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Reviewed

The Manor Preparatory School

Independent school · Abingdon, OX13 6LN
  • Primary/prep
  • Co-ed
  • Ages 2-11
  • From £19,476 pa
  • 389 pupils
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An unpressurised environment. The school finds each child's niche and builds around it. In the words of a very satisfied parent, 'This is an unpretentious school that is educationally challenging, yet very friendly and happy.' 'It just gets better the more we are there,' said another mother. Grounded, enthusiastic children with a real curiosity for life.

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Overview & data

Pupil numbers
389 ·
Religion
Anglican/Church of England
Fees
£19,476 - £24,411 pa
Local authority
Oxfordshire County Council
Area guides

Headteacher

Head

Rachel Hamlyn

Since September 2024, Rachel Hamlyn, previously deputy head (academic) at Cheltenham College Prep School and before that, head of middle school at St Hugh’s School. She has also held various roles in the maintained sector and has a wealth of

Entrance

Non-selective. Each child taken on own merit. School meets all children before offers made (and screens if necessary, at this point). Pupils join throughout the school (places permitting, school numbers very healthy). Nursery accepts tinies from 2+

Open days
Open Events take place throughout the year, please see school website for more detail.

Exit

Advice on next step schools rated good. Pupils move on to 11+ day schools rather than 13+ boarding schools. No formal links to senior schools. Destination schools really like the Manor product. Majority of girls (17 in 2024) to St Helen and St

Latest results

There are no results to show for this school. Find out more.

Teaching & learning

20
Average class sizes

Learning support & SEN

0.3 %
Students with a SEN EHCP
14.7 %
Students with SEN support

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

Children are not allowed mobile phones in school.

Updated Oct 2025

Pupils

389
Number of pupils

Money matters

School really set up for working parents: extras, all clubs and wraparound care included in the fees.

Fee information
£19,476 - £24,411 pa

Our view

Founded in 1907 as the prep school to a local girls' senior school, the school has been based in the outskirts of Abingdon since 1947. All links severed in 1970, paving the way for the Manor to operate as a stand-alone prep school. Prior to 2018,

The last word

An unpressurised environment. The school finds each child's niche and builds around it. In the words of a very satisfied parent, 'This is an unpretentious school that is educationally challenging, yet very friendly and happy.' 'It just gets better

Inspection reports

The Manor Preparatory School school badge

What the school says

The warmest of welcomes to the Manor, our very special corner of Oxfordshire where boys and girls aged 2-11 experience the most magical childhood.

Challenge… We strive to help every child reach and exceed their potential; academic rigour going hand in hand with opportunities to experiment with wide and varied activities both in and out of the classroom. The Manor is the perfect environment for children to flourish in, making excellent academic progress whilst also developing their wider abilities as learners and refining the personal qualities needed for the ever-changing world of tomorrow. Surrounded by amazing facilities and guided by talented staff who know each individual really well, children feel able to take risks and challenge themselves, indulging in their curiosity and building resilience as they go.

Cherish… Every Manor pupil is unique and special, and we recognise the great privilege it is to be trusted by parents to nurture each individual, helping them to develop a clear sense of self and the ability to grow and become the very best they can be. Whether in or out of the classroom, laughter echoes around our leafy site and kindness exudes from all in our Manor family. Staff are on hand to support the children in embracing their school days as well as equipping them to deal with bumps in the road and times when life might be trickier for them too. Manor children love coming to school, and that is exactly as it should be!

Inspire… At the Manor we offer a huge range of opportunities, encouraging all of our children to adopt a ‘have a go’ attitude and to embrace different lessons and activities with an open mind, knowing that they may find a new talent or passion. We see, every day, how our dynamic learning environment inspires the children, sparking their curiosity and helping them to develop confidence in who they are.

By the time the children leave us at 11, ready to move on to a broad number of senior schools, we are entirely confident that they are ready for this next step and that we have given them the best possible start. Do come and visit us so you can feel for yourself the remarkably magical yet grounded place the Manor is.

Last updated 08 August 2025

Key links to information you need

Homepage

Admissions

Visit us

Early Years

Pre-prep

Prep

Contact the school

Address

Faringdon Road
Shippon
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX13 6LN
Get directions

Telephone: 01235 858458

Email: admissions@manorprep.org

Website: https://www.manorprep.org

Local authority: Oxfordshire County Council

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  • Primary/prep
  • Co-ed
  • 7-13
  • From £27,390 pa
  • 160 pupils
  • Boarding
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School data & information The Manor Preparatory School Faringdon Road, Shippon, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 6LN
389 Pupil numbers
126/263 Pupil numbers boy/girls split
20 Average class sizes

Mobile phone policy

Provided by the school and not part of our review

Children are not allowed mobile phones in school.

Updated Oct 2025

We do not receive results data for this school. Find out more.

Entry and exit data

Here we report figures on pupils moving between schools at the usual entry and exit points, as well as student destinations into higher education. We publish publically available data for state schools. For independent schools, The Good Schools Guide collects data from its prep schools as to where their pupils go on to. Find out more

Our review contains additional entry and exit data reported to us and is updated annually. See the review

Recent leavers' destinations

SEN overview

The Manor Preparatory School is a mainstream school. The school may provide support for students with special educational needs as detailed below. If you require more information on conditions the school can support, we encourage you to contact the school directly.

SEN statement

Provided by the school and not part of our review

Based in The Cottage, our Learning Support Department is an integral part of The Manor available to all children, staff and parents, with an ‘open door’ policy where everyone is welcome. Working holistically, the main aim of the department is to build each child’s self esteem and confidence to take risks and utilise their strengths in order to realise their learning potential. Working within the limits of our resources, we are fully committed to promoting early identification and support and our child centred, personalised approach acknowledges that all of our pupils learn in different ways. We recognise the need for pupils to have a positive and confident attitude to learning in order to ensure success in the classroom. The Cottage offers a welcoming environment where pupils feel sufficiently secure to take risks in their learning. The Department is extremely well-equipped, with children having access to the latest evidence-based learning resources. With a graduated approach, most children’s needs can be met within the classroom. We work closely with teachers to provide strategies in class and to promote active engagement to help children to work towards becoming independent and confident learners and to help them achieve their potential.

Updated Jun 2022
0.3 %
Students with a SEN EHCP UK mainstream school avg. 3%
14.7 %
Students with SEN support UK mainstream school avg. 14.1%

SEN conditons supported

Schools report the conditions they might be able to support. Please note, this may not be a complete list. Find out more.

Conditions (Might cover/be referred to as) Provision
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Social skills Yes
HI - Hearing Impairment
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty Learning needs
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment Sensory processing
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic, Tics, Tourettes
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health Anxiety, Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication Selective mutism
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty Complex needs
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Auditory processing, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting Yes
VI - Visual Impairment Special facilities for Visually Impaired
Our data explained
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