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51°03′50″N 1°17′20″W / 51.064°N 1.289°W
St Swithun's School is an independent school for girls in Winchester, Hampshire. The school consists of St Swithun's Junior School (age 3-11) and St Swithun's Senior School (age 11-18). Boys are admitted to the Junior School up to the age of 7.
The school appears frequently on the GCSE and A-level league tables.[citation needed] The school features strongly in the league tables and almost all girls continue to university, including Oxford and Cambridge, and all continue to some form of Higher Education and training.[citation needed]
The school has a good reputation for lacrosse, and is among the best in the south-east.[citation needed]
Academically, has achieved some of the highest scores in the county, followed by schools such as Winchester College and Sixth Form College Farnborough.[citation needed] In 2007, the all-girls boarding school was ranked 5th amongst the highest A Level results in the country by the BBC league tables and was indicated by Tatler's School Guide as a public school.[citation needed]
History
St Swithun's was founded in 1884 by Miss Anna Bramston, the daughter of the Dean of Winchester. Not having sufficient money of her own, funds were raised by subscription. The School's ethos has always been to educate the whole child rather than just look at academic achievement.
The School has moved twice in the past, and moved to its present location overlooking the Hampshire Downs on the edge of Winchester in 1931.
Faith
St Swithun's is a Church of England foundation but girls of other faiths are welcomed.[citation needed] Whilst pupils of all faiths are expected to attend the school's worship, the school is sensitive and responsive to the different cultural, racial and linguistic backgrounds of its pupils. The school has very close ties with Winchester Cathedral.[citation needed]
Houses
St. Swithun's has 2 houses which cater for the L4s (year 7): Le Roy for boarders and Chilcomb for day pupils. From U4 (year 8) and up all pupils are sorted into senior houses, for boarders respectively Hyde Abbey, High House, Earl's Down and Hillcroft; for day pupils Caer Gwent, Davies and Venta. Once students reach U6 (year 13) all pupils, whether boarders or day pupils, become members of Finlay.
Hyde Abbey is the boarding house for most of the full boarders from U4-L6. However some full boarders do reside in High House or sometimes in the other senior boarding houses. However there are also some weekly boarders.
Facilities
St Swithun's school offers boarding facilities for girls of any age who enrol in the senior school.
The school also offers numerous sports facilities. These include 8 lacrosse pitches, 13 tennis courts (1 indoors), 6 netball courts, a 25 metre indoor swimming pool and a multi-purpose sports hall.
In 2003, the PAC (Performing Arts Centre) was opened, and it has a large auditorium to sit over 700, and also includes a Studio Theatre, Green Rooms, Box Office and a smaller SPS (Small Performance Space).
Entrance
As for many other independent schools, candidates for entry to St Swithun's must sit the Common Entrance Examination.
For 11+ girls, academic and music scholarship interviews are given to those who do exceptionally well in the common entrance or have significant amount of musical knowledge and qualification. Scholarships are offered also to 2-3 girls for L5 (13+) if they are chosen internally by teachers or chosen because of good performance in their common entrance exam or, again, have a good amount of musical knowledge and qualification. Interviews are held again in U5 (yr 11) for scholarships in the 6th form.
Former Swithunites
- Dame Mary Warnock (born 1924), influential philosopher[1]
- Lady Amelia Northbrook (born 1960), ex wife of Francis Baring, the 6th Baron Northbrook.
- Fi Glover (born 1970), BBC radio presenter.
References
- ^ "The House I Grew up In featuring Mary Warnock". The House I Grew Up In. 2008-09-17. BBC. BBC Radio 4.
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