“St Swithun’s is an all girls’ school and many of our parents choose us because they believe in the benefits that this brings. As you may well be aware, St. Swithun’s has a reputation as a school with a high level of academic achievement. This is true, but it can also give the false impression that we select only the most academic girls and focus on the academic to the exclusion of all else. While our pupils are all of above average intelligence, they are by no means an academic elite and we aim to help every girl to achieve her full potential across the board in a sensible and sensitive manner. Academic success is undeniably important, but it is only one facet of the rounded education that young people need to equip them for a successful and fulfilled adult life. As the recent Good Schools Guide says: “Incredible exam results, up in the dizzying thin air at the top of the league tables. How a relatively unselective school like this one manages it is mysterious and must drive the London hothouses around the bend”. They also, I believe, emerge as well-balanced, rounded individuals, confident in their own strengths and talents and ready to contribute to society in their adult lives.”

GET THERE

DEBATING MATTERS HISTORY