School Search

Is Kindergarten the same as pre-school? Which nursery should my child attend to get into the best Prep school? Parents have so much to consider when choosing the first rung of their child’s education and the independent nursery landscape is complex, with many different options to consider. In London, popular nurseries require registration at birth, some nurseries have an entry assessment, whilst others offer seamless access to a pre-prep and beyond.

Your family situation will determine the age you want your child to start nursery and the type of early education you want for them. Everyone’s priorities are different. You may want a nursery within walking distance, find a setting with access to green spaces, or a school that offers additional activities such as ballet or swimming. There are nurseries for bilingual children, those that support learning difficulties and those that accommodate babies.

Whatever your criteria, Gabbitas can navigate you through the Early Years Foundation Stages, clarify the differences between the styles of learning, such as Montessori and Steiner, and create an education pathway that will give your child the best start.

A Pre-prep is the gateway to Prep school, offering a paid-for infant education to pupils from Reception to Year 2, and often with one or two nursery classes attached. Children normally attend from age 3 to 7 years, before transferring into Prep School. Sometimes a Pre-prep is stand alone, but for the most part they are part of a full primary offering and children move seamlessly from Year 2 into a Prep School, or through school.

Pre-preps are for the most part selective and require applicants to attend a taster day prior to offering a place. Even when attached to a boarding Prep school, Pre-preps are day schools that serve the local community and can be found in cities and rural areas. The Pre-prep curriculum in the UK overlaps the last year of Early Years, and Key Stage 1; the US equivalent is Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Year 1.

Gabbitas will help you identify suitable Pre-preps; hand hold you through the admissions process and advise you on your final selection.

“I wanted to thank your consultant for their calm confident direction in finding a school for us as we were at complete loss.  The experience and knowledge you have regarding schools is unrivalled. So thank you for everything we couldn’t be happier with the decisions made.”

Prep schools are fee paying junior schools designed to ‘prepare’ children for entry into a private senior school. Pupils begin in Year 3 and leave at the end of Year 6 for the 11+ or at the end of Year 7 for 13+. Prep schools vary greatly in their ethos, with some offering a traditional education and others a more liberal setting; they can be single sex or coeducational.

Although independent, Prep schools generally follow the Key Stage 2 national curriculum but with flexibility to include additional subjects and to timetable more activities into their programme. Some Prep schools offer optional full boarding from Year 4 upwards, and often with weekly or flexi boarding for local children wishing to go home at weekends.

Which secondary schools a Prep school reliably feeds into is important for families who want their child to attend one of the top independent schools in the UK.

Gabbitas understands the importance of a good Prep education and can advise you on how to prepare your child for entry and what type of Prep school would suit them now and support them in their destination secondary school. Our consultants will help you with the important planning process.

Independent secondary education comes in many guises, from through schools which offer a continuous education from Nursery to Upper School, to fiercely academic private schools and the country’s top public schools, which, despite this label, are also private. Secondary education is the equivalent of High School in the US system.

Entry into senior school takes place at age 11, via the 11+ exams, and this is particularly the case with London Girls day schools; or at 13+ when candidates sit the Common Entrance exams. Pupils join their secondary school in Year 7 or Year 9 and remain until the end of Year 11, or Year 13.

The school day is often longer, with sport most afternoons, small class sizes, SEN support and more subject choices on offer. They offer more than the national curriculum; broad subject choices delivered by exceptional teaching; traditional values alongside cutting-edge facilities. The culmination of Key Stage 3 and 4 are the GCSE/iGCSEs and on average pupils can expect to achieve higher academic outcomes when they sit their national examinations than a state school pupil.

Gabbitas understands the importance of finding the right school that will ensure academic success for your child; our roadmap will help ensure deadlines are met, and the schools we recommend will give your child every possibility of fulfilment. You will be assigned a consultant who is a specialist in senior education and who can guide you through the process.

“Thank you so much for getting our daughter in to Farlington, she is really happy, one big success story.” read case study

There is a selection of study options available to students in Years 12 and 13 when they enter the Sixth Form; most schools offer a wide selection of A level specialist subjects at Key Stage 5, and a smaller number offer the internationally recognised International Baccalaureate. In addition, the more vocational Btec study programme is rising in popularity.

Sixth forms can be the last two years of a senior school or a standalone Sixth Form college. Students start sixth form at age 16 years, and graduate at 18 years.

Most colleges require a minimum number of GCSEs for entry, and a minimum grade/level, including Maths and English. The entry process normally requires an interview with the Head, and some require examinations in the subjects chosen to be studied in sixth form.

Gabbitas will take your child through the choices available to them at Sixth Form study, and make sure and schools selected provide a clear pathway to higher education. Planning for sixth form begins two years in advance.