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

London

Prep Schools

Cameron Vale School, Chelsea Open Day - 02 February 2022 Open Day - 09 March 2022 A close-knit prep school in the heart of Chelsea, Cameron Vale provides a highly personalised education to small classes of happy, highly motivated and engaged children. It has a lovely family feel and prides itself on rejecting a ‘one size fits all’ approach to education – which is clearly working, given the impressive list of destinations pupils whizz off to at 11.
Falcons School for Girls, Putney Small group tour (Reception to Yr 6) please contact to book a place - 02 February 2022 Small group tour (Nursery & Pre-Reception) please contact to book a place - 04 February 2022 A pocket-sized, friendly, nurturing school with enviable space and facilities, small classes and a reputation for drawing out the very real academic potential of its pupils, Falcons School for Girls is a real find.
Royal Russell Junior School, Croydon Junior School Open Morning - 28 February 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

DLD College London, South Bank Online Open Morning 9.30am. Please register - dldcollege.co.uk - 24 March 2022 Students flourish in the informal, forward-thinking atmosphere of this Alpha Plus school which feels dynamic and grown-up, quite different to a traditional independent school. Expect no uniforms and first names for everyone – including the teachers.
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Open Morning - 07 May 2022 An art deco gem of understated excellence on a 285-acre campus only 30 minutes from central London, MTS felt to us like a happy school full of courteous and articulate boys whose compassion and community ethos are remarkable.
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.
Wetherby Senior School, London Visitor Morning - 08 February 2022 Visitor Morning - 24 February 2022 Visitor Morning - 01 March 2022 Visitor Morning - 10 March 2022 Visitor Morning - 15 March 2022 Visitor Morning - 24 March 2022 The final step in a sterling all-through education that begins for some lucky boys in one of the pre-preps and continues all the way to 18, Wetherby Senior may still be in its relative infancy – but with numbers going from strength to strength, its success is already abundantly clear.

South East England

Prep Schools

Bedales Nursery & Pre-Prep - Dunannie, Petersfield Open Morning (10am) - 01 February 2022 Open Morning (10am) - 15 March 2022

Bedales Prep - Dunhurst, Petersfield Open Morning (10am) - 05 March 2022 Open Morning (10am) - 14 May 2022 This fabulous prep is grounded in the same concepts of individuality, freedom and variety of opportunities as Bedales – with which it shares a 120-acre site just outside Petersfield – and head Colin Baty is leading it to great places. Being allowed to wear their own clothes lets pupils express their individuality, and the first-names policy for everyone creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. This is a wholesome school that prepares children well for entry to Bedales, while retaining enough structure to allow them to transition to a more traditional school at 13, which a small minority do.

Bede's Prep School, Eastbourne Prep & Nursery Open Morning - 05 March 2022 Perched on a clifftop in Eastbourne, this outstanding co-ed day and boarding prep has a holistic approach to education that aims to bring out the best in each of its pupils, whether they have a passion for sports, excel at art or are a whizz at maths. Learning is topic-based in the early years, and hands-on lessons play a big part: think trying on armour in history, making rockets in science before firing them into the sea or designing video games in ICT.

Brambletye School, East Grinstead Open Day - 25 February 2022 A wonderfully traditional country prep with a husband-and-wife power team at the helm. Add to that the knockout views, the 140 acres of parkland, the school in the woods with trees to climb, dens to build, zip wires to whizz down… there’s a great sense of fun in the Brambletye air.

Brighton College Nursery Pre-Prep & Prep School, Brighton Nursery, Pre-Prep & Prep School Open Morning - 29 January 2022 ‘Be Good. Be Kind. Be Honest. Be the Best You’ – that’s the motto at this inclusive co-ed prep, which strives to be part of the wider community. Pupil-led fundraising is at the forefront here, plus initiatives such as the Kindness Rocks project (writing positive messages on pebbles), which is part of the ‘beach school’ sessions designed to make the most of the seaside location.

Caldicott School, Farnham Royal Open Morning - 21 May 2022 A country education within a minibus ride of the metropolis: this sporty all-boys prep gives its pupils the opportunity to stretch their legs, and their minds, in 40 splendid Buckinghamshire acres.

Caterham Prep School, Caterham Visitor Morning - 31 January 2022 Visitor Morning - 28 February 2022 This is a prep that feels like a true extension of Caterham School – and not only because it shares its lovely 200-acre campus in Harestone Valley, in the Surrey Hills. There is the same down-to-earth, unstuffy vibe and the same award-winning, wellbeing-first ethos throughout.

Cheam School, Newbury Explore Cheam - Open Morning 10am-12.30pm - 04 March 2022 ‘Gleaming’, ‘shiny’, ‘sleek’, ‘all guns blazing’: these are all terms that apply to this impressive Berkshire prep. But dig a little deeper, beyond the HRHs, viscounts and barons on the alumni roll, the Teslas in the car park and the odd pupil or two arriving by helicopter (oh yes, they do), and you’ll find a healthy, thriving school with a broad mix of pupils and parents.

Cranleigh Preparatory School, Cranleigh Open Morning - 26 February 2022 Top marks to Cranleigh Prep for its fabulous location and jaw-dropping views towards the South Downs. It’s popular with Londoners looking for a rural escape, as well as parents from the Home Counties; choose between day and boarding (weekly, where everyone goes home on Saturday, plus flexi and occasional). There’s plenty of alignment with the senior school: pupils can use the excellent sports facilities and collaborate on music performances.

Cumnor House Sussex, Haywards Heath Open Week (7th-11th March) - 07 March 2022 Non-selective, wonderfully community-minded and small enough for every parent and pupil to be known by name – the ethos at this peppy, broadly local co-ed Sussex prep is a celebration of childhood, which our return visit once again confirmed in action. Packed with happy, charismatic children, Cumnor House Sussex has long been a draw for families seeking life outside of the capital – and those with their eye on a highly successful senior school too.

Dragon School, Oxford Pre-Prep Open Day - 25 February 2022 Prep Open Day - 26 February 2022 Virtual Open Day - 19 March 2022 ‘You’re never not proud to be a Dragon,’ our pupil guide told us – and with praise like this, what more could you possibly ask of a school? This big, buzzy, hugely popular Oxford powerhouse does everything on a large scale and, with its incredible mix of characters, manages to teach everyone to rub along pretty well together too.

Dulwich Prep Cranbrook, Cranbrook Open Week (14th-18th March) - 14 March 2022 Set on a glorious 50-acre campus just an hour from London by train, Dulwich Prep Cranbrook was founded when the headmaster of Dulwich Prep London evacuated his pupils here to his in-laws’ house after the outbreak of the Second World War. What was originally a group of huts in the orchards surrounding the main manor house has grown into a thriving, incredibly open and welcoming school for 400 children aged three to 13.

Eagle House School, Sandhurst Open Morning - 12 March 2022 Open Morning - 23 April 2022 Founded in 1820, Eagle House is one of the oldest prep schools in the UK and it’s not hard to see why it survives and thrives today. Set in 30 pretty acres surrounding a grand Victorian former hunting lodge, it is a forward-thinking, unpretentious place, holistic in approach, allowing plenty of tree climbing and outdoor exploring while maintaining an excellent academic record.

Edgeborough, Farnham Open Day - 11 March 2022 Easily commutable, yet leaps and bounds less pressured than London schools, this laidback, co-ed prep brims with green space and traditional values.

Elstree School, Reading Open Morning - 26 February 2022 Open Morning - 07 May 2022 Stunning grounds, fabulous facilities and a classic, traditional experience underpin life at this real gem of a prep school. Loved for its family values, Elstree boosted its already significant appeal by opening its doors to girls in September 2020 – a brilliantly planned and executed move.

Frensham Heights Junior School, Farnham Open Day - 14 May 2022 Frensham Heights is a Surrey day and boarding school with its focus firmly fixed 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. Its invitation to ‘come and be you’ and focused attention on inspiring each child to improve themselves – in any way – was a pleasure to see.

Great Ballard Prep, Chichester Open Morning - 21 May 2022 Set just outside Chichester, this pocket-sized co-ed prep boasts a pretty bucolic location ringed by the South Downs National Park. Pupils get outside whenever they can, getting muddy at forest school, mountain biking across the Downs or camping out in the grounds; in the classroom, they follow a forward-thinking curriculum packed with leadership, problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills.

Handcross Park, Haywards Heath Open Morning - 19 March 2022 Part of the same family as Brighton College, Handcross Park reaps the benefits of its ties with the school of the hour. But with 400 sparky boys and girls from nursery to 13, it’s also an autonomous school in its own right. This is one of those magical childhood preps where outdoor activities rule (boiler suits and wellies are on the uniform list), family time is valued (there’s no Saturday school) and hothousing is unheard of – despite leavers heading off to first-class seniors. It has a broadly local contingent but interest from Londoners is growing – and it's easy to see why.

Headington Preparatory School, Oxford Spring Term Open Morning - 04 March 2022 Offering unbelievable space and facilities, top-drawer academics and a near-seamless transition to the senior school just down the hill, Headington Prep is the nurturing prelude to a highly coveted all-through Oxford education.

Hilden Grange Preparatory School, Tonbridge Open Morning - 11 March 2022 It’s cool to work hard and play hard at this down-to-earth, academically ambitious Kent prep – which does a brilliant job at setting up its pupils for their next steps at both grammar and independent day schools.

Holme Grange School Prep, Wokingham Open Morning - 04 February 2022 Set in the beautiful Berkshire countryside, this co-ed prep gives its pupils plenty of room to grow. Holme Grange offers a balanced education, encouraging children to excel not only academically but in sporting and creative endeavours too. Head Claire Robinson likes to maintain strong relationships with her pupil body, ensuring that everyone feels individually valued. Generally, children progress from the prep to the senior, Eaton Grange, but ambitions to move elsewhere are also encouraged.

Holmewood House School, Tunbridge Wells Open Morning - 10.30am - 04 March 2022 This non-selective Tunbridge Wells prep set in 30 acres of grounds has fantastic facilities on a par with many secondary schools, from the Jubilee Theatre where the Holmewood Lecture Series is held, to the DT department and art studio with its kiln and potter’s wheel. There’s a sport-for-all ethos, and a broad range of clubs including Mandarin and mindfulness, rugby sevens and modern dance.

Horris Hill School, Newbury Open Day - Lower & Upper School - 26 February 2022 Small and charmingly traditional, Horris Hill is a high-achieving and ultra-nurturing all-boys prep school. It’s set in a proper down-to-earth, country setting on the Berkshire/Hampshire borders, where 130 lucky boys have 85 glorious acres to muck around in – and getting outside is just as important here as knuckling down in the classroom.

Junior King's Canterbury, Canterbury Virtual Open Morning - 19 March 2022 Open Morning - 14 May 2022 An exciting, vibrant prep school – academically sound, creatively inspirational, a healthy, happy environment to grow up in. Popular with Londoners looking to escape the pressure cooker of the capital and with pupils offered direct entry into older sibling The King’s School, Canterbury, it sits high on aspirational parents’ lists.

Lambrook School, Bracknell Open Day - 14 May 2022 There’s a lot to love about Lambrook, one of the country’s oldest proper country preps. Full to the brim with a tight-knit gang of 565 girls and boys, it’s fervently co-ed, offers brilliantly flexi boarding, super-duper sport, music, drama and art and packs children off to the top senior schools in the south-east. They say they give children the ‘feathers to fly’; we say they help them soar.

Moulsford Prep School, Wallingford Open Day - 04 February 2022 A rare find, Moulsford is a muddy-knees, high-energy prep school devoid of fuss or flash. An incredibly popular choice among the Oxfordshire gang, it is very accessible, fervently all-boys and gives pupils the chance to try out boarding – even if the majority are day boys. It may have a lower profile than Ludgrove, Papplewick and Summer Fields, but there’s a sense of tradition in the air – and with an idyllic setting on the banks of the Thames, a sense of fun too.

Papplewick School, Ascot Open Morning - 05 February 2022 Open Morning - 14 May 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.

Rose Hill School, Tunbridge Wells Open Day - 18 March 2022 Delightfully small class sizes, more than 70 envy-inducing extracurricular clubs and a cohesive pastoral care scheme that includes informal drop-in sessions and an annual Wellness Week make this standalone Tunbridge Wells co-ed prep a serious Kent contender.

Somerhill, Tonbridge Spring Open Day - 12 March 2022

Summer Fields, Oxford Pre-Prep Open Morning - 06 May 2022 Prep School Open Morning - 14 May 2022 A breathtaking 70-acre secret garden behind high walls and iron gates right in the centre of north Oxford’s Summertown, Summer Fields is a modern yet traditional prep with high standards and impressive results. While still a boarding school at heart, it has moved with the times and embraced a more versatile offering – and the relatively new pre-prep has only served to strengthen its already significant appeal.

The Marist School - Prep Phase, Ascot Prep Phase Open Morning - 11 March 2022 Values at this all-through girls’ school in Sunninghill are based on Catholic traditions and the Marist Way: an interactive, investigative curriculum that links the content of lessons between subjects. Everyone – from the co-ed nursery to the sixth form – shares the same 55-acre woodland site, and facilities are excellent, especially for sports, with swimming lessons in the on-site pool and ballet classes on offer for budding dancers.

Thorngrove School, Newbury Open Morning - 11 March 2022 This is a school that seems to grow and flourish alongside your child. It has a cosy, unassuming, nurturing feel and, with nothing obviously fancy or shiny on show, gets down to its core business calmly, without fuss or distraction. Remaining a small prep school with no boarding adds to its unique personality and is all the more remarkable for being only an hour and 20 minutes’ drive from London (or 45 minutes by train from Paddington).

Thornton College Prep, Milton Keynes Whole School Open Morning - 05 March 2022

Walhampton School, Lymington Open Morning - 11 February 2022 Open Morning - 06 May 2022 Top marks for the sensational location of this co-ed day and boarding prep, set in 100 acres of ancient woodland on the edge of the New Forest, with views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Over the past eight years, recently-departed head Titus Mills has worked wonders, completely re-energising the school, raising the academic standard and introducing all kinds of brilliant new initiatives from tokens for good behaviour to outdoor lessons at the Faraway Tree in the stunning grounds.

Westbourne House School, Chichester Open Morning 9am-12pm - 21 May 2022 An idyll of all that is enchanting in childhood – sprawling grounds, woodland playgrounds, acres of playing fields, mucking about in boats on the school lake... Westbourne House has managed to bottle that elusive formula of what makes a prep school perfect: not too big (360 pupils), a small family feel, and yet an immensely large site, fizzing energy and, oh yes, top-drawer academics.

Windlesham House, Pulborough Pre-Prep Open Day - 15 March 2022 Whole School Open Day - 19 March 2022 Whole School Open Day - 14 May 2022 Pre-Prep Open Day - 24 May 2022 Windlesham House is one of those schools that evokes an incredible emotional response, with many parents themselves having spent Elysian childhoods here. In the heart of rural West Sussex, this is the oldest prep in the country yet has a very international outlook, offering day and boarding education to 320 boys and girls from 25 countries.

Senior Schools

Bedales School, Petersfield Senior Open Morning - 05 February 2022 Senior Open Morning - 23 April 2022 There is no ‘similar experience at another school’, we were told as we arrived at Bedales – and on first impressions, you can believe it. This is a place where they have chosen to eschew the traditional: there’s no uniform, a less rigid timetable and even its own ‘Bedales Assessed Courses’, or BACs, with the aim of providing a better, more rounded and fluent pathway to A-level. Bedales is a breath of fresh air in idyllic grounds, with passionate and inspirational staff who clearly fully believe in the collaborative, close-knit and deeply pastoral philosophy of the school.
Bede's School, Hailsham Senior & Sixth Form Open Day - 19 March 2022 Situated in the Sussex village of Upper Dicker, with glorious views of the South Downs, Bede’s co-ed day and boarding school (there’s a nursery and prep too) is phenomenally proud of its inclusive, non-selective status. It tops the league table for value-added and aims to unlock the potential of each of its 760 pupils – bright-as-a-button academics, the super-sporty, the artistically talented – and help them cross the educational finish line.
Downe House, Thatcham Open Morning - 19 March 2022 Open Morning - 23 April 2022 Open Morning - 11 June 2022 A slick, well-run school with a refreshing balance of work and play. Girls get punchy results and are encouraged to develop character and charm. They head off to top universities with invaluable grounding and a solid group of friends for life.
Frensham Heights School, Farnham Open Day - 14 May 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.
Great Ballard, Chichester Open Morning - 21 May 2022 Set just outside Chichester, this brand-new senior is the result of the organic growth of Great Ballard prep – for now, there’s just a small cohort of Year 7 and 8 pupils, but plans are on track to fill all year groups over the course of the next five years.
Sevenoaks School, Sevenoaks Virtual Sixth Form Open Day - 23 April 2022 Open Morning - 18 June 2022 Headmaster Jesse Elzinga arrived in September 2020 from Reading Blue Coat School, where he had a proven record of raising the academic bar. And what a hugely successful, sought-after school he is inheriting.
The King's School Canterbury, Canterbury 13+ Entry Virtual Open Morning - 05 March 2022 13+ Entry Virtual Open Morning - 11 June 2022 Sixth Form Entry Virtual Open Morning - 18 June 2022 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), King’s 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). Results are superb, but there’s a much bigger point here: pupils are allowed to excel in any field they choose.
The Marist School, Ascot Senior Phase Open Morning - 18 February 2022 Values at this all-through girls’ school in Sunninghill are based on Catholic traditions and the Marist Way: an interactive, investigative curriculum that links the content of lessons between subjects. Everyone – from the co-ed nursery to the sixth form – shares the same 55-acre woodland site, and facilities, though not overly swanky, are excellent, especially for sports. Academic focus is unashamedly important and results are stellar – but there is no whiff of a hothouse.
Thornton College, Milton Keynes Whole School Open Morning - 05 March 2022

South West England

Prep Schools

Badminton Junior School, Westbury-on-Trym Nursery & Junior School Open Morning - 09 February 2022 Whole School Open Day - 02 May 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.
Beaudesert Park School, Stroud Open Morning - 18 March 2022 Wearing its brilliance lightly, Beaudesert sits high on the Cotswold prep list for both longstanding locals and relocating Londoners. This is a warm, friendly school with traditional values and solid teaching that ticks all the educational boxes.
Bryanston Knighton House, Blandford Forum Open Morning - 11 February 2022 The move to becoming fully co-educational for this progressive once all-girls prep on the outskirts of Durweston takes another leap with the merger with Bryanston School completing in September 2021. Will Lockett, former head of Abberley Hall, returns to Dorset - he was a housemaster at Bryanston - to head up the newly named Bryanston Knighton House.
Cheltenham College Preparatory School, Cheltenham Prep School Open Morning - 29 January 2022 A thriving school with outstanding facilities of its own as well as some of the additional resources of Cheltenham College, Cheltenham Prep really does tick all the boxes. With a very visible and engaged headmaster to boot, this impressive school is surely – in the local racing parlance – a dead cert.
Clifton College Preparatory School, Clifton Open Day - 05 February 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, from public speaking and poetry competitions to soul and swing bands. Sport for all on Saturdays plus lessons for Years 7 and 8.
Hatherop Castle, Cirencester Open Week (7th-11th February) - 07 February 2022 Open day - 14 May 2022 A small co-ed, countryside prep where every child has the chance to shine. Numbers are up as word of its family ethos and outdoorsy unpretentious style spread: the pupils we met were a cheery, positive bunch who told us that the best thing about coming here is the friendliness.
Hazlegrove Preparatory School, Yeovil Open Day - 05 February 2022 Boarding Event - 05 March 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.
Port Regis School, Shaftesbury Spring Term Open Morning - 05 March 2022 Don’t be fooled by the turreted façade of Motcombe Park, Port Regis’ magnificent Victorian red-brick home: this is no draughty, creaky old school. It’s a place that shimmers and shines; hot on manners, hard work and integrity, yet dynamic and progressive. If you’re expecting a sleepy country school, prepare to be blown away.
Wells Cathedral Junior School, Wells Spring Open Morning (ages 2-18) - 05 March 2022 Summer Open Morning (ages 2-18) - 14 May 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 Senior and Sixth Form Open Morning - 04 March 2022 Whole School Open Day - 02 May 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.
Clifton College, Clifton Open Day - 05 February 2022 With its marvellous historic buildings, including a Grade II-listed chapel and the Percival Library, and spot-on location in Bristol’s coolest neighbourhood, co-ed day and boarding Clifton College has a lot going for it. And that’s before you even consider the very respectable results from its broad pupil intake (in 2019, 71 per cent A*-B at A-level). Or the fact that it consists of a flourishing pre-prep, prep and upper school, so offers a seamless education all the way through from two to 18. ‘Good pastoral, strong sport, excellent drama, brilliant facilities,’ sums up one happy parent succinctly.
Dauntsey's , Devizes Open Day - 07 May 2022 Dauntsey’s is a warm and welcoming centre of learning and adventure. Pupils are taught to be courageous but humble, an ethos to be cherished in a world full of competition and entitlement; they are lucky to be here and, refreshingly, they know it.
St Mary's Calne, Calne Open Day - 12 February 2022 Open Day - 07 May 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.
Wells Cathedral School, Wells Spring Open Day (ages 2-18) - 05 March 2022 Summer Open Day (ages 2-18) - 14 May 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

Framlingham College Prep School, Woodbridge Prep School Open Day - 02 May 2022 This lovely Suffolk prep is set in 23 acres of land in the pretty village of Brandeston, five miles away from the senior-school campus in Framlingham (a shuttle bus ferries pupils between the two sites). Pupils are equipped with the foundations they need to build a lifelong love of learning before hopping off to the senior school.

Orwell Park, Ipswich Open Morning - 05 February 2022 Orwell Park is undoubtedly academic and takes sporting achievements very seriously – but at the same time, there’s also a real understanding of the need to develop independent learners with curious minds and a kind attitude.

Senior Schools

Midlands

Prep Schools

Abberley Hall School, Worcester Pre-Prep Open Morning - 04 February 2022 Whole School Open Day - 05 March 2022 Summer Open Day - 11 June 2022 If you take all the traditional offerings of a country prep school, add a dollop of enquiring research, an enlightened head with bags of experience and enthusiasm, and a nurturing relationship with its fellow public school, you end up with an energetic co-ed prep school that is going places.
Bilton Grange, Rugby Whole School Open Day - 26 February 2022 Pre-Prep Open Afternoon - 13 May 2022 Warwickshire prep Bilton Grange has long been one of the main feeders to Rugby School – typically about 50 per cent of pupils choose the senior stalwart 10 minutes down the road – but at the beginning of 2020, the two officially merged. Now, following significant investment, the school is entering an exciting new phase of development and growth.
Malvern St James Girls' School - Prep, Great Malvern Pre-Prep and Prep Virtual Open Morning - 12 February 2022 Open Morning - 11 March 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 a warm and confidence-building environment that is unashamedly all about the girls.
Moor Park School, Ludlow Open Day - 04 March 2022 ‘Not every child can be good at everything but every child can be good at something,’ says Moor Park’s enthusiastic head Charlie Minogue.
The Elms, Malvern Early Years Open Day - 04 February 2022 Main School Open Day - 05 February 2022 We’ve visited hundreds of country preps over the years, and every one is a joy in its own way. But The Elms is truly special and never fails to impress us with its super-polite pupils who sprint ahead to open doors, the stunning setting on the edge of the Malvern Hills and the (sometimes gently bonkers) celebration of all that is best about childhood. (The extraordinarily high standard of cake doesn’t hurt either.) A mother once described The Elms to us as ‘just the best school on the planet’ – we have to agree.
Wolverhampton Grammar Junior School, Wolverhampton Infant School Open Morning - 19 March 2022 Open Evening - 16 June 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

King's Worcester, Worcester Open Morning - 13 November 2022 Adjacent to the cathedral, this historic school has outstanding facilities (including a boathouse and extensive playing fields across the river) and academic results to match. New head Gareth Doodes (formerly at Dover College) took over in September. The music department has strong links with Worcester Cathedral and there are more than 100 clubs and societies for pupils to choose from.
Malvern St James Girls' School, Great Malvern Open Day - 11 March 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.
Uppingham School, Uppingham Fourth Form entry Visiting Day - 12 March 2022 Fourth Form entry Visiting Day - 23 April 2022 Sixth Form entry Visiting Day - 30 April 2022 We were particularly impressed by Uppingham on our visit – not just by its bricks and mortar, but its pupils too, and our guide’s enthusiasm for his school was so palpable it left us buzzing. The great educationalist Edward Thring was headmaster here in the 1850s: he believed the key to a good education was a holistic one that celebrates and nurtures pupils’ talents – and his legacy still lives on at Uppingham today. If we had to sum up its ethos in a few words, we’d go for full-boarding, properly co-ed, all-rounder and, yes, academics are superb – but there’s so much more to this super-school than sackloads of A*s.
Wolverhampton Grammar School, Wolverhampton Open Evening - 16 June 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

Brackenfield School, Harrogate Open Day - 16 March 2022 A five-minute drive from the centre of Harrogate, Brackenfield is an enchanting co-ed day prep which offers a top-notch academic education in a warm family environment.
Stonyhurst St Mary's Hall, Clitheroe Open Day - 05 March 2022 Open Day - 02 May 2022 Stonyhurst is the oldest Jesuit school in the world and religion forms the backbone of St Mary’s Hall, its prep. The school is known for its superb boarding, innovative curriculum and great sense of community.

Senior Schools

Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe Open Day - 12 March 2022 Open Day - 12 March 2022 We challenge you to find a more soul-stirring school setting than this one. Surrounded by scenery that inspired JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Stonyhurst is the oldest Jesuit school in the world, and its Grade I-listed, part-Elizabethan, part-Victorian pile is thought to be Europe’s largest building after the Palace of Versailles. With religion forming the backbone of the school – and a fantastic mix of students from all cultures and backgrounds – the result is a brilliantly inclusive, outward-looking community proud to be part of one of the country’s leading Catholic schools.