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BEST SCHOOLS IN BERKSHIRE, UK

Berkshire Private Schools & Special Schools

WELCOME TO BERKSHIRE'S BEST PRIVATE SCHOOLS

The isbi Schools Directory Guide To The Top Private Schools & Colleges In Berkshire

For anyone planning a move to or within Berkshire in South East England we have collated information below about different places to live, schools, estate agents and other information we think useful for relocating within this fantastic Berkshire.

Offering some of the best living anywhere in Great Britain, Berkshire's famous British cities and towns include Reading, Newbury, Ascot and Workingham.

Berkshire has a great choice of high quality UK private schools, beautiful countryside, lots of activities and excellent housing - with a fantastic range of different property to call home, from country mansions and estates, cottages and bungalows to new build executive housing, family townhouses and apartments.

"Berkshire was recognised as the Royal County of Berkshire in 1957. Queen Elizabeth II recognised it because of Windsor Castle which was built there in 1070." Wikipedia

Berkshire is in the South East of England and is one of the home counties. It shares borders with Greater London to the left, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire to the north, Wiltshire to the east with Hampire and Surrey to the south.

Berkshire hosts Reading Festival each year, with legendary bands such as Nirvana, Arctic Monkeys, Green Day & Kasabian all making history at the festival.

TOP PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, UK

Have you booked to attend any School Open Days & Open Events yet?

Visit the comprehensive isbi School Open Days Guide with the latest School Open Days & Open Events dates and timings for School Open Days happening near you.

The isbi School Open Days & Open Events listings have the information you need on Open Days & Open Events happening at your favourite schools soon.

We highly recommend attending School Open Days - they are a great way to learn about and to experience a school and discover if it is the best school for you - or alternatively ask for a private tour of your favourite schools, when it suits you.

Looking for a prestigious Independent (private) school in Berkshire, GB?

If you are thinking of moving to live in Berkshire (or you already live in Berkshire but are considering relocating) and you and your family are researching some of the best private schools in Berkshire there is a big choice of high quality Berkshire schools, with a number of the Berkshire ’s highest ranking Independent schools considered to be some of the best in the UK.

Berkshire ’s private education sector features day schools and boarding schools, girls’ schools, boys’ schools and co-educational (mixed) schools, including leading private Nurseries, Prep Schools, Independent Secondary and Sixth Form schools and colleges.

Find Private Schools In Berkshire UK (Or "Private Schools Near Me")

Developed over the last 36+ years, the isbi School Search Directory is one of the largest and most comprehensive private schools directories available, helping thousands of families to find, compare and select good schools since the 1980s.

> You can search for private schools with a reputation for excellence in Berkshire and in the cities of Reading and Slough towns like Bracknell, Windsor and Wokingham by using our Private Schools Directory and Independent Schools Finder (powered by isbi's School Search Directory) or by clicking on the names of the schools and colleges listed below to see detailed profiles with photos, videos, maps etc.

> With our expanded school search technology you can filter your search by the type of school you are looking for such as day and boarding, gender, age range, academic study, religious affiliation, school fees, scholarships and bursaries, open days etc.

> You can also focus your search on just private Pre-Prep and Prep schools or on Independent Senior and Sixth Form schools and colleges, or view search results for all of them together.

Please explore isbi.com for detailed information and guides about good schools of all types and for open days, school and college and news, articles and blogs with details of school associations, glossaries and explanations about examinations and qualifications and expert advice about independent education at private schools and colleges around the UK and worldwide.

THE BEST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS AND BEST PRIVATE SCHOOLS & COLLEGES IN BERKSHIRE

Please see below for a full list of private schools and colleges in Berkshire, some of the best of which include:

Preparatory Schools

Cheam School

Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 8LD

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 2 -13 Years, Day & Boarding (Full, Weekly)

Cheam School offers a uniquely complete education that nurtures and supports every pupil, encouraging the development of leadership, compassion and responsibility along with an awareness of sustainability. Our child-centred approach ensures well-being, happiness and success for every child. With a careful reflection on our historical past, our cultural values, our legacy and our wish to provide the highest standards and the very best education, we enrich our pupils with clear values that are fit for the 21st century. Situated on the Hampshire and Berkshire border Cheam has outstanding grounds and facilities.

[Read More About Cheam School...]

Dolphin School

Hurst, Berkshire, England, RG10 0FR

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 3-13 years, Day

Dolphin School's mission, is to guide and inspire our children to discover their own unique strengths and talents, by learning through experiencing and doing. We give children the confidence to be individuals, who accept others for who they are and the empathy to understand that their gifts are not theirs alone but are there to be shared with those around them, throughout their lives.

[Read More About Dolphin School...]

Wellington College Prep

Sanhurst, Berkshire, England, GU47 8PH

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 3-13 Years, Day & Boarding (Flexi, Full, Weekly)

We believe your school days are an amazing time - we learn, we laugh, sometimes we cry but every day we get stronger through the influences of our friends, our teachers and our parents.

Nestled in 32 acres of Berkshire countryside, Wellington College Prep provides the ideal environment in which to grow up, foster a love of learning and create lifelong childhood memories. Our fundamental belief is that every child is unique and that they all have their own special talents which they enjoy and excel at, and the school’s outstanding facilities and teaching provision help immerse pupils in limitless opportunities. Inspiring a lifelong love of learning is key to our teaching.

Founded in 1820, Wellington College Prep offers an exceptional, all-round educational experience that puts the individual at the centre.

The Oratory Prep School

Reading, Berkshire, England, RG8 7SF

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 2-13 years, Day & Boarding (Flexi, Full, Weekly)

The vision for our school is based on the life and ideas of our Founder, St. John Henry Newman.

We live the motto Newman bequeathed the school, ‘Cor Ad Cor Loquitur’ [Heart Speaks to Heart] with an emphasis on being courteous and respectful, showing kindness, consideration and compassion with a willingness to forgive and be open to change. This is reflected in the relationships between the children and their teachers. It underpins the strength and spirit of our school community in which our children grow and begin to realise their potential and their contribution to society.

Upton House School

Windsor, Berkshire, England, SL4 3DF

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 2-11 years, Day

Ethos:

Nurture confidence and talents in both life and academic skills, within an aspirational, family-friendly, environment and using a lively, challenging and broad based curriculum.
Give pupils time to play, explore and discover themselves within a stimulating and creative setting, where everyone feels equal and valued..

[Read More About Upton House School...]

Preparatory and Senior Schools

Holme Grange School

Wokingham, Berkshire, England, RG40 3AL

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 3 to 16 Years, Day

Holme Grange is a school where every child is valued as an individual, where strengths are celebrated and used to support growth of academic, social and emotional development in equal measure. We are aspirational for our young people and innovative in how we maximise their potential. We aim to inspire achievement beyond expectation within an environment where every child can succeed.

LVS Ascot

Ascot, Berkshire, England, SL5 8DR

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 4-18 years, Day & Boarding (Full, Weekly)

LVS Ascot is an all-ability, co-educational day and boarding school of around 870 pupils aged 4-18. It is a through-school so pupils can begin their school career at LVS Ascot at age 4 and remain there until they complete Sixth Form. The school is located on a bright and spacious site amongst 25 acres of land. Proud of its excellent academic & pastoral care.

[Read More About LVS Ascot...]

The Marist School

Ascot, Berkshire, England, SL5 7PS

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 2-18 years, Day

Our down-to-earth and grounded environment serves as the perfect launch pad for our pupils’ success in academic, sports, and personal growth. Our pupils thrive in an environment that encourages risk-taking, where they are not afraid to leave their comfort zones and explore new territories. The Marist School also emphasises human qualities, life skills, and emotional intelligence, ensuring that our pupils are not just academically successful but also well-rounded individuals. As a Catholic school with a clear value system, we welcome all faiths and none, and our pupils are in the driving seat of their education. Join us at The Marist School, where we aim ever higher academically without compromising the kindness that is the heart of our school.

[Read More About The Marist School...]

Senior Schools

Leighton Park School

Reading, Berkshire, England, RG2 7DE

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 11-18 years, Day & Boarding (Flexi, Full, Weekly)

We challenge our students to imagine a better world. We then support them to develop the character, confidence and determination to be changemakers.

Just imagine:

A fully co-ed learning community built on kindness. A school that combines the best academic progress in Berkshire with award-winning personal development and sector-leading pastoral care

A prestigious IB World School, combining strong analytical skills with powerful creative habits of mind to enable our students to thrive in a fast-changing world.

St Mary's Ascot

Ascot, Berkshire, England, SL5 9JF

Private School (Fee Paying), Girls, 11-18 years, Day & Boarding (Full)

St Mary’s is a Catholic, all girls Boarding school, which is relatively small (390 girls). We are an academic school with consistently excellent results at both GCSE and A Level. As a full boarding school, with only a few places for day pupils who live nearby, we offer a wealth of co-curricular opportunities

Home from Home: Other year groups are always nearby, and strong friendships are formed between girls of all ages, through shared interests, societies, sport, music, drama, and through the mentoring and minding systems that involve girls from all year groups. Girls also greatly value their relationships with teaching staff, who are often present in the evenings and on weekends. Residential staff live in flats within the boarding areas, so there is always someone just around the corner if the girls ever need anything during the night.

[Read More About St Mary's Ascot...]

Wellington College

Crowthorne, Berkshire, England, RG45 7PU

Private School (Fee Paying), Co-Educational, 13-18 years, Day & Boarding (Full)

Wellington College provides a world-renowned model of excellence in every aspect of our school: academics, pastoral care, sport, drama, music, dance, art, student media, service, leadership and global citizenship. We are uncompromising in our ambition to provide our pupils the opportunities to flourish and become their very best selves.

[Read More About Wellington College...]

Queen Anne's School

6 Henley Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, England RG4 6DX
Tel: +44 118 918 7300

Private School (Fee Paying) Girls 11 - 19 Years Day & Boarding (Flexi, Full, Weekly)

Queen Anne’s School is an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 11–18, renowned for 130 years of excellence and a forward-thinking approach. It offers outstanding education, award-winning pastoral care, and a focus on wellbeing, highlighted by accolades like the Talk Education Pastoral Care Award 2024.

The school empowers students with digital literacy, outstanding careers provision, and a balance of academics and co-curriculars, including sports, arts, and clubs.

Special Needs Schools

Prior's Court School

Thatcham, Berkshire, England, RG18 9NU

Special School, Co-Educational, 5-19+ years, Day & Boarding (Flexi, Full, Weekly)

A residential special school for young people aged 5 to 19+ years.

Prior's Court School is an independent special school for children and autistic young people with complex needs aged 5 to 20 years.

The School supports autistic young people who have moderate to severe learning difficulties and complex needs. The young people at Prior's Court are non-verbal, pre-verbal or have limited language and are working from the equivalent of what was known as lower P levels through to National Curriculum levels 1 and 2 (though the School’s Learning Framework outlines what young people learn with us and how progress is measured). Some young people have additional diagnoses and exhibit challenging behaviours. We offer day, weekly and termly residential placements over 38, 44 or 52 weeks of the year.

The School has specialist approach to supporting autistic young people with complex needs, called the Prior Approach The approach is based on autism best practice and methodologies and is carefully adapted to suit the specialist needs of the young people at Prior's Court and support their physical, intellectual and emotional wellbeing.  

Applied across all settings with consistency, the approach provides a toolkit of skills which enable young people to make sense of the world around them and support them throughout their life. 

Top Private Independent Secondary Schools & Colleges In Berkshire, UK

Some of the best Independent Secondary schools and colleges and Sixth Form schools and colleges in Berkshire, Great Britain providing a top-tier, world-class British day and boarding single-sex and mixed education for boys and girls include:

Top Private Pre-Preparatory & Preparatory Schools In Berkshire, UK

Some of the best Pre-Prep and Prep schools in Berkshire, Great Britain providing a top-tier, world-class British day and boarding single-sex and mixed education for boys and girls aged from 3 years to 11 or 13 years include:

Special Needs Schools In Berkshire, UK

Some of the best Special Needs schools in Berkshire, Great Britain providing a top-tier, world-class British Special Needs and Special Education Needs education for boys and girls (single-sex and mixed) include:

MOVING TO BERKSHIRE? RELOCATING TO BERKSHIRE?

Where To Live In Berkshire, England, UK

The most popular British cities and towns in the Berkshire area (GB) include, with approximate population numbers:

> Bracknell Forest, Berkshire, UK

Bracknell (84,469), Sandhurst (20,800), Binfield (8,689)

> Reading, Berkshire, UK

Reading (161,800), Caversham (9,533), Tilehurst (9,185)

> Slough, Berkshire, UK

Slough (164,600), Burnham (11,600), Datchet (4,900)

> West Berkshire, Berkshire, UK

Newbury (41,000), Thatcham (26,300), Hungerfood (5,767), Kintbury (2,500)

> Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK

Windsor (32,600), Maidenhead (70,000), Bray (8,400)

> Wokingham, Berkshire, UK

Wokingham (46,700), Twyford (6,600), Hurst (2,000)

FOCUS ON... LIVING IN READING, ENGLAND, UK

Reading is a very popular place to live and many people move to Reading each year, or to near Reading and the surrounding area, from around the United Kingdom and abroad.

Many of those moving to Reading are escaping more urban living in London or other larger cities, deciding to relocate to the Berkshire capital to enjoy a different pace of life and the historic and elegant surroundings of a prosperous city with great facilities and leisure amenities, high quality housing and schools, fantastic pubs, restaurants and sports and popular cultural events, arts and music.

Ten Things To Know About Reading, England, UK

> FACT 1: Reading Festival is held every year in Reading, it’s the longest running ‘rock’ festival in the UK. Recent acts include the 1975, Foo Fighters, Billie Eilish, Bastille and many more!

> FACT 2: Marianne Faithful, Ricky Gervais, Kate Middleton, Jaqueline Bissett and Kate Winslett were all born in Reading’s Royal Berkshire Hospital.

> FACT 3: Reading is known for its beautiful river frontage that runs through the city. In fact, it’s the longest river frontage along the River Thames.

> FACT 4: Oscar Wilde wrote De Profundis whilst he was imprisoned in Reading Gaol in the nineteenth century for homosexuality.

> FACT 5: Reading has a rich architectural scene, with work from famous architects such as Sir John Soane, Sir George Gilbert Scott and Alfred Waterhouse. You can view some of this famous architecture as the Abbey Quarter offers a walking tour around buildings such as the Town Hall and the Abbey Gateway.

> FACT 6: Reading was home to the biscuit company Huntley & Palmers. They went by the motto “Number One in Biscuits and Second-to-None in Cakes” and specially made emergency biscuits to the British Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole in 1911.

> FACT 7: King Henry I of England built Reading Abbey as his final resting place. You can go and visit the ruins as they reopened in 2018 after the completion of a conservation project.

> FACT 8: If you visit Reading Museum, you can find a full scale facsimile copy of the Bayeux Tapestry. It is the only one of its kind, stitched by Victorian women in Leek, Staffordshire.

> FACT 9: Beer, bulbs and biscuits. These three things underpinned Reading’s industry throughout the industrial revolution. As a result, Reading used to be known as 3Bs.

> FACT 10: The University of Reading is ranked in the top 200 universities in the world and was actually an extension college of Oxford University.

Where To Live In Reading, UK

Reading and the surrounding area offers a huge choice of high quality, premium and luxury property to meet the needs of any family, whether wanting a cottage, townhouse, large apartment, mansion or country estate, with or without granny annex, garden or swimming pool. There are also property development and investment opportunities too, with land available to purchase and properties in need of renovation.

From central city living to rural, country lifestyles, Reading and the areas near Reading are full of bustling districts and leafy suburbs, lush green areas, charming Crescents and estates, rolling countryside, vibrant high streets, busy neighbourhoods and friendly residential communities.

Some of the popular residential areas include:

The Warren Reading, Routh Lane Reading, Broadlands Lane Reading, Sonning Eye Reading, Riverview Road Reading, Wargate Reading, Goring Heath Reading, Ferry Lane, Reading, Bridle Way Reading, Broad Street Reading, Mill Lane Reading, Collins End Reading

Commuting To And From Reading By Rail Or Road

Relocating to Reading is especially popular with those happy to work from home most of the time but needing to occasionally commute to other places for work.

Others are happy to commute more regularly to London, Oxford, Southampton and other locations for work.

Travel times to key destinations by road and rail include:

> Reading To London: London is about 40 miles by road from Reading via the M4 and driving to the centre of London from Reading normally takes under 1 and a half hours. There is a very regular train service to London from Reading, with trains taking from 20 minutes to half an hour to get to London Paddington

> Reading To Oxford: Oxford is about 26 miles by road from Reading via the A4074 and driving to the centre of Oxford from Reading normally takes under 1 hour. There is a very regular train service to Oxford from Reading, with trains taking from 25 minutes to 40 to get to Oxford.

> Reading To Southampton: Southampton is about 50 miles by road from Reading via the M3 and driving to the centre of Southampton from Reading normally takes under 1 hour and a half. There is a regular train service to Southampton from Reading, with trains taking from 50 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes to get to Southampton.

Nearest Airports To Reading, UK

The nearest airport to Reading is Heathrow International Airport (LHR) which is 28 miles away. Other nearby airports include Gatwick (LGW) (under 55 miles) and Luton (LTN) (under 60 miles).