Notre Dame Preparatory School (Norwich) Limited Review 2026: Small Catholic prep with strong wraparound care

This school is not part of the FindMySchool performance rankings results for primary outcomes, and there are no comparable England ranking metrics provided for this profile.

What it does publish is its own SATs summary. In the school’s 2024 SATs overview, it reports 79% reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, alongside a 61% England comparator. It also presents reading at 84% compared with 74% across England. These figures are presented by the school as a snapshot of cohort performance rather than a guarantee of year-on-year outcomes, but they do provide a useful signal about academic expectations at the top end of the school.

A sensible way to interpret this is: the academic model appears structured and traditional in core skills, with an emphasis on secure literacy and numeracy before transition to senior schools. If you are choosing an independent prep, the key question is often not whether a child will “pass exams”, but whether they will be stretched appropriately while staying happy. The combination of published outcomes, small scale, and the inspection picture of teaching and feedback suggests a school aiming for steady progress rather than high-pressure acceleration.

Curriculum breadth is clearly mapped, with the main school listing English, mathematics, science, French, humanities, religious education, music, art, design and technology, computing, physical education, and personal, social, health and relationships education (PSHRE). PE and Music are described as specialist-taught, which is often a practical marker of where independent preps prioritise time and expertise.

The inspection evidence supports a picture of teachers tailoring explanations and activities to pupil needs, with specific reference to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities being supported well and making good progress from their starting points. That matters for parents because in a small prep the range of need is still real, but the resourcing and coordination can vary significantly between schools. Here, the published staffing structure also references special educational needs coordination within the prep leadership.

EYFS is described in a way that prioritises social learning, independence, and friendships, with learning planned around play and structured activities, and with parents invited into the process through the learning journey approach. The practical implication is that children who thrive with predictable routines and warm adult relationships are likely to settle quickly, while children who need a large peer group for stimulation may need careful transition planning.

As a prep school finishing at 11, the headline question for families is senior-school transition. This school positions itself as preparing pupils for “a wide range” of senior schools, rather than funneling into a single linked destination.

What is not published in a quantified way is a destination list with numbers, scholarships, or named senior schools as a standard annual pattern. That does not mean outcomes are weak, but it does mean parents should ask targeted questions during a visit: which Norwich-area independent and state options are most common, how the school supports senior school applications, and how it approaches any selective testing expectations.

A practical detail worth noting is the school’s emphasis on French, computing, and structured PSHRE, because these often align well with the transition demands of strong local secondaries, particularly where pastoral maturity

Admissions are described as rolling, with no entrance examinations, and with the ability to enrol at points throughout the academic year (subject to space). That can be a strong advantage for families moving into Norwich mid-year, or those switching from state to independent schooling after an unsettled period.

Nursery entry is offered from age 2. For children joining beyond nursery, the school describes an initial visit followed by taster sessions or full days so that a child meets classmates and the teacher before starting formally. For many families, that trial period is the most informative part of the process, because it reveals whether the school’s scale and routines suit the child’s temperament.

Open mornings are advertised on the school website. At the time of writing, an open morning is listed for 13 February 2026 (09:00 to 11:00).

Pastoral education is not treated as an add-on here. PSHRE is described as a structured curriculum area focused on wellbeing, resilience, safety, and relationships education, with termly parent communication about themes. In a small prep, the practical benefit is consistency, children hear the same language at school and at home, and issues are more likely to be addressed early.

Safeguarding is described in the ISI report as thorough, with staff trained to recognise concerns and systems in place for monitoring and recording. For parents, the key implication is confidence in procedures, particularly relevant in early years settings where communication and supervision are central.

Clubs are presented as termly-changing, but the school usefully names recent examples rather than relying on generic language. Recent activities listed include Dodgeball, Minecraft, Art and Craft, Ensemble, Football, Golf, and Cookery.

Music provision is unusually detailed for a small prep. Beyond curriculum music, the school lists instrumental and performance options through visiting teachers, including recorder, guitar, violin, piano, singing, drums, ukulele, double bass, cello, and speech and drama. For children who build confidence through performance or structured practice, this can be a genuine pillar rather than a token enrichment item.

Facilities link directly to extracurricular breadth. The school lists outdoor spaces including a nursery outdoor area and an outdoor learning space for early years, an all-weather multi-games astro turf pitch, and a library refurbished in summer 2022. It also describes regular use of external facilities for specific activities, such as swimming lessons at the University of East Anglia.

A distinctive element is the relationship with the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, used for an annual carol service and speech day, which will matter to families seeking a lived Catholic rhythm rather than a nominal label.

Main school fees for the 2025 to 2026 academic year are published on a per-term basis, and stated as inclusive of VAT. The published termly fees are £3,076 for Pre-Prep, £3,153 for Prep 1 to Prep 2, £3,270 for Prep 3 to Prep 4, and £3,334 for Prep 5 to Prep 6.

As with most independent primaries, families should budget beyond tuition for items such as clubs, wraparound sessions, individual music tuition, trips, and uniform. Some of these extras are explicitly chargeable, including clubs and after-school sessions.

The school’s public-facing pages do not set out bursary or scholarship percentages in a quantified way. Families who need support should ask directly what means-tested help is available, what it typically covers, and whether support is available for wraparound elements as well as tuition.

Wraparound care is clearly set out. The school describes supervision from 8:00am to 8:30am, with registration at 8:30am and assembly beginning at 8:45am. After-school provision is described as combining supervised play for younger children and homework club for older pupils, with a light refreshment after the main school day and an option that includes a light tea, finishing at 5:30pm. Holiday club is also offered, typically running 8:30am to 3:30pm.

For transport and logistics, the school sets out a structured drop-off and collection pattern using West End Street at peak times, alongside controlled access via the Dereham Road entrance and a staff and visitor car park. In practice, this tends to reduce congestion for a city setting, but it also means families should be comfortable with set collection windows and a slightly more managed site entry routine.

• Catholic identity is real, not decorative. Worship and cathedral-linked events are part of the yearly rhythm. This suits families seeking faith formation in daily school life; it may feel less aligned for families wanting a fully secular culture.

• Small scale cuts both ways. A capacity of 220 can mean close knowledge of each child and steadier pastoral oversight; it can also mean fewer “different sorts of crowd” as children move through the prep years.

• Cultural breadth needs active attention. External review highlights that learning about other religions and cultures could be more deliberate, so parents who prioritise that aspect should ask how it is being strengthened in curriculum and enrichment.

• Independent costs extend beyond the headline fee. Clubs, wraparound sessions, and peripatetic lessons can add up quickly, so it is worth asking for an annual “typical extras” view for your child’s age and interests.

Notre Dame Preparatory School (Norwich) Limited suits families who want a small, values-led independent primary with nursery provision, strong wraparound care, and a clearly Catholic character that is still open to families of any faith or none. The education model looks structured, with specialist inputs in areas like music and PE and a good level of practical enrichment through clubs and performance opportunities. It is likely to suit children who thrive with predictable routines, close adult relationships, and a community scale where staff know them well. The main question to test on a visit is fit, particularly whether the small cohort size and the faith dimension align with what you want for your child’s primary years.