St Andrew's Prep
St Andrew's Prep is a co-ed boarding and day school in East, Sussex, educating pupils aged 4 - 13 and founded in 1877. Boarding fees are £12,893 - £12,893 per term. Our advice on this school is independent and free.
- Type
- Co-ed boarding & day
- Boarders from
- 7 - 13
- Ethos
- Non-denominational
- Guardian required
- Yes
About St Andrew's Prep
The story, ethos and character of St Andrew's Prep.
- Setting
- Town
- Ethos
- Non-denominational
- Head
- Mr Tom Gregory
St Andrew's Prep is a non-selective co-educational IAPS day and boarding prep, which prides itself on breadth and excellence. The school was founded in 1877 and is one of the longest established and highly respected prep schools in the area.
Located in the coastal town of Eastbourne, East Sussex with easy access to London, the school is set in twelve acres of landscaped grounds and sports fields. The beach is a five-minute stroll away and a number of classrooms overlook the South Downs National Park.
With nature on its front door, St Andrew's offers a unique Woodlands Classroom and Beach School which provide opportunities to complement classroom study with outdoor learning.
The school's boarding house, Colstocks, is in the heart of the school. The House is lively and full of fun but also offers its boarders a to relax and enjoy the company of friends from around the world. The children are taught to embrace learning, show ambition and accept appropriate challenges while the staff nurture the importance of values, responsibility and community through the strong pastoral system.
Pastoral care throughout the school is excellent and the school's ahead-of-trend wellbeing hub, called The Snug, has been warmly welcomed by parents. With an emphasis on pupil collaboration and problem-solving, the school's curriculum is forward-thinking with exceptional teaching in academic subjects alongside wonderful opportunities in performing and creative arts and outstanding sports coaching.
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Academics at St Andrew's Prep
What pupils study at St Andrew's Prep — and where it takes them.
are taught in these sets but this varies from year to year; for instance in Year 8 Geography and History are taught in French sets. PSHE, Drama and ICT are taught in mixed ability throughout the school and in Year 8 Art, Design Technology and Innovation, and PE are taught in Tutor .
From Year 5 upwards, children whose first is not English attend specialist EAL lessons instead of studying French and Latin. Children in Years 3 and 4 have a small amount of homework but from Year 5 upwards this is built into the timetable as prep lessons.
Programmes offered
Where our leavers go
From Year 8 there are two routes into senior schools. The majority of senior schools require children to take either the Common Entrance examination or a programme of study that is broadly similar to Common Entrance to gain entry.
From September 2019, St Andrew's Prep moved away from Common Entrance in favour of The Bridge Curriculum which is an exciting new initiative that aims to combine the best bits of the Common Entrance syllabus with the best bits of the National Curriculum and other programmes of study to create a pathway of learning that is exciting, dynamic and more effective in preparing pupils for the demands of GCSE and beyond. It is through this route that most Androvians will access senior school.
However, there are a number of children who take Academic Scholarship examinations and it is normal that they then do not have to take Common Entrance or the Bridge Curriculum exams as well. Some senior schools set their own Scholarship papers but the majority of local senior schools use the Common Academic Scholarship papers.
Children move to a wide variety of senior schools, in particular Eastbourne College with which St Andrew's Prep amalgamated in February 2010. Other schools our pupils have moved on to in past years include: Ardingly - Battle - Bede's Senior - Benenden - Brighton College - Burgess Hill - Claremont - Eastbourne College - Hurst - Tonbridge Part of the strength of St Andrew's is the Headmaster's personal knowledge of a wide range of senior schools and his ability to match your child to the most appropriate one.
Towards the end of a child's time at St Andrew's he will encourage parents to visit a number of schools and help them to identify the one best suited to their child. Scholarships to Senior Schools An impressive number of scholarships are won by St Andrew's pupils each year to a variety of senior schools.
Drama, Music and Sport, as well as academic awards. Candidates who sit for any of these awards are usually among the very strongest in these fields in their year group and parents are encouraged to discuss the possibility of their children sitting for any senior school scholarship with the relevant members of staff so that they can gain a realistic appraisal of the assessment process and their child's likelihood of gaining an award.
Senior schools also publish details of their scholarships in booklets and on their websites and parents should make themselves familiar with the requirements.
Figures are indicative — contact us for the latest results.
Boarding at St Andrew's Prep
Day-to-day boarding life and pastoral care at St Andrew's Prep.
- Boarding houses
- Girls 1, Boys 1, Mixed 0
- Exeat weekends
- Yes
- Guardian required
- Yes
- Saturday lessons
- Yes
We are delighted to announce that St Andrew's prep was named as a Finalist for the International Student Experience Award in the Independent Schools of the Year 2020 and 2022 Awards and Finalist for the Independent Boarding School of the Year in 2023.
Boarding is the perfect way for children to grow in confidence and to become more independent. For those moving on to senior boarding schools, boarding at St Andrew's Prep is an excellent preparation for the next stage in their educational journey.
The boarding house is run by Libby Minister who is supported by her husband, Matthew. They live in the House with their young son, Willoughby and dog named Bertie. They are supported by a residential House Tutor, our residential Senior Nurse and our band of gap students.
The recently refurbished boarding house is situated in the heart of the school and is divided into two boarding house, one for the girls and one for the boys. There are three joint common rooms including a snack room. Each of the boarding houses have spacious bright rooms that allow each child their own personal space.
We can arrange trusted UK guardianship for international families.
St Andrew's Prep admissions
How children join St Andrew's Prep, and how we make it simple.
Tell us about your child
Share their age, interests and what you're looking for. Our advice is completely free.
We shortlist & introduce
We match you to the right schools and make the introductions to their admissions teams.
Assessment, offer & enrolment
We guide you through entrance assessments and interviews, and handle visas and guardianship if needed.
What you'll typically need
- Recent school reports or transcript
- Passport copy
- English-language evidence (if applicable)
- Completed registration form
- A reference from the current school
St Andrew's offers a short stay package for day and boarding places. Boarding places are only available from Year 5. The minimum stay is half a term. For Year 8 places, minimum stay is one term and these are subject to availability. Special notes to agents about entry to the school St Andrew's is essentially non-selective and we rely on the agent to provide background information and most recent reports.
We test children at Year 7 and 8 on Maths and English to ensure that they are placed in the correct academic sets. We know that Exeat weekends are a concern for many parents and so have adapted our Exeat weekend provision accordingly. Whilst Exeat weekends still take , we offer to look after pupils for the weekend so that they don't have to go to their guardian or host family.
As your advisors we manage the application end-to-end at no cost.
St Andrew's Prep fees & funding
What St Andrew's Prep costs, what's included, and how we help with funding.
What termly boarding fees include
- Tuition
- Boarding accommodation
- All meals
- Pastoral & house care
- Most academic materials
Funding & scholarships
Registration deposits, EAL tuition, uniform and trips are usually charged separately. Many schools offer academic, sport, music and art scholarships plus means-tested bursaries — ask us and we'll send a full, current breakdown for St Andrew's Prep.
Fees change year to year and by entry point. As your independent advisors we hold up-to-date figures and can compare St Andrew's Prep against similar schools so you know exactly what to budget.
Figures shown are the latest we hold — we'll confirm current fees on enquiry.
St Andrew's Prep location & travel
Where St Andrew's Prep is, and how to get there.
Travel details Address Meads, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 7RP, England Airport transfer +44 (0)1323 720720 Taxis Travel time to London by train Less than 2 hours Telephone +44 (0) 1323 733203 Website https://www. standrewsprep. co. uk/ Most convenient airports Airport Distance (miles) Drive time (minutes) 1.
London Gatwick 48 50 2. London Heathrow 84 102 Most convenient train stations Station Distance (miles) Drive time (minutes) 1. Eastbourne 1 3 Local accommodation Hotels The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne: www. grandeastbourne. com Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne: www.
St Andrew's Prep — frequently asked questions
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Considering St Andrew's Prep for your child?
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