The Guide
Sat, 16 May 2026

Cities / Lagos / Lagos Preparatory & Secondary School

Lagos Preparatory & Secondary School

Small, selective British school on Glover Road, Ikoyi, taking children from 18 months through IGCSE Year 11 (age 16). Annual tuition ranges from approximately NGN 2,772,000 (EYFS Pre-Nursery) to NGN 7,722,000 (Year 11), billed in three terms; first-year one-time fees…


Curriculum
British
Fees, annual
USD 3–5k
Ages
18m to 16
Pupils
Est. Small community
Founded
2002

The most heavily UK-accredited British prep in Africa, founded in Ikoyi in 2002 by 18 founder families, with a small-community feel and consistently strong early results.

Lagos Prep was set up on 2 May 2002 by a group of founder families wanting an English prep-school style education in Ikoyi, and the school later added a secondary phase. It runs the UK National Curriculum and Cambridge IGCSE, and is the only school in Africa accredited by both IAPS and COBIS, with ISI inspection and BSO status alongside.

Year 6 SATS routinely run above the UK national average, and the first IGCSE cohort posted strong A* to B grades. The school is deliberately small, which fits families who want every child known by name and visible to the head. The flip side is fewer subject and team-sport options than larger Lagos schools, and limited cohort size at the senior end. Families on the Ikoyi-Victoria Island commute, especially expat and returnee families used to UK prep culture, are the natural fit.


Fee Age Type Amount
Pre-Nursery (from 18 months) 1 Annual $2,534
Reception (from 4 years) 4 Annual $3,452
Primary Years 1-6 6 Annual $3,531
Secondary Years 7-8 11 Annual $4,432
Secondary Years 9-10 13 Annual $4,461
Secondary Year 11 (IGCSE) 15 Annual $4,996
Application fee One-time $72
Acceptance fee (non-refundable) One-time $145
Caution fee (refundable) One-time $181
Joining fee (non-refundable) One-time $507
Development levy (non-refundable) One-time $870

  • IAPS-accredited British prep with COBIS executive membership, the only African school in both bodies and on the DfE's overseas-schools list.
  • ISI inspection found parent communication strong: weekly newsletters, daily diaries, frequent emails. Inspectors noted a minority of parents felt concerns weren't always handled well, though the complaints record didn't support that view.
  • One parent testimonial flagged on the school's site praises how the school nurtures pupils' talents.
  • Independent forum signal is sparse, so reviews lean on the inspection record rather than parent posts.

Head of school

John Samuel

John Samuel served as the long-standing Headmaster of Lagos Preparatory School. Under his leadership, the school became the first in Africa to be accredited by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) and to meet the UK Department for Education's standards for British Schools Overseas (BSO). He has been a vocal advocate for the British curriculum in Nigeria, emphasizing high academic standards and the holistic development of students. He has also been actively involved in educational competitions, such as the spelling bee, to enhance student learning. While recent leadership transitions have occurred, his tenure established the school's reputation as one of the top British preparatory schools in Africa.

Accreditations

  • ISI 01
  • British Schools Overseas (DfE) 02
  • COBIS Patron's Accreditation and Compliance 03

  • IGCSE first cohort 100% A*/A/B
  • ECM Award First international school in Nigeria (2010)

36/40 Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos

School website