Life at Our School
The Chorister School is located in the most magnificent setting, effectively in the back garden of Durham Cathedral. An oasis of calm in the centre of the beautiful city of Durham. We blend the best of the traditions of a truly independent prep school steeped in history with the most modern teaching methods and practices. We are immensely proud of our pupils, not only for their impressive academic achievements, but also for their kindness and consideration, their generosity of spirit and respect for others. We aim for each of our children to be a beacon of light, to shine wherever they are and whatever they do.
From the moment a child walks through our door until the day we send them, confidently, to their senior school, he or she is treated as an individual. No child is the same, nor has the same needs. In the classroom, on the sports field, the dormitories, the kitchen, the office - throughout the school - our staff are of the very highest calibre and they will all get to know and care about your child as an individual as well as giving them a rich, broad and exciting curriculum in small classes where your child will always have personal attention and never be part of a crowd.
We offer before and after school care, a huge range of after school clubs and activities from textiles to multi-sports; from ballet to chess. We also offer full-time, weekly or flexible mid-week boarding. Mid-week boarding is particularly popular and groups of friends often book in together for a school sleepover leaving their parents free to enjoy respite from the hustle of busy lives.
Children go on to a wide range of secondary schools both locally and as far afield as Bath and Edinburgh. Many (over 70% in 2007) won scholarships or exhibitions or a place at a competitive entry school. We can offer advice on where to go next and arrange trial days and visits when the time comes to move on.
We are a happy school, small enough for everyone to know everyone else and feel part of the family that we are, yet large enough for everyone to have the space to develop in their own way. A happy child finds learning a pleasure. We aim to ensure that those formative early years of education are happy ones so that the child who leaves The Chorister School is a confident, happy and inspiring individual, ready to take the next step to senior school. But don’t take our word for it. Come and see us for yourself.
