Monmouth School Girls’ Prep

Monmouth School Girls’ Prep is an independent day and boarding preparatory school for girls aged 7-11 years. We are part of the Haberdashers’ Foundation, and, as a group in Monmouth, have recently celebrated 400 years of providing excellent education for girls and boys. Situated amongst glorious countryside: the Wye Valley, the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons, Monmouth School Girls’ Prep is well placed to offer girls an inspiring education in uplifting surroundings.

We share the marvellous facilities of Monmouth School for Girls and this, coupled with the warm, supportive environment of our Prep school, enables girls to flourish and achieve their potential. With small class sizes, excellent teachers and strong pastoral care, we are ambitious for our girls, not just academically, but also on the sports, music and creative arts fronts. We aim to develop aspiration, confidence and a sense of honour. We nurture a strong sense of self-esteem and rather than looking for a particular type of girl who will thrive here, we set ourselves the target of helping every pupil to thrive and set an important foundation for their wider education.

Girls join the school aged 7. Many of these girls will have moved up from Monmouth Schools Pre-Prep, but we also have a strong number of girls from a range of other schools. Entrance is via an assessment morning where we look not only at academic ability, but also for girls who have the potential to benefit from what we have to offer and who will later thrive in our Senior school, where the majority of girls will continue aged 11. In order to ensure that the transition to the senior school is smooth, girls are taught some lessons by senior school staff, enabling us in particular to offer sports coaching by teachers who are themselves performers and coaches at national and international level. Access to facilities such as the DT suite means girls can develop an interest in technical subjects at an early stage. We have a Learning Support Department which helps girls overcome difficulties in individual subjects.

We offer many opportunities for boys and girls to socialise and learn together. Swimming galas, concerts, choirs, quizzes, discos and much more, all provide a chance for the girls to learn to manage friendships.

Our principal aim is to enable girls to grow and develop in a happy, caring environment. There is a buzz of happy, purposeful activity and relationships between girls and staff have a tangible warmth. All are given the opportunity to shine and be proud. All are taught tolerance and respect for others. All are helped to prepare for the challenges they will experience in later life. Monmouth School Girls’ Prep does not just prepare girls for their next school, it prepares them for life.

At Monmouth School Girls’ Prep, we create a happy and well-ordered atmosphere in which girls find learning a pleasure and are able to express themselves with confidence. It is through the close bond that is formed between a class tutor and each individual girl that security and stability are established. We aim to encourage independent learning and we are committed to helping each girl realise her potential in a nurturing environment. At this stage of their lives, girls benefit from building a solid foundation for their future learning.

The advantage of Monmouth School Girls’ Prep being on the same site as the senior school means that we can draw on experience and specialism of different teachers. The teaching staff between them have a wealth of experience and we are making a conscious decision to move towards subject specialism in the top end of the school. Year 6 have different teachers for various subjects, often moving to different venues, which clearly makes organisational skills important. There is also a certain amount of specialist teaching being phased into Year 5. Our teaching staff stretch across both sections of the school, providing a winning combination of experience and youthful enthusiasm.