Ages 
Parents are full of praise for the school’s approach and ethos, evidenced by the fact that many year groups are virtually full. ‘It’s very nurturing, a real community,’ one told us. ‘They treat the children with real respect, not as adults, but as equal human beings.’ Like the senior school, they aim to educate ‘head, hand and heart’ – in other words, provide a broad education and focus on developing children’s personal qualities as well as their intellectual prowess.
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Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 209 ·
- Offers boarding
- Yes ·
- Religion
- Non-denom
- Fees
- Day £19,995 - £28,083; Boarding £33,696 - £37,848 pa
- Local authority
- Hampshire County Council
- Linked schools
Headteacher
Head of Bedales Prep
Fiona Read (Bedales Pre-prep) / Clare Kirkham (Bedales Prep)
Since April 2025, Clare Kirkham. Following her degree in classical civilisation from Leeds, she worked at the BBC and Channel 4 before transitioning into education via a PGCE at IoE. Taught at Barfield Prep School, near Farnham, where she became
Entrance
Bedales Pre-prep and Prep are non-selective. Main entry points are nursery, reception and year 3 at Bedales Pre-prep and year 4 and year 7 at Bedales Prep. For entrance to years 1 to 3, informal assessment of reading, writing and maths. For Bedales
Exit
Vast majority of pre-prep pupils progress to the prep and then over 90 per cent to Bedales Senior. Common Entrance isn’t taught here (Bedales doesn’t require it) but even so pupils have won places at Marlborough, the International Community School
Latest results
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Teaching & learning
Boarders
Children can board from year 4 but most boarders are in years 7 and 8. Newly refurbished, co-ed boarding house opened in 2023, bringing the girls’ and boys’ boarding wings together into a single boarding house. Flexi and weekly boarding offered and
Mobile phone policy
A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.
Mobile phone policy
Provided by the school and not part of our review At Bedales Prep, mobile phones are not allowed in school during the day. If a day student needs a mobile for travelling purposes, they must hand it into reception when they arrive in the morning. Boarders are allowed to bring their phone to use at the evenings and weekends. Their phones are stored in the boarding office during the day, signed out in the evening, and returned by 8.15pm. We have an electronics contract which we ask students to sign to ensure responsible, healthy use of their devices.
Pupils
Money matters
- Fee information
- Day £19,995 - £28,083; Boarding £33,696 - £37,848 pa
Our view
The prep dates back to 1902 and the pre-prep opened in 1953. Both schools are on the Bedales campus but have their own entrance and loads of space to run around in. Bedales Prep and Pre-prep are all about ‘the whole child’. Outdoor work is an
The last word
Parents are full of praise for the school’s approach and ethos, evidenced by the fact that many year groups are virtually full. ‘It’s very nurturing, a real community,’ one told us. ‘They treat the children with real respect, not as adults, but as
