All primary, secondary & special schools in the York area can be found on the council website HERE
The schools admission procedures for York are all contained within their website HERE or you can telephone 01904 551554 with any schools enquiries.
The schools in the York area generally work to a catchment area. If you contact your local school directly they will be able to tell you if you are within their catchment area, they will also be able to give you details of any open days or their policy for visiting the school. The councils website showing catchment areas can be found HERE
You may also want to read the school’s most recent OFSTED report to help you make your decision. They can be found HERE
You may visit and or apply for a place at any school, however the admissions policy will outline who has priority (children with a statement of educational special needs, those with siblings in the school and those within the catchment etc) See your chosen schools website for full details.
There is no guarantee of getting a place in your preferred (or even second or third choice school) and the information about the appeals procedure can be found HERE
Some of York’s independent schools are listed below for your convenience.
Small Independent School of the Year
Students at Queen Margaret’s School for Girls (QM) never get lost in the crowd. Nestled in beautiful Yorkshire parkland just a few minutes from York, QM is a happy place of learning and belonging, for girls aged 11-18.
Day and Bespoke Boarding places are available. As a small school, QM can accommodate the specific needs and preferences of your family. From one to seven nights a week, with a set routine or something more flexible, whatever works for you, works for QM. Day students can arrive as early as 07:30 and stay until 19:30 and enjoy all their meals at no extra cost.
Open Days in 2024
Saturday 13th January
Saturday 24th February
Saturday 16th March
Saturday 20th April
Saturday 18th May
Saturday 22nd June
QM Open Days run a little differently to most schools. You’ll be given a personal appointment with Head, Sue Baillie, and you’ll see the school in action when you have your own tour of the school with current students. The school prides itself on a personal approach from your very first enquiry.
Book your visit HERE
To celebrate being named Small Independent School of the Year, Queen Margaret’s School for Girls is awarding more Scholarships than ever before to students joining in September 2024. QM offers Academic, Sport, Art, Drama, Music, Choral and Dance Scholarships. As a result of the increased number of Scholarships available this year, two Scholarship Days are being held; one on Wednesday 24th January and one on Thursday 21st March 2024.
Escrick Park, York. YO19 6EU
Founded in 627 AD, St Peter’s School, York, is the world’s fourth oldest school with a long history of top-class education. Today, St Peter’s is a leading day and boarding school for girls and boys aged 2-18 and the Choir School for York Minster.
We offer an all-round education defined by an exceptional range of sporting, music, artistic and cultural opportunities. Our 47-acre green campus on the banks of the River Ouse provides plenty of space for children to play, grow and thrive as they move through the school.
A fun, dynamic and forward-thinking approach to teaching inspires a lifelong love of learning and our pupils consistently achieve some of the best exam results in the country.
All children benefit from inspirational teachers, small class sizes, and fantastic resources. Our House system creates a happy, welcoming community, with the option to board from Year 7.
St Peter’s was TES Pre-Prep/Prep School of the Year 2018, The Sunday Times North Independent Secondary School of the Year 2019, TES Pre-Prep School of the Year 2021 and TES Independent School of the Year 2021.
Clifton, York, YO30 6AB
Children’s happiness at Terrington Hall Prep School shone through in its recent ISI inspection report – and you can visit the school yourself on Friday March 8th and Saturday March 9th 2024.
Friday’s open day (1.30 – 4pm) is aimed at families with children in Years 3 – 8 (aged 7-13).
Saturday (9.30am – 12 noon) is aimed at families looking for places in Nursery to Year 2 (aged 3-7).
Stunning setting
Visiting families will meet the independent school’s staff and children, and explore the classrooms and grounds in its stunning Howardian Hills setting.
Terrington Hall met every required standard during its recent glowing report from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), which accurately captured why the school is so popular with local parents and their children.
Focus on kindness and friendship
Families love Terrington Hall because of its exceptional pastoral care, stimulating atmosphere and focus on kindness and friendship. Children attend as day pupils and can board on an occasional or weekly basis.
If you can’t make one of the Open Days, you’re welcome to book a bespoke visit. Come and see how Terrington Hall expands the horizons of every child. Find out more and book HERE.
Terrington Hall School, Terrington YO60 6PR
Call or email Claire White
Explore. Discover. Create
The Mount Junior School offers a genuinely remarkable education to girls. We want our girls to make the most of every opportunity, both inside and outside the classroom. Our bespoke curriculum is tailored to motivate and enthuse girls, taught by a team of Primary specialists with expertise in the mindset of young girls.
Afternoons are handed over to the ‘Creative Curriculum’, known as ‘Explore, Discover, Create’. Although we do have lots of fun with paints and art supplies, here the term ‘creative’ does not just refer to making things, it is about creative thinking, experimenting and questioning. We encourage girls to think outside the box, giving them opportunities to develop and express themselves, and their ideas, in new ways. We don’t just encourage them to think outside the box, we encourage them to destroy the box!
Through this supportive and nurturing atmosphere, girls learn from a young age to be secure in themselves and trust their choices. The girls thrive as they develop confidence, curiosity, creativity, and genuinely enjoy learning.
The girls are listened to and equipped with the skills to shape their own futures. They are allowed to grow up at their own pace, free from the pressures to conform to stereotypes.
Our all-girl setting, Quaker ethos and bespoke teaching create an environment which fosters self-belief, independence and kindness. We encourage our girls to take intellectual risks and live adventurously.
To learn more about the exceptional education The Mount Junior School has to offer your daughter, please call or email Nicky Craig, Admissions Manager.
What do you really want from a school?
Our children are confident and self-assured, happy, tolerant and kind. We teach them to explore their world instead of watching it go by, that their voice is important and they can achieve anything they want.
Rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, inspectors continually highlight our strong academic curriculum which “instils curiosity and enquiry” and is always delivered in exciting hands-on ways. Studying physics? Let’s build a radio. Working on chemical reactions? Let’s explode things outside!
“The school is ambitious for its pupils. Curriculum planning is well designed and well taught. Pupils are encouraged to aim high and strive to be the best person they can be.” Ofsted 2022
Your child can join us from birth at our Gentle Beginnings sessions before moving on to our Parent and Child groups. At 3 they are ready to join a Kindergarten class where we focus on literacy and numeracy skills while developing self-confidence and a love of nature.
At 6 it’s time to join the busy Main School where all the core subjects are delivered by expert teaching staff and a team of specialists. Classes are kept small to ensure each child can flourish as an individual.
“York Steiner School is a community of warmth, tolerance and nurture. Pupils here feel safe and, to a very high degree, happy. Bullying is not a problem at York Steiner School,” Ofsted, 2022
With an excellent academic curriculum, an extensive activities programme and outstanding pastoral care, Bootham Junior School continues to build on its national reputation as a school with a difference. Bright, purpose-built classrooms are surrounded by extensive playing fields, tennis courts, an open-air amphitheatre and even a small allotment, giving children the space to grow and develop.
T: 01904 623261
Pocklington is an inclusive, family focussed, and academic day and boarding school that offers incredible experiences inside and outside the classroom for boys and girls aged 3-18 years. Pocklington School lies 12 miles east of York in a safe, rural setting beside a friendly market town, on a 50-acre campus.
T: 01759 321200
Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate Foundation comprises four schools and a kindergarten, each with its unique qualities, but all sharing a common purpose of providing students with a first class education and the opportunity to work towards higher education and a successful career.
Tel: +44 (0)1423 33 33 30
