Open-day season is here: a chance for parents to hear the head, see the dorms, meet the pupils and generally get a sense of whether a school might suit their child. Keep scrolling for our handy list of all upcoming open days in each area of the country, and get booking – spots fill up fast...

And remember: if you can’t snag a place at any of these open events, don’t panic. Schools will always be as accommodating as possible to prospective parents, so our advice is to pick up the phone and contact the school to arrange a visit.

LONDON
SOUTH EAST ENGLAND
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
EAST OF ENGLAND
MIDLANDS
NORTH OF ENGLAND
GLOBAL SCHOOLS

London

Prep Schools

Fulham School Prep, Fulham Open Morning 10:00 - 12:00 - 08 October 2022 Situated just off the Fulham Palace Road, this co-ed prep scores highly on location alone, but its head Neill Lunnon is a real draw too. Amidst the academically competitive maelstrom of the capital, he has created a calm world where his young pupils are ‘stretched but not stressed’.

Royal Russell Junior School, Croydon Whole School Open Morning - 24 September 2022 Whole School Open Morning - 24 September 2022 Whole School Open Morning - 24 September 2022 Families looking for a co-ed, all-through education with a wonderfully inclusive and international outlook wouldn’t go far wrong by looking at Royal Russell, which is located on the same mega 110-acre campus as the senior school – just 25 minutes from central London.

Senior Schools

Royal Russell School, Croydon Whole School Open Morning - 24 September 2022 A wonderfully unflashy, family-focused school, where academics are purposeful, individuals valued and everybody celebrated for bringing something different to the table. We were struck by its nurturing atmosphere and brilliantly international outlook – don’t expect to find any cookie-cutters here.

Whitgift School, South Croydon Open Morning - 24 September 2022 Open Evening - 29 September 2022 Open Afternoon - 04 October 2022 Open Afternoon - 12 October 2022 Open Afternoon - 01 November 2022 Successful, popular and a real contender on the London day-school circuit, Whitgift has wowed us. Applications are rising, academic results are stellar, sport spectacular, the pace of change and innovation terrific and the social conscience inspiring.

South East England

Prep Schools

Embley Prep School, Romsey Open Morning - 22 September 2022 Open Morning - 23 September 2022 Open Morning - 04 October 2022 Open Morning - 25 November 2022 Sharing the same picturesque New Forest campus as Embley Senior School, Embley Prep offers its pupils a staggering range of academic and co-curricular opportunities from the word go – from participation in philosophy and economic conferences to natural science lessons in the school’s 130-acre outdoor classroom.

Highfield and Brookham , Liphook Open Morning - 24 September 2022 Open Morning - 04 November 2022 Open Morning - 28 January 2023 Open Morning - 10 March 2023 Highfield and Brookham is flourishing and it’s all credit to the team at the top, Phillip and Jo Evitt, who have been here for over two decades. During that time, they’ve implemented heaps of smart initiatives, bolstered the gloriously family-friendly, homely feel and kept the academic impetus rolling, shaping the school into one of the South East’s top non-selective preps.

Papplewick School, Ascot Open Morning - 05 November 2022 A Swallows and Amazons nirvana (without the boats), this traditional all-boys prep is quirky and fun with an extremely kind heart. It is non-selective at intake but very strong academically: a whopping number head for Eton, Harrow and Winchester. You won’t find in-your-face grandeur here but you will find positive values, enthusiasm, humour and teaching beyond compare.

Senior Schools

Bede's School, Hailsham Senior School & Sixth Form Open Morning - 17 September 2022 Situated in the Sussex village of Upper Dicker, with glorious views of the South Downs, this co-ed day and boarding senior school is part of the St Bede’s School Trust – an educational charity also consisting of a nursery, pre prep, prep school and the Legat Dance Academy. This is a proudly non-selective school that takes children as they are and gets the absolute best out of them both inside the classroom and beyond. It’s a big-hitter in value-added and has great co-curricular facilities that include its own zoo.
Caterham School, Caterham Opening Morning - 17 September 2022 With the relaxed air of a country senior and the underlying street smarts of a school so close to the capital, Caterham is an impressive hybrid. Day-, weekly- and full-boarding options add to its appeal, and its inclusive, welcoming and innovative style is an attractive proposition. Its popularity has grown steadily to a point where there are five applicants for every place available – and it’s not hard to see why.
Downe House, Thatcham Open Morning - 10 September 2022 Open Morning - 12 November 2022 A top choice for families looking for the proper full-boarding experience from the get-go, Downe House combines tradition with a refreshing balance of work and play. Girls get punchy results and are encouraged to develop character and charm, before heading off to top universities with invaluable grounding and a solid group of friends for life.
Embley Senior School & Sixth Form, Romsey Whole School Open Morning - 22 September 2022 Whole School Open Morning - 23 September 2022 Whole School Open Morning - 04 October 2022 Sixth Form Open Evening 17.00-19.00 - 12 October 2022 Senior School Open Evening 17.00-19.00 - 10 November 2022 Whole School Open Morning - 25 November 2022 Boasting a blockbuster location on the edge of Hampshire’s New Forest, history-stoked Embley went through a full rebrand a few years ago, changing its name from Hampshire Collegiate School.
Frensham Heights School, Farnham Whole School Open Morning - 17 September 2022 Frensham Heights is a Surrey day and boarding school with its focus firmly on the future. Since its foundation in 1925 it has sought to provide an alternative style of education based on mutual respect, tolerance and generosity of spirit that educates the whole child. Its invitation to ‘come and be you’ and insistence on inspiring each child to improve themselves – in any way – is a pleasure to see.
Heathfield School, Ascot Open Morning - 08 October 2022 ‘The merit of one is the honour of all’ is the school motto here – and there is certainly much to be merited at Heathfield. Cast aside any preconceptions you may have about this all-girls, Ascot-based senior and prepare to be bowled over by an unashamedly girls-first ethos which puts its pupils at the forefront.
Queen Anne's School, Caversham, Reading Open Morning - 17 September 2022 Sixth Form Open Evening - 27 September 2022 Open Morning - 11 November 2022 There’s a wonderfully unconventional buzz about Queen Anne’s, a smashing little school that has a forward-thinking head and is leading the way when it comes to innovative learning. Girls here don’t need to be top of the class – just happy to step out of their comfort zone and throw themselves into the endless opportunities that come their way.
The King's School, Canterbury, Canterbury Sixth Form Entry Virtual Open Morning - 17 September 2022 Thought to be the oldest school in the UK (it’s been around since 597AD, when St Augustine arrived to evangelise England, and was rebranded by Henry VIII in 1541 as his own school – hence the name), The King’s School, Canterbury is also one of the longest-established co-eds. It comes with an extraordinary history-steeped setting, heaps of tradition and a thrilling musical legacy (the cathedral doubles up as the school chapel) – but crucially it’s not stuck in the past. Results are superb, but there’s a much bigger point here: pupils are allowed to excel in any field they choose. This is a school, which, the head tells us, celebrates quirks and wants characters.
Thornton College, Milton Keynes Whole School Open Morning, 10am - 08 October 2022 Very much an all-through school, Thornton College is one family on one site with a focus on inclusive Christian values. Girls we met were confident, chatty and exceptionally well behaved – and nurture is well and truly baked in.
Wellington College, Crowthorne College Tour, 9.30am or 12noon - 17 September 2022 Visitors Day, 10.30am - 08 October 2022 Visitors Day, 10.30am - 19 November 2022 A progressive school at the forefront of educational innovation, Wellington was transformed by visionary head Sir Anthony Seldon and is soaring once again with James Dahl in charge. With its constant buzz, forward-facing attitude and so much for the taking, its pupils are brilliantly prepared to cope with the pressures of the modern world.

South West England

Prep Schools

Badminton Junior School, Westbury-on-Trym Whole School Open Morning, 10am - 01 October 2022 As a small, single-sex school, Badminton offers an incredible level of support from the get-go, with all girls well known individually and allowed to grow at their own pace. That’s not to say the junior school doesn’t have academic clout – it definitely does. Most pupils transfer to the senior school in Year 7, but even for those who don’t, this is a smashing launch pad.
Clifton College Preparatory School, Clifton Whole School Open Day - 01 October 2022 Reception Discovery Event - 02 December 2022 There’s no ‘one size fits all’ at this unstuffy Bristol prep, part of a trio of schools that make up the Clifton College stable. The intake is refreshingly broad and so is what’s on offer.
Hazlegrove Preparatory School, Yeovil Open Morning - 01 October 2022 With its grand gateposts and neatly tended front lawns, this glorious Somerset prep has a film-set elegance to it. Rosy-cheeked children belt around its 200 acres on bicycles and scooters and clomp through forests in brightly coloured wellies. But don’t be fooled by the idyllic country setting: this place is bursting with creativity and innovation.
Stonar Prep School, Atworth Equestrian Open Morning - 12 October 2022 Equestrian Open Morning - 08 March 2023 Once seen as the first choice for the horsey set thanks to its phenomenal equestrian centre, this all-through co-ed day and boarding school in rural Wiltshire now has a reputation for being academically ambitious, too.
Wells Cathedral Junior School, Wells PrePrep & Nursery Open Morning - 02 November 2022 For one of the oldest educational establishments in the world (founded in 909), Wells Cathedral School has a decidedly modern motto: Esto Quod Est (Be What You Are). This co-ed day and boarding all-through school is very well set up for getting the best out of every pupil, and it’s clear that the junior school – which shares the same site as its senior sibling – takes this warm, accepting attitude seriously.

Senior Schools

Badminton School, Bristol Sixth Form Open Evening - 23 September 2022 Whole School Open Morning, 10am - 01 October 2022 A small, all-girls, all-through day and boarding school from three to eighteen, where strong relationships are forged and a real culture of tolerance and respect is fostered. Badminton girls are, in the words of head Rebecca Tear, ‘not in a rush to grow up’, but at the same time ‘empowered, passionate and independent’ – a winning combination, we’d say. This is a hugely democratic sort of place, where girls are encouraged to be proactive – and it has an air of intellectual rigour to boot.
Blundell's School, Tiverton Open Day - 01 October 2022 A wonderfully uplifting all-through school, packed with happy, exceptionally able pupils who benefit from the emphasis on developing character and values that still remains core to the essence of the school, 400 years after it was founded. We left our tour of Blundell’s with a huge spring in our step.
Canford, Wimborne Open Day 10am-1pm - 08 October 2022 It’s hard not to be blown away by the grandeur of Canford, a Sir Charles Barry-designed castle in the thick of 250 acres of Capability Brown parkland. But despite all this magnificence, both school and pupils are unstuffy and flash-free. Gearing up to celebrate its centenary in 2023, this is a brilliant all-rounder that looks outside of the bubble, aces exams and turns out wonderfully grounded young men and women with a real awareness of the world around them.
Clifton College, Clifton Whole School Open Day - 01 October 2022 Sixth Form Open Evening - 12 October 2022 A flourishing pre-prep, prep and upper school that offers a seamless education all the way through from age two to 18 – and has very respectable results from its broad pupil intake.
St Mary's Calne, Calne Open Day - 08 October 2022 Open Day - 05 November 2022 Small and nurturing, academic but not nerdy and brimming with laidback, nicely gung-ho girls, St Mary’s Calne is, says its head, ‘the best of the British boarding school tradition – with a modern twist’. Girls are equipped with firm foundations for life, leaving armed with bucketloads of confidence and self-esteem.
Stonar School, Atworth Senior Open Morning - 24 September 2022 Equestrian Open Morning - 12 October 2022 Year 7 Taster Day - 14 October 2022 Equestrian Open Morning - 08 March 2023 The freedom for pupils to be themselves is evident at this all-through, co-ed school tucked away in rural Wiltshire. Its ‘horsey’ reputation comes courtesy of a first-class equestrian centre, but in recent years it’s been shifting perceptions with increasingly impressive academic results.
Wells Cathedral School, Wells Be a Chorister for a Day - 17 September 2022 Be a Specialist Musician for a Day - 28 September 2022 Autumn Open Morning - 08 October 2022 For one of the oldest educational establishments in the world (founded in 909), Wells Cathedral School has a decidedly modern motto: Esto Quod Est (Be What You Are). This co-ed day and boarding all-through school is well set up for getting the best out of every pupil, regardless of their talents. It’s also one of only four specialist music schools in England, and the only one to operate within the broader context of a traditional school.

East of England

Prep Schools Senior Schools

The Leys School, Cambridge Sixth Form Presentation Evening - 22 September 2022 This relatively small co-ed day and boarding school makes the most of Cambridge’s academic and cultural connections. We like the way it has adapted over the years to meet the unique demands of the city it serves, and all the parents we’ve spoken to – many of whom chose it for the experience of boarding while still being close to home – tell us that their children are really happy here.

Midlands

Prep Schools

Edgbaston High Preparatory and Pre-Prep School, Birmingham Whole School Open Morning 9.30am - 24 September 2022

Wolverhampton Grammar Junior School, Wolverhampton Open Day - 08 October 2022 Open Day - 08 October 2022 Wolverhampton Grammar, located in the city’s suburbs, is refreshingly down to earth. Children are supported right the way through their educational journey at this highly aspirational, friendly and well-rounded day school – and we were blown away by the charming, engaged and conscientious pupils we met during our visit. The exciting news here at the junior school is its imminent growth: in September, a shiny new infant school will open, expanding the all-through offering from Reception to Year 13.

Senior Schools

Edgbaston High School for Girls, Birmingham Whole School Open Morning 9.30am - 24 September 2022 We were floored by the pace, variety of life and buzzing sense of activity at this aspirational and inspirational all-girls day school in leafy Edgbaston, just to the south of central Birmingham. Girls zip in all directions across the compact campus, out along the 10-minute walk to the sports fields and, once their time to leave has come, off to an impressive range of universities.
King's Worcester, Worcester Open Morning - 24 September 2022 Open Morning - 12 November 2022 Open Morning - 21 January 2023 An upbeat, modern school with a storied history reaching back to the 7th century, King’s Worcester has a uniqueness that not only stems from its historic location at the heart of the city’s cathedral, but also from the caring atmosphere shaped by centuries of Christianity, and given a fresh injection of warmth by new head Gareth Doodes.
Malvern College, Malvern Open Day - 08 October 2022 A true English public school in a splendid setting, Malvern College was one of the earliest adopters of the IB and, with its proper global outlook, pupils flock here from around the world for a slice of this very British, very wholesome education. No longer a hidden gem, the relatively new head Keith Metcalfe is keen to ensure that Malvern is out there – why be hidden when you are as sparkly as this?
Malvern St James Girls' School, Great Malvern Virtual Open Evening, 18.00 - 17 August 2022 Malvern St James is one of only a handful of all-through, all-girls boarding-schools in the UK. Pupils from the age of four are carefully nurtured in this warm and confidence-building environment, which is unashamedly all about the girls.
Moreton Hall, Oswestry Open Day, 10am - 17 September 2022 Moreton Hall is a brilliant advertisement for all-girls education from 13 to 18. The superb co-ed prep takes boys and girls from the ages of three to 11, with boys joining the girls for the first two years of the senior school before peeling off at 13. We were extremely impressed by our pupil guides – mature, feet on the ground, aware of how lucky they are and making the most of all the opportunities available to them – and by the relaxed and happy environment built on respect, community spirit and mutual support. Facilities are fab, teaching is top-notch and great results are achieved with the minimum of fuss. Job done.
Rugby School, Rugby 16 + Open Event (entry for 2024) - 17 September 2022 Steeped in history and heritage, Rugby is an old, well-established school with strong traditions and a big foundation – and probably best known as the birthplace of the game that shares its name. Thousands of visitors and sports fans flock here each year from all corners of the globe to nose around the school museum and the blockbuster ancient buildings. But behind all the rugby hullabaloo, you’ll find a terrifically down-to-earth, unpretentious place that’s been educating pupils since 1567 (the school went fully co-ed in 1992). It’s a friendly place, renowned for producing glittering exam results while maintaining that all-important balance for life – we’re big fans of this Midlands legend.
Wolverhampton Grammar School, Wolverhampton Open Day - 08 October 2022   Wolverhampton Grammar, located in the city’s suburbs, is refreshingly down to earth. With both a senior and junior school, pupils are supported all the way through their educational journey at this highly aspirational, friendly and well-rounded day school. During our visit, the thing that most stood out to us were the pupils, who were charming, engaged and conscientious, and the school’s enthusiastic new head, who is the driving force behind the expansion of the junior school and the retooling of the house system. This is a modern, forward-thinking and tech-savvy senior that retains its strong grounding in its identity as a city school.

North of England

Prep Schools Senior Schools

St Peter's School York, York Sixth Form Open Evening 6pm-8pm - 21 September 2022 Open Event (11-16 entry), 8.30am-12noon - 08 October 2022 St Peter’s might be the fourth oldest school in the world but this in-demand Northern co-ed has a 21st-century outlook. With high academic results and a stellar co-curricular programme, this is the go-to school in York for a co-ed, all-through education.

Global Schools

The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), Ampang Hilir School Open Day - 29 September 2022 School Open Day - 22 February 2023

The Scots College, Sydney Bellevue Hill Senior School - 28 July 2022