Farewell Hall, South Road, Durham DH1 3TB
10 reasons to choose Durham High Prep School
Top line
Durham High Prep School has a Schoolsmith Score® of 79. It is one of the best independent prep schools in and around Durham and one of the 2 best primary schools for 2 miles.
School fundamentals
Durham High Prep School is an independent prep day school for girls (and boys from Sep 25) between the ages of 3 and 11 years. It is a Church of England school, open to all faiths and none. The school has an academically selective admissions policy. It is the junior division of Durham High School for Girls, an all-through school to age 18, and is a member of the Galaxy Global Education Group. Durham High Prep School fees range from £4,369 (Rec) to £4,825 per term (2025/26). Fees include VAT but exclude lunches.
Average class size
Durham High Prep School has one class per year and an average class size of 17 pupils.
Leavers' destinations
At the end of Year 6, most Prep pupils move up to Durham High School’s senior department.
The Durham High Prep School curriculum
School curriculum follows the National Curriculum with topic based teaching linking geography, history, science, art, DT, computing and music in pre-prep. The curriculum also includes PSHE, French. The school offers each pupil between 5 and 10 different extra-curricular academic activities or hobby clubs.
More on the curriculum
There are regular educational trips for all year groups and visiting speakers. Residential trips for the oldest pupils.
Specialist teaching
Specialist teachers for sport, music and languages throughout, and for science from Year 5.
Sport at Durham High Prep School
School offers between 10 and 15 different sports over the course of the year. Representative teams in major sports from Year 3.
The Arts at Durham High Prep School
Art and music are taught as discrete curricular subjects to all pupils. Drama is part of the English curriculum and the extra-curriculum. All pupils learn an instrument in class and up to half take extra-curricular instrument lessons from Year 3. Choir, orchestra and some instrument ensembles. Each pupil may participate in up to 10 different extra-curricular creative and performing arts clubs.
Wraparound care
Wraparound care from 8.00am to 5.30pm.
Find another school near Durham High Prep School
The Chorister School (2.3 miles); Argyle House Prep School (13.6 miles).
St Margaret’s Church of England Primary School, Durham (1.9 miles); Shincliffe Church of England Primary School (3 miles); St Godric’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Durham (3.5 miles).
Durham High School (0 miles); Durham School (1.5 miles); Argyle House Senior School (13.6 miles).
Durham Johnston Comprehensive School (2.1 miles); St Leonard’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Comprehensive School (2.4 miles); Framwellgate School Durham (3.3 miles).