WHAT / WHERE

RGS The Grange is a co-ed, independent prep school in Worcestershire for pupils aged 2 to 11 years. There are currently 380 pupils, but this is expected to hit 400 by the end of 2023. The school has an optimum class number of 20 with most around the 15 pupil mark, keen to maintain its ‘family feel’ the maximum number we’re told is unlikely to exceed 425. The school is lucky to have tons of space – 54 glorious acres of it in fact – so if year groups get big they can split classes into further forms.

The school certainly gives a 5-star first impression, you enter through a grand pair of sweeping electric gates which open onto a smart, newly laid car park. The school itself is an attractive mash-up of low-rise, both old and new, fringed by a brightly coloured picket fence. A non-denominational school with a backbone of Christian values, most pupils come from within a 15 miles radius but some pupils travel up to 45 minutes to come here.

RGS The Grange opened its doors in 1996 with just twenty pupils, now firmly under the RGS family of schools umbrella, it has the USP of being able to offer senior school facilities but with a prep school setting. It’s a natural feeder to the increasingly popular RGS Worcester just two miles away, and increasingly parents are cottoning on to the pros of starting at RGS The Grange if they want to increase their chances of a place at the senior school.

FACILITIES

The school’s main study area is built off a modern atrium-style open plan block (built in the 90s) which means it all feels really bright and inviting, no creepy, intimidating corridors here. There are two floors of classrooms, a well stocked open plan library, a multi-purpose hall, specialist rooms for Science, French, DT, Music and a swish ICT room replete with Apple Macs.

It currently lacks a sports hall and pool, however there have been several new additions here in the last few years, including a yurt which was introduced in 2021 as an outdoor classroom.

MUSIC / DRAMA / THE ARTS

There is an incredible amount for the musically inclined to get involved with, but you don’t have to be Yehudi Menuhin to join in, instead the offering is very inclusive with a proudly all-ability orchestra and various ensembles, plus a chamber choir that recently performed at the Barnados Young Supporters Concert at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philhamornic Orchestra after qualifying for the Finals of the Barnardo’s National Choral Competition for two successive years in 2019 and 2020.

Drama is incorporated into the English curriculum rather than being studied on its own. There is an Annual Performing Arts Week in January with plenty of opportunities throughout the year for performing across all age groups, including major productions for Year 6 of Shakespeare – which is quite impressive for a Prep – last year’s being ‘The Tempest’ and in recent years, four girls have been cast as Witches in Macbeth and a boy as Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol at the RSC, Stratford.

Years 3 and 4 have an initiative called Creative Connections in October which gets pupils producing and performing in a play, and there is a good-sized multi-purpose hall for Performing Arts as well as several peripatetic music rooms for lessons.

The art department looked equally impressive, a huge size, with an array of colour and creativity on show, during my visit Year 6 were fully immersed in making prehistoric coil pots which looked pretty impressive.

SPORT

Got a sporty sprog? There’s plenty to get stuck into here. There are grass pitches galore, a full size floodlit AstroTurf, and all children are encouraged to get involved no matter what their ability. There is a slightly gender-based approach currently on the curriculum, with boys doing rugby, football and cricket and girls doing hockey, netball and cricket, although athletics is done across the board and there are clubs where boys can play hockey and girls can play football.

Infact, cricket seems to be one of school’s fortes with the Under 11 Boys’ Cricket Team winning National Champions in 2018 and the Under 11 Girls’ winning Cricket County Champions in the same year. On the downside, there is no sports hall or swimming pool but this doesn’t seem to affect pupils too much, with the school utilising a full size marquee (the size of a sports hall) for general activities including after school clubs and using a nearby pool just a mile away.

Children are really encouraged to develop their interests and learn new skills here, with 75 clubs this term alone, from frisbee to go-karting, with children being allowed to come up with and implement with their own ideas. So much so, Head Gareth Hughes now regularly takes groups of keen kids sailing at the nearby Upton Warren lake activity centre.

LITTLIES

The Nursery here is colourful, bright and engages children with a play-based curriculum. Offering full time as well as flexible options, the pupils I met were chatty, happy and full of enthusiasm. Highlights are Music and French being taught by specialist teachers, cookery, gardening (great if eco-awareness is high on your wish-list), regular PE classes and ‘music and movement’ lessons.

Little ones here get really involved in whole school activities, from Harvest Festival and Easter services to school assemblies, and because Nursery and Pre-school are housed in the connected original building, younger pupils – known as Ladybirds, Caterpillars and Butterflies – are made to feel part of everything going on. Around 60% of children move on from nursery to Reception, a pretty healthy ratio.

This place is proudly outdoorsy, and Forest School starts from the age of two, with all year groups having the opportunity to get involved every year with not one but two different woodlands areas where they’ll immerse themselves in all things bushcraft, from forest-bathing and tree-climbing to tool-making.

Residentials start fairly young here, with Year 2 heading out locally into the Malvern Hills, then Somerset, Nottinghamshire and the Peak District, culminating with Year 6 going to France.

ACADEMICS

Academic standards are high at RGS The Grange, and whilst no sort of hot house, it challenges and supports children to achieve their best. Pupils are expected to work hard but they know that at the end of the entrance exam could be a coveted place at RGS Worcester. Currently around 95% of children achieve this and go on to the senior school. There used to be a negative drift to other schools in the area but this has totally reversed in recent years. The curriculum is varied with special Enrichment afternoons for all Years 4 to 6 where pupils study a range of topics from Spanish and Philosophy to Sculpture and Digital Photography in half termly blocks.

Bursaries are up for grabs here too, with Academic and Music Scholarships available to children sitting the entrance assessment for entry into Year 5. Any scholarship awarded to Year 5 and Year 6 students (subject to continued good performance), gets continued and when entering RGS Worcester, although they will be reassessed.

If you want to join in Year 2 and below however, the decision lies mainly with parents. At year 3 and above, assessments in English, Maths, and VR kick in. Currently entry at Year 4 level is increasingly popular, definitely worth noting if you were banking on a Year 5 entry with no sense of urgency!

Three-class entry rises to four higher up the school, and everywhere I went RGS’s eight learning characteristics were clearly embedded in every classroom (these being collaboration; perseverance, resilience, initiative, empathy, creativity, risk-taking and curiosity). Language provision is good here too with children learning French from nursery age, all the way through the school, with a Spanish taster in Enrichment in the upper years.

PASTORAL CARE

Big importance is put on pastoral care, one thing we really liked was the ‘Flourish and Fly’, an initiative devised by the school itself five years ago, a social and emotional wellbeing programme for every pupil, with any child who struggles getting bespoke one-to-one help. A School Counsellor is present on-site every week and there are contemplative spaces spread out across 50 acre site for pupils to go to if they need it.

I also learnt the school won the ABQM Bronze Award for Anti-Bullying provision in November 2019 – the first Independent prep school to receive the award – which gives it a hefty wellbeing kudos points.

SEN PROVISION

The school has a Learning Development Coordinator who takes care of any children facing difficulties or finding some areas of the curriculum challenging. Intervention groups and individual strategies are adopted to suit each child. One-to-one lessons are offered to children who need specialist support (although this is an additional cost).

THE HEAD

Gareth Hughes comes across with an ease and friendliness that’s infectious. His office is decorated with thank-you notes and pictures from past pupils, which he proudly points out to me. Describing himself as a big child at heart, he has an endearing sense of humour, and loves to get involved with the kids’ activities, regaling how he dons a Mr Tumble-esque multi-coloured blazer (at the request of the pupils) on House results day every year. He also gets stuck into the staff Christmas Panto every year, so pupils get to have a lovely old-fashioned laugh at their teachers here at least once a year!

A West Walian by birth, he is now going into his 14th year at RGS The Grange, although he has been part of the RGS furniture since 1996. A keen sportsman, and former rugby player, he cycles into school regularly. He has seen his own son and daughter through the RGS system he’s certainly an experienced pair of hands. Prior to Hughes there had been four Heads in swift succession, so his job has been to bring stability back to the school, which he’s done by strengthening the senior leadership team.

To go to the next level it’s clear Gareth is aiming to improve and increase the facilities going forward, on his future wishlist being new Nursery and Preschool facilities and a Sports Hall.

QUIRKS

There is a lovely little apple and pear orchard in the school grounds which the children planted last year – giving them a harvest of home-grown fruit in years to come! The school also has its very own Observatory with a giant telescope, donated by an RGS alumni who worked for NASA, so any keen stargazers or space lovers will be in their element.

WRAPAROUND CARE

Wraparound care is available from From 7.45am to 6pm and best of all aling with a side range of activities children can do, it’s need for many modern working families is recognised by the school making it inclusive in the fees. Holiday Club runs for every week of the school holidays, bar one.

MOBILE PHONES / TECH

The school scores high for tech-appeal, as it is an Apple Distinguished School (one of only 30 nationally) and a Regional Training Centre for Apple too. Infact the whole RGS Family of Schools stand put in this area, with the school being a finalist for the Independent School of the Year, October 2021 (Outstanding Response to COVID-10 category).

The well stocked IT suite had a really engaging lesson going on when I visited where Year 5 pupils were learning about passwords and how to make safe ones, and were then going on to make films on their ipads to educate other pupils.

Every child from Year 1 upwards has access to an ipad and from Year 5 they bring their own in. There are no mobile phones allowed in school.

WORD ON THE GROUND

A quick look online shows that parents give glowing reports of the school, including the fact it is ‘strongly academic’ and ‘aspirational’ whilst striking a balance so kids don’t feel the academic pressure is too great. The small class sizes are spotlighted too, as being helpful for supporting a range of abilities – no one size fits all here. Whilst one SEN family highlighted some settling in issues, the school’s fast response was praised, the opportunities in music and the arts, and again, the Head’s warmth was high up there.

ISI REPORT

In a word? Impressive. RGS The Grange is rated as ‘Excellent’ in all areas. Read it here.

FEES

From September 2024 fees per term are: Reception £3,418; Year 1 £3,690; Year 2; £3,836; Year 3 £4,046; Year 4 £5,218; Year 5 £5,578; Year 6 £5,860.

For Nursery the full time termly charge is £4,244 and those not attending full-time the daily charge is £79.00 (8.00am – 6.00pm) or half day £59.00 (8.00am – 1.00pm including lunch). We offer 15 and 30 hours through the Government Funding scheme from the term following your child’s 3^rd birthday until they reach 5 years of age. This is subject to attending a minimum of 3 sessions per week. From April 2024 all working parents of children aged 2 years may also access 15 funded hours per week which will rise to 30 funded hours for 2 year olds from September 2025.

MUDDY VERDICT

GOOD FOR:

One of those schools where parents meet the pupils and think, ‘I want one like that!’. An academically robust and friendly place with a caring family-feel that does well on results without being a hothouse. Good for going onto RGS Worcester if it’s consistency you crave.

NOT FOR:

Your child won’t be mollycoddled here, there are lots of opportunities and they’re heartily encouraged to get stuck in. Families who require boarding.

Dare to disagree? Judge for yourself! Register for the next Open Morning on 11 May, or drop the admissions team a line here.

RGS The Grange, Worcester

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