Prep School Frequently Asked Questions

Pupils can be dropped off from 08:00 onwards. The school day starts at 08:25.

Day pupils can be collected at 15:40, however, many pupils chose to participate in the after-school activities programme.

Following a small snack, after-school activities start at 16:00 and finish at 17:20, at which point pupils can be collected.
 

The extended day programme offers parents the chance to bring their children into school as early as 07:30 and collect them as late as 20:00. The programme includes breakfast at breakfast club, supper with Cadogan boarders at 17:30 and supervised prep (homework) between 18:00-19:00. There is a small charge for breakfast, 07:30-08:00, but the rest of the extended day programme is included in the day fees so there is no charge up to 19:00, after which there is again a small charge. Please ensure that you book your child into the extended day programme by contacting the Prep School Office.

Parents of day pupils must notify the School Office before 09:00 if their child is going to be absent for any reason. If your child is likely to be late, please also contact the School Office. 

Please let the Head know in advance if you require your child to take time off during the school term. Although we understand that it is not always possible to arrange holiday flights exactly when needed, it is not encouraged for pupils to take extended holidays and miss either the last few days of a term or the first few days of the next.
 

The purpose-built Health Centre is available to all pupils. A nurse is on call 24 hours a day to care for pupils in school. If a day pupil becomes unwell, they will be cared for by one of the nurses until collected by their parents. Over-the-counter medication such as paracetamol and ibuprofen are available from Mr Brown or the Health Centre, so it is unnecessary for day pupils to bring such medication to school. The Health Centre offers additional services to boarding and day pupils, such as a school counsellor and a physiotherapist.

Bus route information can be found here. Alternatively, please contact our Transport Officer, Mr Collier on 01284 385370. Please note that pupils cannot travel on any of the buses without their parent’s permission. 

The school provides all meals and snacks. All pupils enjoy daily snacks which are available at break times and after school, which may consist of fruit, biscuits and homemade cakes. Breakfast, lunch and supper are cooked daily and served in Ashby Dining Hall. There is a wide range of options, and all pupils are encouraged to eat a healthy balanced diet. Click here to view the menus.

Each day in their school bag, pupils must have a water bottle, their school planner, a pencil case, an art apron, fully charged laptop and charger, headphones and a reading book. All items must be clearly named.

Occasional boarding is available to allow flexibility and to support families. It is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please speak to Mr Brown to arrange occasional boarding if required.

Apart from the start of the academic year in September, boarders must arrive at school for the new term either the night before or before morning registration. If a boarder requires a taxi to school for the new term, either from their home, a guardian’s house or the airport, this can be arranged through the school. Please email taxis@culford.co.uk for more information.

Over the weekend there are many activities and trips planned out for boarders. Please speak to Mr Brown for more information on weekend activities. Alternatively activities can be viewed in the school calendar.

All boarders are encouraged to contact home regularly. A House telephone is available, and mobile phones are allowed to be used at specific times during the day and evening. Children can use the telephone and receive calls between 19:00-20:00 for First Form and Lower Second and 19:00-20:30 for Upper Second and Third Form. The children can be contacted between 15:30-17:30 on occasions, although they will generally have activities at this time.

If you wish to visit your child at school, please liaise with Mr Brown, Cadogan Housemaster. All visitors must first report to the person on duty within Cadogan House.
 

All major uniform items, sports kit, towels, casual wear, and underwear are washed on-site. They are cleaned, tumble-dried and ironed within two days. All clothing items, including underwear and socks, must be named.

Bed linen is provided, but pupils are also welcome to bring their own. Bed linen is washed weekly; pupils are expected to make their beds.
 

The purpose-built Health Centre is available to all pupils. A nurse is on call 24 hours a day to care for pupils in school. Over-the-counter medication such as paracetamol and ibuprofen are available from Mr Brown or the Health Centre, so it is unnecessary for boarders to bring such medication to school. The Health Centre offers additional services to boarding and day pupils, such as a school counsellor and a physiotherapist. Local GP services and an emergency dental plan are also in place for all boarders. 

Boarders will require some pocket money as there are school activities and trips. There is also a small tuck shop for snacks located at the Top Spin Tennis shop for boarders. We recommend about £25 per month. All money should be given to Mr Brown to keep safe.

Pupils are advised not to bring valuable items to school. Any valuable items, such as electronic devices, should be insured.
 

The school provides all meals and snacks. All pupils enjoy daily snacks which are available at break times and after school, which may consist of fruit, biscuits and homemade cakes. Breakfast, lunch and supper are cooked daily and served in Ashby Dining Hall. There is a wide range of options, and all pupils are encouraged to eat a healthy balanced diet. Click here to view the menus.

In First Form and Lower Second we combine an academic curriculum with high quality teaching and plenty of creative opportunities. Pupils are in one of two mixed ability classes that are deliberately kept small, so pupils’ progress can be carefully monitored.

Typically, about half of a pupil’s lessons will be with the class teacher, but there is specialist teaching for music, Spanish, French, art and design technology. In their first year, they will be set according to ability for mathematics; lower sets are usually small so that individual attention can be given to numeracy skills.
 

In Upper Prep, all teaching is carried out by subject specialists and, through streaming, we can support those with learning differences and challenge academically gifted pupils.

Individual pupil progress is monitored closely and assessment is ongoing throughout the year. Progress tests are carried out continuously over the course of the academic year and end of year assessments take place in the Summer term. Subject teachers and form tutors work together so that all pupils are stretched and supported. 

All pupils are thoroughly prepared for progression to Culford Senior School and there is a high level of liaison between the two schools to ensure that the transition is seamless.  
 

Assessment grades are provided to parents at regular intervals, with written reports sent out twice during the year. Parents are encouraged to attend parents’ evenings to discuss their child’s progress with individual teachers. Please check the school calendar for parents’ evening dates.

Prep is set for all year groups. Children have prep or time for CRIS (Catch-up and Consolidation, Reading, Independent Study) each day. Assisted prep is available for pupils who wish to take part during the activities slot. Pupils are also supported through our pastoral systems. 

All pupils are required to use their own laptop in the classroom for various tasks, research and assignments. It is the pupils' responsibility to look after their own devices. Please see the Bring Your Own Device policy here for more information on which laptops are suitable for school use.

Teachers may award benefecits (academic, pastoral or Cadogan) for work or conduct of a high standard. From time to time there will be a Head’s tea for those pupils who have made particular progress. Benefecits also count towards the activity house competition. 

At the end of the school year, we have a formal Prize Giving ceremony. Prestigious academic and pastoral awards are given at this point for those pupils achieving the highest levels of attainment, progress and citizenship.
 

Sanctions are relatively rare at Culford. We always seek to educate pupils when they fail to meet the standards and expectations regarding their behaviour and conduct in lessons and around school. As such, staff can issue an amber warning to flag up a concern to a pupil’s Form Tutor, as a means to educate and support an incident. Should the situation warrant it, a malefecit will be issued which will result in communication being sent home to parents detailing the reasons for the issuing of the sanction. This will be an opportunity for a pupil to reflect on their behaviour or conduct and allow them to correct it. The aim is to avoid the issuing of a detention or Saturday detention, which is the result of persistent failure to improve behaviour or conduct.

The school planner is a spiral book which each pupil will be given and the cost of this will be added to your school bill. When your child brings the planner home, we would advise you to have a read through it. The Prep School A-Z is particularly useful. Our ICT Appropriate Use Policy is also in there and we would like you to read this through with your child so they understand its importance. Your child will also record their prep (homework) in their planner so it must be brought to school every day. 

We have a successful and thriving Music Department with the opportunity to learn a wide range of individual instruments. Please contact Mrs Ellis, Head of Music, to express your interest or find out more.

Please contact the Prep School Office in the first instance on 01284 385383. A full staff list, including telephone numbers and email addresses can be found on our useful contacts page.

It is helpful to contact your child’s form tutor for pastoral and academic enquiries in the first instance; this ensures that the member of staff with the closest working relationship with your child will be fully informed of any issues that may arise.

Induction day takes place at the beginning of every academic year and allows all new pupils to meet their peers and parents to meet teachers and staff. 

The School’s outfitter is the online shop SchoolBlazer, and all the necessary school uniform can be purchased on: schoolblazer.com. Please ensure that all uniform and clothing brought to school is named correctly. Click here to view the uniform lists.

Lessons begin at 08:45 and are 40 minutes long. There are then three lessons leading up to morning break. Morning break is 25 minutes long, with juice and biscuits available. Following break there are two lessons, prior to lunch, at 12:30 in Ashby Dining Hall. 

Lunchtime is 55 minutes long and pupils are able to play, chat or read in the Library. Following a five minute registration at 13:25, there are three lessons finishing at 15:30.

Then follows a short form period, allowing pupil planners to be checked, ensuring everyone is organised with their evening prep and prepared for the following day.
 

Parents will receive a communication before the new term which includes information on the type of activities on offer and how to book them.

The school calendar is produced termly and is available to view here. Sports fixtures are also available on our school website and at culfordsport.co.uk. The calendar and sports fixtures may change, so please check them regularly for updates.  

Culford sends out communications to parents via Culford Post. This may include event invitations, details of parents’ evenings and school trips. All parents will have a password protected account set up for them when their child joins the school and will receive a notification to their preferred email address when there is a message. 

First Form: Games and PE are on a Tuesday and Wednesday and fixtures will be on a Friday afternoon. 

Lower Second: Games and PE will be on a Monday and Friday and fixtures will be on a Wednesday afternoon.

All pupils must have their full games kit in school on these days, including their swimming kit.
 

First Form pupils can wear their games kit to school on a Wednesday and a Friday. Lower Second pupils wear their games kit to school on a Wednesday. All pupils must remember to bring in all sporting equipment for the relevant sport, including a swimming kit.
 

All the information about individual sports programmes can be found here. If your child would like to sign up for a programme, please contact the admissions team who will be able to put you in touch with the relevant Head of Sport.

My School Portal brings key information about your child together in one place. You will be able to see essential information such as timetables, school reports, the school calendar and sports results and fixtures.

Click here to find out more information, including details on how to sign up for My School Portal.

In September, formal school photographs are taken of each pupil. We take and provide photographs of your child at events during the year, such as plays, sports events and trips. They can be viewed and downloaded here. Information will be shared via the newsletter when the new photographs are ready. Please ensure that you complete the photograph consent form to indicate your preferences. 

There is no need for pupils to have mobile phones during the school day. If they need to make a telephone call, the School Office is always on hand to help. However, we have found that it suits some families for their children to bring a mobile phone into school, which must be registered with and handed into the School Office until home time. Pupils keeping or using a mobile phone during the school day receive a detention. Boarders are permitted mobile phones in Cadogan House, and a system is followed to ensure they are available daily for agreed periods.

On entry to the Prep School all students are allocated to a House. When allocating a House for pupils, we try to observe family traditions and keep siblings in the same house. Each house has a name and colour:

Floyd - Yellow
Honess - Red
Leigh - Blue
Newman - Green
 

Top Spin Tennis is the largest racket specialist in East Anglia. They offer a stringing service for all players, tennis, squash and badminton; a range of sports shoes and clothing and a racket demo system. Purchases can be added to the pupil’s school bill, but parental consent is required for purchases over £25.

We have an extremely active PTA comprised of parents from the Prep School. Fundraising is usually for local charities or for the Prep School itself. Through such events in recent years, Culford PTA has raised tens of thousands of pounds to provide the School with valuable extra resources to benefit the children.

Appropriate Use Policy (AUP) will be shared with all the pupils in Prep School during the first week of term. It clearly outlines our expectations when using ICT and laptops. The AUP can also be found in the school planner. Please read it through with your child to ensure they understand its importance. We take the misuse of ICT seriously, and pupils will be sanctioned according to our school behaviour policy should they not follow the AUP.

Through our ICT and Learning for Life lessons, we will continuously support the children, making them aware of internet safety, password protection, cyberbullying, and forms of positive communication. This will give them the confidence to use devices safely and responsibly.

Yes, definitely. Your child’s teachers may email them, and they may need to respond. They also may have a question to ask them. If your child is absent from school but still able to work, they will need to email their Form Tutor to let them know they are well and following their school timetable. All new pupils will be given their email address during the first few days of school.

Yes, pupils will need their headphones available for every lesson should they be required to, for example, watching videos, presentations or partake in quizzes.

Google Classroom is a cloud based learning management system we use to post resources. Pupils can only access it using their school email address. Google Classroom enables teachers to create an online classroom for their subject in which they can manage all the documents that their students need. Documents are stored on Google Drive and can be edited in Drive’s apps using, for example, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Kami is an online document annotation and mark-up tool which allows us to go paperless. This will allow pupils to write on a PDF document.
 

Work should be saved within the pupil’s Google Drive. During the first week of school, pupils will have the opportunity to set up their Google Drive with the relevant folders for this academic year.

Yes. In most cases, prep will be set on Google Classroom. Pupils will also receive English spellings and language vocabulary through Google Classroom.

Please ensure that your child’s laptop is fully charged each evening so that when they come to school, it is ready to use. We will use the laptops throughout all their lessons, not just ICT.

Check out our Culford ICT Hub, which can be found here. You will find clear instructions and videos of the online programmes we use with the pupils.