The Perse Preparatory School
FOR PUPILS AGED 7 – 11 YEARS
The Prep
The Perse Preparatory School is a co-educational school for pupils aged 7 – 11 years.
We are committed to helping your child grow into a confident, smiling, interesting and interested individual. Within this vibrant and energetic school, every child will develop their academic curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.
Class teachers know their pupils well, providing continuity, encouragement and a strong sense of belonging. Alongside them, specialist teachers bring expertise and enthusiasm to different areas of the curriculum, enabling children to explore subjects in greater depth and discover new interests.
Children thrive on challenges both inside and outside the classroom, with great emphasis placed on developing breadth and balance through first-rate sport, clubs, music, art, drama and outdoor pursuits.
Self-confidence and happiness are prerequisites to academic and extra-curricular success, which is why we focus so much on a supportive community for children, parents and staff.
We work hard to strike the right balance between work and play, comfort and challenge, instruction and discovery, rules and common sense, questioning and humility, and guidance and independence.
Teachers throughout the school encourage pupils to think critically, reflect purposefully and articulate their ideas confidently across subjects
ISI Inspection Report 2026
The Prep is an academically selective school of just over 300 boys and girls with main entry points at Year 3 and Year 6 (usually around 24 spaces in both year groups). In Years 4 and 5 we usually offer around three places in each year group.
New pupils join us from a variety of other independent and primary schools, both local and further afield. A new class was added into Year 6 in September 2026 for the first time to meet the significant demand for places, bucking the national trend.
Families are reassured that children already at the Prep do not sit the Upper entrance tests, provided that the Prep Head recommends them for transfer.
By the end of their time at the Prep, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their Perse journey: intellectually curious, increasingly independent and ready to embrace the opportunities of the Upper School.
Our Prep School is led by Head, James Piper.
Explore the Prep
Use the menu to find out more about the Prep, including our ethos and values, learning spaces, staff and the latest news. If you would like to experience the Prep for yourself, visit our Join Us pages to learn about admissions and upcoming open events.
Book a tour of the Prep to look around the School, meet our staff and find out more about everyday life here.
We hold two open events each year, in the autumn and summer, for families interested in learning more about The Perse.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch and make an enquiry, we would be delighted to hear from you.
