King's College Prep School A GSG School Review
What is included in the King's College Prep School review?
Academic results & facilities
Up to date results for GCSEs, A levels, BTECs and IB; we go to places league tables can’t reach.
Pastoral care and inclusivity
From how the school reacts when something goes wrong to how they tackle thorny issues like substance abuse, consent and mental health. We check they’ve got it all covered.
Fees, scholarships & bursary information
An independent education is a major commitment; our review enables you to compare everything from fees to hidden costs, as well as giving detailed information on scholarships and bursaries.
Information about the head
Our unparalleled access to the head teacher means we can tell you exactly what to expect when you meet them – from leadership style right down to the décor of their study and what they’re currently reading.
Teaching and learning approaches
Entrance & admissions information
Exit information - where do the children go next?
Learning support & SEN information
Arts, sports and extracurricular
What The Good Schools Guide says..
King's Prep is your archetypal stunning prep; tick long sweeping drive, glorious parkland setting, honey-coloured Georgian façade and rich history dating back to the 1700s. The grounds are clearly well loved and well used – from reading dens and fire pits hidden away in the ‘big woods’ to expansive adventure climbing frames, walled garden playgrounds with painted football goals and acre after acre of pitches and fields. What is notable however is that, once inside…
Read more- King's College Prep School
Kingston Road
Taunton
Somerset
TA2 8AA - Head: Justin Chippendale
- T 01823 285920
- F 01823 285922
- E [email protected]
- W www.kings-taunton.co.uk
- King's College Prep School is an independent school for boys and girls aged from 2 to 13 that offers boarding. King's College Prep School day fees are £9,990 - £20,400 and boarding fees are £23,250 - £29,98 pa. Want to know more about King's College Prep School? Read our review here.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Somerset
- Pupils: 302
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day £9,990 - £20,400; Boarding £23,250 - £29,985 pa
- Open days: Please see website for details
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
- Linked schools: King's College (Taunton)
What the school says...
King's College Prep School is a Woodard school and the prep school to King's College, Taunton which is on a separate site about three miles away. The school is built around Pyrland Hall, a magnificent Georgian house on the edge of the Quantock Hills. The simply stunning 50 acre estate is entirely surrounded by National Trust farmland but is also within a mile of Taunton, the county town of Somerset. Bristol and Exeter are within easy reach whilst London is a two hour train journey or three hours via motorway.
There is an excellent record of academic, musical, dramatic and sporting achievements underpinned by a strong, family orientated sense of community. There is a programme of continual development: in the last twelve years this has included a new sports hall, performing arts centre used for concerts and drama productions, new changing areas, a computer centre for the Pre-Prep, an extensive ICT centre and an astroturf pitch as well as a superb Forest School as part of the estate. ...Read more
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Other features
All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.
UK Independent Schools’ Entry Test
Sports
Equestrian centre or equestrian team - school has own equestrian centre or an equestrian team.
Fencing
Since 2009, Justin Chippendale BSc. Welcoming, warm and refreshingly candid; parents praise ‘his clever mix of the modern and the traditional approaches to education’ and it is a topic he enjoys discussing. He has dedicated the last 15 years of his life to King’s Prep and believes that his legacy is one of a school focused on ‘building people’, not simply achieving results. He is proud of the level of trust, support and involvement in the school’s parent community and of the ‘institutional culture of kindness’ that he has overseen at the school. The school’s strong reputation, particularly in sport, drama and academia is, in his own words, ‘a by-product of the successes in kindness, collaboration and consideration with which children lead their lives here’.
His own education and career bounce back and forth between the Dragon...
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Special Education Needs
Although not a specialist school, King's College Prep makes provision for pupils with mild learning difficulties. The SEN Department was praised by ISI Inspection in 2004 as being a strength of the school. It is also recognised by the Services Education Allowances (SENA). 09-09
Leavers' destinations
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Ladies' College | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Radley College | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Sherborne Girls | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Sherborne School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| King's College (Taunton) | 2023 | 85% to the senior school |
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