11 Pembridge Square, London W2 4ED
Profile: Wetherby Pre-Preparatory School is very popular school for boys from the ages of 4 to 8. It is linked to the Wetherby Preparatory School in Marylebone which educates boys from the ages of 7 to 13. Famously, Prince Harry and Prince William both attended Wetherby, as did Hugh Grant. The sons of Claudia Schifferv and Elle Macpherson have also attended Wetherby. This celebrity profile along with its “first come first served” admissions policy (more below) has led to its image as the ultradesirable pre-prep school that parents scramble to get their newborns in.
There are better reasons to desire a place at Wetherby, of course, as academic quality and personal development of pupils has consistently been rated as excellent (see link to inspection report below). In recent years, the school has also been one of the top pre-preps to place their boys at Westminster Under and St Paul’s Junior (London top performing boys’ preparatory schools), so Wetherby tends to be first on the list of parents with high academic expectations for their sons. Given its success, the school has expanded its intake considerably over the past years, and some might feel that it has lost its personal touch.
Admissions: Unlike many other London prep schools, Wetherby does not admit via assessment. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis according to a rather complicated (and partially secret) admissions system. They publish the full admissions policy on their website.. Registrations are accepted by phone or email and need to be directed to the registrar. Because of this policy combined with its popularity, parents need to register their sons very shortly after birth (ideally on the day of birth) to get in. There is some talk that not all registrations are created equal given the amount of celebrity children at the school, but for the lesser mortals, the only way to get a place is simply to register straight after birth and hope for the best.
Exit Results:
Exit results for Wetherby are outstanding, as shown by its strong links to Westminster Under, St Paul’s and Sussex House. About half of the children move on to what could be considered London’s most selective schools at 7+, with the other half either moving on to Wetherby prep or boarding prep schools in the vicinity of London.
Destination of Year 2 and 3 School Leavers
Wetherby Prep
Colet Court
Westminister Under
St. Philips
Westminster Cathedral Choir School
Sussex House
Latymer
Harrodian
Caldicott
Ludgrove
Cothill
The Dragon School
Summerfields
Sunningdale