embedded into Year 6 rather than treated as an optional extra.
The school’s motto comes straight from its own history page, and it reads like an ethos statement rather than a marketing line: Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter (With Bravery, Loyalty, Happiness).
That “family” idea appears repeatedly, but the more revealing detail is how it is operationalised. Pupils are organised into a house structure with three named houses, Air, Fire, and Water, with points tied to work, behaviour, and sport, and announced weekly in a Friday “Golden Assembly”. That structure matters in a small school because it creates shared rituals across ages rather than siloed year groups.
The timetable published as “The Herries Day” also suggests a school that values rhythm and predictability. Arrival runs 08:30 to 08:55, registration sits at 08:55, and the teaching day runs through to a 15:30 finish for prep pupils, with after-school activities and extended day layered on top. In practice, that pattern tends to suit children who thrive on clear transitions and parents who need dependable wraparound options.
Independent preps rarely have a single comparable “results set” in the way state primaries do, so the most useful published data here is what the school chooses to report about transition tests.
The school publishes the percentage of pupils achieving the qualifying score for a Buckinghamshire grammar school place. The latest figure shown is 80% for September 2024, with prior years listed as 75% (September 2023), 89% (September 2022), 75% (November 2021), and 75% (November 2020, delayed).
What that means for families is not that every child is pushed down a grammar route, but that the curriculum is likely pitched with formal exam literacy in mind: timed reasoning, structured writing, and maths fluency that can withstand test conditions. For children who are capable but anxious, the fact that preparation is described as part of the school’s role can be reassuring, because it reduces the feeling that parents must source everything externally.
The inspection evidence points to a broad curriculum with specialist teaching “particularly in languages, music, art and physical education”, and the school’s own pages reinforce that with specific examples rather than general claims.
In early years, the nursery page emphasises a balance of structured activities and free play, alongside specialist input (French, music, sport) and swimming for nursery children. This tends to suit children who benefit from variety and short learning “bursts” rather than long table-based sessions, while still giving parents confidence that the early years are not purely childcare.
From Years 3 to 6, the model shifts towards form-teacher continuity alongside specialist subject teaching, which is often where small preps differentiate themselves. The practical implication is that pupils experience different teaching styles early, which can make the jump to senior school less jarring, especially for children heading into larger settings.
The March 2025 Independent Schools Inspectorate report states that the school met the Standards across the inspected areas, including safeguarding.
For a prep, the best question is not “which results table?”, it is “where do pupils land at 11, and how diverse is that list?”
The school publishes a list of destination senior schools that spans selective grammar, independent day, independent boarding, and local state options. Examples include Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, Wycombe High School, Reading Blue Coat School, Pangbourne College, Shiplake College, The Abbey School, Reading, Leighton Park School, The Piggott School, and Furze Platt Senior School.
A varied list is a useful signal in itself. It suggests the school is used to advising families with different priorities, grammar versus independent, day versus boarding, and it implies that careers advice at this stage is really “secondary-choice advice”, focused on fit, travel, and the child’s appetite for selection.
Admissions are described as non-selective, with offers made according to a waiting list position and sibling priority where possible.
The process is built around registration and relationship-building rather than an exam gate. Parents are encouraged to register early, tours are arranged individually, and children can be offered a “taster day”.
There are also clear contractual milestones once a place is offered. Registration carries a £120 non-refundable fee, and acceptance requires a completed acceptance form and a £500 deposit, described as returnable when the pupil leaves. The school notes that it usually expects acceptance two terms in advance of a start date, which is a practical point for families trying to time moves or nursery-to-reception transitions.
If you are comparing several small preps locally, the FindMySchool Saved Schools feature is useful for tracking where you have toured, which admissions steps you have completed, and which dates matter next.
Pastoral systems in a small prep are often less about formal layers and more about responsiveness, but there are still signposts of structured practice. The school describes a defined set of values (including “respect” and “resilience”), and the daily rhythm includes assemblies and form time, which provide regular touchpoints for behaviour expectations and community norms.
Inspection evidence highlights wellbeing as a priority and describes a well-established pastoral care system that provides additional support when needed, plus structured relationships and health education. In practical terms, families should expect an approach that is explicit about routines and expectations, with support mechanisms that aim to be early rather than reactive.
This is where the school’s small scale can be an advantage, because participation is rarely limited to “the few who get picked”. The published pages contain enough specific detail to see the shape of the offer.
Sport is not presented as a bolt-on. Swimming is described as part of the curriculum from Reception to Year 6, with younger pupils swimming at Court Garden Leisure Complex and older pupils using Wycombe Leisure Centre, including a 50-metre pool. The school also references fixtures and events through the Independent Schools Association, including swimming galas, and notes partnerships for games sessions at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre.
The implication for families is twofold. Children who enjoy structured coaching get regular contact time, while children who are still finding “their sport” are less likely to be sidelined, because participation is framed as expected for everyone, not a specialist track.
Music provision is unusually explicit for a small prep. The school states that each class, including nursery, has a weekly specialist lesson, and that all prep pupils join the choir, which participates in local festivals such as the Cookham Festival. Instrumental learning is available through visiting teachers (examples listed include piano, guitar, drums, violin, and voice), and the curriculum includes composing as well as performing.
The practical benefit is confidence-building through repeated low-stakes performances: harvest and Christmas events, concerts, and productions. Children who are hesitant performers often do better in schools where performance is normalised from early years, because the psychological “first time” happens early and in a familiar setting.
Drama runs from nursery to Year 6, with whole-school performances described as ranging from nativities to musicals. The school also links an after-school drama club to London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art exams, and references workshops with visiting theatre providers.
Art and design has its own stated milestone: an annual Reception art exhibition attended by a professional artist, with older pupils entering competitions and visiting galleries. For children who think visually, these public “moments” can be as motivating as a sports fixture, and they signal that creativity is not treated as an optional extra.
The woodland offer is one of the most distinctive strands. The school describes a “Woodland School” in Bisham Woods, used by children from nursery to Year 6, and the nursery page adds that Forest School includes weekly visits to Cliveden.
Done well, this kind of programme builds independence, safe risk-taking, and language for describing the natural world. It also tends to suit pupils who learn best through doing and observing rather than extended seatwork.
The school publishes a representative list that includes Cookery Club, Create Club, STEM Club, Homework Club, Fencing, Tennis, Multisports, Street Dance, and Cross Country.
Because the formal day ends at 15:30 and the after-school block runs 15:30 to 16:30 before extended day continues, this programme functions as both enrichment and childcare. For many families, that dual-purpose design is the deciding factor.
For 2025 to 26, the school publishes annual fees by phase.
Reception to Year 2: School fees £11,679; lunch £1,527; VAT at 20% £2,336; total £15,542.
Years 3 to 6: School fees £13,695; lunch £1,527; VAT at 20% £2,739; total £17,961.
The fees page also states that charges include swimming tuition (where applicable), sports transport, morning snacks, homework clubs, and personal accident insurance. That matters when comparing like-for-like costs, because two schools with similar headline fees can differ sharply once transport, clubs, and “small extras” are added back in.
For early years, the school confirms it accepts government-funded hours. For nursery fee detail, use the school’s published fees page directly, as patterns can vary by sessions and weeks per year.
Fees data coming soon.
The published day structure starts early. Breakfast club is listed from 07:30 to 08:00, followed by early bird from 08:00 to 08:30, and arrival from 08:30. The teaching day runs to 15:30, with after-school activities to 16:30 and extended day continuing to 18:00.
For travel, the school describes its setting in Cookham Dean near Maidenhead, and references links to the A404 and rail connections, which is relevant for families commuting across Berkshire and into London.
Fees are published with VAT and lunch shown separately. The totals are clear, but families should still check what their child will realistically use, for example instrumental tuition, trips, and clubs, then model the full-year cost accordingly.
A strong 11+ culture can create its own pressure. With published grammar qualification rates and explicit preparation programmes, some pupils will find the academic gearing motivating, while others may need careful support to keep confidence high.
Routines are a core part of the offer. The timetable is detailed and structured; that usually suits children who like predictability, but it can feel tight for pupils who need more flexible pacing across the day.
Small scale means fewer parallel options at any one time. In a one-form setting, roles, teams, and lead parts still exist, but the range of “levels” can be narrower than in larger preps. The upside is that participation is often broader.
This is a compact, family-oriented prep that takes both academics and practicalities seriously. The published 11+ outcomes and preparation detail will appeal to families who want clear structure and a credible route into selective and independent senior schools, while the woodland programme and strong arts and sport strands keep the experience broader than exam prep alone. Best suited to families who value a small setting with consistent routines, wraparound care, and an explicit approach to secondary-school transition.
Families weighing several local options can use the FindMySchool Comparison Tool on your local hub page to keep curriculum priorities, fees, and wraparound hours side-by-side, rather than relying on memory after multiple tours.
The most recent Independent Schools Inspectorate inspection (March 2025) reports that the school met the Standards across inspected areas, and the report narrative describes a broad curriculum with specialist teaching and a strong safeguarding culture. The school also publishes recent Buckinghamshire grammar qualification rates, with 80% achieving the qualifying score in September 2024.
For 2025 to 26 the school publishes annual totals including lunch and VAT. Reception to Year 2 is £15,542 per year, and Years 3 to 6 is £17,961 per year. Early years funding is accepted for eligible nursery pupils; families should use the school’s fees page for the relevant session pattern rather than relying on a single figure.
No. The school describes itself as non-selective, with offers made according to the waiting list and with siblings prioritised where possible. Registration is encouraged early, and tours are arranged individually.
The school publishes a destination list that includes Buckinghamshire grammar schools, local state options, and independent schools. Examples include Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, Royal Grammar School High Wycombe, Reading Blue Coat School, Pangbourne College, and The Piggott School.
Yes. The published day schedule includes breakfast club and early bird in the morning, a 15:30 end to the school day, after-school activities through to 16:30, and extended day continuing until 18:00.
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