What Solefield School does

Solefield School is a small, high-achieving co-educational day preparatory school located in Sevenoaks, Kent, England, serving approximately 160 children aged 3 to 13 across Little Acorns Pre-School through Year 8. Founded in 1948 as an all-boys school, it transitioned to co-education in January 2024 and operates as a registered charity and company limited by guarantee under the legal entity Solefield School Educational Trust Limited. The school is governed by the same body as Sevenoaks School and is part of the Sevenoaks Family of Schools partnership alongside Sevenoaks School and Bickley Park School. The core academic offer spans Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, and a Scholarship Pathway for Years 7-8, supplemented by specialist STEM, Music, Drama, Art, Sport, Outdoor Learning, and Skills for Life programmes, with class sizes of typically 12-14 pupils. Underlying technology is primarily administrative and curricular rather than proprietary: the school uses iSAMS for academic reporting, BOFA for formative assessment, LAMDA for performing arts examinations, and NRICH mathematics resources; technology investments include VR headsets, iPads, LEGO Spike Prime robotics kits, and CNC/woodworking tools. The business model is subscription/termly tuition fees from parents, supplemented by wrap-around care, holiday camps, and peripatetic lessons; fees are not publicly disclosed. GTM is direct-to-consumer via the school's website, open mornings, virtual tours, the Registrar, social media, and parent review platforms such as Muddy Stilettos, with the Sevenoaks Family of Schools partnership providing additional reputational reach.

Name

Solefield School

Legal name

Solefield School Educational Trust Limited

Website

https://solefieldschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Solefield School is a small co-educational independent preparatory school in Sevenoaks, Kent, serving approximately 160 children aged 3-13 with class sizes of 12-14 pupils. Founded in 1948 and part of the Sevenoaks Family of Schools partnership with Sevenoaks School and Bickley Park School, it operates as a registered charity funded by termly tuition fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Preparatory Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Private K–12 Schools (EDACABAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic/School-Readiness Preschools (EDACABAB)

Keywords

• Independent preparatory education
• Co-educational day school
• Primary school education
• Pre-school education
• 11+ exam preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Sevenoaks

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. School Fees: Primary revenue is generated through tuition fees charged to parents for children aged 3-13. The school offers Little Acorns Pre-School, Reception through Year 8 education. Additional revenue streams include after-school care, holiday camps, and peripatetic music/drama lessons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Solefield School is an independent co-educational preparatory school in Sevenoaks, Kent, providing day education for boys and girls aged 3 to 13. It offers a Pre-Prep phase (ages 3-7) and Senior School phase (ages 7-13), with a broad curriculum including English, mathematics, sciences, languages, humanities, creative arts, music, sport, and STEM, alongside wraparound care and school transport services.

Product overview

Solefield School is a high-achieving day co-educational preparatory school for boys and girls aged 3-13 in Sevenoaks, Kent. The school operates as a unified educational institution with a single campus offering a cohesive learning journey from Little Acorns Pre-School through to Year 8. The core educational programmes include age-specific classes: Little Acorns (ages 3-4), Reception (ages 4-5), Pre-Prep/KS1 (Years 1-2), Curriculum/KS2 (Years 3-6), and Scholarship Pathway (Years 7-8). Supporting the academic curriculum are specialised programmes in STEM, Music, Drama, Art, Sport, Outdoor Learning, Economic Education, and Skills for Life. The school provides wrap-around childcare services including Holiday Camps and Before/After School Care, and holds accreditation as an NRICH Problem Solving School and LAMDA exam centre. The institution became fully co-educational in January 2024 after 75 years as a boys' school.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Prep Education Pre-Prep education for children aged 3 to 7, covering early years through Year 2, with a curriculum designed to build strong foundations in literacy, numeracy, and core learning skills, overseen by the Head of Pre-Prep.
• Senior School Education (Years 3-8) Senior School education for pupils aged 7 to 13, offering a broad curriculum across English, mathematics, sciences, humanities, languages, creative arts, music, sport, and STEM, with preparation for senior school entrance examinations including 11+.
• STEM Programme STEM-focussed curriculum and activities using Class VR headsets and programmable floor robots to introduce science, technology, and computational thinking to pupils across the school.
• Creative Arts Programme Creative arts programme covering art, design, drama, and music, delivered by specialist teachers and supported by dedicated art and music facilities.
• Sport and PE Programme Sport and PE programme for all year groups, with a focus on participation, skill development, and competitive fixtures as part of the school's enrichment offering.
• Wraparound Care (7.30am-6.00pm) Extended day wraparound care available from 7.30am before school and until 6.00pm after school, providing supervised activities and supervision for working parents.
• School Transport Service Minibus transport service for pupils from Sevenoaks, Westerham, Halstead, Dunton Green, Otford, Kemsing, Borough Green, Plaxtol, Hildenborough, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, and London, with QR-coded tracking for safeguarding.
• Sunflowers Holiday Club Sunflowers holiday activity club run on the Solefield site during school holidays, providing supervised activities for children outside term time.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sevenoaks SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Solefield School and Sevenoaks School formed the Sevenoaks Family of Schools partnership. The schools have been neighbours for over 75 years with shared values, commitment to academic excellence and outstanding pastoral care. While both operate independently, working together enriches opportunities for pupils and ensures confidence in independent education for local families. The Proprietor of Solefield School is the governing body of Sevenoaks School.
• Bickley Park SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Bickley Park School joined the Sevenoaks Family of Schools, strengthening the family to include Sevenoaks School, Solefield School and Bickley Park. Bickley Park has sent more pupils to Sevenoaks than any other prep school outside the local area. The addition aims to secure a resilient future for independent education in the region.
• NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education)minorOthersSolefield School is a member of NACE, supporting educational excellence for able learners.
• IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools)minorOthersSolefield School is a member of IAPS, the professional association for independent preparatory schools.
• ISC (Independent Schools Council)minorOthersSolefield School is a member of ISC, representing independent schools in the UK.
• ISBA (Independent Schools Bursars Association)minorOthersSolefield School is a member of ISBA, the association for bursars and business managers in independent schools.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sevenoaks School: The parent/partner senior school governing Solefield. While senior (not prep), it is the strategic anchor of the Sevenoaks Family of Schools and the most relevant incumbent for benchmarking governance, brand, and pupil-pipeline economics.
• North London Collegiate School (Junior): Top-tier UK independent day school with an integrated junior/prep phase. Comparable academic-pedigree positioning, premium fee tier, and emphasis on STEM and whole-child education — relevant as a quality and pricing benchmark rather than a direct regional competitor.
• Dulwich Prep London: Larger London-based independent prep with comparable academic outcomes and premium positioning. Useful as a benchmark for fee levels, parent expectations, and best-practice differentiation in a similar day-prep model, though geographically distinct.

Direct peers

• Cranbrook School: Independent co-educational prep school in Kent. Similar age range, day-prep model, and Kent catchment competing for the same grammar and senior-school destinations as Solefield.
• Hilden Oaks School: Independent co-educational preparatory school in Tonbridge for ages 2–11. Comparable non-selective prep model in the same Kent catchment, sending pupils to similar grammar and senior destinations as Solefield.
• Bickley Park School: Independent co-educational prep school in Bickley, Kent, serving ages 2.5–13. Joined the Sevenoaks Family of Schools partnership alongside Solefield in 2025, making it the closest operational and structural peer in the same governance family.
• Walthamstow Hall School: Independent co-educational day prep school in Sevenoaks, Kent for ages 2–13. Closest geographic peer to Solefield, competing directly for the same Sevenoaks/Kent feeder families into the same senior schools.
• The Schools at Somerhill: Independent co-educational prep school set on a Tonbridge/Kent estate, serving nursery through Year 8. Comparable in age range, day/prep positioning, and Kent catchment to Solefield.
• Yardley Court School: Independent co-educational prep school in Tonbridge for ages 3–13. Directly comparable day-prep positioning, age range, and feeder pattern into grammar and independent senior schools across Kent.

Regional players

• King's School, Canterbury Junior School: Junior/prep arm of the King's School Canterbury, an established UK independent school. Comparable integrated prep-school-within-senior-school structure to Solefield-within-Sevenoaks, operating in a different regional catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/solefieldschool
• Facebookfacebook.com/SolefieldSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solefield-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/solefield_school

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Solefield School