A unique approach to a boarding education

A unique approach to boarding education

11+ and 12+ entry

At Sherborne Girls, we help pupils grow in line with our school values, as described in our SG Learner Profile. To support this process, we were one of the first independent schools in the UK to create a Junior Diploma, helping our pupils foster a natural love of learning, a thirst for knowledge and a healthy attitude to life and work.

By putting our values at the heart of the girls

’ education, we help them grow to be adaptable, compassionate, courageous, curious and spiritual. These attributes are embedded in the Junior Diploma, and every pupil in L4 and U4 (Years 7 and 8) completes it during their time in West.

This unique diploma includes academic achievement and assessments, independent learning, and community involvement. It refines their presentation skills, develops their ability to reflect on mistakes, and shapes their approach to risk-taking. Overall, it gives them a deeper understanding of their own learning. The Junior Diploma helps girls take full advantage of the opportunities on offer at School. It provides a wealth of ways to develop their skills, aptitudes and enthusiasms. It helps them integrate the various aspects of school life, ensuring they grow as people with self-awareness, self-understanding and deep compassion.

With advice and guidance from their Personal Tutor, girls compile a portfolio throughout the year that charts their progress through the Junior Diploma, bringing together the threads of academic study, personal growth and their relationships with others.

Projects are completed in various different forms and the girls are free to design a project that reflects their passions and interests. It may take the form of a research presentation about someone or something that embodies that value, a piece of artwork or sculpture, a photography project, Flipgrid vlog, a piece of creative writing, a science experiment, poetry or a musical composition; the possibilities are endless. The Junior Diploma then culminates in a group interview, at which the girls exhibit their projects, articulating and explaining how each one has helped them to develop their appreciation of each value over the course of the year.