Joining Leweston Prep

Choosing a prep school for your child is one of those decisions that feels bigger than it probably should, and one where the obvious questions, outcomes, facilities, fees, are not always the ones that actually matter most. What most parents are really asking is simpler than that: will my child be happy here? Will someone notice if they are not?

Those are the right questions, and they are the ones we would most like to answer. The best way to do that is to come and see us.

Email the admissions team at admissions@leweston.dorset.sch.uk

There is no wrong time to get in touch. Some families contact us years before they need a place; others ring on a Tuesday and need somewhere by Friday. We are used to both, and we will always tell you honestly what is available and what the next steps look like for your particular situation.

If you have questions before you are ready to visit, about year groups, about what a typical day looks like, about whether we might be right for a child who finds certain things difficult, call or email the admissions team and we will talk it through. 

A visit to Leweston Prep takes around an hour and a half. You will see the school on a normal day, which is the only day worth seeing, lessons happening, children moving between activities, the ordinary busy life of a prep school. You will meet the Head of Prep and have time to ask whatever is on your mind. If your child is with you, so much the better. If you would rather come on your own first, that is fine too.

All the ways to visit, including Experience Leweston, are on our Visit page.  

When you are ready to apply, you complete a short registration form and pay a £100 registration fee. Places are offered in the order registrations are received, so earlier is generally better if you have a particular year group in mind but please do not let that pressure you into rushing a decision you are not yet ready to make.

Once you have registered, your child will be invited for a taster day, a full day in the year group they would join, with a current Leweston pupil looking after them from the moment they arrive. Real lessons, real lunch, a real day. There is no test to sit and nothing to prepare for. We want to see how your child gets on and whether they enjoy being here.

What the day involves

• Your child joins real lessons alongside the year group they would enter
• They are accompanied throughout by a current Leweston pupil, a guardian who stays with them from arrival to collection
• During the day, teachers informally assess literacy and numeracy as part of normal classroom activity, there is no separate test and no need for your child to prepare
• Your child has lunch with the class and is included in the normal rhythm of the day
• At drop-off and collection you will have a brief conversation with the class teacher

After the taster, we will ask for a school report and reference from your child's current school. If both your family and the school wish to proceed, a formal place offer follows shortly afterwards.

Boarding tasters

If you are interested in boarding your child is welcome to combine the taster day with an overnight stay. This gives a much more realistic picture of what boarding at Leweston Prep actually involves day to day. Please mention this when you get in touch with the admissions team and we will arrange it.

Tell us. If your child finds certain things difficult, if there is something about a previous school that has not gone well, if there are circumstances we should know about, please share it with us. We would rather know early and make a good decision together than find out later when it matters more.