WHAT? WHERE?

Reigate St Mary's prep school in Reigate, Surrey.

One of only a handful of choral schools in the country, Reigate St Mary’s is a lovely independent day school and nursery set on 15 acres of parkland in the heart of Reigate. It’s a co-ed school, taking pupils from age 2-11. There are 400 children, with most joining the nursery at 2½.

Established in 1949 as a boys’ prep school to educate the St Mary’s choristers, it was co-educational by 2004.

As a little sister to the high-ranking Reigate Grammar School, the school’s academic standards are high. And yet there’s a warm-hearted feel here, and a sense that community and relationships are at the heart of it.

Many families live within walking distance, but increasingly children are coming in from further afield. Most are greatly involved in school life, and life within the wider community.

FACILITIES

The size of the site is deceiving for a town-centre school. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to know you’re bang in the middle of Reigate. From the entrance on the narrow Chart Lane, the school looks attractive but compact. But wander to the Bund hilltop playground at the back and the extent of the grounds becomes apparent.

Sunnyside is the school’s historic centrepiece. Built in the late 1800s, it was the former home of Godfrey Searle who founded the St Mary’s Church Choir. It’s mostly admin offices these days, but the original choir room is still there and used for this purpose today. There’s a lot of history in that one room.

Over the years, purpose-built additions have been made which form a well-thought-out campus. Cedar House is where you’ll find the nursery plus the ICT suites (more on those in a minute). And next door to this is the kindergarten.

Across the courtyard, Beech House was built about 15 years ago adding modern classrooms and a massive sports hall. And adjoining this is Beech Lodge, an eco-friendly building providing classrooms for Years 5 and 6 which opened in 2021.

There are also dedicated classrooms for art, science and music, a separate dining hall, wellbeing rooms, and Scandinavian-style pods for one-to-one SEN lessons.

The school is big on technology and there are two ICT suites – one each for Apple Macs and PCs.

Outside, there’s plenty to impress – four football pitches, two multi-purpose courts, an artificial cricket strip and a 200-metre grass running track. But it’s not just the sports facilities that inspire – the playgrounds are vast with nature areas, including a pond, and wooded areas. Outdoor learning is encouraged, particularly in the early years, and the outdoor areas are used all year round.

SPORTS

Reigate St Mary's prep school in Reigate, Surrey.

Reigate St Mary’s certainly has the facilities to keep sporty kids happy. Children in Years 5 and 6 also make use of the impressive facilities at Reigate Grammar’s sports ground Hartswood.

The usual roster of sports are on the menu at RSM – rugby, hockey, football, netball, cricket and athletics. And in the upper school two full afternoons each week are devoted to Games. Regular fixtures and tournaments are also played throughout the year.

Swimming lessons begin in Reception and continue throughout the school to Year 6.

THE ARTS

Reigate St Mary's prep school in Reigate, Surrey.

Music is embedded in the school’s history, so it’s no surprise to learn it’s an important part of school life. All children have music lessons each week, and in the upper school children also take part in weekly song practice. More than 75% of pupils learn an instrument with peripatetic teachers. Piano, classical guitar, flute, clarinet, saxophone, drums, violin, cello, trumpet, recorder and voice are currently offered.

The creative arts are embedded into the fabric of the school and as well as timetabled art classes, art is woven into other other areas of the curriculum such as Forest School.

Children also have timetabled drama lessons covering all aspects of the subject from stagecraft to performance. One of the highlights on the RSM calendar is the Year 5 and 6 production. And there are plenty of other opportunities to perform in class assemblies, informal concerts and house events.

LITTLIES

Reigate St Mary's prep school in Reigate, Surrey.

It all starts with the littlies at RSM. It’s here that strong foundations are built and a love of learning begins. From this everything else follows.

Children start from the age of 2½ in Green Shoots, moving on to the kindergarten in September, 12 months before they start ‘big school’. This is the pre-school year. Both are housed in bright and spacious classrooms with dedicated play areas and access to the wider school grounds. They regularly venture off to the fields, nature area and the woods to climb trees. It’s all encouraged.

Most children continue to reception where they settle in quickly thanks to a thoughtful transition process.

There are twice yearly entries to Green Shoots – September and January – and children do a minimum of three mornings a week. Learning is child-initiated with a focus on developing independence, language and gross motor skills.

In the kindergarten, pupils attend for a minimum of five mornings and can add additional afternoon sessions as required. Many do, as well as taking advantage of the schools wraparound care programme outside of school hours. There are specialist teachers for music, languages, PE and ICT and children have the option to do ballet and dance.

In reception, there are three classrooms which flow to their own adventure play area with a trim trail, covered play area and space to ride trikes and make mud pies. Learning is topic based with weekly themes.

ACADEMICS

Reigate St Mary's prep school in Reigate, Surrey.

Academics are strong at RSM, which is all the more impressive given the school is non-selective. More than three-quarters of Year 6 pupils go on to Reigate Grammar School (having been offered their place whilst still in Year 5). Those who don’t transfer to RGS go to schools like Dunottar, Caterham School, Box Hill School and Epsom College.

Technology is a biggie at RSM, and all children have specialist lessons in the ICT suites from kindergarten upwards. But more than that, IT is integrated into all learning whether children are in classrooms, in the ICT suites or outside. From Year 3, all children have their own iPads.

PASTORAL CARE

Reigate St Mary's prep school in Reigate, Surrey.

Pupil welfare is at the centre of everything at RSM – and there are several programmes to support this alongside a formal tracking system.

Most recently introduced across all year groups is a system called the Zones of Regulation which encourages children to recognise and regulate their own emotions using a colour-coded system. The programme was started at RSM’s sister school, Chinthurst a few years ago and has been a huge success. There’s also a bubble system where children with a worry or concern place a ‘bubble’ on the teacher’s desk to let them know they’d like to talk. It’s often easier for a child to open up if they don’t have to instigate the conversation.

The school has several wellbeing rooms and areas, as well as quiet zones for the children to use at playtime.

The curriculum at RSM also includes an award-winning programme for all year groups called Education for Social Responsibility. Addressing topics such a ethical trading, climate change, biodiversity and fulfilment, the programme aims to cultivate the core values that lead to happy, healthy and balanced lives within caring communities, while protecting the planet.

As part of ESR, children have timetabled Philosophy lessons which helps to develop a higher level of thinking.

Pupil voice is important at RSM, and rather than a traditional school council, all children are involved in the decisions that affect them. RSM has also done away with the tradition of school prefects, and instead has a system whereby every child in Year 6 has a leadership role. They cover areas of reading, sports, school council, wellbeing, green leaders, IT, drama, art, music, values and dance.

THE HEAD

Marcus Culverwell, headmaster at Reigate St Mary's school in Reigate, Surrey

Marcus Culverwell has been at the school for 20 years, 18 of those as head teacher. He’s a local boy, having grown up in Warlingham, and he’s as much about strong pastoral care as he is strong academics.

Mr Culverwell is a firm believer in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a motivational tool to help kids achieve their best, which basically means establishing firm foundations – establishing a secure environment, developing and building relationships and a sense of belonging – to help build and develop a child’s self-esteem. “They won’t remember what you taught them, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel,” he says.

Mr Culverwell is also passionate about social responsibility, and as well as encouraging compassion and care for others, he’s also championing a more sustainable approach to living in a less consumerist and materialistic society. You’ll notice small things like dim lighting in corridors because the lights have been turned off when they’re not in use.

He has written a book about climate Don’t Hide The Truth: Our Children’s Future and the Storms Ahead, which is available from Amazon.

BOASTY BITS

The school has been shortlisted for Independent Prep School of the Year 2024 for Environmental Achievement.

Most years they compete in First Lego League, a competition that challenges children in developing STEM skills and gets them thinking like scientists and engineers. The RSM team – called Razor Sharp Minds – has won the regional championships multiple times.

Reigate St Mary’s has also been shortlisted in the HundrED’s Global Collection 2025 of impactful education innovations.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Reigate St Mary's prep school in Reigate, Surrey.

The school offers wrap around care for approximately 48 weeks of the year, and for the littlies, this is run by the school staff so there’s a real continuity of care.

During term time there’s early morning care from 7.30am which includes a breakfast club. After-school care extends to 6pm, with a hot tea included. For kids in Green Shoots to Year 2 there’s sibling late care until 4pm when the upper school day ends.

And of course, there’s a good range of extracurricular activities including sports like karate, netball, hockey and football, music including the choirs, and others like robotic Lego, arts and crafts, outdoor club, chess club, maths club and French.

During the holidays, onsite clubs are very well attended. The 2, 3 and 4 year olds have their own Early Years Holiday Club run by RSM staff. The older children enjoy a variety of activities and trips at the RSM Holiday Club and Camp Beaumont.

ISI REPORT

The most recent Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspection was in February 2023 – which rated the school ‘excellent’ across the board. The school is particularly proud that inspectors found RSM children to be confident, curious learners and excellent communicators with high levels of IT skills. Inspectors reported that RSM pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning, a thirst for discovery and an ability to think outside to box, whilst showing sensitivity, understanding and tolerance towards others.

You can read the full report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phones are not allowed at school for pupils up to Year 4. Children in Years 5 and 6 may bring phones to school with permission, however they must be handed in to the office during the school day.

TRANSPORT

Most children at RSM live close to the school, and are dropped off by parents so there’s little need for a bus service. However, Reigate Grammar has an extensive bus network, and pupils at RSM have access to this if it’s needed – most commonly if they’re travelling with a sibling who attends the senior school.

FEES – 2024-25

Three mornings a week at Green Shoots is £1,395 per term, and five mornings in the Kindergarten is £2,325. Reception is £4,900 a term, Year 1 and Year 2 is £4,995 a term, and Years 3-6 is £6,310 per term – this includes lunch. There are discounts for siblings who are at Reigate St Mary’s, Chinthurst or Reigate Grammar at the same time.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Parents choose RSM for the quality of teaching, the warmth of the pastoral care and the excellent grounds and facilities. The fact that most kids progress to the highly successful and selective Reigate Grammar School, is also a huge draw.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Reigate St Mary's prep school in Reigate, Surrey.

Good for: Families looking for a supportive, friendly school with a caring family feel that does well on the academics without being a hothouse.

Not for: It’s a town centre location, and while this is a big plus for some families, it may not suit everyone.

Dare to disagree? Go see it for yourself at an open day – check here for the next one – or on a private tour. Book here

Reigate St Mary’s School, Chart Lane, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 7RN. Tel: 01737 244880. reigatestmarys.org

Reigate St Mary’s, Reigate

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