Ages 
A small-school experience on a big campus, with extensive grounds and facilities that rival some secondary schools. Lots of parental excitement about years 9, 10 and 11 being added.
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Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 330 ·
- Offers boarding
- Yes ·
- Religion
- None
- Fees
- Day £14,253 - £20,427; Boarding £40 per night
- Local authority
- Essex County Council
- Area guides
Headteacher
Headmaster
Edward Bond
Since 2021, Edward Bond, previously head of lower school at Haileybury where he taught for 20 years. In the (nearly) 100-year history of Holmwood, he is, remarkably, only the sixth head and the second with no family or previous connection with the
Entrance
School nursery (on separate site) from 6 months old and a good clutch move straight up to pre-reception (on the Lexden site) or reception while others leave for local primaries. Majority join reception at age 4 and increasingly at 11 (especially
- Open days
- February
Exit
‘One of the first questions some parents ask me is, “Do you prepare for grammar schools?” and the answer is yes,’ says head, with half the pupils heading off after year 6 to do just that (or to senior independent schools). Colchester Royal Grammar
Latest results
There are no results to show for this school. Find out more.
Learning support & SEN
Boarders
Boarding – two nights a week maximum – available from year 4 with certain nights reserved for particular year groups or for a ‘themed’ night (Burns Night was a recent jolly). Particularly popular with year 7s and 8s, even more so since Covid.
Pupils
Money matters
Fees average for the area. Some means-tested bursaries available.
- Fee information
- Day £14,253 - £20,427; Boarding £40 per night
Our view
Set in a semi-rural pocket of north Essex (or ‘south Suffolk’) handily close to the A12 and two miles from Colchester. The only prep school in the area that offers both day and boarding options. ‘We are essentially a day school, with the
The last word
A small-school experience on a big campus, with extensive grounds and facilities that rival some secondary schools. Lots of parental excitement about years 9, 10 and 11 being added.
