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The Prep School at Thorpe Hall School has been on a transformative journey over the last few years. The focus on raising standards has been applied across all year groups, and created positive changes in all areas of school life.

You may have already heard about the innovative new provisions at various age groups, the academic fast stream offered from Year 4, and the school’s growth due to increasing demand for spaces.

But what really tells the story of the effect of all these changes? Outstanding results from Reception to 11+.

An outstanding academic start (Reception)

• 100% of our Reception children this year have achieved a ‘Good Level of Development (GLD)’ in their end of year EYFS assessment.
• This means that 100% have met the expected level or beyond in the three prime areas (Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, and Physical Development) as well as the specific areas of English and Maths.
• A significant number of children are working well beyond expected national levels.

Why?

Many of our Reception children join from our own Nursery, where our enhanced curriculum has already given them a huge head start for when their formal education begins.

Our small class sizes and dedicated EYFS specialists ensure every child masters their foundational stages. Children who show advanced learning skills are able to work with cohorts in older years to provide the challenge needed to bring out their best. 

For every single child, our Young Talent Pathways provision in Reception to Year 2 is designed to identify their own unique aptitudes, and nurture and celebrate their interests wherever they shine. This increases engagement and motivation for school from the offset and builds confidence that carries through to all areas of their learning.

Consistently out-performing national averages

• Attainment levels in all years of our Prep School have increased substantially across the core subjects of Mathematics, English and Science.
• In Years 5 and 6, following the introduction of our Expect More provision, we’ve seen some truly impressive gains. For example…
• Our current Year 5 cohort is currently outperforming national averages, based on nationally standardised progress test scores (PT scores), by an average of +13.8%
• Our current Year 6 is achieving scores on average 9.27% higher than the national average across the core subjects

Significant areas of success in these year groups include:

THS YEAR 5 compared to national average:

• In Reading comprehension : non-narrative tests, Thorpe Hall’s students gave 23% more correct answers
• 21% more correct answers in Reading comprehension : simple inference questions
• Fluency in conceptual understanding in Mathematics: 22% more correct answers
• 20% more correct answers in Physics tests

THS YEAR 6 compared to national average:

• Reading comprehension: retrieval scores were 28% higher than national average
• 28% more correct answers in Reading comprehension : complex inference questions
• In Reading comprehension : non-narrative tests, pupils gave 23% more correct answers
• Fluency in conceptual understanding in Mathematics scored 22% more correct answers
• 22% more correct answers in Mathematical problem solving

Amazing 11+ results – 2 years running

• In 2026, our 11+ candidates once again scored an average of over 330, far in excess of the entry requirements to local grammar schools
• This is the second year running that our Year 6 pupils have achieved such high performing results
• We now have 3 forms in year 6, and 50% of our pupils progress to local grammars, or into Thorpe Hall’s Senior School’s own grammar stream, Grammar Plus

Why?

Children in Thorpe Hall School’s Prep Plus cohort (for academic high achievers) benefit from free 11+ tutoring and coaching as part of our fast-track grammar programme. We start this preparation early to give pupils the best possible chance of success.

In fact, Prep Plus pupils at THS are now working 1-3 years ahead of national expectations.

As a through-school, we can take advantage of subject specialists from our senior school to deliver advanced teaching to our high-performing Prep pupils, and this really helps them thrive.

Thorpe Hall’s Senior School is soaring too!

Thorpe Hall School is now the BEST PERFORMING non-selective school at GCSE in South Essex, too.

Thorpe Hall School broke into the top five earlier this year with 87.9% of students achieving a standard grade 4-9 pass in English and maths.

The highly selective Southend-based grammar schools took the top four places, so this puts Thorpe Hall School at the top of the leaderboard for non-selective schools.

Local families are encouraged to enquire early.

While admissions are accepted into any year group up until Year 9, places are already limited in some years, and demand has never been higher. The school is now running a waiting list for Senior School places. Families who are interested in exploring Thorpe Hall are encouraged to enquire as early as possible.

To book an open morning for next term, or request a private tour, contact the admissions team by calling 01702 582340 or by emailing admissions@thorpehallschool.co.uk