Yorkshire


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT? WHERE?</h2>



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<p class="has-white-background-color has-background">A co-ed, flexi-boarding and day school for children aged 3 – 13 yrs, dating back to 1921, <a href="https://www.terringtonhall.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Terrington Hall Prep</a> sits in the bucolic loveliness of the Howardian Hills in the dozing village of Terrington, just 12 miles north of York. The main building, which started life as an elegant Victorian rectory, sits in a serene 15 acres where its 199 pupils (98 day boys, 101 day girls) enjoy an idyllic education. Average class sizes are small here, so plenty of attention for the kids who run about outside in wellies and make the most of the school’s down-to-earth charms. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-facilities">FACILITIES</h2>



<p>The school was originally built in 1827 for the Rector of the village church, and it’s retained its original features, from vast high ceilings to cast iron radiators and an impressive tiled hallway. There’s even the antique fire hose on the first-floor landing and the row of servants’ bells on the ground floor. It’s here you’ll find the Boarding House and the administrative area.  </p>



<p>Away from here, the school spreads out with its classrooms, an indoor swimming pool, an all-weather astro pitch, an enormous sports hall and play areas towards the sprawling sports fields – its ace card – overlooking the Howardian Hills. It’s hard to imagine a dreamier setting for the kids in the great outdoors. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sport">SPORT</h2>



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<p>The school has a smart mix of sport for all but stretch for those who want to achieve. All kids from Reception upwards have weekly swimming lessons, and every child in Y3 to Y8 has the chance to represent the school. Competitive sports events are hosted throughout the year, from the U13s Sevens Festival, attended by rugby powerhouses Sedbergh and Merchiston Castle, to a regional cross-country event, with around 400 children taking part.  </p>



<p>Several of the pupils are county players for cricket, hockey and netball and the school&#8217;s students regularly win sports scholarships to their chosen Senior schools, including Sedbergh and Ampleforth College. Terrington also has an equestrian team and is the county hub for girls’ cricket in North Yorkshire and Ryedale. &nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-creative-amp-performing-arts">CREATIVE &amp; PERFORMING ARTS</h2>



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<p>A noteworthy 62% of children learn at least one musical instrument – for a Prep that’s a very credible percentage – and there are regular year group recitals. There are the usuals of school orchestra, Pre-Prep, Lower Prep and Upper Prep choirs, as well as a chamber choir for the school’s keenest singers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Smothered in splodges of paint and stacked with student creations, the art room is overseen by a successful practising artist. Children can also join clubs for art, DT as well as prop-making and set design in the run-up to productions. There&#8217;s an Artist of the Week presentation in assembly every week, regular displays around the school, and an end-of-year exhibition. </p>



<p>It&#8217;s the performing arts, however, that is one of the school&#8217;s standout options and is a big focus, from the first role plays in nursery, to the comedic leavers&#8217; play in Y8 performed outside, amphitheatre style. There&#8217;s a whole lot of excitement each year for the annual school musical, staged by Upper Prep kids. Any kid can audition, and there are backstage opportunities for those who’d rather not apply the jazz hands on stage, from lighting and sound, to stage management, making props, and make-up. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-littlies">LITTLIES</h2>



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<p>Little ones can start from three years in the Pre School – a tranquil, but colourful space within the main site, filled with plenty of natural light and a fenced outdoor space of toy cars and outdoor gear. Outdoor learning is, of course, an important part of the Pre-Prep (Nursery to Y2) curriculum, and much is done outside where appropriate. Within the school day, the little ones follow a curriculum focusing on the core years of the Early Years Foundation (EYF) Stage, as well as physical development, literacy, maths, art and design and personal, social&nbsp;and emotional development. The kids also benefit from weekly swimming lessons and Forest School from R – Y2 where the kids go off campus for an outdoor learning day each term, along with conversational Spanish from Year 1, preparing them for French and Latin as they move through the school.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-academics">ACADEMICS</h2>



<p>Terrington is non-selective, but you wouldn’t know it with the extraordinary results – last year (2024), a mind-boggling 68% of children were awarded a Senior School scholarship. As a stand-alone Prep, Terrington has close and positive links with Senior schools all over the country. Recent leavers went on to the likes of Ampleforth College, Bootham School, Oundle School, Pocklington School, Scarborough College, Shrewsbury School, St Peter’s York, Repton School, Sedbergh School, Winchester College and Worksop College. </p>



<p>The good news for parents who don’t want their kids burnt out by the age of 13 is that the academic rigour here is well balanced with a holistic view of learning. The final hour of each day for Y3 onwards is enrichment hour – think anything from Current Affairs Club and cross country runs, learning Japanese to trying yoga, cryptic puzzles to pottery.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pastoral-care">PASTORAL CARE</h2>



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<p>Small schools have an obvious advantage in pastoral care provision and Terrington Hall has all its checks and balances in place, starting early in Pre-Prep with a buddy system where younger kids are assigned older students, as well as a peer-mentoring programme. Also from Pre-Prep, children have regular mindfulness sessions, where they lie on the floor, relax, and live in the moment, plus there are after-school yoga sessions. Across the school, the teachers eat lunch, family style, with the pupils, and there are also lunchtime wellbeing clubs for both boys and girls.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Prep enrichment timetable includes wellbeing sessions at least once a week, and the Deputy Head runs specific wellbeing programmes for boys and girls. There’s also the Hub, where children can cosy up if they’re craving time out or need to chat to someone. Teachers are encouraged to attend mental health training sessions; there are PHSE lessons, and the school brings in an independent listener, too. </p>



<p>All this, plus the Head and Deputy Head (Pastoral) meet regularly with year groups for pastoral lunches where children can talk about what’s going well and what changes they would like to see. ‘Pupil voice’ is a big deal for all schools these days, and at Terrington there are pupil committees for Anti-Bullying, Social Action, Pastoral Welfare Forums, Equality and Diversity as well as the givens of School Council and Food Committee.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-boarding">BOARDING</h2>



<p>All but a small handful of pupils board at some point, with children able to start flexi boarding from Y3 and weekly from Y5. Some boarders choose to stay on a set schedule, such as every Thursday and Friday. For those who stay two or more nights a week, they’re allocated a dedicated bed, all of which can be found in the single sex dorms in the main school building – a lovely and characterful space with just a handful of bunkbeds to each room. The girls’ boarding house is set to have a spruce up this summer, so watch this space.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Terrington offers one boarding weekend per half term, too, for all kids; usually for either Upper Prep (Y6 – Y8) or Lower Prep children (Y3 – Y5) and could be anything from a camping trip, mountain biking, Christmas shopping excursions, live sports games, or trips to Dalby Forest. </p>



<p>As for Saturday school, it’s compulsory for Y5 upwards and runs from 8.30am to 12.15pm, so no surprise that Friday night boarding is popular with parents as well as children. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-send">SEND</h2>



<p>Resources are centred around The Hub – a learning support classroom helmed by a new and experienced SENDCO, Katie Hardy. With the help of teaching assistants, she employs group support, pre-teaching of lessons, specific learning coaching and chargeable 1:1 lessons, depending on a child&#8217;s needs. The Hub is also used for EAL support, and as a general &#8216;safe space&#8217; where all the children know they can go if they&#8217;re sad or worried, or just need a bit of time out.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-head">THE HEAD</h2>



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<p>Huw Thomas joined Summer 2024 with 27 years of experience in the independent sector in both Prep and Senior boarding schools, most recently from Plymouth College, where he was Head of Prep. The antithesis of a stiff-upper-lip headmaster, he’s clearly bringing plenty of energy and passion to Terrington with family values and enthusiasm for innovation amongst his big calling cards.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quirks">QUIRKS</h2>



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<p>All Prep schools will tell you they love to get the kids outdoors, but here, the pupils are permanently bombing around in their wellies. A love of outdoor play and learning seems to be ingrained here from the very early years and the Head is passionate about the muddy shoes/muddy knees concept, where kids are encouraged to be freewheeling and soak up the outstanding surrounds of the Howardian Hills. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wrap-around-care">WRAP AROUND CARE</h2>



<p>Useful hours if you’re a working parent. Breakfast club starts from 7.30am, and the pupils can stay until 5.30pm for clubs – the likes of gardening, den building and football in the summer; discos, Spanish and crafts in winter. From Y3 upwards, there’s also the option to stay for tea and an evening activity until 7.30pm. Many enrichments fall under the TALL (Terrington Adventure, Leadership and Life skills) programme, which is designed to build and develop children’s life skills, confidence and know-how but actually the breadth of clubs and activities is huge here, from cricket coaching and baking, to musical theatre, swimming, pamper nights and outdoor games. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mobile-phone-policy">MOBILE PHONE POLICY</h2>



<p>It’s a firm ‘no’ to mobile phones here. If day pupils do bring a mobile phone or internet-enabled device (including smartwatches) to school, they have to hand it into the office to pick up at the end of the day. Boarders also hand their phones in at the office on arrival. Older children sometimes use the Internet under supervision during lessons, using school laptops with strict firewall controls.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-transport">TRANSPORT</h2>



<p>Most children live within an hour’s commute, and the school runs minibuses on several routes within a 20-mile radius, including stops towards Sledmere, York, Kirkbymoorside, Malton and Sessay. For the full list of routes, click <a href="https://www.terringtonhall.com/life-at-terrington/minibus-service-to-our-prep-school-from-villages-in-ryedale-north-yorkshire-and-york/#:~:text=Minibus%20travel%20is%20charged%20per,miles%20or%20more%3A%20£6.30" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isi-report">ISI REPORT</h2>



<p>The ISI report from 2023 is <a href="https://www.isi.net/institutions/school/terrington-hall-school-7093" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. The school has also just passed its most recent ISI full inspection, meeting all the required standards. That report is not yet available online, but we’ll add it as soon as it is!  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-word-on-the-ground">WORD ON THE GROUND</h2>



<p>Terrington Hall has a reputation locally for being friendly and family-oriented. Obviously, the parents love the academic results, but also appreciate the lack of pressure put on the children (an Oct 24 parent survey had 96% of parents saying their children were happy at school). Forest School and the muddy knees ethos is a big hit.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fees">FEES</h2>



<p>Very reasonable for the region. Day fees per term: Pre-School: £4,003; Reception: £4,386; Y1-Y2: £4,656; Y3-Y4: £7,050 and Y5-Y8: £7,548. Boarding per night (from Y3) £42.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>GOOD FOR:</strong> Anyone looking for a school where kids are allowed to be kids. The vibe is grounded, but academically strong. The superior sports facilities are impressive, and all children get to participate fully. Good flexible after-school care is particularly helpful for busy working parents. Love the fact they can stay for tea and evening activity, too.  </p>



<p><strong>NOT FOR:</strong> Those who are looking for a town location or a larger school cohort should swerve now.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>



<p><strong>DARE TO DISAGREE?</strong> Next Open Morning: Fri 20 Mar or book a private visit via the Admissions Team on <a href="mailto:admissions@terringtonhall.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="mailto:office@terringtonhall.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a>admissions@terringtonhall.com</a>. </p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.terringtonhall.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Terrington Hall Prep School</a>, Terrington, York YO60 6PR</em></p>


Terrington Hall Prep, Terrington, Yorkshire

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