Cundall Manor is a co-educational independent day and flexi boarding school for children aged 2–16, set within 28 acres of countryside between Ripon and Thirsk in North Yorkshire.
But what makes Cundall distinctive is not simply the setting.
It is the atmosphere.
There is movement here. Pupils are busy. The school day stretches well beyond the classroom. One moment children are rehearsing for a production, building a go-kart, orienteering in the woods or preparing for a hockey fixture; the next they are back in lessons achieving some of the strongest academic results in the county.
Cundall is ambitious without feeling pressured. Small enough that everybody knows one another, but large enough to offer real opportunity.
Across the school, children are encouraged to participate fully — whether in sport, drama, outdoor education, music, leadership, Duke of Edinburgh, boarding life or the daily rhythm of the school community.
Pupils regularly:
The expectation is not that every child excels at everything. It is that every child discovers what excites them and develops the confidence to take part.
That culture of participation is one of the defining features of a Cundall education.
Cundall Manor is the top-performing independent school in North Yorkshire for Attainment 8 in the Government League Tables.
That matters because Attainment 8 measures achievement across a broad range of GCSE subjects, not just a narrow group of academic disciplines.
Pupils succeed here in:
The academic culture at Cundall is serious, but it does not come at the expense of childhood.
Pupils still have time to:
Small class sizes allow teachers to know pupils properly — when to stretch them, when to encourage them and when extra support is needed.
Pastoral care at Cundall is exceptional. Every staff member – whether serving lunch, leading a lesson, or greeting pupils on the school bus – plays a role in ensuring each child feels valued, respected, and safe. We take great pride in knowing our pupils as individuals.
We have a dedicated on-site Learning Support team, Wellbeing Teacher, and on-site Nurse, supporting pupil wellbeing every step of the way.
After-school clubs deepen the academic and sporting curriculum with a range of classes that promote skills for life.
Table manners and etiquette are encouraged daily in the dining hall, where pupils enjoy healthy, freshly prepared meals made by our chefs.
Our 28-acre rural site offers space to play, explore and learn—fostering adventure, wellbeing and a love of the outdoors.
Cundall Manor is a school best experienced in person — in the noise of rehearsals, the pace of matchdays, the atmosphere around the boarding house and the confidence pupils carry around the site.
We warmly encourage families to visit and discover what makes life at Cundall Manor so distinctive.
