Thank you for joining us for our September Open Day! If you would like to take a look around the College and Prep yourself, please see the maps below for a guide. If you would like guidance along the way or would prefer a guided tour, please do not hesitate to stop and ask one of our students or a staff member.
St Edmund’s Prep, founded in 1874, is a co-educational, independent Catholic Nursery, Pre Prep and Prep school. Guided by the principles of our Catholic faith, but welcoming families of all faiths and none, the Prep strives for excellence and creativity in forward-thinking education. The Prep is committed to the preparation of its students by instilling in them a sense of responsibility and attempting to ensure that they leave St Edmund’s Prep with a solid foundation on which to build their future in the College and beyond.
Please find a Virtual Tour of the Prep below, and do not hesitate to contact Tracey Dickinson at the Prep’s Admissions Office by email tdickinson@stedmundscollege.org.
Each day our minibuses and our bus service provider collects students from 19 different points throughout Hertfordshire, Essex and North London.
The sports hall is used each day for and includes a full-size netball court and also has cricket nets. The sports hall is used for all fitness activities as well as badminton, short tennis, basketball, gymnastics and netball. The sports hall also includes a Cardio Fitness Suite and a Weights Room.
The Coffee Shop is exclusively open for our Rhetoricians (Sixth Formers) at break and lunch times. It is an area where our students can relax and socialise between lessons and study sessions.
All students have access to our own health centre, The Infirmary, which is situated within the College campus. It is a fully-equipped medical surgery, staffed 24-hours a day by qualified nurses. Facilities include a sitting room for unwell Day students, where they can be made comfortable and looked after until they are feeling better, or collected to be taken home. There are also small bedrooms where very unwell Day or Boarding students can be cared for. The College also has its own ambulance on site, should it be required.
We have excellent sports facilities at school which include extensive playing fields for team sports and athletics, a full sized all-weather pitch, a recently refurbished swimming pool, and outdoor netball and tennis courts used interchangeably throughout the winter and summer months.
Girls’ and Boys’ boarding is an important part of life at St Edmund’s we hope this video gives you an insight into the benefits.
Day and boarding students all join together for meals every day in the refectory. For more information click here https://www.stedmundscollege.
The thriving music school is a busy area of the school with academic lessons taking place every day but also many peripatetic lessons in a wide choice of instruments. The music school includes a main recital room, a sound recording suite and many practice rooms. Choirs, orchestras, rock band and a variety of practice rooms meet here every day.
The Douay Hall is the main hall used for assemblies, guest speakers, performances and examinations.
The Science Centre encompasses the three separate disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. It is housed in a block of nine laboratories which have recently undergone major refurbishment, and include dedicated preparation and support facilities, alongside additional sixth form conference rooms.
The CCF is an extremely popular weekly activity, providing a superb opportunity for boys and girls to participate in interesting and challenging activities in a disciplined environment. Cadets share in the spirit of adventure, gaining invaluable leadership and team building skills. After a basic training course, students have a range of opportunities, including flying lessons with the RAF, adventure training and field manoeuvres.
The library houses a variety of books and resources for all age groups in the College which is managed by our librarian who supports the students daily and also runs book clubs and visiting author events.
When able, this is where you will arrive at the College. Parking is available directly at the front of the College.
Throughout the College, students are taught in small classes (maximum 22) in which they stand the best chance of successful learning.
All classrooms contain an interactive whiteboard with a projector and audio setup to allow our teaching staff to provide media rich and interactive lessons. The curriculum on offer at the College is delivered through our various academic departments. The departments are specially designed with the latest equipment to support the learning for their unique subject.
To aid in independent learning the College has a range of online resources including College email, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and subscriptions to award winning educational websites such as Clickview, Mathletics and GCSEPod. Access to these sites is available both inside and outside the College.
There are five house at the College and all students are allocated to one where they will have their own dedicated, fit for purpose locker. The Housemistress or Housemaster looks after students both pastorally and tracking their progress at the College.
Indoor, heated swimming 25 metre swimming pool used daily for curriculum sport and also our boarding community for recreational activities.
The Cricket Pavilion is allocated for Cricket training and fixtures in the summer term. When not in use for training, students can often be found relaxing in this green space at break times.
Our Pugin Chapel is very much the heart of St Edmund’s. Masses, House Prayers, morning and evening prayer takes place here with students visiting at least twice a week. The history of the Chapel can be read here https://www.stedmundscollege.
Bounds Copse is home to the nature trail and our accredited Forest School. Den building, animal tracking and fire building, not to mention tree climbing, are just some of the activities enjoyed by our students as they develop skills in collaboration, problem-solving, resourcefulness and resilience. The Edmund’s Prep is the proud recipient of the Eco-School’s Green Flag Award.
Built in 1938, our Chapel offers the children a protected and quiet meditative space. Mass is celebrated weekly and every day begins and ends with a prayer. Recognising that each individual is special and loved by God is a core philosophy of our school.
Commissioned in 1815 and designed by Augustus Welby Pugin, co-architect of the Houses of Parliament, the Chapel provides an inspirational setting for the Advent Carol Service and Easter Story. Tours can be booked by appointment.
Located at the bottom of the drive (not pictured), our talented and committed sportsmen and women enjoy sports including rugby, football and cricket here on our vast pitches. Teamwork, leadership, enthusiasm and perseverance come to the fore through lessons taught by our devoted specialist sports staff.
Hockey, netball and tennis, as well as early evening squad-training take place on these purpose-built courts and pitches. The annual Inter-house Pancake Race is an event not to be missed!
Children from Nursery to Form Two swim weekly with lessons continuing right up to the end of Form Six. Our specialist swimming teacher has vast experience in building technique and enjoyment in our young swimmers.
Apples, pears and our two goats, Billy (the Kid) and Vinnie (van Gogh) can be found in our very own Orchard. You can enjoy quiet walks or stop to read a book in the shade. You will never be short of a healthy snack.
Form Six are privileged to have their own play space at the front of the main College. A mindfulness walk, pond and ancient oak tree together with more than enough space for racing and ball games give the children an environment in which they can take a break from the rigours of academic work.
Think Hogwarts and ‘The Great Hall’ but without the owls. Our contracted catering team, Holroyd Howe are committed to taking into account all specialist dietary requirements and providing the children with daily breakfast and lunch. Fruit is always available at break times and weekly menus are posted to our website.
Founded in 1568, our Prep School students benefit immensely by having direct access to specialist teaching in German, Spanish and French as well as music and more besides. Inspiration and near boundless opportunity are hallmarks of the Edmundian experience.
Built in 1961, The Godfrey Wing is home to specialist music practice rooms, the Art, DT and cookery Room as well as Science and Drama spaces.
All students have access to our own health centre, The Infirmary, which is situated within the College campus. It is a fully-equipped medical surgery, staffed 24-hours a day by qualified nurses. Facilities include a sitting room for unwell Day students, where they can be made comfortable and looked after until they are feeling better, or collected to be taken home. There are also small bedrooms where very unwell Day or Boarding students can be cared for. St Edmund’s also has its own ambulance on site, should it be required. Within the Prep, there is a fully qualified paediatric trained onsite Prep School nurse, so that our young children always have someone to turn to in the event of a grazed knee or elbow.
Drop and drive. Staffed each morning, take advantage of our ‘soft-drop’ facility and get the day started ahead of time.
Our youngest students have their own soft play space and trim trail as well as keeping busy whilst exploring the 400acre site. Waterproofs are always at the ready for children to enjoy the Forest School throughout the year. Children start during the term after their third birthday.
Forms One and Two (Pre-Prep) have their own play space. Ahoy there Captain!
On Bounds Field, the children enjoy creating drama pieces and showing off their cartwheels on the Amphitheatre, practicing their strength and agility on the Clamber Stack and trim trail or just reading or drawing in the shade. You are sure to find someone kicking a ball around too.
Designed by our students and landscaped by a joint team of parents, grandparents, grounds staff, children and teachers, the Prayer Garden provides a quiet place to spend spare moments of the day in quiet reflection.
Our Prep students benefit from utilising the outstanding facilities at the College. The Science Centre is housed in a block of nine laboratories which have recently undergone major refurbishment, and include dedicated preparation and support facilities, alongside additional sixth form conference rooms.
Each day our minibuses and our bus service provider collects students from 19 different points throughout Hertfordshire, Essex and North London. Prep students are able to use our bus service from Form 3-6.
Throughout the Prep, students are taught in small classes (maximum approx. 20) in which they stand the best chance of successful learning. The broad and balanced curriculum covers six areas: Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication; Language and Literacy; Mathematical Development; Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Physical Development and Creative Development.
Our indoor sports hall is used includes a full-size netball court and also has cricket nets and is used for a range of indoor sporting activities.
The Douay Hall is used for assemblies, guest speakers and performances. The Douay Hall is also where our Prep students perform their Nativity each year!
