Best private schools in Surrey
Almost one in five children in Surrey attends a private school – of which there are many. From standalone pre-preps, preps and senior schools to all-through, boarding and international schools, Surrey families are spoilt for choice when it comes to independent education.
Read our features on choosing schools for more details on how to pick and apply for private schools, or for more information on the pre-prep and prep stages.
Private schools in Farnham
Prep schools in Farnham
Sitting on the edge of the beautiful Surrey Hills, Farnham prep schools are inevitably referred to in our reviews as having ‘acres of woodland’, ‘idyllic surroundings’ and ‘far-reaching views’. Barfield School even comes with a treehouse classroom and award-winning outdoor pursuits centre. There is a big emphasis on outdoor learning and sport at Edgeborough School but, likewise, parents praise the ‘inclusive’ creative arts. For those seeking a less traditional private education, forward-thinking, all-through Frensham Heights School could be just the ticket. Pupils don’t wear a uniform and are on first name terms with the teachers.
Warm and traditional Amesbury in Hindhead is another idyllic prep school with small class sizes. A parent shared that both her children (one high-flying and the other less academic) thrived here. Recent accolades include ‘Microsoft digital showcase school’ and ‘Surrey tennis school of the year’.
Secondary schools in Farnham
No detentions, no house points and no prefects – ‘creative and forward-thinking’ Frensham Heights School is ‘not your typical school’ – and parents absolutely choose it for its ethos. While academics are important, it’s not just about exam results here. About 50 per cent stay on for the increasingly popular sixth form.
From Farnham, you can easily access private secondary schools in Guildford and Godalming (see the separate sections of this guide) as well as (all girls) St Nicholas’ School and Lord Wandsworth College across the border in Hampshire.
Private schools in Guildford
Prep schools in Guildford
Families with daughters are spoilt for choice in Guildford. Competition is stiff for a reception place at high-achieving Guildford High Junior School but another handful join at year 3. The vast majority move to the senior school (same site) without further assessment. Down the road, Tormead School is an all-through offering. The one-form reception entry is oversubscribed but an additional class is added from year 2.
According to parents, traditional Rydes Hill Preparatory School (complete with boaters and berets) is ‘a small but mighty hidden gem’ on the outskirts of Guildford. Although Christian values remain at the core, all faiths are welcomed and only about one-third of intake is Catholic. Boys can attend from nursery until the end of year 2.
South of Guildford, St Catherine’s Preparatory School in Bramley is popular with families moving out of London for a more ‘rural, ambitious but not sharp elbowed’ education.
RGS Prep is an unashamedly academic and selective prep school for boys with their sights set on selective senior schools (a place at RGS senior school is not guaranteed). As the official choir school for Guildford Cathedral, music is a massive part of school life.
Whilst there are no co-ed prep schools in Guildford itself, Longacre School in Shamley Green offers an outdoorsy environment where parents are confident that ‘all abilities are pushed but not pressured’. Parents advised to get in early at nursery or kindergarten.
Secondary schools in Guildford
The secondary school picture is much the same, with more choice for girls than boys. Guildford High School, located a handy 40 metres from Guildford station, is academically outstanding (virtually all go to top universities) without being pressurised, according to parents and pupils. The opening of a sixth form has established ‘all-rounder’ Tormead School as the area’s all-through school for girls. Most junior school pupils simply walk across the road to senior school; external applicants attend an interview and assessments.
At selective St Catherine’s School in Bramley, families sign up for a ‘results-driven environment’. Meanwhile, Royal Grammar School Guildford has a deserved reputation as the number one local destination for bright boys regardless of background (financial assistance is available). Parents say that entrance is tough but once in, ‘RGS supports the boys they’ve chosen’.
Private schools in Godalming
Prep schools in Godalming
St Hilary’s School is a co-ed prep in the heart of Godalming with a big focus on building self-confidence and celebrating success. In nearby Shackleford, Aldro is a traditional co-ed prep and boarding school; pupils head off to a wide range of academically aspirational schools including Charterhouse, plus big names further afield such as Winchester and Eton.
Eight miles away is Cranleigh Preparatory School from which many head ‘across the road’ to Cranleigh School (although a place isn’t guaranteed). Parents like the sporty element (it shares the senior school’s sports coaches, pitches and pool) and the gentle introduction to boarding.
Village preps, St Catherine’s Preparatory School and Longacre School, are just a short drive away and referred to in the prep schools in Guildford section of this guide.
Secondary schools in Godalming
One of the country’s most prestigious co-ed boarding schools, Charterhouse, sits on 250 acres of green space overlooking Godalming. Leavers take up places at top universities in the UK and overseas (over 80 per cent to Russell Group universities).
Cranleigh School is a broad church – a mix of academic wizards, others who find things a bit harder and many in between. Praised by parents for its family feel and famed for its sport. Keen riders can bring their own horses. Parents seeking a rounded education within a gentle and kind community need look no further than Prior’s Field for their daughters.
Marketed as ‘the most exciting school in England’ with its own film academy, dance company and professional media set-up, Hurtwood House, near Dorking and equidistant from Guildford and Godalming, is a sixth form boarding school for passionate arty types.
Private schools in Cobham
Prep schools in Cobham
Families looking for all-through independent education can choose from ACS Cobham International School, Claremont Fan Court School and (girls only) Notre Dame School. Another option is Rowan Prep School; many continue their all-girls education at top local schools (Guildford High School, Tormead School, Sir William Perkins’s) often with scholarships. Parents say that ‘boys can be boys’ at Parkside School, where the outdoor forest schools (yes, plural) are some of the best our writers have seen.
Amongst the surfeit of co-ed options in this area, the standalone preps include Feltonfleet School, Danes Hill School and Milbourne Lodge. Parents are advised to register their children from birth at Feltonfleet where nursery places are allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Similarly non-selective, Danes Hill is one of the biggest preps in the country although cleverly split into three self-contained schools (pre-prep, junior, upper). The hard-to-match facilities include a 24-acre paddock, heated pool and 14 sports pitches; for some parents, sport is the sole reason for choosing the school. At the other end of the scale, small and tight-knit Milbourne Lodge has a reputation for strong academics, with leavers moving on to some of the most prestigious schools in the country.
Secondary schools in Cobham
Popular with families relocating from overseas (70 nationalities on roll), ACS Cobham International School offers multiple graduating pathways, including IB, US high school diploma and AP International Diploma. Those with a bias towards art, drama, music and sport will likely do well at all-girls Notre Dame School. The Catholic faith is gently omnipresent but school accepts all faiths and none.
With results at an all-time high, Reed’s School for boys is edging closer to nearby powerhouses like Hampton School and Royal Grammar School (RGS) Guildford. Gently selective Claremont Fan Court School is a friendly school in a breath-taking setting.
The well-known Yehudi Menuhin School is a specialist music school for outstanding young performers who play strings and piano. Thanks to government support and means testing, any talented child can join, regardless of financial background.
Private schools in Woking
Prep schools in Woking
Coworth Flexlands School & Nursery is your quintessential small Surrey prep – no jazzy facilities, just a warm family feel with cuddly cavapoo to boot. The result of a merger in 2023, Halstead St Andrew’s School has done a great job of bringing the best bits of two schools together; sparky kids can excel while having a lot of fun along the way. Greenfield School, previously awarded ‘TES Independent Prep School of the Year’, achieves an impressive number of scholarships for a small, non-selective prep.
On the Berkshire border, Hall Grove School is a ‘traditional country prep’ complete with grazing sheep, apple orchard and beehives. For many, the pièce de resistance is the annual residential to the school farm in Devon.
Secondary schools in Woking
Three schools are in the midst of some big changes that will fill the gap in co-ed independent secondaries in Woking. Hall Grove School and Halstead St Andrew’s School will see their first cohorts of year 11 pupils sit GCSEs in 2028 and 2029 respectively, and Hoe Bridge School will open a new state-of-the-art senior school building in 2026.
A seven-minute train journey from Woking to Guildford makes the single-sex senior schools in Guildford (Guildford High School, Tormead School, Royal Grammar School Guildford) a feasible option for Woking families.
Private schools in Weybridge
Prep schools in Weybridge
Around a third of pupils are Catholic (others are all faiths and none) at St George’s Junior School in Weybridge but the Josephite ethos permeates school life. About 80 per cent of pupils continue their ‘Georgian journey’ at St George’s College, Weybridge. Also part of the Catholic provision of education, but a little further away, Jesuit prep St John’s Beaumont School on the Berkshire border attracts an international crowd with boarding available from year 4. School began its co-ed journey with the introduction of girls to pre-prep in 2023.
ACS Egham International School is the ‘most English’ of the three ACS schools because there is no American curriculum. From the age of 4, pupils study the IB Primary Years Programme.
Secondary schools in Weybridge
St George’s College is the largest co-ed independent Catholic day school in the country and an impressive ‘all-rounder’ school. It is built on Josephite traditions but only 30 per cent of families are Catholic. Bright and sporty boys fare well at Halliford School, which is smaller than other local independents. Girls warmly welcomed into sixth form but still overwhelmingly outnumbered. More likely to be found at Sir William Perkins’s School, affectionately known as SW(i)PS, where ‘rounded and grounded’ girls achieve well academically. It’s opening the door to boys from September 2026.
Located next to Windsor Great Park, ACS Egham International School accommodates admissions ‘as and when’ due to families arriving from abroad at any time; local British contingent, however, is on the rise. All pupils follow IB programme. Around half to UK universities with plenty to US and elsewhere overseas.
Boys who might be considered eccentric or unconventional or who just want a gentler, kinder and deeper approach to education should take a look at St James Senior Boys’ School, in Ashford, where meditation, philosophy and vegetarianism are part and parcel of the daily routine.
Private schools in Leatherhead
Prep schools in Leatherhead
Cranmore, St Teresa’s Effingham School and Manor House are part of the Effingham Schools Trust – a partnership creating a diamond model school to deliver all the advantages of both single-sex and co-education to girls and boys. Curious and inquisitive types that don’t mind getting dirty will be right at home at Downsend School. At non-selective Kingswood House, parents are blown away by the level of inclusion.
It’s quite rare in this neck of the woods to find an all-through route that will scoop up your 7-year old and hand them back to you at the end of year 13 ready for (most likely a Russell Group) university but ‘once you’re in, you’re in,’ at (academically selective) City of London Freemen’s Junior School. Set over four sites in Ewell village, all-through Ewell Castle School also takes the stress out of the 11+ process and transition to senior school.
Secondary schools in Leatherhead
This is an area bristling with good senior schools. Located just a few miles apart, each with its own impressive site, is the dynamic educational triumvirate forming the Effingham Schools Trust (EST): Cranmore offers education up to year 11 for boys while girls can choose between St Teresa’s Effingham School and Manor House. There is a guaranteed place in the co-ed sixth form for every EST pupil.
There are three main options for all-through education: small but sporty Ewell Castle comes with its own tennis academy; stellar results have earned City of London Freemen’s School a reputation as the best in the locality academically; and Downsend School (opening its new sixth form in September 2025) is known for its innovative and forward-thinking approach.
Popular with families who want to avoid the Surrey private school rat race are Kingswood House and RGS Surrey Hills – small, inclusive schools that hover towards the progressive end of the education spectrum.
But if its impressive academics, dazzling sports facilities and a top-notch extracurricular programme you’re after, Epsom College ticks all the boxes. Beware, it’s a busy six-day week from year 9 upwards. Hot on its heels is St John’s School Leatherhead where ‘what you choose to do in your spare time defines who you are’ – although we’re not sure how they decide from the 181+ clubs on offer each week.
Private schools in Reigate and East Surrey
Prep schools in Reigate and East Surrey
With spacious grounds including a forest school, pond and stream, you would never know that Reigate St Mary’s School is in the centre of town. Main entry is into non-selective nursery but typically 80 per cent move up to the selective and sought-after senior school, Reigate Grammar School. Families also buy into the all-through model at Caterham Preparatory School where outdoor learning is at the heart of school life (thanks to 200 acres of ancient woodland) and, in quiet contrast, digital innovation is huge – we’re talking iPads for everyone, drone driving licences, a retro gaming corner and more.
Heavily praised for their performing arts, Micklefield School and Nursery joined the Reigate Grammar School group in 2024.
Secondary schools in Reigate and East Surrey
Reigate Grammar School is academically outstanding (regularly sends double figures to Oxbridge and to medical/vet school) but prioritises an equally outstanding (and award-winning) pastoral programme including a sixth form mentor for every new year 7 pupil.
Apparently, you can tell a lot about a school from its match tea. At Caterham School, it’s coffee and a bacon sarnie – ‘nothing fancy, but totally delicious and exactly what everyone’s after,’ said a parent: ‘Caterham in a nutshell,’ summed up our reviewer.
Dunottar School is a standalone senior school brimming with happy children – probably due to its emphasis on being ‘the best version of you’ rather than topping the league tables as a school. Nurture is also the essence of Woldingham School. A school with boarding but also popular with Londoners catching the 7.27am from Clapham Junction, parents describe it as ‘a lovely school where daughters are encouraged without growing up too fast’. Good results for a broader range of abilities.
Private schools for children with special educational needs in Surrey
Pupils with speech and language needs develop socially and academically at Meath School in Chertsey. The seven-acre site has everything a primary school could want – woodlands, treehouse, swimming pool and even a zip wire. At 11+ pupils move on to special senior schools.
At the top of the specialist schools league, More House School (Farnham) supports bright boys with specific learning and language-based difficulties to access the mainstream curriculum – and results in GCSE outcomes above the national average. Moon Hall School,in Reigate specialises in teaching children with specific learning differences including dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. Knowl Hill School in Woking offers a smoother-than-usual journey for pupils with specific needs from age 8 through to 16.
Mainstream ability is also required at co-ed Unsted Park School for pupils with high-functioning autism. St Joseph’s Specialist Trust welcomes autistic pupils with a range of learning difficulties from the age of five. Weekly language classes, social skills therapy and lessons in life skills are taught with a view to improving students’ independence.
Most mainstream independent schools have some degree of support for children with milder special educational needs. At Kingswood House, neurodiversity is celebrated and a dedicated learning support centre has been created to meet the needs of dyslexic pupils.
Over the border into London, Blossom House in Tolworth has a long and proud history of supporting children with speech, language and communication needs, now extending to social communication issues and a farm school.