Age range. 3–13.
Number of children. 360.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Prep School Day fee (Years 3–8): £8,232, Pre-Prep fee (Reception–Year 2): £5,510, Pre-School up to £4,190 for 5 full days. Weekly boarding (Years 5–8): £2,066 (in addition to day fees). All fees inclusive of VAT.
Moulsford is a thriving independent day and boarding Prep School for children aged 3–13 years set on the banks of the River Thames in South Oxfordshire. The Pre-Prep is already co-educational for boys and girls aged 3–7 years, and the Prep school is currently for boys aged 7–13 years. The school is moving towards full co-education, welcoming girls into Year 3 from 2026, and will be fully coeducational by 2031. We aim for our pupils to receive the broadest possible education, while remembering that they will learn best when happy and settled. Our down-to-earth, family-focused approach embraces the fact that children of this age should be having fun at the same time as learning.
Moulsford offers pupils superb opportunities for learning while having fun, with a curriculum designed not only to prepare them for senior schools, but also to ensure they have the skills for life beyond. The curriculum promotes intellectual agility, encourages them to think and analyse critically, makes connections across the subjects and gives plenty of opportunity for creativity and collaboration. Children are encouraged to build resilience by having a go, taking a well thought-out risk, and learning through both failure and success.
Through Moulsford’s Activities programme, the school offers opportunities to develop new skills and talents, while becoming a conscientious citizen. Working towards the Moulsford Award, children can try bike maintenance, cookery, bushcraft, ceramics, photography, climbing, drama, chess, pantomime, parkour, geocaching and many more activities covering the five key elements of performance and arts, community, self-development, adventure and healthy living.
Moulsford’s reputation for sport remains extremely strong, with all children in the Prep school in teams A to F regularly playing competitive matches. Major sports are football, rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics. Minor sports have also seen significant successes in golf, cross-country and judo. Music and drama remain very popular with roughly three-quarters of the boys from Years 3–8 playing an instrument.
Boys leaving in Year 8 progress to the UK’s leading independent day and boarding schools at 13+ including Abingdon, Eton, Harrow, Radley, Magdalen College School, St Edward’s Oxford, Wellington, Marlborough, Pangbourne, Bradfield, Shiplake and The Oratory. Once girls progress through the school, this list will also include senior girls' schools.
The riverside setting provides a unique dimension to prep school life with kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards all put to good use. At Forest School there are opportunities for fire-building, tree climbing, whittling and making bows and arrows.
A new state-of-the-art Pre-Prep building opened in September 2022. The Pre-Prep building is home to a Pre-School, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, and welcomes boys and girls throughout.
Moulsford sits on the border of South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire and is easily accessible within the Newbury, Oxford and Reading ‘triangle’ with the M40 and M4 motorways and the A34 close by. School transport services are provided throughout the local area.
Charitable status. Moulsford Preparatory School is a Registered Charity, number 309643.