South West Prep Schools - advice needed

[Downfromthesmoke]

Hi there, we are moving down from London imminently and looking for a prep school for our three children near Chard/ Ilminster.
I was impressed by Perrott Hill but then my friend said it is too small and then there is Kings Prep at Taunton but it would mean driving through Taunton in rush hour twice a day.
Hazlegrove is 40 mins away. Is that too far? I’m feeling very nervous about the move and would love some insights about local schools. Thank you!

My DS is going into Year 7 at Hazlegrove and would strongly recommend that you visit the school before writing it off. We are very happy there and the school is going from strength to strength, with numbers increasing. Happy to answer any questions about the school if you want to send me a PM.

Perrott Hill is a gorgeous school, but I would agree with your friend that it is a small school and seems to have falling numbers, which is a real shame as I do think it has lots to offer.

Kings College Prep in Taunton (until recently Kings Hall) is another good school to take a serious look at (IMO). Because of its location on the edge of town you may be able to avoid driving through Taunton itself. If not, but I agree that driving through Taunton in rush hour is best avoided. My view is that it is the strongest of the three Taunton schools, as is the senior school (again, IMO).

You may also want to look at Sherborne Prep, if that is not too far for you to travel. It will be interesting to see what difference, if any, the new "Sherborne Group" has on its constituent schools.

The other strong prep schools in the area are mainly further north or east and probably too far to travel each day from where you are based.

Have you been to Wellington? The Prep is fab - only about 12 in a class but two classes a year so year group or 25 or so I think. Absolutely tons and tons going on - academics, drama, music , art, loads of trips. We moved a year ago and they’ve been so happy. One also in senior very happy. We feel lucky to have sound somewhere that suits all three!

Did you make a decision on a prep school @Downfromthesmoke?

Thank you so much! Will check it out. Really kind of you to get back to me.
Do You know if there are any good village cricket / football clubs in the area? Or maybe you don’t need this if you are sending your child to a prep school? (Maybe this is my London mindset!).

@tachetastic September 26 start!
we still haven’t fully decided on schools yet.
hazlegrove is top of our list but panicking about 38 min school run. Is everyone much more local than that? Any more intel on Perrott?

Personally I wouldn’t want a 40 min commute for prep - is that on school minibus or are you going to have to spend almost two hours a day driving?! Hazelgrove is a great school but it sounds like it’s too far away - how about boarding in the week to save some commuting?

According to ISC Perrott Hill has 150 kids from 3-13 which is really tiny and it surprisingly hasn’t joined a schools’ group or merged with a senior yet… I would ask some very direct questions to the school about their numbers for September and also look at their accounts. I like small schools but unfortunately this is such a difficult time for the sector.

Hazlegrove is a fantastic school and there are definitely parents who travel that far, but whether it works for your family is something that only you can answer. You mention Kings College Prep in Taunton as another contender, which is also a good school but depending on precisely where you are I don't see the A358 followed by Toneway and then central Taunton as being any quicker at that time of day.

My DS has friends at Perrott Hill and their parents genuinely seem to be really happy at the school but they all focus really quickly on how lovely it is being such a small school. It almost sounds like they are keen to get in first. I think school sport is something that really suffers because they just don't have the numbers to run multiple teams or to have A teams that compete with the larger preps like Hazlegrove, Kings College Prep and Port Regis, so they are rarely seen at large sports events and tend to do pretty badly when they do show. I am not sure about the academic side, but looking at the number of schools failing at the moment I am not sure if this is the time that I would be looking to put my children into a school where numbers are falling quite quickly (from 218 in 2013 to 155 in 2025, according to ISI, compared to say Hazlegrove that grew from 379 in 2015 to 438 in 2023). I agree with @Artyfab that Perrott Hill is probably extolling its independence while desperately hoping that a senior school will swoop down and buy it, but I struggle to see which would.

I'm not sure which other Preps to recommend. Blundell's in Tiverton is a good school but very locally focussed and is likely outside your 40 minute radius. Other strong schools are probably too far east.

On the positive side, there are lots of excellent cricket, hockey and rugby clubs that most of DS's friends participate in, as well as a good few that go to football or athletics as well. Probably worth checking out which clubs your DC's friends go to once you settle in.

@Artyfab @tachetastic Thank you so much for your responses! Perrott Hill has been bought by an overseas schools group.
I'm probably massively overthinking this but in the current climate you don't want the school suddenly to close down!

Well there you go. I did not know that. Fingers crossed this will bring security to the school. https://stirlingeducation.com/schools/

Perrott Hill really is a fantastic school in a stunning setting. Whenever we visit for matches I think how beautiful it is and it has a really lovely feel (and also how I'm glad I don't have to drive that road in all weathers! 😂).

I do hope the school goes from strength to strength and if you choose it for your DCs I am sure they will be very happy there. DS's friends certainly are.

Did you look at Wellington? We have lots of children from Chard in my son’s year and it goes through to 18 with flexi boarding from year 7. It’s such a lovely community too - tons of family things. Perrott is lovely but definitley watch the numbers…

Another vote for Wellington here. It's a fabulous school & lots of families come from Chard & it's a straightforward route over the Blackdown Hills with a good bus service, if needed.
King's prep is the wrong side of Taunton for Chard & would take a lot longer to get to at the wrong time of day.