Bristol Grammar School opens its doors to five and six year olds

Growing demand from parents for independent education for infants has prompted Bristol Grammar School to open its doors to children aged five and six.

The fee-charging school in Clifton is to start a pre-preparatory school for pupils in Years 1 and 2 from January.

This will expand to include reception class children from September.

The school says it is responding to more than 90 expressions of interest from parents of children aged four to seven.

These have come both from families who already have children at the school and from those new to the independent sector.

The pre-prep will be led by the head of the lower school Dr Alison Primrose and will be housed in the refurbished Lodge House within the school's Tyndall's Park campus.

Parents will pay £6,846 a year for a place in the pre-prep, the same as for the junior department. Families of prospective pupils will be invited to an "informal assessment" before signing up.

Teachers have been recruited to work with Dr Primrose to lead the two classes from January. Ben Whitehead, 32, is a primary teacher at a state school in Bristol and Lucie Thomas, 26, is relocating to Bristol from Worcester.

The Lodge will provide a landscaped garden in which children can play, while also allowing them access to the facilities of the main school, including the sports hall, dance studio, music and art rooms.

Opportunities to interact with older pupils in the lower school will also be promoted through initiatives such as combined after-school clubs with Year 3 pupils and the allocation of reading partners from Years 5 and 6.

Dr Primrose said: "The opening of the pre-prep school offers the chance of an exciting start in education for girls and boys in Years 1 and 2.

"Motivated children and enthusiastic teachers are a thrilling combination and I'm looking forward to working with my dynamic and creative new team to ensure our pupils settle in quickly and make the best possible start."

Upper-school head Roderick Mackinnon said there were many advantages for students and staff of developing an all-through school.

"The high levels of interest we have experienced in relation to the pre-prep are very encouraging and reflect the high regard parents have for our school.

"We want the pre-prep to provide a safe, happy and secure introduction into the BGS family for bright pupils in Years 1 and 2 who will benefit from the excellent academic environment and pastoral care we can offer here."

The move is the latest in the ever-changing competitive independent schools scene in Bristol.

Two secondary fee-charging schools, Bristol Cathedral Choir School and Colston's Girls' School, rejoined the state system as academies last year.

Others admit they have to battle hard for pupils because of the recession and the improvement in facilities at state schools.

It is in the four-to-11 age group that the market is expanding. The independent boys' school Queen Elizabeth's Hospital launched a junior school three years ago which has thrived.

Some schools have taken in extra reception and Year 1 children over the past couple of years as families have been unable to get their children into their preferred state schools because of high demand for places.