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As the new school year starts and parents are preparing to drop their children off, they want to be assured that they are in the best possible hands. 

Now society bible Tatler has revealed the best prep and public schools in the country - and unsurprisingly, they come at an eye-watering price. 

These institutions have seen some very notable alumni, such as Princess Beatrice's husband,  Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and the late comedian Peter Cook, who both attended Radley College. 

One of the world's most famous biologists, Charles Darwin, walked through the halls of Shrewsbury School aged nine.  

Here, FEMAIL reveals the schools which have been nominated by Tatler as top of the class... 

BEST PREP SCHOOLS 

St Hugh's, Oxfordshire

Term fees: Up to £8,350

Located in Carswell Manor, Faringdon, St Hugh's used to be a boys' boarding school, but since 1977, they are co-educational

Located in Carswell Manor, Faringdon, St Hugh's used to be a boys' boarding school, but since 1977, they are co-educational.

This prep school has 45 acres of fields, outdoor classrooms, woodland, and adventure playgrounds. 

Fees range from £4,830 for reception and children aged four onwards, and £8,350 for upper school students per term. 

The institution has also recently developed facilities such as the swimming pool, sports hall, and library.

Cottesmore School, West Sussex

Term fees: Up to £11,588

Cottesmore parents were left delighted to learn of the success of their children's school after it was named Best Public School in Tatler's awards in 2020 

Cottesmore parents were left delighted to learn of the success of their children's school after it was named Best Public School in the Tatler's awards in 2020.

Situated in picturesque Buchan Hill, Cottesmore has just 155 boarding pupils, with an additional 43 day pupils in pre-prep. But it is really animals who rule the roost at the impressive countryside school, Tatler previously noted. 

'Dogs are in almost every classroom and a corn snake, bearded dragon, Atlas moths and the obligatory guinea pigs take centre stage at Animal Care club.'

One parent described the school as 'magical' and noted there is a 'remarkable alchemy of tradition, support, freedom, energy and challenge'.

Cottesmore also offers a coding club and the student-led Kindness Council which runs a 'lone diner' policy to ensure no child eats their dinner on their own.

International students who are looking to board will be set back a whopping £11,588 per term. Day boarding costs £7,032 and full boarding for home students will cost £10,528. 

Ardvreck School, Perthshire

Term fees: Up to £10,540

Skiing is a big sport at Ardvreck School, largely down to its close proximity to Glencoe

Skiing is a big sport at this school, largely down to its close proximity to Glencoe. 

It's also strong when it comes to academics, with 19 out of 20 leavers in 2020 offered scholarships, which included a Thring award for drama and piping. 

School fees range from £3,350 per term for five to seven year olds, and then it is dependent on what route you choose for the main school (which is forms one to six).

For boarders, the fee is £10,540 a term, but for day pupils it is £7,020. They have a flexible boarding approach option available.

Notable alumni of the school includes sport shooter Jonathan Hammond, who competed in the Olympics and won gold in the Commonwealth Games. 

Cumnor House Sussex

Term fees: Up to £7,790

Cumnor House Sussex is in the heart of the Ashdown Forest, surrounded by 60 acres of countryside

This rural school is in the heart of the Ashdown Forest, surrounded by 60 acres of countryside. 

The school offers a building, named The Peake, specifically for STEM subjects which opened in 2017. It consist of three science labs and a dedicated Design Technology workshop.

The school also has a theatre - which seats 300 people- an arts and ceramics studio, and a dance studio.

Fees range from £5,950 from year three to £7,790 when your child reaches year eight. 

Notting Hill Prep School, London

Term fees: £8,189

Notting Hill Prep School is a split-site institution, meaning that students will go through three buildings during their time there

Notting Hill Prep School is a split-site institution, meaning that students will go through three buildings during their time there. 

Pupils transition from the Old Building (Lower School – Reception to Year 2) to the Jane Cameron Building (Middle School – Year 3 to 5) and on to the Portobello Green Building (Upper School – Year 6 to 8), before exiting to their chosen senior schools at either 11+ (Year 6) or 13+ (Year 8).

The school was founded in 2003, under headmistress, Jane Cameron, who wanted an educational institution which had a strong partnership with parents. 

This prep school would set parents back £8,189 per term and they take in both girls and boys aged four to 13. 

BEST PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

Radley College, Oxfordshire

Term fees: £16,025

Radley College boasts an on-campus art gallery and extra-curricular activities ranging from opera appreciation to wine tasting and flight simulation

Radley College boasts an on-campus art gallery and extra-curricular activities ranging from opera appreciation to wine tasting and flight simulation.

It also features a countryside entre which provides experience of animal husbandry, which is popular with students. 

Alumni include former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and the late comedian Peter Cook. 

'Radley is a bit like a London club,' said one prospective parent who previously toured the school.

Bradfield College, Berkshire

Term fees: Up to £15,100

Bradfield College is a co-educational boarding and day school for 13 to 18 year olds 

Bradfield College is a co-educational boarding and day school for 13 to 18 year olds just an hour from London.

In 2020, it was picked by Tatler as having the best school dinners in the UK; it has a dedicated catering team responsible for providing 'diverse and interesting menus across breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.'

For lunch, pupils and staff can choose from wide a selection of main dishes, a salad bar, pasta bar, soup, fruit and desserts.

READ MORE: University rankings and league table: Use the Daily Mail's interactive guide to find the right uni for you

A range of cooked and continental choices is available for breakfast and those having supper enjoy a variety of tempting dishes.

The kitchen brigade prepare all dishes in the two college kitchens from fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Pupils form an active role in shaping the menus at the school and can join the catering committee, which meets regularly each term and make suggestions and on occasion, create entire menus.

In recent times, pupils crafted a new vegan menu to reflect the growing number of pupils choosing a vegan diet.

If your child is boarding, the termly fee will set you back £15,100 (£45,300 annual fee) but if you are going down the day school route, it will cost you £12,080 per term (£36,240 annual fee).

Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson, 31, attended Bradfield College. He has been on shows such as Celebrity Big Brother and Celebs go Dating.  Now he is a radio presenter for Hits Radio and is dating Love Island star Zara McDermott.

Shrewsbury School, Shropshire

Term fees: From £10,054

Shrewsbury School was founded in 1552 by Edward VI, therefore it has an extensive history rooted in royal connections 

Shrewsbury School was founded in 1552 by Edward VI, therefore it has an extensive history rooted in royal connections. 

It won Independent School of the Year in 2020, where it also received the award for Community Outreach 2020.

Charles Darwin even attended the school, writing in a brief account of his life, available on the school's website: 'In the summer of 1818 I went to Dr Butler's great school in Shrewsbury. I boarded at this school so that I had the great advantage of living the life of a true schoolboy.'

One of the world's most famous biologists who coined the theory of Natural Selection, Darwin went to the school at the age of nine.

The institution is very proud that Darwin was one of their own, as they even have a statue dedicated to him outside the building.

Fees range from £16,004 per term for boarding, non-UK/EEA resident attending sixth form. For those UK/EEA resident students boarding, it is slightly cheaper, at £15,194. 

And for those just wanting the day option, it would set you back £10,599. 

For the lower school, which consists of Third, Fourth & Fifth Forms, boarding for international students would cost £14,660. For a Boarding, non-UK/EEA resident, the fee would be £15,464.

And those in the lower school who just want the day option, it would cost £10,054 per term. 

Brighton College, Sussex

Term fees: Up to £21,640

Brighton College is just under £65,000 a year for a full sixth-form boarder - the most expensive school in Britain 

From the moment parents of prospective students walk through the Gothic-revival arch of Brighton College's principal building, it's clear that nothing has been left to chance.

They are greeted by front-of-house staff sporting suits with the school's crest embroidered on their jacket pockets and matching blue and yellow waistcoats.

With the sort of courtesy normally associated with the concierge of a five-star hotel, they will then give their honoured visitors a guided tour of a school campus like no other.

First stop must be the £55million sports and science building, which opened in 2020, complete with a rooftop running track which has sea views. 

This houses 18 university-standard laboratories, a cinema (officially known as the 'auditorium'), a 'strength and conditioning suite' with parquet floor, a 25-metre heated indoor pool and double-height sports hall with basketball court and dance studio.

And you'll find no chilly dormitories at Brighton College. Top London designers were hired to ensure that the 'boarding facilities are a real home away from home', with students limited to three beds per room and all sixth formers entitled to a single room.

New House, one of the girls' boarding houses at this mixed school, was awarded a RIBA architectural prize and longlisted for the prestigious Stirling prize.

Naturally, the standard of teaching at this temple of learning is second to none, with 89 per cent of students achieving an A* or A at A-level in 2022.

But such sumptuous surroundings and high-octane tutoring comes at a price: just under £65,000 a year for a full sixth-form boarder to be precise. 

If you are Year 13 in upper sixth-form, it will set you back £21,640 for full boarding, whereas day fees are £10,080.  Boarding options are not available for year seven or year eight.  

Oscar-winning actor George Sanders went to Brighton College. His performance as Addison DeWitt in All About Eve won him an Oscar and he starred in the film alongside Marilyn Monroe. He also voiced Shere Khan, the tiger in Disney’s The Jungle Book. 

Uppingham, East Midlands

Term fees: Up to £15,174

It hails itself a place for forward thinkers, but Uppingham in Rutland - once attended by Stephen Fry and Rick Stein - is not short of quirky traditions

It hails itself a place for forward thinkers, but Uppingham in Rutland - once attended by Stephen Fry and Rick Stein - is not short of quirky traditions.

Head boys and girls can keep a goat on the head's lawn and the entire school takes part in an annual run called the Routh which dates back to 1895.

It recently produced a 'West End-standard' 120-strong production of Oliver and offers a Space Club which is working towards launching a probe.

The school costs £15,174 to board and £9,858 for Day students. If you are an international pupil, you will have to pay a deposit of £15,174.

Other notable mentions by Tatler  

Best Head of a Prep School

Neill Lunnon, Formerly at Fulham Prep School

Will Brooks, Brambletye

Sid Inglis, Elstree

Suzannah Cryer, Highfield & Brookham Schools

Shona Colaço, Knightsbridge School

Best Head of a Public School

Helen Harrison, Fettes College

Irfan Latif, DLD College

James Dahl, Wellington College

Gareth Parker-Jones, Rugby School

Helen Pike, Magdalen College School

Staff members who have dedicated their life to a school 

• Anne Armstrong, Aysgarth School (35 years as Senior Matron)
• Neil Gemmell, Giggleswick School
• Mark Snell, formerly Headmaster of Wetherby School, now UK Director of Education for Inspired
• Kirsten Knight, Mowden Hall School
• Alison Bridge, Ludgrove School
• Rebecca de Pelet, Sherborne School

Invaluable individuals who work behind the scenes

• Tim Garrard, Westminster School
• Paul Williams, Epsom College
• Susan Turnbull, Sunningdale School
• Steve Gilden, Lockers Park
• Helen Day, Loretto
• (Post-humous) Kevin Rogers, City of London School

Eco Warrior 

• City of London School
• Yarm School
• Walhampton
• Beeston Hall School
• Windlesham House

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