A PRESTIGIOUS school award has been given to a prep school based in Worcester. 

Abberley Hall School was given the spot for top prep school in Tatler Magazine's annual school awards.

The awards seek to highlight the best performing schools across the country, featuring some of the most prestigious names in the UK.

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Malvern Gazette: Jonnie and Tessa Besley – the Headmaster and his wife.Jonnie and Tessa Besley – the Headmaster and his wife. (Image: Abberley Hall School)

Jonnie Besley, headmaster, was "delighted" with the achievement and said how proud he was of the school in what has been "a difficult two years."

He said: " We won the award for best prep school in Britain which we were delighted to hear.

"The awards are very well respected, where 250 independent prep schools and senior schools are visited.

"To get in the guide is a real achievement for us in what has been a really difficult two years with the pandemic."

Mr Besley attended the awards ceremony in London and then returned to properly celebrate with staff and students.

He said: "We heard that we were in the top five nominations a few weeks ago. My wife and I visited the Langham Hotel in London on Monday evening this week where it was revealed we had won.

"We received a lovely silver engraved trophy which we had the head boy and head girl reveal at the school to properly celebrate.

"It is just amazing for the school to get this sort of recognition."

Mr Besley also said that the school had to adapt a lot during the pandemic to survive.

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He said: "As a boarding school, the pandemic was a tough time for us and many other schools like ours.

"Normally we would have students from overseas which was not able to happen, and parents have found it increasingly difficult to afford school fees.

"We have worked hard to keep the wonderful things about our school alive and modernise where we needed to.

"This involved reviewing our curriculum and also our boarding options with parents able to choose one or two nights of boarding as opposed to an entire week.

"It has certainly helped us and the school is in a really good place right now."

The school is a co-educational preparatory day and boarding school with approximately 160 pupils.