GHYLL Royd School, pre-school and nursery has been shortlisted as one of the top independent schools in the country for a second consecutive year.

The nursery and prep school have been nominated for the Best Small School award, in the Independent Schools of the Year awards.

The awards were set up by Independent School Parent Magazine in 2018. The shortlist varies from tiny, rural pre-preps to senior schools who are household names across 18 categories.

Ghyll Royd School was shortlisted for providing “an outstandingly rich educational experience for under 150 pupils and for demonstrating how its small size allows students to grow and develop through access to innovative and meaningful programmes.”

Ghyll Royd was the only school in the north of England shortlisted as the best Independent Prep School in 2018, narrowly missing out to Kensington Prep School in West London.

David Martin has worked at Ghyll Royd for 13 years and became headteacher in 2014. He said: “It is great to be recognised and to have the opportunity to share the hard work of our incredible teachers. We are a small school who produce big results in the SATs, entrance exams, baseline assessments and in the social and emotional development of our children.

"We are constantly developing the breadth and quality of education on offer by enhancing our outdoor classroom and by introducing more creative arts into our curriculum and more recently opening our nursery for 50 weeks of the year. We bid a fond farewell to the school year and are looking forward to building on our successes in our 130th year!”

The judging panel for the Independent Schools of the Year awards will get together in September to decide the winners. Ghyll Royd Pre-School and Nursery will be open for 50 weeks of the year from September 2019.