WHAT, WHERE?

The independent co-ed day and boarding school for 11 – 18 year olds, on a 57-acre site high on a hillside in Bath, Prior Park College surely has one of the most spectacular views in the land (no exaggeration).

Prior Park College overlooks the Palladian bridge and – probably – Capability Brown designed-grounds of the Prior Park Landscape Gardens (great for boarders to go sledging in the winter) now owned by the National Trust, and the UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath beyond. The grand Mansion, which lies at the heart of the school (and also hosts many weekend weddings, conferences and events), was built as a home for landowner/entrepreneur Ralph Allen around 1742, purchased by Bishop Baines in 1829 and opened as a school in 1830.

Although the school was founded by a Benedictine bishop, run for some years by the Christian Brothers, it is no longer a Catholic school, but describes itself as ‘ecumenical in spirit, with a strong Christian community’.

As from the summer of 2026, Prior Park College is the senior school of the all-through school Prior Park, with prep school Prior Park Paragon just down the road (read our review). Both are part of the Prior Park Schools Group, along with Prior Park School in Gibraltar.

There are currently around 580 pupils, 25 different nationalities, roughly 23% boarders and 77% day pupils, with slightly more boys than girls, on the roll.

Former pupils include theatre producer Sir Cameron Macintosh and Cardinal Cormack Murphy-O’Connor.

Before we go on, let’s take in that view…

FACILITIES

The Palladian Mansion – neo-classical portico, high ceilings, golden stone, hidden spiral staircases and that view – houses assorted classrooms, the atmospheric Academy Hall, historic Round Room for debating, Dining Hall (the food is delish), Library (10,000 individual resources), the John Wood Chapel (also used for meetings, lunchtime recitals and venue for choral events and houses a Grand Fazioli piano – the acoustics must be incredible) and the 6th Form centre (The Dairy), which has a couple of common rooms, cool study area and its own deli (nice).

Next door, the impressive Our Lady of the Snows Chapel (more columns, ornate dome, soaring ceiling) is a place for worship, performing and singing. Wednesday ‘congers’ (aka ‘congregationals’) when the whole school gathers to sing together are hugely popular with staff and pupils alike.

The professional level 180-seater Julian Slade Theatre, the MacIntosh Studio (old boy Sir Cameron, who remains involved with the school), and a Head of Drama who comes from The National Theatre, allow for a large number of high quality productions ranging from Six the Musical and Nell Gwynn to Just So, whole school performances and visits by professional theatre companies.

A young and dynamic Head of Music leads everything from traditional to high tech in the Music Centre. There are five choirs, two orchestras, assorted trios, quartets and bands across the musical genres – including a jazz band who play out and about in Bath as well as at school events. Students play 27 different musical instruments including African drumming and the organ. Musical shows are eclectic, from Grease to The Marriage of Figaro and lunchtime recitals.

The Visual Arts Centre has light-filled art rooms as well as photographic dark rooms where no light is allowed. Once a boys’ boarding house, the studio cubicles are divided with old bedposts, which allow pupils to own their own space and display work.

The two-storey Product Design (Design & Technology) Department with an Innovation Workshop Maker Space on the first floor, is recognised as a Centre of Excellence for its work with laser processing and 3D print technology, with CAD, CAM, laser cutters, mills and lathes. In addition, there’s a dedicated Sixth Form DT studio, equipped to industry standards.

All the sporting facilities you could want are on site, including assorted pitches, astro, an indoor swimming pool and The Bury Sports Centre with well-equipped Fitness Centre which parents and other family members can use too. There’s sailing on nearby Chew Valley Lake/reservoir.

The health and wellbeing centre, headed up by trained nurse Gemma, is a welcoming laid back space for pupils to come to escape and take time to reflect as well as to get health advice and care, with a GP visiting regularly and a dedicated counsellor, accessible through a self-referral system or via members of the pastoral team.

There are lots of sessions and info on skills for life, stress management, yoga, relaxation, mindfulness with colouring books, Lego and more. The system of Upper 6th Formers peer mentors, who complete a six-week training programme beforehand, sounds excellent.

WHAT ELSE?

Every pupil is a member of a House with its own house master or house mistress. Everyone goes to their own House first thing in the morning and each pupil’s assigned a Tutor with regular one-to-one meetings.

I had a nose around Baines House which is for all Year 7 pupils and designed to help the transition from the Junior school up to the Senior. In Year 8, pupils move to Brownlow House. From Years 9 – 13, the Houses are mixed year groups for boarding and day students but single sex. There are seven Houses: Allen, Burton, Clifford and Roche Houses for boys; Arundell, English and Fielding Houses for girls. Boarders leave their boarding homes after breakfast to be part of their day House, and return at the end of the school day. Pupils can make friends across the school and there are lots of inter-house competitions – music, debating, sport – creating strong bonds as well as friendly rivalry.

There’s a dedicated Learning Development Programme for pupils with specific additional learning needs, with one-to-one and small group sessions.

Lots of opportunities for leadership, with the Head’s committee made up of head girls & boys, deputies, heads of houses, eco committees and – new for 2026 – six subject prefects.

SPORT

Rugby, hockey, netball, tennis (links with Bath University Tennis Academy) and cricket (where girls and boys play together) are core sports plus 7s rugby, football, biathlon, swimming, basketball, athletics, cross country, table tennis and badminton.

With an emphasis on sport for all with around 10 teams per core sport playing Saturday fixtures, the school has excelled at regional, national and even international levels, especially in hockey. Having a Head of Sport and Director of Rugby with 82 international caps for Ireland must be an inspiration.

ACADEMICS

Admission is by entrance exam and an interview with the Head. Average class size: 18. Where the school really excels is in its Value Added score – how much progress pupils make in the time they are at the school, compared to other students in England.

At GCSE (choice of 24 subjects), pupils tend to achieve a grade higher than predicted when they first join the school. In 2024/25, 52% of entries achieved grades 9-7 (double the national average of 21.9%); 15% received a grade 9; most Geography, Latin, History, Music, Drama, Fine Art and DT students were awarded grade 7 and above; and in DT over a third of students achieved a grade 9.

According to the Department of Education, based on 2024/25 results, Prior Park was the best performing school in Bath & North East Somerset and in the top 5% in England and Wales for progress at A Level (choice of 28 subjects). Overall 85% of pupils achieved A*-C; 36% achieved an A*, with 46% of all Mathematics grades, 40% of History, Chemistry, and Theology grades, and 63% of Art students all achieved A*/A .

Almost every pupil goes onto university, usually their first choice, just under half to Russell Group universities.

HEAD TEACHER

Head teacher Ben Horan has been in post since September 2019, after taking a degree in History (Ancient & Modern) at Magdalen College, Oxford, many years at Eton (Head of History and History of Art, 1st XV Rugby Coach and Deputy Housemaster) and then as Senior Deputy Head Academic at Merchant Taylors’ School in London. He once thought he would be a priest, then joined the Army before entering teaching; he says they all have one thing in common, and that’s ‘service’.

On our visit – during the summer heatwave – he’s wearing looking cool and laid back in linen shorts and Birkenstocks, with a Panama hat on the side. When we met last time he talked about the school’s strong sense of community, the importance of kindness, and love, about confidence, collaboration and pupils finding ‘their thing’. He sees education as an ‘holistic endeavour’, with happiness and wellbeing at the core, rather than a means to an end which is just a string of A* results (though they don’t do badly on that front either).

This time, he talks about how the senior and prep schools will be more aligned and become ever closer as part of a whole, with Year 5 and 6 pupils continue to come up to Prior Park College for certain lessons (e.g. science), summer concerts, swimming, games and other co-curricula; prefects from Prior Park College getting involved with kids from the prep.

He keeps his hand in teaching two lessons of Classics and Ancient History each week, covers classes when necessary and you’ll always find him helping to supervise the lunch queue every day. Nice chap.

REPORTS

See the latest reports from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), equivalent to Ofsted in the state sector, here.

BOARDING

Around 150 full, weekly and flexi boarders live in two boarding houses: St Paul’s for 90 boys and St Mary’s for 60 girls, each with a home-from-home atmos with large communal rooms – pick a chesterfield, any chesterfield in Roche – games rooms, prep rooms (with supervised prep), computers and kitchen. Dorms of five for younger pupils; doubles for older and single study bedrooms for 6th Formers. A plethora of sporty, crafty, computer, music, cookery activities as part of Saturday Active and more activities and trips out on Sundays.

QUIRKS/BOASTY BITS

Rather good trips and outings – some six every year – combining study and fun, include a netball and cricket tour to Barbados, a choir trip to Florence this summer, helping to renovate a school Kenya, and a visit to China).

Assorted inter-house competitions, including music comps and The Fisher Relay, an annual race around the campus.

Everyone has their own school laptop.

The students are whizzes at tennis. Prior Park competed in the U13 and U15 ISTA schools Tennis Championships at Eton in 2026. The U15 girls reached the semi-finals; and the U13 boys reached the quarter finals. The U16 girls and U16 boys hockey teams both came 4th in the National Hockey Finals of the England Hockey Schools Championships 2026.

Prior 4 Life, in Year 9 and the 6th Form, encourages students to learn practical/enriching life skills, so stuff like politics and careers in Year 9 and DIY, interview technique, basic cookery and managing finances in the 6th Form.

WRAP AROUND CARE/CO-CURRICULAR

School day runs from 8.30am to 5.45pm, with a short break at 4.30pm before prep, co-curricular etc (students are allowed up to two early homes a week).

Everyone’s encouraged to take part in one activity a week from the 87 (gulp!) available. Clubs include Tycoons in School (where pupils can set up a small business), Greek, Sci-Fi, metalwork, MEDSOC (for 6th Formers interested in medicine) and as well as assorted arts and sporty stuff. Pupils can do their Duke of Edinburgh (below)and join Combined Cadet Force (CCF) army or navy sections from Year 8.

Prior-Park-College-D-of-E-at-Prior-Park-College-1

The regular Academic Scholars Lecture Series brings inspirational people into the school: alumni, Olympic Gold medallists, Auschwitz survivors, politicians, art historians, mountaineers and more.

Transport into school from Warminster, Calcot Manor (near Tetbury), Shepton Mallet, Trowbridge, Hullavington, Keynsham, Melksham and Hilperton as well as around Bath including Bath Spa Station and the Chew Valley.

FEES

Fees are weighted at 40% for Michaelmas Term, 30% for Lent Term and 30% for the Summer Term. Lunch is billed separately to avoid parents paying VAT at £1200 per year. 2026/27 fees per year: day (Yrs 7 & 8) £23,450; day (Yrs 9-11) £25,450; Sixth Form £25,450; weekly boarding £39,700; full boarding £51,195.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Parents describe the school as inclusive, nurturing, a place where kids are encouraged to think for themselves and develop a love of learning. Pastoral care was highly praised, tailored to each child, with dedicated staff whose sole desire is for their pupils to achieve their maximum – one parent said the school was a forum for achievement. Pupils rave about the new health and wellbeing centre. Above all, this is a happy school.

MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Parents who want their kids to go to school in a happy, nurturing environment where the pastoral care matches the academics and with an underlying Christian ethos that’s not in your face. Those who fancy a country estate setting yet still be close enough for pupils to walk into the centre of Bath and all it has to offer.

Not for: People who think that education’s only about narrow academic outcomes, though there’s plenty of support for pupils aiming for success in that field. Definitely not for those who think the grand setting will reflect a grandiose approach to education: this school and its pupils are down-to-earth and grounded.

Want to know more? Visit the College on one of their open events: open morning Sat Sept 19; 6th Form information evening, Tues Sept 22. Contact their admissions dept on 01225 831 000 or admissions@priorparkschools.com.

Prior Park College, Ralph Allen Drive, Bath, Somerset BA2 5AH. Tel 01225 835353.

Prior Park College, Bath

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