• Dame Catherine Harpur's is the family school where children flourish. The school is intimate, individual and gently idealistic.

• A persuasive choice for families who want a very small Derbyshire prep where flexibility, individuality and a family-school feel are central.

The admissions process at Dame Catherine Harpur's School is warm, visit led and designed to build a rounded sense of the child and family rather than to stage-manage a hard sell. The school's own language is notably family-focused, so admissions are likely to feel personal and relationship-led rather than heavily performative.

Scholarships are unlikely to be the central selling point here. The more persuasive story is the school's scale, flexibility and family feel.

• The school does not publish bursary entry points, so families should ask directly.
• The school does not publish bursary award levels, so families should ask directly.
• Families should contact the school directly to ask whether any bursary, hardship support or discretionary fee assistance is available.

The historical Ofsted picture is positive, but the school is now inspected by ISI, so families should treat the older good judgement as background rather than the whole story. In a school this small, the current feel matters enormously.

Assessment at Dame Catherine Harpur's is highly personal simply because the school is so small. The attraction is likely to be close knowledge of each child rather than elaborate systems.