St Swithun’s is a flourishing independent girls’ school set in 45 acres of rural Hampshire within easy walking distance of Winchester city center, yet only 50 minutes by train from London. It has a co-ed nursery, educates girls aged from 4-11 in its prep school, and offers day, weekly, and full boarding options for girls aged 11-18 in the senior school.
It offers excellent and forward-thinking teaching practice, sporting and recreational facilities and is supported by a thriving community of parents, alumni, and financial donors.
The school is a registered charity and is governed by the school council. Main entry points to the senior school are 11+, 13+, and 16+. The prep school accepts registrations for any year group where there are spaces available, up to the point of entry. There are approximately 200 girls in the prep school and 520 in the senior school across 27 nationalities.
St Swithun’s is a girls’ school well-known for its excellent all-round education its forward-looking teaching methods its scholarship and the attitudes of mind it fosters in its students. It houses a civilized and compassionate community with insecure and well-maintained buildings and thoroughly prepares all its pupils for life beyond its gates.
We are an ‘appropriately academic’ school, celebrating intellectual curiosity and the life of the mind, but not to the exclusion of all else. We expect our pupils to develop individual passions and through them to acquire a range of skills and characteristics. These characteristics will include a willingness to take risks, to question and to debate, and to persevere in the face of difficulty. In the words of Samuel Beckett: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” If a girl can immediately excel at everything we ask of her, we as educators must set the bar higher.
We want all girls to learn about life beyond the school gates, to appreciate the rich variety of our world, to develop an understanding of compassion, and to value justice. We encourage all pupils to become involved in fundraising and community work. They should appreciate how their decisions and their actions can affect those around them.
Our aims are:
- To prepare girls for public examinations and higher education in a stimulating and scholarly environment in which the girls develop intellectual curiosity, independence of mind, and the ability to take responsibility for their learning. They are encouraged to achieve their personal best.
- To provide a happy, safe and supportive community based on Christian values in which all girls are given the space to develop their spirituality and are encouraged to understand and celebrate difference, and to be kind to others.
- To provide a wide range of opportunities beyond the classroom so that girls can discover individual passions and develop a range of characteristics such as resilience, initiative, creativity, perseverance, self-confidence, the ability to work in a team, and to honor one’s commitments. To encourage habits to ensure good physical and mental health both at school and in the future such as exercise, healthy eating, and the art of relaxation.
- To teach the girls compassion, an understanding of the wider world and their role in it, a sense of duty, and a desire for justice.
- To provide high-quality higher education and career advice and a supportive old girls network.
- To communicate in a timely and constructive fashion with parents and other members of the St Swithun family to develop relationships conducive to offering the best possible education.
