Felsted Prep School
Felsted Prep School
Org 1: IAPS
Braintree Road, Felsted, Essex CM6 3JL
Telephone: 01371 822610
Age Range: Pre-Prep/Infants, Prep/Junior to 13
Day or Boarding: Day, Weekly Boarding, Full Boarding, Flexi/Occasional Boarding
Gender: Co-ed
Head: Mrs Miranda Norris, BEd, ILMP, MEd
Deputy Head: Mr Jeremy P Fincher, BSc, PGCE
Director of Learning: Mrs Christina F Bury, BA Ed
Head of Stewart House (Reception–Year 2): Mrs Jacqueline A Atkins, BEd, MA
Head of Frome Court (Year 3 & 4): Mr Alex Manley, BA, PGCE
Head of Cloisters (Years 5 & 6): Mrs Gemma Paine, BA
Head of Courtauld House (Years 7 & 8): Mr Ben Gray and Miss Olivia Thorogood
Head of Boarding: Mr David Paine, BSc, PGCE, MSc
Director of Co-Curricular: Mr David Paine, BSc, PGCE, MSc
Head of Support for Learning: Mrs Georgina L Clifford-Smith, PGCE, MEd
Governing Body:
Chair of Governors: Mike Beale
Julia Abel Smith, DL, MA
Geoffrey Bault, BA
Robert Brown
Jane Crouch, BA, MA
John Davies, OBE, MA
Bobbi Davy
James Nicholson, DM, MA, MB BChir, FRCPCH
Lucilla Poston, CBE, PhD, FMedSci
Alison Sefton, BSc
Oliver Stocken, CBE
Nic Stuchfield, MA
Patricia Wardell, BA
Jason Windsor, BA
Stephen Wolfe, BSc, MRICS, IRRV
Age range. 4–13. Co-educational.
Number of pupils. 449 pupils.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Day: Prep £3,925–£7,785, Weekly Boarding: £9,980, Full Boarding: £10,595, Flexi Boarding (1–4 nights): £70–£155 per week.
The staff, excluding the Head, consists of over 60 full-time qualified teachers and there are additional part-time teachers for instrumental music and games.
Felsted was one of the first schools in the country to be inspected according to ISI’s new framework of standards in December 2023. The inspectors judged Felsted to be meeting the required Independent School Standards in every area and commented positively on all aspects of the provision covered by the report. In June 2023, Felsted was crowned the winner of the TES Boarding School of the Year
The Prep School, set in its own area on the main Felsted School campus, has many of its own facilities, including a modern well-equipped library, an excellent theatre/assembly hall, music practice rooms, a multipurpose sports hall and floodlit, multipurpose, hard play/games area. Use is made of Felsted School’s extra amenities at regular times, including the indoor swimming pool, two Astroturf hockey pitches, small-bore rifle shooting, squash and tennis courts, a state-of-the-art Music School and another indoor sports hall. Pupils in Years 6–8 also lunch at the senior school every day as part of a smooth transition process.
Rugby, netball, hockey, cricket, tennis are core sports, with squash, swimming, athletics, cross country and football also played. Music plays an important part in the School’s life, with an excellent Chapel Choir. Regular instrumental, orchestral and rock concerts are given and those children showing particular talent can study at the Junior Guildhall on Saturdays, subject to passing their auditions. The School has a deserved reputation for its drama productions, while Art, Design and Technology, Spanish. PSHE and Computing are part of the weekly timetable. Out-of-class activities include public speaking and debating opportunities, horse riding, chess, football, golf, karate, cookery and dance/ballet, among others.
Pupils joining at 11+ can be guaranteed assured transfer to Felsted Senior School at 13, as can pupils of a similar age already at the Prep School, following successful completion of assessment tests. The majority of pupils proceed to Felsted Senior School itself; some move on to other major independent senior schools. There is an excellent record of academic, art, music, sport, drama and Design & Technology scholarships. (For further information about Felsted, see entry in HMC section.)
Scholarships and awards are open to pupils joining Felsted Prep School at ages of 11+ in the September of the year of entry. Top-up bursaries may also be available on a means-tested basis. One 100% bursary is available each year to a child who meets the right criteria and is given at the discretion of the Head.
Charitable status. Felsted School is a Registered Charity, number 310870. It exists to provide education for boys and girls.