King Harry Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 4AW
10 reasons to choose St Columba's College Prep
Top line
St Columba’s College Prep has a Schoolsmith Score® of 81. It is one of the best independent prep schools in and around St Albans and one of the 3 best primary schools for 1 mile.
School fundamentals
St Columba’s College Prep is an independent prep day school for boys and girls (90%/10%) between the ages of 4 and 11 years. The school became co-ed in September 2021. It is a Roman Catholic school, open to all faiths and none. The school has an academically selective admissions policy. It is the junior division of St Columba’s College, an all-through school to age 18. St Columba’s College Prep fees range from £5,723 (Rec) to £7,534 per term (2025/26). Fees include VAT but exclude lunches.
Average class size
St Columba’s College Prep has one class per year from Reception, rising to two or three classes per year from Year 2, and an average class size of 15 pupils.
Leavers' destinations
At the end of Year 6, most pupils at St Columba’s College Prep move up to the senior school.
The St Columba's College Prep curriculum
School curriculum is based on the National Curriculum with some additions and variations. It is ‘topic-based’ up to Year 4. From Year 5 all subjects are taught separately. Curriculum also includes PSHE, French, Spanish, Latin. There are theme weeks such as Science Week and Creative Arts Week. 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, visiting speakers, ‘Forest Fridays’ to Year 4, and residential trips from Year 4.
Specialist teaching
Specialist teachers for sport, music, computing and languages throughout, for art, DT and science from Year 2, and for most subjects from Year 5.
Sport at St Columba's College Prep
School offers between 10 and 15 different sports over the course of the year. Competitive teams in major sports from Year 3.
The Arts at St Columba's College Prep
Art and music are taught as discrete curricular subjects to all pupils. Drama is part of the co-curriculum. All pupils learn an instrument in class and about one third take extra-curricular instrument lessons from Year 3. Three choirs, orchestra and five instrument ensembles. The school offers each pupil over 5 different extra-curricular creative and performing arts clubs.
Wraparound care
Wraparound care from 7.30am to 5.30pm.
Find another school near St Columba's College Prep
Stanborough Primary School (4.8 miles); Radlett Preparatory School (5.1 miles); Abbot’s Hill Prep School (5.1 miles); Edge Grove School (5.4 miles).
The Abbey Church of England Primary School, St Albans (0.5 miles); St Peter’s School (0.8 miles); Maple Primary School (1.3 miles).
St Columba’s College, St Alban’s (0 miles); St Albans School (0.9 miles); St Albans Independent College (1 mile).
Loreto College (1.4 miles); St Albans Girls’ School (2.2 miles); Beaumont School (2.8 miles).