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What says..

Curiously for a school with illustrious royal connections (Princes Harry and William both came here before Eton), the fees are at the lower end for boarding preps in the region. General stampede for seconds after lunch that we witnessed on our visit supports the notion that the very appetising photographs on Twitter fully represent the standard of fare. Impressive though the academic achievements of the boys here, there’s a palpable understanding of what a boyhood should involve, and no shortage of humour… 

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What the school says...

Ludgrove is a thriving full boarding prep school for boys age 8 to 13 which sits in 130 acres of spectacular grounds and is a magical place to spend five years of childhood. Here the boys have a wealth of opportunities: a stimulating curriculum, exceptional facilities and a vibrant enrichment programme with exposure to music, drama, sport and art. An exciting addition to the School in 2021 was the opening of a £2.5million, state-of-the-art Exploration Centre providing one of the finest prep school scientific and creative learning environments in the country. At Ludgrove we aim to develop the boys' confidence in a caring and supportive environment where they are valued as individuals but learn to live as a community. Friendships are made for life and the full boarding experience and unique Ludgrove spirit allows boys to thrive in an atmosphere of high achievement, happiness, good manners and kindness. Our academic record speaks for itself: we are non selective on entry, yet our boys go on to the top Public Schools, notably Eton, Radley and Harrow. ...Read more

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What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2008, Simon Barber, BA. Many schools like to portray themselves as ‘one big happily family’ but few do so as convincingly as Ludgrove. For one thing, Mr Barber is the third generation of Barbers to take the role, and lives barely 50 metres from the main building. He was a boy here, as was his own son, and found he took instantly to teaching. After Eton and Durham University, he cut his teeth in state and independent day schools, then worked for a spell in the City before bowing to the inevitable and following in the family footsteps. ‘It was difficult not to come back, but I wanted to feel this was definitely the right choice.’ He still teaches ‘seven or eight’ lessons a week because ‘I enjoy knowing the boys. The beauty...

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Special Education Needs

We have a strong learning support department comprising three specialist teachers in addition to a visiting speech and language therapist and dyspraxia therapist. All boys are screened on arrival and if any literacy or numeracy difficulties are identified an individual programme of support is put in place. Current boys identified by teachers are referred through a referral form to Learning Support who will then assess the boy and devise a tailor-made programme. All individual programmes are designed after consultation with the English and Mathematics departments and then a profile of the pupil is given to all staff to facilitate their teaching and the boys' learning.

Condition Provision for in school
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Aspergers
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders Y
CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia
Dyscalculia Y
Dysgraphia Y
Dyslexia Y
Dyspraxia Y
English as an additional language (EAL)
Genetic
Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory
Has SEN unit or class
HI - Hearing Impairment
Hospital School
Mental health
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Natspec Specialist Colleges
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Special facilities for Visually Impaired
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
VI - Visual Impairment

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