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Everyone wants the best for their kids, and some people are lucky enough to actually be able to buy it. There are thousands of preparatory schools up and down the UK that, for a hefty fee, will give your little ones a primary education that will set them up for life. Only 10 of them, however, have been named the ‘best’ by the prestigious Carfax Education Index.
Carfax curates various versions of its schools index each year, recommending the very best of the best to parents everywhere – ‘regardless of their location around the globe’. The company uses a holistic approach to choosing its top 10s, considering various factors including exam results, range of extracurricular activities, and ‘ethos’. Basically, these people are serious about good (but expensive) education, and the 2024 UK prep school index has revealed that being near London gives you access to most of the top institutions.
Of Carfax’s top 10 picks, six are within a 90 or so minute drive to the centre of London, and all are in the south of England. Despite this, none of the 10 are actually in the capital. Instead, the best setting for growing kids seems to be, at least according to Carfax, in the countryside with lots of space for running, playing, and riding their ponies. You know, as all kids do.
That’s not to say that London isn’t home to any excellent schools. In fact, last year two London schools were shortlisted amongst the best in the world, the Sunday Times named one of our grammar schools among the top ten in the country, and two of the best private secondary schools were also right here in the Big smoke.
Of the schools near London, two are boys only, while the rest are co-ed. In fact, most of the schools named are co-ed, and all offer the option to board. They all also offer a pretty impressive spectrum of extracurriculars, from fencing at Ludgrove school to scuba-diving Lambrook. This really is a glimpse at how the other half lives, huh?
Another thing that these schools all have in common is eye-watering fees. The cheapest school near London, Cottesmore, near Crawley, will set you back £8,506 a term for year 4 and onwards, and that’s assuming you’re not boarding. The most expensive, Ludgrove, costs £13,384 per term.
But what are the six schools near London which Carfax has named? And, importantly, how much do they cost? Here are the best private prep schools within a 90-minute drive of London, including their termly fees for older preparatory students.
The best private prep schools near London, according to Carfax Education
- Cottesmore School, West Sussex – £8,506 for day pupils, £12,499 per term for full boarders
- Elstree School, Berkshire – £10,325 per term for day pupils £2,740 extra per term for boarders
- Godstowe School, Buckinghamshire – £8,700 per term, £4,350 extra for boarders
- Lambrook School, Berkshire – £9,948 per term
- Ludgrove School, Berkshire – £13,384 per term
- Sunningdale School, Berkshire – £8,520 per term for day pupils, £10,900 per term for boarders
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