Durston Pre-Prep
Where our uniform comes from 40 different countries
The Durston Journey
Full of adventure and discovery, our Pre-Prep offers its pupils a wonderful, caring and stimulating school experience.
Housed in two Victorian Villas, with access to our garden, pupils in Reception, Year 1 and 2 are taught by experienced and highly qualified teachers who go the extra mile to deliver the best possible start to your child’s education. Pupils are based in their own classroom with their teacher and assistant for much of the time, whilst also being taught by specialist teachers for music and sport.
Children join Reception aged 4, where they are gently introduced to the school routine, whilst following a bespoke curriculum which is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance. From the outset, the curriculum is designed to be challenging, stimulating and fun, offering a diverse range of opportunities in Music, Art, Drama and Sport. They enjoy the arts and rehearse for and perform in a Christmas Production. Classes present assemblies and display mornings throughout the year, to which parents are invited. Throughout their time in Pre-Prep, pupils make impressive academic progress enhanced by visits to museums, galleries and places of interest, which enrich the pupils’ learning experience.
Above all, we want our pupils to enjoy their time at Durston and to develop a profound love of learning. To do this, we aim to mould the education experience around the individual rather than the reverse.
The school messaging system ensures that there is excellent communication between staff and parents. Formal Parents Evenings are held for discussions about pupil progress, but parents are welcome to meet with their child’s Form Teacher, the Head of Reception or Head of Pre-Prep should the need arise.
Pre-Prep Stories
“Carpe Diem…Seize the day!”
At Durston House, we seek every possible opportunity to reward pupils and to recognise their successes throughout the academic year. The final week of the summer term saw various events take place including Vertical House Picnics, Prize Giving and Final Assembly. An occasion for pupils, parents and staff to gather… Read More
Sports Day 2023 Roundup!
Throughout the last two weeks of June, Durston House hosted their three annual Sports Days. The Pre-Prep Sports Day went ahead in a similar fashion to previous years. In the morning, pupils took part in an ‘Octathalon’ event, which included Running, Jumping and Throwing activities. Having competed in these Field… Read More
Year 1 & Year 2 visit Legoland!
To celebrate the engineering component of STEM, Year 1 and 2 visited Legoland last Friday. The children’s excitement was palpable as the coach drove through the entrance. The life-size Lego pieces bought so much joy and added to the excitement for the day ahead. The children spent the day exploring… Read More
STEM Week 2023
The Durston STEM Week 2023 was launched with a full school assembly with an exciting Science show designed to entertain a whole school from Reception to Year 8 pupils with spectacular science demonstrations and discussions to inspire pupils’ curiosity and imagination. With audience participation and exciting demonstrations, our visitor demonstrated… Read More
Pre-Prep Year Group Assemblies
The Pre-Prep classes have recently been working hard preparing to present their Year Group Assemblies to parents. Year 2 performed a short musical play about the Great Fire of London (their favourite topic of the year), Year 1 told us all about their favourite moments from Year 1 and what… Read More
Ranger Stu visits Pre-Prep
Reception were thrilled to have Ranger Stu visit today who introduced us to a few of his friends. Each child was given the opportunity to touch an animal! Our topic this term is ‘Minibeasts’ so we enjoyed meeting Coconut the Tarantula and Mrs Stingy the Scorpion. We also… Read More
Y1 visit Windsor Castle
Year 1 visited Windsor Castle as an extension of their Topic ‘Knights and Castles’. It was a beautiful sunny day to be exploring the castle. The pupils loved searching for the special features of castles that we had been discussing in class. They identified arrow slits, crenulations, cannons, an old… Read More
Y2 Outing to Amersham Field Studies Council
Year 2 visited Amersham Field Studies Council to compliment the children’s recent Science topic, Plants, Animals and Habitats. They had the chance to use science equipment to go on a minibeast hunt and try pond dipping. Can you spot them using the nets, magnifying glasses and collection pots? They… Read More
Year 1 Outing to Kew Gardens
Our day out at Kew Gardens was a huge success. Children loved exploring the different flowers and plants throughout the garden. During the workshop with Michelle we learnt key features about a variety of plants. We learnt that the weeping beech tree has incredibly long roots… Read More
Pre-Prep’s budding artists!
During the first few weeks of the Summer Term, Pre-Prep’s budding artists have been hard at work! We started the term in celebration mode, decorating our classrooms with bunting, making Union Jack flags and crowns, and collaging King Charles III’s profile in preparation for the King’s Coronation. Following this, children… Read More
Reception & Transition Outing to Hounslow Urban Farm
The first half of the summer term, our topic is ‘Animals’ in Reception. During the topic we learn about different animal’s habitats and diets, as well as endangered animals and what makes a suitable pet. To support our learning, this week, Reception joined Harvington’s Pre-Schools, Transition class for a… Read More
Durston House hosts its very first Wellbeing Week!
This year, Durston House hosted its very first Wellbeing Week. The week kicked off with an assembly that introduced what wellbeing actually was! Many pupils shared that they didn’t really know what ‘wellbeing’ meant, even if they had heard the word a lot! The week centred around the 5 Pillars… Read More
Y2 Outing to Headstone Manor
On Wednesday 1 March the Year 2 boys took part in a workshop about the Great Fire of London at Headstone Manor. The boys were encouraged to become history detectives and investigate how and why fires started easily in buildings made from wood, using Headstone Manor as the example. They… Read More
Exploring Topics in Reception – Spring Term
This term we have explored the topics of ‘Ourselves’ and ‘Transport’. For the topic of ‘Ourselves’ we labelled parts of the body, and in PSHME, learnt about what our body needs to stay healthy; a healthy diet, mental wellbeing, exercise, sleep and rest, and good oral health. During the frosty… Read More
Cross Country 2023
On Friday 24 March, our annual Cross Country took place. Unfortunately, the event was cut short, meaning Year 6, Year 7 and Year 8 couldn’t race as the weather was extremely wet, windy and soft underfoot. Nevertheless a huge congratulations to all of the runners and to Harvington Prep School… Read More
Pre-Prep Thinking & Working as Scientists!
Pre-Prep have been very busy since the beginning of the term. In Science, Year One and Two children covered ‘Materials’ as a part of the chemistry units. Both year groups had the opportunity to get hands on and carry out experiments in class. Teachers have been encouraging the boys to… Read More
Christmas Jumper Day & Christmas Bazaars 2022
On Friday 9 December, we kicked off our festive, charity fundraising by holding a Mufti-Day. Staff and pupils wore their best festive jumpers, raising money for our two chosen charities; Water Aid and Ealing Soup Kitchen! Following the success of previous Christmas… Read More
Music, Autumn Term 2022 Round Up
Pre-Prep (Reception – Year 2) In Pre-Prep, children learnt a number of carols and songs for their Christmas Production of ‘The Magical Christmas Tree’, they enjoyed singing with their full heart and happy smiles during performances. They also performed in the Harvest Assembly, with gusto and a great diction!… Read More
PE & Games, Autumn Term 2022 Round Up
It has been an extremely busy term for the PE and Games department, with boys competing in various competitions and matches with other schools, and internally. Durston House has been involved in Football, Cross Country, Indoor Athletics and even some Rugby in preparation for the Spring Term. Throughout the Autumn… Read More
Pre-Prep Production of ‘The Magical Christmas Tree’
Merry Christmas! This year Pre-Prep were able to perform to full audiences once again for the first time since 2019. Their performances of ‘The Magical Christmas Tree’ were a resounding success. Reception were our very own magical elves, and they stole the show with their cute costumes and cheeky smiles!… Read More
Durston House celebrates Anti-Bullying Week 2022 – Reach Out
Here at Durston House we believe that every individual counts. Being our true authentic selves and appreciating the differences within each and every one of us lies at the heart of everything we do. We’re a diverse community of families and staff, where all are welcomed, a placed where people… Read More
Exploring Topics in Reception – Autumn Term!
In Reception, we cover 6 topics. These develop learning in Humanities (Geography and History), Science, Art and Religious Studies, as well as giving opportunities for reading and writing. We kicked off the first half term of Autumn exploring the topic ‘People who help us’. We talked about people who help… Read More
A sneak peek of Maths in Pre-Prep
The boys in Reception have made steady progress throughout their first term of Mathematics at Durston House. During the first half of the Autumn Term they focused on numbers to 5. This half term they have progressed to working with numbers to 10. They have just been introduced to the… Read More
Year 1 Aboriginal Workshop
It was a very exciting experience for the Year 1 Durston Boys this year as it is the first time they shared a workshop with the Year 1 girls from Harvington Prep. The boys and girls both had a wonderful time together delving into the interesting, ancient and unknown culture… Read More
Football and Rugby Tour to Salou, Spain
During the October half term, Durston House took 30 Year 7 and 8 boys to Salou in Spain for our bi-annual Football and Rugby Tour. It was an amazing week, filled with sightseeing, theme park rides, swimming, going to the beach and, of course, Football and Rugby. The boys had… Read More
Bringing Mexican History & culture to life with Mexicolore!
Today ‘Mexicolore’ visited Durston House, where Year Two boys were lucky to have an amazing workshop and to be joined by their counterparts from Harvington Prep School. In the last half term the boys covered the Aztecs. You may be wondering who the Aztecs were? The Aztecs were a… Read More
Exploring Black History Month through Literature at Durston House
Our School Librarian Mr White has actively sourced a range of literature to support and promote Black History Month across the Pre-Prep, Junior School and Middle & Upper School. A combination of books were purchased that highlight the events and people who shape recent and more distant black history. Mr… Read More
Final Assembly, Summer Term 2022
“Work hard, be kind and amazing things will happen.”Conan O’ Brien Today, our Final Assembly took place at Haven Green Church. Led by Mr Stock, pupils, parents and staff came together to honour each other’s achievements this year, from the STEM Week Science Fair winners, to announcing that… Read More
Prize Day 2022 Round-up!
At Durston House, we seek every possible opportunity to reward pupils and to recognise their successes throughout the academic year. This week our annual prize giving ceremonies took place, which were the perfect end to a busy term. An occasion for pupils, parents and staff to gather & celebrate the… Read More
Pre-Prep Sports Day Spectacular 2022!
Pre-Prep Sports Day took place on Thursday 23 June at Castlebar playing fields. The boys spent the first part of the afternoon completing a variety of Track and Field events in their Houses. These events consisted of High Jump, Hurdles, Javelin and Long Jump. The boys took turns at completing… Read More
STEM Week 2022!
Boys threw themselves whole-heartedly into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Week. Throughout the week, boys across the school had the opportunity to learn about the engineering world. We welcomed a variety of current parents to our Career Talks; where they delivered workshops surrounding their field of work; from forensic… Read More
Pre-Prep Maths Day!
Mathematics Day in Pre-Prep was packed full of fun! The Reception boys used skittles, watermelon and fresh fruit smoothies to investigate statistics and measurement. Chocolate crackles, Multiplication Station and the Blooket App gave the Year 1’s a chance to put all of the Mathematical skills and strategies they have learnt… Read More
Year 1 outing to Windsor Castle
Last Friday Year One took a trip to Windsor Castle to consolidate their learning on Castles and Knights. Pupils visited the beautiful grounds and state rooms where they were wowed by the amazing detail. After an action packed day, we embarked on our journey home feeling very excited –… Read More
Pre-Prep African Dance & Drumming Workshop
“YEAH! YEAH! HEY! HEY! AFRICA! ME AND YOU ARE FRIENDS!” Today Pre-prep attended an ‘African Drumming’ assembly and workshop thanks to the West-African dancing, singing and drumming duo of Gaspard (from the Ivory Coast) and Nii (from Ghana). The boys embraced dancing in barefoot and learning… Read More
Ranger Stu visits Reception!
Today in Reception Ranger Stu came to visit from Cedars Nature Centre, and with him came Coconut the Tarantula, Reggie the Boa Constrictor, Rambo the Bearded Dragon, Dobbie the Armadillo, Cinnamon the Tenrec and Leko Owl. The boys were all very brave to hold or gently stroke… Read More
Pre-Prep save the world in their Eco Workshop!
Today Pre-Prep attended an ‘Eco Workshop’ thanks to Perform. They became superheroes for the session with a mission to save Earth from global warming. Bad Bopper, the villain, was ruining the earth by destroying the plants and leaving rubbish everywhere. Armed with the 3 Rs (reduce,… Read More
Year 5 – Year 8 Art Exhibition
Last Thursday, we had the pleasure of hosting our first annual Durston House Art Exhibition which celebrated creations of Middle School and Upper School boys. Families and local schools were invited to take in a variety of 2D and 3D pieces whilst enjoying a glass of wine and nibbles. Read More
English in Pre-Prep at Durston House
In Pre-Prep, we start learning to read and write in our phonics lessons from the first day of school! In Reception, we have lots of opportunities to share stories and other books together, and to discuss our thoughts and ideas about what happens, and what might happen next. We learn… Read More
Future Schools’ Fair
On Wednesday 11 May we hosted our inaugural annual Future Schools’ Fair. It was a pleasure to welcome a vast number of leading Independent Senior Schools including; City of London School, Hampton School, Harrodian School, John Lyon, Lady Eleanor Holles, Merchant Taylors’ School, North London Collegiate School, Notting Hill &… Read More
Reception Trip to Odds Farm
Reception had a lovely trip to Odds Farm in the sunshine today! The boys enjoyed feeding the animals, petting the rabbits, riding the tractors and having fun in the adventure playground. Mrs Stiglingh – Head of Reception… Read More
What Science looks like in Pre-Prep…
Last term, Science in the Pre-Prep was filled with many exciting opportunities for the boys to explore and develop their enthusiasm for Science. At the end of last term, many boys in the Pre-Prep entered the British Science Week Poster Competition with the theme of Growth. Read More
Durston House and Harvington Prep to merge
We are delighted to announce that Durston House and Harvington Preparatory School in Ealing are to merge, creating a new and exceptional co-educational offer for West London families. As close neighbours, the schools already share deep roots within the local community, and have in common a time-honoured commitment to delivering… Read More
Reception outing to Bekonscot Model Village & Railway
On Friday 18 March, Reception had a wonderful sunny day at Bekonscot Model Village & Railway as part of their topic ‘Transport’. The boys had a workshop on transport in the past, explored the model village, went on a train ride and played in the adventure… Read More
Y2 Outing to Headstone Manor
On Friday 4 March, Year 2 visited Headstone Manor to complement their study of the Great Fire of London. Whilst there pupils participated in a Fire and Flames workshop and also got to make a clay fire plaque. Want to learn more about our Curriculum in… Read More
Lit Fest 2022
Lit Fest is an annual event at Durston House which celebrates literature and the spoken word. The theme of this year’s Lit Fest was ‘Around the World in Eighty Books’. This theme is clearly inspired by the adventure novel, Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, published in… Read More
Maths in Pre-Prep
How helpful, purposeful and important the use of practical materials is in helping the boys understand and master new mathematical concepts was evident throughout Mathematics lessons in Pre-Prep this week. The use of equipment such as counters, blocks, tens frames, part-whole models, number lines etc allow the boys to physically… Read More
Computer Science at Durston House Pre-Prep
2022 has only just begun, and we are already back in full swing during our Computer Science lessons at Durston House Pre-Prep. All the form teachers are putting a lot of hard work into getting the pupils acquainted with new technologies every week. Throughout a boys time at… Read More
Anti-Bullying Week 2021
Kindness is more important today than it has ever been. The isolation of the last year has underlined how little acts of consideration can break down barriers and brighten the lives of the people around us. ‘One Kind Word’ was the chosen theme for Anti-Bullying Week. Whilst anti-bullying is a… Read More
Pre-Prep are immersed in ancient Aztec and Aboriginal Australian culture
Kindness is more important today than it has ever been. The isolation of the last year has underlined how little acts of consideration can break down barriers and brighten the lives of the people around us. ‘One Kind Word’ was the chosen theme for Anti-Bullying Week. Whilst anti-bullying… Read More
Reception and People who help us
Kindness is more important today than it has ever been. The isolation of the last year has underlined how little acts of consideration can break down barriers and brighten the lives of the people around us. ‘One Kind Word’ was the chosen theme for Anti-Bullying Week. Whilst anti-bullying is a… Read More
Art in Pre-Prep
Kindness is more important today than it has ever been. The isolation of the last year has underlined how little acts of consideration can break down barriers and brighten the lives of the people around us. ‘One Kind Word’ was the chosen theme for Anti-Bullying Week. Whilst anti-bullying… Read More
Headmasters Blog – Diversity at Durston
Diversity is a theme that I promised the boys that I would come back to this summer term, and the first assembly back provided me with the perfect opportunity. We first considered the critically important need for diversity in nature and the environment. It is a good starting point to… Read More