St George's Ascot Prospectus

PROSPECTUS

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Pupils are highly confident, combining healthy self knowledge, first-class social skills and an awareness of the world around them.

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LIZ HEWER Head

When people tell me how much they have enjoyed visiting St George’s, I always ask them what it was that most impressed them. The historical buildings within a beautiful setting? The small class sizes?

The ambition of the academic provision? The breadth of the co-curricular programme? The impressive theatre? The wonderful sports facilities? The professional and committed teachers? The busy and friendly atmosphere?

“Well yes,” they say. “All of those things. But it’s more than that; it’s the girls - there’s just something truly special about them” So what is it about a St George’s pupil that is so recognisable and sets her apart as someone special, someone different, someone unique?

There is no such thing as a typical Georgian. While every pupil arrives here with her very own set of talents, we encourage each one to develop a genuine understanding of who she is and harness the qualities embedded within our ethos which, we believe, will prepare them thoroughly for adult life whatever future they choose.

You will always know a St George’s girl because she is

CO N F I D E N T | CA PA B L E | CO N N E CT E D

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CONFIDENT

The well balanced school day, the size of the school and the impact of boarding, contribute to pupil’s developing confidence.

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The girls are the biggest advocates for SGA – funny, bright, ambitious and honest.

M U D DY S T I L E T T O S

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SGA CONFIDENT

St George’s pupils thrive in an all-girls environment; they make the most of the many opportunities available, grow in confidence as ambitious individuals throughout their time at the school, and thereby develop a strong sense of self.

The size of the school is one of our greatest strengths; small enough for everyone to know one another, but large enough to give pupils not only a breadth of activities and opportunities, but also a range of friendship groups to enjoy.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson we ever learn is the ability to grow relationships, and I like to think that one of the building blocks of the education we offer is learning how to get along with a diverse cross-section of people. We celebrate the diversity of our community which includes a wonderful mix of girls from different countries, who bring fresh ideas, cultural thinking and alternative experiences to the life of the school. We also prioritise building connections between girls in different year groups as they take part in House events, and participate in co-curricular activities together.

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In a very real sense, St George’s pupils are developing and exercising independence from early on in their time at the school, whether they start in Year 7 or Year 9, or join us for the Sixth Form.

St George’s offers day places and a wide range of boarding options, from flexi boarding for a couple of nights a week through to full boarding. Our extended school day, however, ensures that all pupils positively benefit from the boarding ethos and, through the extensive co-curricular provision, develop the confidence to try new activities and nurture a healthy balance in their school life.

The range of our co-curricular programme, which is second to none, is spectacular: from Tycoon Enterprise Competition, netball and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to Robotics and Coding, Life Drawing and Cultures and Diversity, there is something to enthuse, stretch and challenge everyone.

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SGA CONFIDENT

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This is a school with a strong vein of creativity, whether it’s in the gleaming cookery rooms or the art and photography studios, which beg you to linger and enjoy the work displayed.

GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

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SGA CONFIDENT

SGA pupils are nothing if not creative, and their achievements in music, dance, drama, art, textiles and photography not only add to the school’s stimulating and energetic atmosphere, but also exemplify the strong culture of confident selfexpression we nurture at the school.

Developing confidence through performance is central to our pupil experience from the very start with the Year 7 choir and the Christmas Pantomime compulsory for all our youngest pupils. Live performance opportunities fill the calendar and the girls relish taking to the stage at the popular termly Open Mic Nights, in the annual school musical or to deliver a curriculum devised work for GCSE or A Level in our drama studio. Likewise, many pupils choose St George’s for the breadth of art on offer and have regular opportunity to develop creative confidence in our art galleries, in the textiles department or our dark room. There is always something going on at St George’s, and the school is alive with the buzz that only a busy, happy and confident community can create.

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CAPABLE

Whilst strongly defending the identity and character of the School, St George’s is constantly driving forward and striving for excellence in providing a superbly well-rounded education.

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S G A CA PA B L E

St George’s academic curriculum is broad, balanced and contemporary and pupils excel in a wide range of academic, sporting, musical, dramatic, artistic and creative disciplines, as they explore their interests, nurture their talent and define their aspirations.

Oxbridge and medical school successes, places at Russell Group and top overseas universities, and A*s in 23 different subjects at A Level, only tell part of the story when it comes to measuring the achievements of our pupils. While we are rightly proud of our headline results, we recognise that pupils talents very often lie in a wider field of interests.

St George’s does not aspire to be an academic hothouse, in the narrow sense of the phrase, rather we encourage and support each of our pupils to reach their own individual potential whilst striving for balance in life. It is the value we add to all our pupils that makes the most difference and which sets us apart as a school.

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With outstanding facilities on offer, sport is an important feature of school life and plays a vital role in every pupil’s physical, social and emotional development. We take the promotion of a happy and healthy lifestyle very seriously and our girls benefit from the life lessons that sport teaches: the values of teamwork, sporting behaviour, leadership and responsibility and learning to overcome momentary disappointment. Perhaps more than anything, sport can teach invaluable resilience and determination as well as developing individual and team performance.

Elite sportswomen are catered for at St George’s, but so too are those who rightly just want to have a go as a healthy lifestyle choice. Perhaps our biggest success has been creating termly curricular and co-curricular programmes and giving pupils access to high quality facilities that allow them the space and freedom to do just that.

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S G A CA PA B L E

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S G A CA PA B L E

Leadership is encouraged from an early stage as pupils have the opportunity to take their place on the many committees and working groups that span the breadth of school life. Whether it is on the School Council, the Environmental or Charities Committee or the Diversity and Inclusion group, pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for the culture of the school and use their voice to better the community of which they are a part.

Pupils flourish in an environment in which diverse opinions are welcomed and respect for one another is the norm.

In their penultimate year, our Lower Sixth have the opportunity to apply to be Head Girl of the school or to be one of the eighteen prefects who take the lead in the different areas of school life. Their confident expression of the St George’s values and standards and their enthusiasm for responsibility reflect positively on the role models they have closely followed and the enabling leadership culture of the school.

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CONNECTED

We see our girls developing into well-rounded, academically stretched, young adults who are learning to be diligent and tenacious, which is so important in today’s world.

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St George’s girls enjoy an enriching programme of local, national and global experiences to shape their perspective and help them define the impact they wish to have on the world they will join. They are encouraged to look upwards and outwards, and know what it is to be truly connected to oneself and to those around them.

Real connectedness is not living in the often shallow echo chambers of social media, or relying on the internet to provide all the answers: it is about making meaningful connections with others through play, through work, through service and philanthropy. Learning to step outside their own social and cultural circles is an important part of a girl’s education at St George’s, and we believe that developing a meaningful perspective on philanthropy and conscious altruism is vital preparation for adult life.

A carefully curated programme of educational speakers expose the girls to challenging topics and pupils benefit from practical engagement with a wide range of partner charities and local schools.

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SGA CONNECTED

Older pupils act as strong role models to juniors, and all pupils look for ways to make contributions to their own school and wider society.

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SGA CONNECTED

In today’s world everybody seems better connected than ever and the SGA pupils are no exception. Recently awarded the prestigious Google for Education Reference School status, St George’s is a leading light in its ambitious and innovative use of technology within the learning environment.

Pupils are not only pushed to improve their technological literacy across the full curriculum, but teachers are also challenged, trained and equipped to incorporate digital methodology within their teaching.

Our girls learn digital skills that will allow them to make the most of today’s rapid advances in technological collaborative learning, whilst also acquiring the confidence and judgment to approach tasks independently and creatively, and to differentiate between genuine knowledge and fabricated media. Technological confidence is evident in every area of academic life.

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Educating our girls to thrive in this new age of connectedness is something we feel is very important. Georgians go on to study at top universities and undertake training and work placements, which collectively lead them into a range of fields of employment from the traditional through to the creative and the entrepreneurial.

Our current pupils benefit from the close connection we enjoy with our loyal alumnae community, and their support gives pupils a pool of positive connections to take into their future lives.

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SGA CONNECTED

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St George’s is a place where girls flourish academically, creatively, physically and morally, a place where risks can be taken, lessons are learnt, and challenges are welcomed. It is our privilege to encourage and challenge each and every Georgian within our connected community to develop a genuine understanding of who she is and support her to achieve the future of her choice.

Our girls, in turn, reward us by developing into confident, capable and connected young women who are uniquely themselves, but who are also recognisably and indisputably Georgians.

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I do hope you will come and meet our girls yourselves, and that one day your daughter, like them, will find a place where she can truly thrive.

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CONFIDENT CA PA B L E CONNECTED

As part of our commitment to sustainability, this prospectus is printed on recycled paper.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

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