- Age range
- 4–19
- Co-ed status
- Mixed
- Number of students
- 1,317
- Day / boarding
- Day only
- Religious affiliation
- Church of England
- Average fees
- £21,650 (annual, inc. VAT)
- Has a nursery
- No
How the school describes itself
- Hurst Prep is caring, aspirational and fully connected to the wider Hurst ethos.
- The school suggests a school where confidence, curiosity and opportunity are built early and then developed steadily over time.
- The school is warm, purposeful and part of something bigger.
Fee profile
Annual fees including VAT. 2025-26.
Parents like
- Likely to appeal to families who want the reassurance of a prep within a larger, well-resourced college.
- The attraction is the sense of continuity: children can enjoy a prep-school start while keeping a clear onward route in view.
- It should suit parents who like breadth and structure but still want the younger years to feel personal.
Admissions
Hurst Prep uses the wider Hurst admissions structure but understandably tries to make the early years of the journey feel warm and manageable. Families are encouraged to visit and understand how the prep fits into the larger Hurst pathway, which is a key part of the proposition for many parents.
Scholarships
The wider Hurst scholarship framework gives the prep school a clear onward structure for recognised talent. Families can see that academic, creative and sporting strengths are meant to be identified early and then carried forward into formal scholarship pathways at the next stage.
Bursaries
Hurstpierpoint College publishes scholarships and bursaries for the wider school and says means-tested support is available for eligible families. Families considering the preparatory school should confirm the current prep-specific or transition arrangements directly with admissions.
- The main published bursary entry points for the wider school are 11+, 13+ and 16+; prep families should confirm how this applies in practice.
- A means-tested bursary route is published, but no prep-specific remission range is published.
- Families should contact admissions for current preparatory-school or transition bursary guidance and the relevant financial assessment process.
Inspection snapshot
The prep school's public inspection backdrop is bound up with the college's November 2023 ISI inspection and the wider Hurst reporting landscape. For families considering the prep years, that provides a recent enough benchmark alongside the much more immediate evidence gained from visiting and seeing the school in action.
Assessment approach
Assessment at Hurst Prep appears to be used in two complementary ways: close monitoring of day-to-day progress and long-range preparation for selective next steps. Because the school sits within a larger foundation, the question is not only how children are doing now but also how well they are being prepared for 11+ or 13+ transition, whether within Hurst or elsewhere.
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