About us

The school is set in a stunning location in Eastbourne, tucked between the South Downs and the sea in East Sussex. The school was founded in 1877 and is one of the most highly established prep schools in the area.

The St Andrew's academic and sporting reputation is second to none and is something of which it is very proud. In 2019, the Year 8 leavers gained a total of 38 academic, art, drama, music and sport scholarships to a number of prestigious senior schools including Eastbourne College, Millfield, Bede's and Lewes Old Grammar School.

Facilities include vast playing fields, a state-of-the-art sports hall and dance studio, beautiful, indoor swimming pool, a music studio, Forest and Beach schools and a stunningly refurbished boarding house. As part of the Eastbourne College Charitable Trust, the prep school also makes use of the wonderful facilities at Eastbourne College including two astroturfs and the superb performing arts centre, the Birley Centre.

All children thrive in this happy school which offers an outstanding curricular and extra-curricular education. There are opportunities galore to try something new - be it on stage, in the classroom, on the sports field or attending one of the many school activities for children from Reception to Year 8 including, but by no means limited to, chess, fives, jazz dance, mountain biking, pottery, skiing, table tennis and shooting.

Boarding is an integral part of life at St Andrew’s Prep and the stunning facilities are now amongst the best in any prep school. The boarding house is fun, friendly and cosy. The housemaster and his team have created a homely atmosphere and understand the importance of making the children feel like they are at ‘home’. St Andrew’s offers full boarding, weekly boarding, and overnight ‘sleepovers’ to girls and boys from Year 3 (age 7).

Our fantastic Forest School is one of the many hidden gems at St Andrew’s Prep. It’s hugely popular with all ages and allows children to investigate and experiment with new skills in forestry such as woodcarving, cooking and shelter building. Our Beach School, just five minutes walk from the school gate, provides, amongst others, opportunities to build fires, sand-sculpt, rockpool and make mobiles, crowns or boats from wood, rocks and shells washed up on the shore.

In early 2010, the charities of Eastbourne College and St Andrew’s amalgamated. Both schools benefit from shared resources including the new creative arts Birley Centre, fantastic sports pitches and shared support staff. Importantly, the two schools remain independent - each retaining their own head and name and a shared commitment to offer choice at 13. The two schools believe that it is essential that all children go to the right school for their individual needs and the St Andrew’s Prep headmaster works closely with parents to offer advice and help when selecting a senior school. There is no automatic right of transfer from one school to the other.

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