Figure 1.-- The standard prep school age range is children from 7/8-13 years of age. There are of course enomous differences between the children at these different age levels. |
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The standard prep school age range is children from 7/8-13 years of age. There are of course enomous differences between the children at these different age levels. The schools normally take children for their beginning form from pre-prep schools at about 7 1/2 through 8 1/4. Some schools, such as West Hill Park, accept day boys at 7 and boarders at 8. Most schools believe that children of that age are able to easily adjust to school life and "progress up the school without undue pressure." The junior section of a prep school generally included the new entrants and the younger boys through 9-10 years. These students generally take most of their classes in their form rooms. The first year is particularly difficult because many children are adjusting to the school and making new friends. Many come from the pre-pep, but many others are new to the school. Some prep schools accept children whose parents plan to enroll them in the prep schools of Public Schools, usually at about 10 or 11. Some prep school discourage this practice as it weakens the senior forms and can adversly affect a variety of school programs and activities. Newland House School, for, example, tells parents that children are not accepted if they are to leave school rarly for entry in Public School prep departments. Most boys leave their prep school at about 13 years of age. Sme boys may still be 12, but very near age 13. Most by the end of the school term in June or July are age 13. Some boys and many girls leave at age 11 to enter the junior department of their public school. Some schools believe that it is a mistake to move children at 11 from the "intimacy" of their prep school to the less personal environment of a Public school.
The schools normally take children for their beginning form from pre-prep schools at about 7 1/2 through 8 1/4. Some schools, such as West Hill Park, accept day boys at 7 and boarders at 8. Most schools believe that children of that age are able to easily adjust to school life and "progress up the school without undue pressure." Some schools such as Streete Court often report that day children often begin at a younger age than' the boarders. Most schools do not have formal entrance examinations but expect the new entrants will be able to read and write and know their tables. (See "Entry") Most schools would prefer the children to begin along with the new entrants at 7 or 8, but at least by 9. Beach Hill in Norfolk, for example, explains to parents that, "The desirable age for entry is, of course, 7. Though entries at other ages are considered, it should be stressed that the best results are usually achieved by those boys who join the school at 7 or 8." Hordle House in Hampsire tells parents concerned about boarding younger children, "it is our experience that children at 7 are natuarally gregarious. They like being with other children of their age, are excited by the school's facilities and quickly settle down as boarders." Headmasters sometimes report difficulty with older children entering at 11, especially at boarding schools. Not only do they not have the academic preparation, but the older children often find it much more difficult to adjust to the boarding routein. Even so many schools, especially day schools, may accept children as old as 12.
Most standard, stand-along prep schools are divided into two sections, a junior and senior sections. This does not include the pre-prep which is almost always a separate part of the school, sometimes even at a differentb location. The junior and senior sections of the prep school often have different names, but the division is fairly standard. The junior section is children 8-10 years old. The senior section is children 11-13 years old. This can vary slightly from school to school. It is somewhat complicated at coed schools because the girls going to a girls public school often leave earlier than the boys going to boys ahnd coed public schools.
Some prep schools accept children whose parents plan to enroll them in the prep schools of Public Schools, usually at about 10 or 11. Some prep school discourage this practice as it weakens the senior forms and can adversly affect a variety of school programs and activities. Newland House School, for, example, tells parents that children are not accepted if they are to leave school rarly for entry in Public School prep departments.
Most boys leave their prep school at about 13 years of age. Sme boys may still be 12, but very near age 13. Most by the end of the school term in June or July are age 13. Some boys and many girls leave at age 11 to enter the junior department of their public school. Some schools believe that it is a mistake to move children at 11 from the "intimacy" of their prep school to the less personal environment of a Public school. One old boy described the Abbey School as "an idyllic little pond" before moving on to his public school which he described as a lake full of sarcastic piranhas. Many prep school headmasters believe that until about 13 most boys are not ready for the more demanding life of the senior school. The headmaster at Winterfold House, for example, insists that a "child of 13 can accept responsibility in a way that the 11-year old cannot ....'. The same argument is 'made by educators in the state system which is why schools systems in the United States and other countries have junior high (middle or intermediate) schools to help ease the adjustment between elementary and secondary schools. Such schools, however, are rare in English state schools. Prep schools also believe that a child that goes to his senior school at 11 will lose an important part of the prep experience, the opprtunity to gain positions of responsibility at the schools through the prefect system. One headmaster insists that "if a child loses the opportunity of exercising authority in a humble way at this level, he will be deprived of an important par,t of his educational training." Similar opportunities generally do not exist for the younger children at senior schools.
