To celebrate World Book Night 2026 and the National Year of Reading, our Yarrells team recorded a wonderful collection of bedtime stories, from Roald Dahl to Julia Donaldson, for children across the school to enjoy at home.

We'd love to welcome you to Yarrells School this April. Tour our grounds, meet our staff, and discover why our recent ISI inspection highlighted significant strengths across our provision for children aged 6 months to 11 years.

A Dorset preparatory school approaching its 100th anniversary is expanding its early years provision to welcome babies from six months old, while celebrating nearly a century of family ownership and continuity in the local community.

Yarrells Preparatory School in Upton, Poole has been included in The Good Schools Guide, recognising its commitment to outstanding education for children aged six months to 11 years, alongside a significant strength commendation from its most recent ISI inspection.

Yarrells Nursery is opening a dedicated baby room in Spring 2026, welcoming children from six months old into a purpose-designed, year-round setting with fully qualified practitioners and a home-from-home environment in Poole.

Headmistress Clare Cunningham reflects on Yarrells' recent ISI inspection, in which the school was awarded a Significant Strength — a notable accolade for exceptional practice — and shares what makes Yarrells' provision truly special.

Yarrells School has been awarded a Significant Strength by the Independent Schools Inspectorate — the highest commendation ISI can grant — placing it among only a small number of schools nationally to receive such recognition, following praise for the exceptional depth of learning demonstrated by its pupils.

At Yarrells, we believe that truly knowing every child, their strengths, their challenges and everything in between, is the foundation of exceptional education. Here's how we make that happen every single day.

Yarrells is the only school in Dorset to hold Advocate Partner status with GL Assessment, the UK's leading provider of formative assessments. Here's what that means for our pupils and their learning.

Yarrells Headmistress Mrs Clare Cunningham has been featured in the Dorset Echo, sharing her vision for a school where every child is known, valued, and supported — and where education extends well beyond academic success.