The prep part of S. Anselm’s school in the Peak District (founded in 1888) regularly wins plaudits and has become famed for the down-to-earth attitude of its headmaster, Peter Phillips. Facilities include a 20m heated swimming pool, an AstroTurf pitch, the only fully accredited Lego Education Innovation Studio in a northern independent school, a concert hall and pottery workshop.

Last term, on a windy day, pupils released a Bakewell pudding attached to a balloon into the air – it attracted considerable local media – and there was a Chelsea-style opening of the secret garden, with a sundial, sculptures, bird feeders and a vegetable plot, all created by pupils.

• 260 pupils aged 3–16, mainly day
• £3,650–£8,700