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Our view of Marlborough College
With its formidable reputation as one of the country’s top public schools (it’s also one of the very few genuinely seven-days-a-week schools left in the UK), Marlborough College might be forgiven for resting on its laurels. But that’s not the Marlborough way. Recent initiatives include a new method of teaching and learning that places health and mental wellbeing at the centre of everything, while the College’s continuing drive to increase accessibility has seen a boom in
bursaries. As the inspirational head Louise Moelwyn-Hughes says: ‘We are changing the face of Marlborough College through diversity, and access is at the heart of what we do.’
Where is Marlborough College?
The hugely smart market town of Marlborough is a pretty peachy place to call home (it’s got a Space NK, a Rick Stein restaurant and the poshest branch of Waitrose outside Belgravia). Less than half an hour south of the M4, backing onto gorgeous Wiltshire countryside, the school itself sits just off the eastern end of the high street in 286 acres of grounds. Its compact centre is focused around Court, with its imposing original school buildings and gothic-style chapel.
A skip across busy Bath Road takes you to some of the boarding houses, playing fields, music and art schools and a clutch of other extensions built to keep up with the school’s growth. Having the town on the doorstep counts for a lot – it prevents cabin fever and the urge to escape to London at weekends, and locals are both pupils’ best friends and biggest critics (you can guarantee any public slips in standards will swiftly make it back to the powers-that-be). Pewsey and Swindon are the nearest train stations.
School headmistress
Louise Moelwyn-Hughes is one impressive lady. Massively understated, quietly confident, hugely approachable and self-deprecating, she clearly understands what makes people tick and has a reassuringly balanced view of the world. She has managed to combine and absolutely nail being a mother of three, a talented and motivated professional and an inspirational woman who is quicker to acknowledge the success of others than award herself the same recognition.
She initially rebuffed the invitation to apply as Master, so the College asked Mrs Moelwyn-Hughes ‘theoretically’ what she would have done if she took the job. ‘Academic ambition’ and ‘access’ were her responses – and when Marlborough agreed to wholeheartedly back her suggestions if she accepted the role, she couldn’t refuse. One of Mrs Moelwyn-Hughes’ greatest pleasures, she told us, is overhearing pupils talking about their lessons or discussing a topic they have been learning rather than just chatting about when’s the best time to get changed for sport.
When she took the reins in 2018, there were 11 pupils on full
bursaries. Since then, the number of assisted and fully subsidised places on offer has increased exponentially – there are now 44 pupils on full bursaries and 120 receiving partial ones. In April 2023, the school launched its 10-year
Marlborough Difference Campaign to offer 100 pupils 100 per cent bursaries that cover not only fees, but – if needed – uniforms, trips and any other extras. The campaign has already raised a huge £27 million. ‘The response has been extraordinary,’ says Mrs Moelwyn-Hughes, who is proud to see Marlborough leading the field in its commitment to providing an education to anyone who would thrive here. She tells us that this kind of pupil diversity is a win-win: not only does it benefit the recipients themselves, it also has a positive knock-on effect for everybody else as well – pastorally, academically and socially. It’s all about ‘how pupils treat each other and are respectful of different opinions, backgrounds, needs and cultures,’ says Mrs Moelwyn-Hughes.
Marlborough College admissions process
No two ways about it: Marlborough College is a popular place and parents will have to be on the ball. You can put your name down five years ahead of entry – and although there are a small number of places available for anyone who has left it until their child is in Year 7 or 8 before applying, the main bulk of the incoming cohort is assessed and places offered in Year 6.
Open days often attract over 100 families, so visit early. It’s also possible to book a second, more exclusive tour at a later date (don’t be daunted by the size of the school). And make sure your child is well endorsed by their current school; a significant part of the process rests on the previous head’s reference.
Prospective pupils sit a handful of assessments (they’re designed to spot tutoring, so don’t do it) and the
ISEB pre-test, before two interviews.
CE is used only for setting purposes. The academic ante has certainly been upped, but Marlborough is looking for character and all-rounders rather than academic whizz-kids. Currently more boys than girls start at 13+ due to space in the boarding houses, but another 40 or so join in sixth form, evening out the numbers. There are plenty of scholarships (which entitle the bearer access to the scholarship programme rather than any fee remission), as well as the aforementioned, impressively burgeoning bursary programme. A strong collaboration with Swindon Academy sees several pupils joining Marlborough, and the Academy’s grammar stream is supported by the College through teaching and sharing resources. Academy pupils can even have overnight stays. ‘It’s a proper partnership where both schools are learning from each other,’ says Mrs Moelwyn-Hughes.
Academics and university destinations
Academics are tip-top, but the focus is on encouragement rather than undue pressure. To that end, the school has introduced the Marlborough Mindset, a new method of teaching where health and mental wellbeing are at the heart of how pupils learn with every lesson including a mindset reference, such as sleep. It’s a fantastic amalgamation of researched and documented strategies to understand how pupils’ minds work and ways to develop the right skills and habits for independent and effective learning.
GCSEs are wide-ranging, including a choice from six languages (which are all sampled as part of a half-termly carousel in Year 9). And then it’s
A-levels all the way, with a whopping 29 to choose from and no restrictive subject-block limitations. Most students do three A-levels and an
EPQ, with subjects ranging from the design and build of a backyard BMX track to mulling over whether the UK will thrive after Brexit.
Pupils are assigned a Microsoft Surface device (which they use throughout their time at the school) to tap away on in lessons, but we were pleased to see a good old-fashioned library being well used too. The very beautiful main library sits alongside more cosy reading rooms and collaboration areas packed with interactive whiteboards, with trained librarians on hand until 9pm most evenings. Classroom work finishes early a couple of afternoons a week to make way for off-timetable extras including CCF, outreach and clubs.
Last year, for the fourth year running, average A-level grades were three As, and a whopping 97 per cent of 2023’s leavers gained places at Russell Group universities. It’s worth noting that Oxbridge applications have increased dramatically under Mrs Moelwyn-Hughes, whose reinvention of what it means to be ‘academic’ has boosted the confidence and awakened the cerebral curiosities of a number of students who wouldn’t previously have considered throwing their hat into the ring. All students are supported by a central careers-advice department that offers group and one-to-one support as early as needed.
Co-curricular at Marlborough College
Team sports rule and everyone is encouraged to represent the school, irrespective of ability. Rugby is big for the boys (we hear Radley and Teddies are the grudge matches), while girls scoop up silverware in hockey (a new ex-GB player joins as head of hockey in September), lacrosse, netball and cricket. There’s no shortage of space or playing fields, and the swanky facilities include a Wattbike studio used for rehabilitation and pre-match training, a flash hydraulic-bottom swimming pool for scuba diving and a sleek health-club-style fitness centre. Other options are fishing on the River Kennet, polo, fives, rackets and golf on the Marlborough Downs.
Co-curricular is key at Marlborough senior and this lot hardly draw breath. Budding musicians benefit from masterclasses and workshops led by eminent composers and performers. The director of music is also a professional viola player and has forged a collaboration with the Southbank Symphonia which comes to the school to play alongside the pupil orchestra and run workshops. Thesps are mentored by a director-in-residence and welcome visiting touring companies to the school’s two theatres, while art takes place in a modern, purpose-built studio, led by Edward Twohig who is a professional printmaker. It’s a popular subject with around 87 pupils taking art GCSE and up to 50 taking art and photography A-level.
There’s a strong outdoorsy tradition, with heaps of climbing, canoeing, mountain biking and clay-pigeon shooting, and expeditions to places such as Nepal, Kilimanjaro and Iceland. CCF is compulsory for a term. Clubs and societies are both academic (20th-century drama, medicine, Shakespeare) and light-hearted (racing, retro book club, tug of war) and the ‘Life after Marlborough’ lecture series is a must for sixth-formers.
Boarding at Marlborough College
Almost everyone here is a
boarder (day-pupil numbers hover below 10) and house choice is important. Think about location, aesthetics and single sex versus co-ed (some boys’ houses take girls in the sixth form, others are linked to a girls’ house via a shared lobby, but don’t panic – bedrooms are strictly off-limits). Most are clustered around Court (pros: you’re in the thick of it; cons: there’s a feeling of always being on show), while a few are further out and best suited to those who like the feeling of ‘going home’ at the end of the day.
The other main difference is that those who are further out have breakfasts and some suppers in house (everyone else eats in the cafeteria-style central dining room in Norwood Hall). Preferences are considered, but cliques avoided by keeping pupils arriving from the same prep apart.
Evenings and weekends are busy busy busy. Occasional ‘privs’ allow pupils to head home for the night on Saturday or pop out for lunch on Sunday once school commitments are done and dusted, but few take them up, usually for fear of missing out on a particularly good night in the sixth-form bar. Sundays are packed with trips, activities and house competitions.
Marlborough College community
Pastoral care is strong at Marlborough. Pupil Wellbeing Ambassadors act as triage within houses, which means ‘the pupil voice is coming through loud and clear’, says Mrs Moelwyn-Hughes. ‘This helps us to do our job as we hear what they want and how we can improve.’ There’s also an excellent tutor system and a data-recording programme where staff can log any concerns, which are then picked up by the housemaster, and the College has a Behaviour Charter that clearly sets out the expectations to pupils, so everyone knows where they stand.
Sharing their resources with the wider community is something close to Mrs Moelwyn-Hughes’ heart. Twice a week, students dedicate time to something outside their own personal development, be that reading with a local primary-school child, taking a sports-mentor course or litter picking. All are designed to imbue a sense of service that pupils will take with them when they leave.
The College has a Christian ethos but all faiths are welcome. Services are held in the beautiful gothic chapel several times a week depending on age group (fewer for the sixth form due to their other commitments), and it is also used for concerts and other musical events.
And finally....
The stellar education offered by Marlborough is second to none – and its holistic approach means pupils really blossom as people, not just academic achievers. They’re ambitious go-getters, but also kind and respectful of each other. It’s a winning combination. We all know Marlborough as the alma mater of our future Queen – but while appearing traditional on the surface, this is a school that ripples with vibrancy, vivacity and a certain amount of edge.