We are delighted to welcome you to our co-educational prep school and nursery for girls and boys aged 2-11.
Education with character is the ethos that sits at the very heart of our school and forms the core of what we believe. There’s more to a good education than learning – we work to develop our children’s characters, build their tenacity, foster courage and above all, inspire them to achieve excellence.
From the very youngest children in our nursery through to those preparing for senior school, Banstead Prep provides a stimulating and happy environment for learning.
I am passionate about the value of Early Years and Primary education, giving children the best possible start while fostering a love of learning and a lifelong ‘can do’ attitude. I believe education goes beyond examination success; children can only achieve when they feel happy and safe and when they’ve been given the skills to tackle new challenges, the courage to overcome obstacles and the opportunity to succeed. I place no limits on expectations. Children astound me every day, fuelling my enthusiasm for teaching. I’ve worked in boarding schools and single-sex independent schools, as a Headteacher.
In these rapidly evolving, increasingly global times, I am excited to be involved in the education of young people and to be leading Banstead Prep School. We’re a forward-thinking school with a talented and experienced staff team and the facilities to enable the broadest of opportunities as part of an engaging, innovative and exciting curriculum. This combination enables our children to be inspired, to work with others and to enjoy learning, both in and out of the classroom, and to go on to their senior school of choice and take charge of their world.
Mike Gibb BA (Hons) PGCE NPQH
We’re a forward-thinking school, with the facilities to enable the broadest of opportunities as part of an engaging, innovative and exciting curriculum. This enables our children to be inspired, to work with others and to laugh and enjoy learning, to go on to their senior school of choice and take charge of their world.
We’re dedicated to providing children with a broad and varied curriculum, equipping them with skills for life, while helping each of them grow in character and be the best they can, every single day. We believe happy children learn best and confident children go far.
We demand the highest teaching standards from our staff, place welfare and wellbeing at the heart of all we do and achieve exceptional academic standards while providing outstanding pastoral care, so each child feels happy, safe, valued and respected.
Our vision is to be a school that constantly strives to change and to improve.
At Banstead Prep we are:
Compassionate – Adaptable – Tenacious – Courageous – Honest
It’s easy to get lost in our spacious grounds…
As well as on-site swimming and sports facilities, and a full-sized all-weather pitch, Banstead Prep has its own Forest School, numerous gardens and a well-inhabited pond.
Our impressive sports facilities also include a large sports hall with indoor cricket nets, grass pitches, an outdoor netball court, tennis courts, a professional dance studio and the use of Banstead Cricket Club for cricket fixtures.
Moving inside, we are able to offer senior school standard facilities with everything from science labs, art, music, dance and drama studios to dedicated food technology and computing rooms.
Our site layout ensures the transition between classes and Key Stages is as smooth as possible.
We are extremely proud of our Sport for All ethos. We believe every child should feel valued and benefit from what sport can offer, such as teamwork and resilience, and sport helps to reinforce core Values of being Courageous, Adaptable, Tenacious, Compassionate and Honest. Therefore, every child in Years 3 to 6 is involved in weekly fixtures throughout the year in a variety of sports. We also challenge the more able children through competitions and tournaments and nominate those individuals for county or regional trials.
Our impressive grounds and sports facilities, including a full sized all weather pitch, large sports hall with indoor cricket nets, on-site swimming pool, grass pitches, outdoor netball court, tennis courts, professional dance studio and the use of Banstead Cricket Club for cricket fixtures enable a varied sports curriculum and comprehensive co-curricular programme. Sport is a valued part of school life, and all sport is taught by subject specialists who are all qualified with national governing bodies. The highlight for Years 5 and 6 is the opportunity to go on a Sports Tour to compete against other Prep schools and experience a range of activities.
The Banstead Prep Nursery offers our youngest children the opportunity to develop through play, helping them feel confident and safe while ensuring they’re given the best start to their time at school.
To encourage the most from children all the way through the school it’s vital that we get it right, right from the very start. Every child learns, progresses and succeeds in their own way, at their own pace.
By investing in our youngest children from the minute they join us and teaching them how to learn, we forge strong relationships and instil good habits, a ‘can do’ attitude and a love of learning they can take with them as they continue through the school. Nursery children benefit weekly from specialist teaching in Music, French and PE, and visit our Forest School.
Success encompasses everything we do; the foundations we create and then build upon in Nursery are crucial to our children’s later development personally, socially, physically and academically. With familiar staff and surroundings, and relationships already built, our Nursery children make a smooth, seamless transition to Reception.
We also know the time pressures many parents face and, with this in mind, we provide extremely flexible wraparound and sibling care.
It goes without saying that Banstead Prep School has high academic expectations, but our curriculum goes far beyond what most prep schools are able to offer. Our exceptional facilities, dedicated staff and specialist subject teachers enable us to go above and beyond, to consistently offer our children that little bit more. We want exceeding your expectations to be the norm.
The pace of technological advances means the jobs many of our younger children will go into don’t even exist yet. With this in mind we believe it’s vital to equip every child with the adaptable, transferable skills, for whatever path they may take.
Children from Reception to Year 2 have weekly specialist teaching in Music, PE, swimming, French, Drama and Food Technology (and Art from Year 1), and visit Forest School. From Year 3 children receive additional sport and our Life Skills curriculum, which includes enterprise, study skills, textiles, food technology, PSHCEE and design technology. From Year 4, children progress to a fully developed specialist teaching programme, with a subject specialist teacher for every lesson.
At Banstead Prep we instil a growth mindset in all children, encouraging them to take a risk in their own learning and always ‘have a go’. This is just one of the many hidden areas of our curriculum. Alongside English, Maths, Science and Languages, the things you might expect to find, our Hidden Curriculum exists to equip every child with adaptable skills to prepare them for the next step on their journey.
Everything from our small class sizes and after-school clubs to our Pupil Parliament counts towards our Hidden Curriculum. It’s about teaching children that mistakes are how we learn, that finding things a little challenging but having the courage to carry on helps us to develop.
Harry, Reception: “When we go to the forest we learn how to climb trees safely.”
We want our children to look back on their time at Banstead Prep as happy, varied, inspiring and above all exciting. There’s more to a good education than learning.
Our facilities lead the way, allowing all of the children to try something new, embrace the challenge it brings and develop characteristics that aren’t always associated with academic achievement, but are vital lifelong success.
Children from Reception to Year 2 have weekly specialist teaching in Music, PE, swimming, French, Drama and Food Technology (and Art from Year 1), and visit Forest School.
From Year 3 children receive additional sport and our Life Skills curriculum, which includes enterprise, study skills, textiles, food technology, PSHCEE and design technology.
From Year 4, children progress to a fully developed specialist teaching programme, with a subject specialist teacher for every lesson.
We welcome admissions enquiries throughout the year for entry into any year group.
Please contact Mrs Adrienne Forster, Head of Admissions and Marketing on 01737 363600 to discuss your requirements. You can also email admissions@bansteadprep.com
Visiting the school
You can visit the school on one of our Open Mornings, or we welcome visitors on most working days for an individual tour. For dates and online bookings please get in touch to make an appointment.
Registering your child for a place
To register your child for a place, please complete our online registration form.
Banstead Preparatory School
Sutton Lane
Banstead
Surrey
SM7 3RA