King’s Ely’s beautiful grounds and buildings provide an inspiring setting for learning
THE PATH CHOSEN
From small class sizes to bespoke tuition, 24/7 wraparound care and literally hundreds of extracurricular activities, Katie Hughes shares five key benefits pupils – and parents –can expect to gain from an independent-school education
1A love of learning
Almost half of A-levels taken by independent (or private) school pupils gained A grades or higher this year, with GCSEs similarly successful. But academic excellence at private schools isn’t just about exams, it’s also about instilling a love of learning. And this has a lot to do with the fact that children are normally taught by subject specialists from a young age.
“Subject specialists bring an infectious enthusiasm, which can be inspiring for young learners,” says Richard ompson, Head of Prep at Leweston in Sherborne. “ eir passion and love for the subject can ignite curiosity and motivate students to explore and engage more deeply.”
PLAYING FIELD Levelling the
Independent schools are widening the opportunity net for girls’ sports, often breaking down barriers to traditionally ‘boys-only’ games and disciplines, writes Katie Hughes
Female athletes in this year’s Olympic Games didn’t just make history by (almost) matching their male counterparts in number, they also wrestled, boxed and kicked their way to medals in what some would see as traditionally male events.
ankfully, the Olympics are no longer an “exaltation of male athleticism”, as the founder of the ‘modern games’ wanted them to be. Nor is it accepted that running, jumping and climbing might damage women’s reproductive organs or make them unattractive to men (a bygone theory highlighted by historian Kathleen McCrone).
As England gears up to host the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, interest and participation in girls’ sport, especially activities once considered the preserve of boys, is set to ramp up another notch. And independent schools are well ahead of the curve.
What’s so important about sport?
e Youth Sport Trust cites improved self-perception and con dence among the many mental health bene ts of sport. And it says that playing sport at school can promote life skills like teamwork, resilience and self-discipline. Not so positive, however, is that recent research from the charity Women in Sport shows that girls nationally are less likely to be physically active than boys, and more likely to lose interest in sport when they hit their teens. By giving girls more sporting choices than ever, independent schools are helping to buck this trend. ▲
DID YOU KNOW?
Professional women’s sport has never been so popular
According to the Women’s Sport Trust, a record-breaking 22.6-million people tuned in to watch women’s sport between January and May 2024 – and this year’s Women’s Six Nations was the most viewed on record
KINDRED SPIRITS
Worth School’s Catholic ethos and close-knit boarding community hugely impressed the ISOTY judges.
Headteacher Stuart McPherson explains how they do it
Worth School is set in the bucolic splendour of the West Sussex countryside
Worth school is younger than many of the county’s other independent schools, having occupied its current site since the 1930s. Nonetheless, it has its own well-defined history and origins in a Benedictine community founded in 1606.
Education with heart and soul
Worth is an academically ambitious school with excellent examination results and pastoral care, wonderful facilities and a huge and diverse range of co-curricular activities, but we don’t just provide an outstanding education; we offer education with heart and soul, preparing our pupils to become well-rounded individuals who are kind, purpose-driven and community-minded.
Phone-free structured days
Our friendly, inclusive atmosphere is seen in the seamless blending of the boarding and day houses. Day and boarding pupils enjoy a structured, phone-free day from 8.30am until 5.30pm. These hours include co-curricular and prep time, so most of the school day is spent together, having fun and caring for, and learning from, one another.
WE DON’T JUST PROVIDE AN OUTSTANDING EDUCATION; we offer education with heart and soul, preparing our pupils TO BECOME WELL-ROUNDED INDIVIDUALS
One of the significant developments for boarders has been to promote our weekend activities to all pupils (day pupils as well as boarders). This means the weekends are buzzing, exciting occasions for all, further cementing friendships. The extensive programme of activities and excursions on offer range from games night on campus to kayaking locally and days out further afield.
Excellent facilities and opportunities
Worth strikes a balance of retaining historic and traditional features while updating its s
Giggleswick School is a co-ed all-through day and boarding school for ages two to 18
ADDED VALUE
FWith VAT due to be added to school fees from January, Dr KD Sharifi, CBE, Bursar and Chief Operating O cer of Giggleswick School in North Yorkshire, looks at what schools are doing to absorb the cost, protect families and mitigate the policy’s impact
or most, the investment made in one’s children (be it emotional, nancial, or even in terms of time ferrying them from one activity to the next) is arguably the greatest commitment that a parent makes in life. For around seven per cent of parents in the UK this investment includes the decision to choose an independent-school education. e reason parents opt to travel this path are legion; varying from the desire to better meet special educational needs,
to greater access to a wider breadth of curricular and cocurricular educational experiences, the advantage o ered by the more focused teaching o ered by smaller class sizes, and for many mobile families (including forces families) the ability to ensure the continuity of education via boarding. What, however, is common to all is that going down this path o en represents one of the greatest nancial investments one makes; one which unlike other investment is less physically tangible as it’s about investing in the ▲
BEYOND THE BLAZERS
Samantha Dainty of Bespoke Minds Education looks at the true value of an independent-school education
Whenever I ask someone who hasn’t attended an independent school what they imagine it to be like, I tend to get one of two responses: “oh, it’s like Hogwarts, isn’t it?” or, “isn’t it just a load of posh kids?” And while there may be elements of truth in both – yes, some independent schools have
magnificent, castle-like buildings, and yes, you might bump into someone called Tarquin –such responses are undoubtedly myopic.
For many parents new to the concept, independent schooling can seem mysterious or intimidating. You might picture sprawling grounds, old boys in blazers rowing along the river, or perhaps an assembly hall that looks like a cathedral. But strip away the clichés, and
With plenty of extracurricular fun and pastoral support, there’s many reasons for Worth School students to jump for joy
you’re left with an educational experience that could offer your child something more enriching than anything in a Harry Potter novel. So let’s start with the in-class experience. You know that feeling when you’re at a dinner party, and you can’t get a word in because 15 people are talking at once? Imagine trying to learn algebra like that. Smaller class sizes are a hallmark of independent schools, and there can