Yarm Preparatory School

England , United Kingdom

  • Day School

  • 1978

  • £ 3.2K-5.4K

    • British

School History & Details

Yarm School, established in 1978, was an independent day school for boys. It was led by R. Neville Tate and was located at the site of Yarm Parish Church along with an extra three acres of land on the Spital road. Prior to this, the building housed a Free Grammar School that educated underprivileged boys since 1590. 

In 1980, Yarm School moved to The Friarage, west of the River Tees. The school then started Yarm Preparatory School, which took over the buildings on The Spital, offering education for boys as young as three years old.

The school became fully co-educational in 2001, making it the first co-educational independent school in North East England. Yarm School grew even larger with the acquisition of Raventhorpe Preparatory School in 2006. However, due to financial difficulties, Raventhorpe was closed in 2013, with its pupils transferred to Yarm Preparatory School.

In 2009, a redevelopment plan costing £20 million was approved by the Stockton Council, expected to boost the Teesside economy. Consequently, the school underwent numerous improvements such as the construction of new classrooms, enhanced dining and kitchen amenities, sports facilities like a boathouse and a fitness suite, and a 750-seat auditorium.

R. Neville Tate held the position of Headmaster until 1999, at which point David Dunn was appointed. Dunn stepped down in 2019, succeeded by Dr Huw Williams. Currently, Yarm School serves over 1,100 students from the ages of 3 to 18 and employs roughly 240 staff members, with a standard Senior School class size of around 18 to 22 pupils.

The School has a house system, each led by a housemaster or housemistress with a tutor team. The houses are Aidan, Bede, Cuthbert, and Oswald, each named after a British saint linked to North East England. They engage in inter-house competitions in sports and drama.

    School Values

  • Academic Excellence
  • Responsibility
  • Respect
  • Compassion
  • personal growth

    • Yarm School values are-

    - The school motivate students to aim high in personal, academic and social achievements, utilizing all the available resources and opportunities.

    - Create a positive and enjoyable educational environment for students, promoting lifelong learning and career guidance.

    - Establish and maintain a caring, inclusive and generous community where each individual is equally respected and is proud to contribute to local and global community development.

    - Encourage personal development of pupils, nurturing values like curiosity, honesty, diligence, resilience, empathy, self-awareness and respect. This is specifically carried out in the Prep School via values like resourcefulness, ambition, safety, respect, responsibility and compassion.

School Achievements

Achievements

Yarm Preparatory School offers a broad range of subjects leading to the International General Certificate of Secondary Education and GCSE qualifications. These subjects include English Language and English Literature, Mathematics, Sciences, and several Languages including French (mandatory), German, Latin, and Spanish. Additional elective subjects are History, Geography, Classics, Religious Studies, Music, Art, Computer Science, and Design Technology. Students can also take certain GCSEs, like General Studies and Russian, outside the regular timetable.  For Sixth Form, the school requires students to undertake a minimum of three A-Level subjects, and possibly four if Mathematics is coupled with Further Mathematics. The A-level subjects are from various fields like humanities, sciences, creative arts and social sciences. Also included in the curriculum is the Extended Project Qualification. The school's academic excellence has been acknowledged nationally; it was ranked 20th amongst the top-performing independent schools in the country by The Independent in 2012 for A-level results. Furthermore, The Gazette identified Yarm School as the highest-performing school in Teesside and County Durham for A-level results in 2019.
School Achievements

Non-Academic Achievements

In July 2009, Yarm Preparatory School celebrated a non-academic victory when a group of cyclists from the school won the British Schools Cycling Association National 10-mile Time Trial Championships in the category for participants over 16. The school's rich tradition in rugby is further evidenced by their victory on March 23, 2013, when their 1st XV team clinched the U18 Daily Mail Vase against Felsted School, 17-15 at Twickenham. Aside from rugby and cycling, Yarm School also excels in rowing with their competitive Yarm School Boat Club. This boat club had an impressive 2022 victory at the Durham Regatta, where they won 11 events within two days. They also bagged bronze at the National Schools' Regatta in the J15 1st 8+ category in 2014 and most recently, in the J15 4+ in 2022. The school has competed and shown success at prestigious regattas such as the Henley Royal Regatta and international events like the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and the Head of the Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A key highlight includes making it to the semifinal at the 2021 Henley Women's Regatta in the J16 4+ category. Prominent athletes, including Olympic Gold medalist Kat Copeland, have hailed from this school.
Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

Some of the alumni members are- Simon Clarke – Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Femi Oluwole – Activist Lord Wharton – Conservative MP 2010–17 for Stockton South and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 2015–16 and DFID 2016–2017, member of the House of Lords. Ben Gibson – Footballer Simon Webster – Rugby union player Paul Johnston – Cricketer Russell Earnshaw – Rugby Union player Katherine Copeland MBE – GB rowing Olympic gold medallist Will Kay – Rugby Union Player Zach Kibirige – Rugby union player Ben Stevenson – Rugby union player

School Information

The roots of Yarm Preparatory School can be traced back to the original structures that now form the Preparatory School. As the student population increased, the school shifted to the current Friarage...View moreView Less

Huw Williams

Link

01642 786023

YARM SCHOOL The Friarage Yarm,North Yorkshire TS15 9EJ

Subjects & Curriculum Offered

  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Mathematics
  • Psychology
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • Business Studies
  • History
  • Sociology
  • Geography
  • Political Science
  • Art & Design
  • French
  • Environmental Management (EVM)
  • English – Language & Literature 
  • Ancient History
  • Food Preparation & Nutrition
  • Moral Education
  • Science
  • English
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Social Studies
  • Foreign Languages
  • Music
  • Further Mathematics

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