“My three children have all gone to this school. My two eldest have now moved on to senior schools having passed their 11 plus, while my eight-year old son remains there at present.

All of them have been incredibly happy at Colston Bassett School and did well academically. 

Most recently, my daughter has moved to her senior school having passed her 11 plus and I have been impressed to find out how far ahead she is, compared to virtually all of her peers. 

Basically, my daughter is streets ahead of the others, as at her new senior school, they are now covering work she completed at Colston Bassett School a long time ago. Or to put it another way, her peers are a way behind her in the progress they made at their previous schools.

I was always impressed with the teaching and happy atmosphere at Colston Bassett School, but I did not fully realise, until my daughter moved on, just how good the School actually is - well done Colston Bassett School, you have certainly given my kids the start for which I had hoped.”

David Fowler

“Faced with the prospect of our daughter moving into a joint year 2/3 class of 34 we knew that would not suit her learning style, so we enrolled her at Colston Bassett.

The results were almost immediate and dramatic in her positive development in all areas of her skills

With a class size of 10 (the largest year group in the school!) she very quickly settled in and revelled in the challenge of learning. Positive (meaningful and focussed) feedback from the teaching staff has enabled her to conquer her previously nervous approach to problem solving.

Daily physical activity is an added bonus and the camaraderie amongst all the years is obvious out of school too.

In short we feel we have given our child the best possible environment to realise her potential.”

Jon and Belinda Bailey-Cowen

“My three children have had the most wonderful primary school life at Colston Bassett School. My eldest has just gone up to the Grantham Girls Grammar school where she is doing really well academically and socially. Colston helped to shape her into a hard-working, well balanced young lady and I am so glad we made the decision to start her at Colston. 

Making the decision to go to a private school when there are so many other schools in the area was initially difficult to do but once we factored in the small class sizes, the superb pastoral care, the open and friendly teaching staff, the huge range of educational experiences and the extra-curricular subjects such as sport and music, the answer was easy. We are so glad we chose Colston Bassett Preparatory School for our children.”

Dr Kate Rice

“Sending our little boy to Colston Bassett School was one of the best decisions we have ever made. We took him for a taster day and he asked if he could stay forever. Care, concern and kindness, with your child at the centre of all learning, along with high academic and behavioural standards, achieved through praise and support, defines Colston Bassett School. 

Our little boy has gone from being quiet and reflective to being full or boundless joy, chattiness and enthusiasm, since joining Colston Bassett. Our little boy had undiagnosed dyslexia, which was recognised as soon as he walked into the school, with dyslexia friendly strategies in place for our son straight away. He has gone from being a child who was seen to struggle across the board to thriving in all subjects, with an acceptance that writing and actually reading words are more difficult for him. Colston Bassett has the flexibility to understand the individual talents, abilities and learning styles of each child, along with any barriers they might face to learning and to design learning activities around the individual child. 

In Colston Bassett, they have the scope to use creative and exciting ways of teaching which enthuse children and give them the lifelong love of learning which primary education is surely about! Of course, children need to learn about fractions – so why not make pizza (measuring, weighing etc.) and then divide it up between them? 

In our view, Colston Bassett is a model school – instead of expecting children to all be the same at any given age (which they are not), given the small size of the school, and the care and professionalism of the staff, there is an understanding of each child individually, there is the scope and desire to inspire children through creative and innovative teaching, there is a central emphasise on care, support and positive behaviour, and most importantly there is a desire to find the ‘spike’ - the strengths and abilities of each child, to nurture those abilities and ensure that each child thrives. Add to this the magical setting of Colston Bassett village and the exceptional outside space, which is used for outdoor learning. We strongly recommend (and commend) Colston Bassett.” 

Dr Louise Smith

“We highly recommend Colston Bassett Preparatory School, it has been the best decision we could have made for our children's education. Wonderful individualised education and small classes. Our children are confident and engaged in their education. Beautiful location and grounds in the Vale of Belvoir. Such a happy, friendly school.”

Helen Cooney

“Having had my son at Millfield Nursery and then Colston Bassett school from the age of 2 - 11 years, I cannot speak highly enough of both the schools. They offer a stable and happy environment that I believe are the foundations for a child's development. The small class sizes and high teacher ratio ensure support and nurturing through the early years. The school may be small, but it covers the fundamentals of primary education to a high standard, with a good emphasis on discipline, good manners and personal presentation. The happy family environment encourages the children to want to attend school which is wonderful to see.

He has developed into a confident young man who has got the foundations in place to allow him to move on to the next stage in his education. I cannot thank the staff enough for their continuing support throughout his time with them.

This is in no way a sales pitch, but for any parent considering Colston Bassett for their child I would quote the old expression: 'The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.”

Andrew Mills

“Colston Basset is a fantastic school which my son loves attending. His growth and development have been amazing. He has dyslexia and at his previous state school he was struggling and not getting the support he needed, and he was starting to hate going to school. Since being at Colston Basset, his confidence has grown every day and he loves going to school. His reading has dramatically improved and he now enjoys reading books by himself, something that would have never happened previously. 

The support and attention he has received from his teachers has been amazing. The small class sizes make it easy for the children to get the 1:1 attention that they require from the teacher. The teachers and staff at the school are brilliant, they really go the extra mile for the children and provide unique learning experiences. All the children get along very well, and my son had no difficulties settling into the school. All in all, it is one of the best decisions I ever made for my son.”

Helen Rawsthorne

“Colston Bassett School is a unique and happy school! My twin boys love going to school every morning and are developing such an interest in learning, that I could not ask for more. 

Our boys have distinctly different personalities thus it was important to us, when choosing a school, that both would be catered for. Colston Bassett has exceeded our expectations in this area as each of them have been encouraged to be independent and find out their own interests and friendships within a supportive and caring environment.

The open plan nature of the school encourages friendships across the year groups, as well as providing younger children with positive role models for work and for play. 

I also appreciate the emphasis on cross curricular activity and an involvement in community matters. My children thoroughly enjoyed the recent 'India Week,' learning about a range of subjects from food to dancing, with guest speakers from local businesses coming in. They enjoy regular visits to places of interest and are also involved in school fundraising for their chosen charities through participation in a whole range of sponsored activities and craft sales. I believe this fosters a real community spirit, whilst at the same time giving them opportunities to learn about the wider world. In short, I’d thoroughly recommend Colston Bassett School and would encourage you to visit and chat with the staff, children and parents to see for yourselves.”

Alex Appleby

"Entrusting our precious son his first school was a big deal for us as I am sure it is for all parents. We explored all aspects of what the local schools had to offer both state and independent. It is a very difficult thing to judge. Will he be stretched, cared for, encouraged, disciplined as we would do it? What will his peer group be like, will he fit in? All this is very difficult to form a view on from a school visit, a chat with the teachers and, perhaps a tester day.

Colston Bassett met most of our expectations from one visit. Our main concern was that it was small school. From our first visit, however, one thing was clear: it had a great “feel” and that influenced our decision to send our son.

Since making that decision we haven’t looked back. Our son has progressed in leaps and bounds both academically and socially.

The size of the school is a strength. The pupil teacher ratio is perfect, and the staff understand our son very well. His curriculum is tailored accordingly. The head is very forward thinking and she and her team are all very responsive to our questions and are always available for feedback. Importantly for us, they respond to our feedback in a constructive way. Our son enjoys the after school clubs and his music and sport are coming along well.

We cannot praise Colston Bassett School enough. Our biggest worry now is how we can find a secondary school that will measure up to where he is now!"

David and Lesley Spencer

“Our daughter joined Colston Bassett School in Year 3 and has now almost completed her first year at the school. This was a very difficult decision for us to make as she was settled at the village school that she attended, yet she lacked self-belief and her confidence was very low when it came to academic subjects. We could not have asked for a better transition, from day one she walked into Colston Bassett school happy and eager to return, her confidence blossomed, and she is finally making progress.

A huge part of her continued success at the school is that the teachers know exactly where her strengths and weaknesses lie and can help her on a one to one basis and in the small groups that the school offers.

This has been the best decision we made for our daughter’s education, (she agrees with us), and it is lovely to see her confidence building and as a result her keenness to learn and succeed grow.”

Lee and Sophie Cottingham

I cannot recommend Colston Basset Preparatory School highly enough. From our first contact the school has been responsive, welcoming and could not be more helpful. The setting is beautiful and provides the children with access to the countryside as well as a large outdoor area to play in. The teachers have been incredibly engaged. We did consider if the size of the school would provide a challenge but I am happy to say that the reverse has been true, our daughter has developed friendships across the year groups from reception to year 6. Through a challenging period of the Covid pandemic the school has been outstanding in its support of the children working remotely and when they have been able to be in school in person. We are delighted with the school and feel very fortunate to have found it.”

Reception Parent

“I think we can all agree that 2020 has not been a good year. This, combined with the thought of our son taking his first steps into school, had caused us great anxiety.

We needn't have worried though, Colston Bassett school has remained a little pocket of normality in these crazy and unprecedented times. There are no strange and restrictive rules, staggered entry times or one-way systems. The children play freely in the playground and on the land and can see the expressions of their amazing teachers at all times. :)

My son has absolutely loved his first Half Term and has really enjoyed meeting everyone and learning the ropes of ‘big school.’

In a time when morale can be very low it is so wonderful to know that our little man is so happy and thriving in his new environment. I highly recommend 5*”

Bella Bagshawe

“We could not have made a better choice of school for our daughter than Colston Bassett Preparatory School, it has been the most wonderful start to formal education for our daughter and we have watched her flourish and grow both academically and socially. Our daughter is happy, confident and self-assured and thoroughly enjoys being in a school where all ages mix together.

Right from the start the integration process of moving up from nursery to school was carefully planned, and over half a term it settled our daughter in gradually and confidently before starting the school year. 

This small, warm and caring school has a team of excellent teachers who in the small classes are able to give children the full attention that each one needs. This allows children to progress at their own pace and potential and in a way that would not be possible in big classes.

It is without doubt the best decision we could have made for our daughter’s education, and we are confident that Colston Bassett Preparatory School will continue to support our daughter in the years to come.”

Andrew Cooney