Papplewick School

Welcome to Papplewick School where we hope you will gain a flavour of what makes Papplewick so special as a prep school for 200 boys aged 6 to 13. We know that boys of this age have a natural spark and individuality about them, and we believe these are qualities that should be celebrated throughout their time at prep school.

We also know that boys thrive on high expectations and challenge, whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or in the Arts. By setting the bar high, Papplewick boys gain entry to the top UK senior schools including Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Wellington, Charterhouse, Bradfield, and Stowe.

Yet for all these high standards, we believe that the happiness of the boys should come first. Therefore, our final and most valued award on Speech Day goes to the boy who has shown the greatest enthusiasm for life, contribution to the community and, above all, kindness to others.

In an ever changing world, Papplewick is a school where boys can still very much be boys, all set in our family friendly atmosphere. Of course, this website can only give you a glimpse into the exciting lives the boys lead here - we very much hope you will be able to visit us soon so that we can show you the happiness, confidence, and ‘spark’ of our boys at first hand.

Boys at Papplewick are divided into Year groups 2 to 8 with an average class size of 13. Those in Years 2-4 are primarily under the care of form mistresses and there is a strong emphasis on reading, writing and basic numeracy. However, their curriculum also includes Science, French, Drama, Religious Studies, Music, ICT, Art and DT which are taught by specialists. In Year 5, Latin is started and boys remain under the guidance of a form teacher but the majority of teaching is delivered by subject specialists. In Year 2, there is one class, and years 3-5, there are two classes.

In years 6-8, two classes become three, and a formal scholarship set is created to whom Greek is also taught. French is 'set' in Year 7 with all subjects 'set' in Year 8. Schemes of work are designed with close reference to the National Curriculum, Common Entrance and Public School scholarship syllabuses. It is very much our belief that teachers should be there to inspire the boys and not just to be 'curriculum deliverers'.