Battle Abbey School, Battle
Sixth Form Open Evening - 10 October 2024
Senior School Open Day - 08 March 2025
Sitting next to the very battlefield where the Battle of Hastings took place, Battle Abbey School certainly has the wow factor, with classes held in a former monastery and a clutch of historic 13th-century buildings. But for all its history, this is a school with an impressive forward-thinking mindset, a place where children thrive where they might not in more traditional settings. Famous for its art and creativity, Battle Abbey knows how to bring the best out of each and every pupil.
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Bede's School, Hailsham
Sixth Form Open Morning - 12 October 2024
‘This school lets you be yourself,’ says one pupil at this exceptional co-ed day and boarding school in Sussex where pupils thrive and shine in all areas, from the classroom to the playing field, the art studio to the stage (the Legat Dance Academy is part of the St Bede’s School Trust, as is the nursery and prep). Proudly non-selective, the school is interested in the child not league tables and, says head Peter Goodyer, is ‘mindful we sit as a part of a journey for education rather than as the end. We are responsible for preparing pupils so they can do whatever they want to do in the best shape they can be in.’ It’s a holistic approach that pays dividends, with happy and engaged pupils living in the moment and embracing everything that comes their way.
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Benenden School, Cranbrook
Open Morning - 12 October 2024
Open Morning - 09 November 2024
Open Morning - 26 November 2024
Why do we love Benenden so much? Because it does exactly what it says on the tin: traditional, all-girls full boarding brought bang up to date. For the academically competent all-rounder who is happy to live in a lovely rural bubble, this is a reassuringly solid choice – and a school that’s firing on all cylinders.
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Cranleigh School, Cranleigh
Open Day - 12 October 2024
Basking in 240 acres of leafy Surrey countryside, Cranleigh School is a bit of a Goldilocks school – not too big, not too small, good for girls, good for boys, not greedy for the sportiest or the cleverest, but rather valuing what every pupil brings to the community. A real family atmosphere and a down-to-earth attitude creates a school filled with happy, well-rounded children confident in their own abilities.
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Downe House, Thatcham
Day Girls Open Event - 07 October 2024
Open Day - 16 November 2024
Tradition and innovation are expertly entwined at this all-girls powerhouse that achieves enviable results but never at the expense of pupils’ wellbeing. There’s a refreshing balance of work and play here, something the head Emma McKendrick (who is something of a doyenne in the world of education) is rightly proud of. Sixth formers leave with all the tools they need to succeed (including a mini-MBA) and a tight-knit community that stays with them for life.
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Embley Senior School & Sixth Form, Romsey
Sixth Form Open Evening - 09 October 2024
Prep & Senior School Open Morning - 17 October 2024
Prep & Senior School Open Morning - 20 November 2024
Hampshire’s ‘Digital Downton’, with a stunning aristocratic rural setting juxtaposed with a forward-thinking digital strategy, is a real belter. Add in a truckload of extracurricular opportunities, an impressive academic record, a focus on developing compassionate young people and a headmaster who exudes purpose, and you have a pretty attractive package.
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Frensham Heights School, Farnham
Whole School Open Morning - 11 October 2024
Volleyball Discovery Taster Session (yrs 10&11) - 15 October 2024
Sixth Form Open Evening - 16 October 2024
Dance Choreography Taster Session (yrs 10&11) - 18 November 2024
Boarding Open Evening - 19 November 2024
Whole School Open Morning - 28 November 2024
Frensham Heights is a Surrey day and boarding school with its focus firmly on the future. Since its foundation in 1925 it has sought to provide an alternative style of education based on mutual respect, tolerance and generosity of spirit that educates the whole child. Its invitation to ‘come and be you’ and insistence on inspiring each child to improve themselves – in any way – is a pleasure to see. With no uniform and pupils on first name terms with their teachers, we love the less formal, more progressive educational ethos here – one that celebrates children in the most holistic way possible, and brilliantly prepares them for a world beyond school.
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Great Ballard, Chichester
Open Morning - 08 March 2025
Open Morning - 17 May 2025
Set just outside Chichester, this relatively new senior is the result of the organic growth of Great Ballard prep. Clever marketing, happy prep-school parents and word of mouth have resulted in a real buzz and demand for the senior school, which has helped the school double in size over the past 18 months. Ringed by the bucolic South Downs National Park, pupils make full use of their rural location – and in the classroom, they follow a forward-thinking curriculum packed with leadership, problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills.
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Heathfield School, Ascot
Open Morning - 14 March 2025
Open Morning - 17 May 2025
‘The merit of one is the honour of all’ is the school motto here – and there is certainly much to be merited at Heathfield. Cast aside any preconceptions you may have, and prepare to be bowled over, Heathfield hits that rare sweet spot of being small enough to give every girl individual attention, and large enough to offer a full school experience in terms of academic options and co-curricular opportunities, whilst offering an astounding amount of flexibility to families. In her short time at the helm, Sarah Rollings has completely re-invigorated this outstanding school, placing pupil well-being and value-added achievement at the forefront of the unashamedly girls-first ethos, and introducing a stunning new sixth form centre, transforming the A-level experience.
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Hurstpierpoint College, Hassocks
Open Morning - 08 October 2024
This unashamedly academic school nestled in the beautiful Sussex countryside has a real wow factor, with wonderful architecture and grounds that stretch over 140 acres. Ambitious for all its pupils to be the best they can be, there’s a Challenge Grade system that involves each individual being set a personal target so they compete with themselves, not a whole cohort. A warm and friendly community, with boundless opportunities to try new things – from journalism to sailing – means children are happy and stimulated. ‘You have to work hard,’ one told us, ‘but every day is different and you can have a go at everything.’ With the prep on the same site too, it offers an excellent all-through education, with a popular weekly boarding system in the college that sees pupils go home for weekends.
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Lancing College, Lancing
Year 9 Open Day - 12 October 2024
Year 9 Open Day - 16 November 2024
From the beautiful architecture and grounds to the pupils striding purposefully across quads on their way to lessons, Lancing College seems to have the playbook of an Oxford college. But while the environment feels awe-inspiring, it’s also refreshingly unflashy, with no sense of entitlement or privilege, just the love of learning, working hard and being part of a supportive community underpinning its solid foundation. It's an impressive school that surprisingly flies under the radar – but we suspect that won’t be the case for long.
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Marymount International School London, Kingston Upon Thames
IB Open Evening - 14 October 2024
This unique offering in Kingston upon Thames (it’s the first all-girls school in the country to adopt the IB from Middle Years to Diploma) is full of laughter and hard work, says its head Margaret Giblin who tells us ‘students become the best version of themselves’. Girls hail from over 55 countries creating a great cultural mix and truly global outlook. Results exceed worldwide averages and pupils stride off confidently to the likes of LSE, Imperial College and Ivy League institutions.
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Mayfield School, Mayfield
Virtual Open Morning - 08 October 2024
In the words of the newly appointed head Deborah Bligh, Mayfield School helps to shape its pupils but does not seek to change them: ‘A Mayfield girl’s voice has real value.’ Integrity, compassion and joy anchor the pupils, and it’s clearly evident in the close bonds between the girls and with staff. Pastoral care is spot on, academics are impressive and the setting is idyllic. It’s no wonder it’s one of the UK’s leading all-girls Catholic schools.
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Radley College, Abingdon
Open Day - 12 October 2024
Open Day - 09 November 2024
Open Day - 30 November 2024
Open Day - 08 February 2025
Open Day - 15 March 2025
Open Day - 26 April 2025
Steeped in tradition but not stuck in the past, it’s hard not to be bowled over by Radley. It’s hugely impressive with its glorious grounds, Who’s Who list of alumni and peerless opportunities offered to all who go there. It’s no wonder parents rush to register their sons’ names on the famous Radley List at birth. But while it maintains its all-boys, full-boarding model, this is no hallowed ground institution preserved in aspic – today’s pupils are as passionate about robotics as they are about debating, access has widened with more fully-funded places and scholarships, and innovation continues to thrive under the steady hand of John Moule who’s now led the school for a decade. It’s safe to say that the days of Radley being seen as a bit stuffy and stuck in the past are well and truly over.
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Shiplake College, Henley-on-Thames
Sixth Form Open Event 10:00 - 13:00 - 12 October 2024
Whole School Open Event 09:00 - 12:00 - 22 March 2025
Selective but aimed at a broad range of abilities, Shiplake College is an authentic and unpretentious place that takes a holistic approach to educating ‘good eggs’. Until now, girls had only been able to join in the sixth form, but the exciting news is that as of September 2023, the school is now fully co-ed, welcoming them from Year 7.
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St George's Ascot, Ascot
Open Morning - 08 October 2024
Open Morning - 05 November 2024
Open Morning - 03 December 2024
‘I feel like I am at the centre of my own story,’ says one pupil at this all-girls’ day and boarding school. It’s a ringing endorsement at a time when so many young girls struggle to navigate their own path in a noisy world. We were struck by how at ease all the girls are across the year groups; it’s a superbly supportive community. And while the school is small, horizons are huge, with girls exceeding expectations in and out of the classroom – taking the lead in clubs, becoming ‘Googlie’ mentors (the school is one of 14 in the country to be awarded Google reference school status) and learning how to make an impact by matching their passions with assertiveness. It really feels like the sky’s the limit here, with the Georgian girls soaring.
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St James Senior Boys' School, Ashford
Open Morning - 16 October 2024
Open Morning - 06 November 2024
This boys-only school in Ashford, Surrey takes a holistic approach to education, with a focus on philosophy, wellbeing and individualised learning. The end result is well-rounded young men who have been encouraged to work outside their comfort zone and grow as learners, as well as people. It’s also the only school in the country to offer Sanskrit to GCSE; head David Brazier believes that ‘the world certainly needs such Renaissance men’ – and St James certainly produces them.
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Sutton Valence School, Maidstone
Open Day - 09 November 2024
This co-ed school in the picturesque Kent countryside has a work hard, play hard attitude. All-through in the truest sense of the term (the nursery and prep are a mere 800m away), it offers acres of green space, a holistic approach to academics and pastoral care, and an uplifting, joyful mindset. In the words of head James Thomas: ‘It’s a great package: cracking staff, motivated pupils in a beautiful environment, good grades and exhausted kids at the end of the week.’ You couldn’t ask for more.
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The Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover
Open Morning - 12 October 2024
Day Boarding Launch Event - 15 October 2024
Open Morning - 16 November 2024
Open Morning - 30 November 2024
Open Morning - 07 December 2024
Open Morning - 11 January 2025
Open Morning - 18 January 2025
Open Morning - 25 January 2025
Open Morning - 01 February 2025
Open Morning - 08 February 2025
Set in an expansive 150-acre campus five minutes from the White Cliffs of Dover, The Duke of York’s Royal Military School is a majestic-looking state boarding school with a rich history.
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The Marist School, Ascot
VI Form Open Evening - 08 October 2024
Principal's Reception - 18 October 2024
Academics are top-notch, sports teams are embarrassingly successful, girls are articulate, kind and thoughtful and the extracurricular programme boasts 97 activities – there’s little doubt that The Marist is, to quote parents and teachers alike, going from strength to strength.
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Tonbridge School, Tonbridge
Junior Foundation Award Open Morning (Year 9 Only) - 12 October 2024
Mini Open Morning - 12 November 2024
Mini Open Morning - 05 December 2024
It is with experience, passion and rigour that we strive to get under the skin of a school and help parents understand why they would send their children there. But at Tonbridge School, we have simply been left wondering ‘Why wouldn’t they?’ Academically astounding yet highly emotionally intelligent; big on community spirit; filled to the brim with a wonderfully refreshing mix of pupils; and faultless at turning out charming boys ready to tackle an ever-changing world, Tonbridge sets itself apart from the rest.
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