Governors Sherborne Prep Senior Leadership Team
Chair
C.H. Samler
Governors
J.S. Blanch
S.A. Craig-McFeely
Canon N.J. Edwards
L. Hall
A.L. Harris
A.L. Hughes
N. Isaac Esq
N.L. Jones Esq
A.C. Lane
R.A.L. Leach Esq
The Reverend M.P. Lee
G. Marsh Esq
J.S. Massey
A.J.D. Pralle Esq
S.M. Spearing Esq
G. Staley
M.C. Taylor Esq
A.P. Williams
M.T. Wilson Esq
Clerk to the Governors
S.C. Worthy
Head Sherborne Prep
Annie Gent, BA (Hons), MEd, BA, QTS
Senior Deputy Head (Academic)
Briony Harris , BA (Hons), PGCE, PGCert, PGDip
Deputy Head (Co-Curricular)
Alastair Poulain, BA (Hons)
Deputy Head (Pastoral)
Alastair Bowden, BA (Hons)
Prep Bursar
Mrs Allison Evans
SHERBORNE SCHOOLS GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Head Sherborne Prep
Annie Gent, BA (Hons), MEd, BA, QTS
Headmaster Sherborne Boys
Simon Heard, BA (Hons), PGDip, QTS
Head Sherborne Girls
Dr Ruth Sullivan, BSc, PGCE, MSc, PhD
Head Hanford Prep
Hilary Phillips, BA (Hons) BEd
Director of External Affairs
Katherine Massey, BA (Hons)
Chief Operating Officer
Simon Worthy, BA, MBA
For the full list of Governors for Sherborne Schools Group, which includes the small number of co-opted members of individual committees, please visit https://www.sherborneschools.group/governors-and-executive-committee
Vision + Aims
Our vision is to inspire every child to grow in confidence, compassion, curiosity and character, ready to embrace life and shape their future.
Our aim is to nurture talents, encourage awareness, foster a love of learning and to build strong foundations for our children to achieve future success, personal growth and enjoy lifelong discovery.
Since the formation of Sherborne Schools Group (SSG) last year, we have been developing a strategy for both the Group and each individual school. Our shared vision is to be recognised as the UK’s leading group of independent schools, known for a character-led approach that blends academic excellence, personal growth, wellbeing, and 21stcentury skills.
To bring this vision to life, we are working on a Strategic Framework built around five Key Pillars.
Strategic Framework 2025-2035
Our aim is to deliver a forward-thinking, Transformative Education that respects tradition while boldly embracing the future. Grounded in excellence, driven by character, and powered by innovation, we prepare every pupil to be not just successful, but significant - leaders, creators, and changemakers in a fast-evolving, globalised world. Our strategic priorities deliver The Sherborne Difference on the ground, translating the Group vision into daily learning experiences, character development, and innovation, equipping pupils to solve complex challenges and make responsible, measurable contributions to society.
Key Aims
1. Character + Leadership
We will embed character development and wellbeing across all aspects of school life, through daily experiences that teach resilience, kindness, creativity and responsibility.
2. Academics + Futures
We will deliver a personalised, innovative education that equip pupils with the knowledge, practical skills, and mindset to thrive in a complex, rapidly changing world.
3. Innovation + Entrepreneurship
We will embed creativity, entrepreneurship, and future-ready skills across all years, giving pupils the confidence to try, experiment, and learn from both successes and setbacks.
4. Partnership + Community
We will ensure community remains at the heart of a Hanford education; cultivating a warm, family-like environment where every girl is known and valued.
5. Sustainability + Humanity
We instil care for the environment and awareness of global responsibility from an early age, ensuring cherishing childhood goes hand in hand with protecting the world around us.
Through The Sherborne Difference, we will cultivate ethical, innovative, and globally-minded leaders prepared to navigate and shape the challenges of the 21st century.
Academics
Sherborne Prep provides a broad and ambitious curriculum that balances academic rigour with creativity, curiosity and a love of learning. Pupils are encouraged to think deeply, question widely and take genuine ownership of their learning. Our teaching combines high expectations with individual support, enabling every pupil to make strong progress and develop independence, confidence and curiosity.
Curriculum Enrichment and Innovation
We are proud to have a new, dedicated Sustainability lesson introduced into the timetable for Years 3–5. Through inquiry-based projects, pupils explore environmental issues and global citizenship, connecting academic learning with independence, responsibility and critical thinking.
Academic progress is underpinned by Sherborne Prep’s distinctive Core Skills Framework, which develops six key skills – communication, collaboration, thinking and learning, reviewing and improving, independence and leadership –preparing pupils with the capabilities, confidence and adaptability needed for life beyond the classroom.
Increasing integration of digital tools supports collaboration, research and presentation across subjects, helping pupils to learn with confidence in a modern academic context.
In Years 7 and 8, these skills culminate in the Sherborne Project Qualification (SPQ), an independent research project where pupils investigate a subject of genuine personal interest. The process builds academic rigour, curiosity and self-assurance, culminating in a public exhibition which showcases their learning and communication skills – a highlight of the academic calendar and a true celebration of curiosity, academic application and achievement.
Academic enrichment is woven throughout school life, with Focus Days and enrichment slots offering opportunities for deeper investigation and creative problem-solving. These experiences encourage pupils to make connections between disciplines and apply their learning in engaging, authentic contexts.
Attainment and Progress (GL Assessments)
Analysis of GL Progress Test data across three cohorts (2018–2023, 2021–2024 and 2022–2025) demonstrates sustained value-added outcomes for pupils consistently educated at Sherborne Prep. For the 2018–2023 leavers, pupils’ average Standard Age Scores (SAS) rose by around ten points over a three- to four-year period in both English and Mathematics, while the 2021–2024 cohort showed a comparable uplift in Mathematics and maintained strong English attainment. For the most recent long-term group (2022–2025), outcomes remain securely above national averages, with English (PTE) broadly stable (−1 SAS) and Mathematics (PTM)
Scholarships and Senior School Destinations
Across the past four years, pupils have achieved notable success in scholarships and awards to leading senior schools. Around half of each Year 8 cohort has been recognised with at least one award. In total, 91 awards were achieved, including 35 academic awards.
showing a clear upward trend (+4.7 SAS). This reflects both the inclusion of new joiners with lower prior attainment and the school’s increased emphasis last year on wider participation in sport, co-curricular events and trips. These priorities enriched pupils’ experience but may have had a small, short-term effect on GL outcomes. Overall, the evidence shows that long-term pupils continue to make strong, consistent progress, supported by high-quality teaching, rigorous tracking and ongoing leadership reflection on curriculum balance and impact.
Schools
Sherborne Boys, Sherborne Girls, Sevenoaks, Downe House, Cheltenham Ladies, Canford, Hampton, King’s Bruton, Millfield, Bryanston, Wellington School, King’s Taunton, Leweston, Milton Abbey
Pupils leave Sherborne Prep as confident, independent learners, very well prepared for the challenges of senior school and beyond.
Admissions Process
Pre-Prep and Prep Entry
Families are encouraged to contact the Admissions Team to find out more about the Pre-Prep and Prep. The team is available to answer questions and provide any further information needed.
Parents and children are invited to visit, either by attending an Open Morning or booking an individual tour. Visits offer the opportunity to meet staff and pupils, explore the school’s facilities, observe lessons, and experience the learning environment. To register, families complete a registration form and pay the registration fee. At this point, recent school reports may be requested if applicable.
Each child is then invited for a taster session or day to meet teachers and classmates. This helps pupils settle in with confidence and enables staff to get to know them. Where places are available and the taster day is successful, an offer of a place will be made. To confirm, parents return the acceptance paperwork and pay the deposit. Children are then warmly welcomed into the school community, where the team ensures a supportive and happy start.
School references
A reference and report will be requested from the current school as part of the admissions process.
Offer and acceptance of a place at the School
If you are offered a place at Sherborne Prep, we ask you to complete an acceptance form and pay a deposit of £500 to secure the place. For children joining Pre-Prep, the deposit is not required until they move from Year 2 into Year 3. For overseas pupils in all year groups, a deposit of £1,000 is payable.
Scholarships and awards
Sherborne Prep offers a number of Scholarships, Exhibitions and Bursaries. Details of the awards are available from the Admissions Team or our website: sherborneprep.group
General Information
Boarding
At Sherborne Prep, boarding is more than beds and routines – it is about belonging. Acreman House, tucked right into the school campus, is run by Mr Chiappa-Patching and his family, who live on site and wrap every child in a warm, authentic sense of home. With separate dorms for boys and girls, and spaces that buzz with laughter and life, it is a world where children are known, cared for, and cherished.
Communication
A weekly email, Heads Up, keeps parents informed and a calendar is accessible online via the website. Parents can access information about their child through the online Parent Portal including their reports and timetable, as well as key school communications.
There are telephone/s in the Boarding House and children are allowed to bring mobile phones (subject to some simple rules and conditions). Each child is allocated an email address and is also able to receive post in House. The first point of contact for parents is the Housemaster.
Equality
Sherborne Prep fully endorses the fundamental principles of equality and justice. The School provides a moral framework for pupils’ personal development so that they mature into principled, kind, inclusive and supportive members of the communities in which they live and work.
The School encourages all members of its community to have respect for one another, regardless of race, gender, creed, social status, age or disability and is opposed to words or actions which display unkindness, prejudice or discrimination of any sort against any individual.
Education Guardians
All pupils whose parents are resident abroad must have an Education Guardian in the UK. Education guardians are responsible for the child’s welfare while they are at boarding school, travel arrangements, accommodation at closed exeat weekends and half-term holidays and represent parents at meetings with teachers. In the event of an emergency, illness or disciplinary matter the education guardian will be called on by the School to collect your son/daughter and therefore should
live within reasonable travelling distance. We recommend no more than 2.5 hours drive away. The appointment of an Education Guardian is the responsibility of the parents. Where an Education Guardian is not a close relative or family friend, the appointment must be made through a reputable guardianship organisation accredited by either the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) or the Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students (AEGIS).
Inspections
The most recent inspection was the ISI Compliance Inspection Report 2023. This report, along with previous Boarding Inspections can be viewed in full at: sherborneprep.group
Pastoral Care
Pastoral care at Sherborne Prep is not a department – it is a way of life. From the moment children step through our gates, they are seen, supported, and celebrated for who they are. We are all about the whole child: their confidence, their kindness, their personality. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our Early Years and Pre-Prep, where we know the habits formed now will ripple through a lifetime. Every child has a Form Tutor – the anchor in their school day – and in the younger years, this teacher often delivers many of their lessons, nurturing a bond built on trust, continuity, and a lot of giggles. Alongside this daily connection, the Deputy Head (Pastoral), Head of Boarding, and Head are hands on and heart in – deeply involved in school life and the wellbeing of every pupil.
Policies
The following policies and documents can be found on the School website sherborneprep.group
• Admissions Policy
• Anti-Bullying Policy
• Behaviour Management Policy
• Complaints Procedure Policy
• Curriculum Policy
• EAL Policy
• EYFS Administration of Medicine & Sick Child Policy
• EYFS & Pre-Prep First Aid Policy
• First Aid Policy
• Gender Pay Gap Report 2022, Gender Pay Gap Report 2023, Gender Pay Gap Report 2024
• Relationships & Sex Education Policy, PSHEE Policy
• SEND Policy
• SSG Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy
• SSG Health & Safety Policy
• SSG Privacy Noticy Policy
• SSG Data Protection Policy
• SSG Bursary Award Policy
• SSG Environmental & Sustainability Strategy & Action Plan
• SSG Equal Opportunities Policy for Staff
• SSG Website and Cookie Policy
• SSG Pupil Attendance, Registration & Absence Policy
For further policies concerning the safeguarding and welfare of pupils, inclusion and accessibility, behaviour and pastoral support, medical and mental health provision, online and data safety, boarding arrangements and recruitment practices, which are available on request, please contact the Policies, Inspection & Strategy Co-ordinator policies@sherborneschools.group.
Privacy notice
By registering or providing personal information to Sherborne Prep, you agree to Sherborne Prep using this information in relation to your enquiry and to contacting you via email, direct mail, and telephone. All the personal information you provide to Sherborne Prep will be held securely and used strictly in accordance with data protection regulations. To read our Data Protection and Privacy Statement, please refer to our website: sherborneprep.group
Safeguarding
Sherborne Prep is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The School aims to provide a warm and secure environment, with an open and frank atmosphere, in which children can feel supported. The fundamental right to be protected from harm is an essential part of the School’s pastoral responsibility and necessitates a clear child protection policy and procedures. Further information can be found on the School website sherborneprep.group
Technology for learning
We embrace the use of technology where it enhances learning, supports creativity, and helps pupils build the skills they need beyond the classroom. Our approach combines digital confidence with safe, responsible use. All pupils are taught how to navigate the online world thoughtfully, with e-safety embedded into school life from the very start. Pupils in Years 7 and 8 have access to their own school-provided laptops, while younger pupils use shared devices in class. These tools support collaboration, independent thinking, and pace in lessons, helping teachers deliver timely feedback and supporting pupils to organise and present their ideas more creatively.
We use Microsoft Office 365 across the school, along with secure filtering and monitoring systems. Occasionally, pupils in Years 5 and 6 may bring their own devices for learning. All use is guided by our Acceptable Use Policy. Our aim is to help pupils become capable, curious and respectful digital learners.
Travel
For boarders, travel is coordinated by the Housemaster and Assistant Housemistress. Parents are asked to complete a travel form ahead of each break and are responsible for organising transport to and from school. At exeats and half term holidays, children return home or stay with a host family. The school closes for the duration of these breaks, and a light meal is provided when pupils return. These longer breaks offer time for rest, and for overseas pupils, the opportunity to travel home.
Visa requirements
Parents must ensure that their child holds a valid visa before the start of their first term. If a pupil has a UK passport, they will not require a visa to study in the UK. However, if they do not hold a UK passport, even if they live in the UK, a visa may still be required. A child intending to study at Sherborne Prep should apply under the Child Student Visa route, which has replaced the Tier 4 Child Student Visa. Sherborne Prep is a licensed Child Student/Student Visa Sponsor for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and is authorised to issue Confirmations of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). If you are applying from outside the UK, the earliest you can apply for a visa is six months before your child starts at Sherborne Prep. Further information is available via the UK Visas and Immigration section of the gov.uk website.
Fees
Registration Fee
A registration fee of £120 per child is payable for entry into Reception to Year 8, reduced to £60 for siblings (inclusive of VAT). This fee is nonrefundable.
Deposit
An acceptance deposit of £500 is payable by all parents resident in the UK for children entering Year 3 and above.
An acceptance deposit of £1,000 is payable by all parents resident outside the UK. In addition, a one-term fee deposit is also required at the time of acceptance.
For further details on our registration fee and acceptance deposit, please refer to our website.
Termly Fees 2025/26 inclusive of VAT
Nursery:
Morning 8:00am - 2:00pm
Afternoon 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Early Afternoon 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Pre-Prep (Reception – Year 2)
Year 3 International
Year 3 International Boarding
Year 3 Day
Years 4 – 6 International Boarding
Years 4 – 6 Boarding
Years 4 – 6 Day
Years 7 – 8 International Boarding
Years 7 – 8 Boarding
Years 7 – 8 Day
£75
£45
£25
£3,000
£11,525
£10,630
£6,000
£11,525
£10,630
£7,500
£12,115
£11,220
£7,800
Educational and Personal Extras
Individual music tuition and instrument hire is charged as an extra along with private tuition in other areas of the School. Some of the enrichment clubs and societies have an additional cost and a charge is also made for participation in some outings and trips. All fees are subject to an annual review by the Governors and any changes will apply from the first day of the academic year.
Sibling Fee Discount Scheme
Sherborne Prep, Sherborne Boys, Sherborne Girls and Hanford Prep operate a scheme whereby parents who educate three or more of their children at the schools are eligible for a sibling fee discount. A 10% discount will apply to the third child at the schools and 15% to the fourth and subsequent children.
Payment
Fees are due and payable prior to the first day of each term. We offer a termly direct debit payment facility, or an annual payment plan spread over nine monthly instalments. Payment can also be made by cheque or bank transfer. For further details please contact Mrs Allison Evans, the Prep Bursar on + 44 (0) 1935 812351 or allison.evans@sherborneprep.group.
Fees in Advance Scheme
The School offers a Fees in Advance scheme. Parents interested in this option should request further details from Penny Baker, Assistant Director of Finance, by email: penny.baker@sherborneschools.group
HM Forces
From September 2025, the total amount payable for CEA funded pupils will be the CEA allowance plus 10% of the prevailing (full) boarding fee (inclusive of VAT). All the Schools within the Sherborne Schools Group also offer a 10% discount off day and boarding fees for those families currently working in the armed forces, who do not qualify for the CEA allowance.
Fees in lieu of notice
Under the School’s Terms and Conditions a term’s written notice must be given to terminate the Parent Contract, given no later than the first day of the term which is to be the child’s final full term at the School. If proper notice is not given then fees in lieu of notice will be payable in lieu as a debt.
Extras Charges 2025/26
Inclusive of VAT (where applicable)
Admission Charges
Registration (non-refundable)
Siblings (non-refundable)
Deposit* – Year 3 and above (resident in UK)
£120
£60
£500
The refundable Acceptance Deposit will be automatically added to the Michaelmas bill of children moving up from Year 2 (Pre-Prep) to Year 3 (Prep)
Deposit* - Year 3 and above
£1,000 (non-UK resident who require a visa)
Further details about the full range of options and charges for extra subjects are available from the appropriate Head of Department.
A term’s notice is required to discontinue extra tuition. “A term’s notice” means notice given before the first day of term expiring at the end of term. Extras will continue into the following academic year unless notice has been received in advance. Half a term’s notice is before the first day of classes commencing after half term.
General / Financial Enquiries
Admissions enquiries
+44 (0)1935 810911 admissions@sherborneprep.group
General enquiries
+44 (0)1935 812097 school.office@sherborneprep.group
Head
Correspondence via School Office: Mrs Annie Gent
+44 (0)1935 812097 head@sherborneprep.group
Financial enquiries
Prep Bursar: Mrs Allison Evans + 44 (0) 1935 812351
Chair of Governors
Correspondence should be addressed to: S.C. Worthy Clerk to the Governors c/o The Bursary, Sherborne Boys, Abbey Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LF
Location
2 hours from London Waterloo
2 hours from Heathrow
1.5 hours from Bristol and Southampton airports
15 minutes from the A303
45 minutes from Salisbury by train
