Founded in 1924 by the Clegg sisters.

Forest Preparatory School for boys and girls was founded in 1924 by the Clegg sisters. Originally the school was in a large house called ‘The Laurels’ across the road from the present site. As the school flourished, so it became necessary to move to larger premises. Oak Cottage, a gentleman’s residence with its stable and large grounds, seemed the ideal place to house the growing school and the move was soon completed.

There is a strong tradition of houses and the children are placed in one when they start. The houses - Jordon, Chorlton, Mimwood and Kersal - are named after significant events in the lives of the founders. In fact, Mimwood was the house name of the uncle who bought Forest School (then known as Oak Cottage). Jordon was the surname of the very first two pupils enrolled. Since that time, the lower floor of the stable block has been converted to provide an assembly hall and the upper floor has provided further room for classrooms. Two additional purpose built blocks have been added. A resource and music room was also added, as music is a strong element of the children’s lives.

A new computer suite was created, along with a library, in the main house. Forest began as a country school close to the village of Timperley. It provided pleasant and peaceful surroundings for its pupils to pursue their studies. Now it is situated in the centre of a quiet residential area within easy access of Manchester, but its large grounds still retain that country charm.

Bellevue Education

In 2014, Forest Preparatory School joined Bellevue Education – a leading provider of education consisting of twelve schools in the UK, a school in Switzerland and a school in Qatar. Since joining the group, the school has benefitted in a wide variety of ways - from the sharing of best practice with other schools in the group, to investment in teaching, learning space and technology.