S. Anselm's is a preparatory school for boys and girls aged from two-and-a-half to thirteen. It was founded in 1888 on its present site in the beautiful Peak National Park, overlooking the market town of Bakewell. The school is a Charitable Trust, run by a Board of Governors.

The original buildings have been thoroughly modernised and form the core of the school, containing the boys' dormitories, library, many classrooms and the dining area. In recent years the school has acquired three separate girls' boarding houses and has undergone a major project of building and refurbishment. This has provided excellent new classrooms, the Millennium Sports Hall, a purpose-built theatre and modernised Information and Communication Technology and Design Technology Departments. 

The school has a strong tradition of boarding and more than half the children choose to board. S. Anselm's has a Pre-Prep Department for children aged from four to seven years and a Nursery for children of two-and-a-half to four years.