Benenden School, Cranbrook
Open Day - 10 June 2023
13+ Open Morning - 14 June 2023
Open Day - 22 June 2023
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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Caterham School, Caterham
Virtual Open Event - 13 June 2023
Visitor Morning - 21 June 2023
With the relaxed air of a country senior and the underlying street smarts of a school so close to the capital, Caterham is an impressive hybrid. Day-, weekly- and full-boarding options add to its appeal, and its inclusive, welcoming and innovative style is an attractive proposition. Its popularity has grown steadily to a point where there are five applicants for every place available – and it’s not hard to see why.
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Cranleigh School, Cranleigh
Saturday Welcome Morning - 09 September 2023
Saturday Welcome Morning (16+ entry only) - 16 September 2023
Afternoon Visits - 26 September 2023
Saturday Welcome Morning - 07 October 2023
Afternoon Visits - 10 October 2023
Saturday Welcome Morning - 14 October 2023
Saturday Welcome Morning - 04 November 2023
Afternoon Visits - 07 November 2023
Saturday Welcome Morning - 02 December 2023
Afternoon Visits - 06 December 2023
Basking in 240 acres of leafy Surrey countryside, Cranleigh 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.
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Downe House, Thatcham
Open Day - 10 June 2023
Open Day - 09 September 2023
Information evening for Day Girls - 03 October 2023
Open Day - 11 November 2023
A top choice for families looking for the proper full-boarding experience from the get-go, Downe House combines tradition with a refreshing balance of work and play. There’s an unapologetic understanding that hard work and focus are important, but girls do very well academically as a result.
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Eastbourne College, Eastbourne
Open Evening for Sixth Form - 21 September 2023
Open Morning for Years 9-12 - 07 October 2023
Eastbourne has a best-of-both-worlds location between the South Downs and the sea – head Tom Lawson waxes lyrical about the wellbeing benefits of living by the water. Outdoorsy boys and girls run along the beach after lessons, go mountain biking over the hills and spend the summer term sailing and windsurfing.
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Frensham Heights School, Farnham
Whole School Mini Open Morning - 12 June 2023
Whole School Open Morning - 16 September 2023
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.
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Great Ballard, Chichester
Open Morning - 30 September 2023
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 will grow to encompass GCSEs by 2024 (the school currently caters for Years 7, 8 and 9).
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Heathfield School, Ascot
Open Morning - 07 October 2023
Open Morning - 15 March 2024
Open Morning - 11 May 2024
‘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 about this all-girls, Ascot-based senior and prepare to be bowled over by an unashamedly girls-first ethos which puts its pupils at the forefront.
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Holme Grange School - Eaton Grange, Wokingham
Senior School Taster Day for Year 5 - 10 June 2023
Open Day - 16 September 2023
Open Day - 02 February 2024
Open Day - 03 May 2024
Eaton Grange combines the best of a city and a country education, teaching pupils to be global citizens as well as giving them the space to grow. Its emphasis on individual care and attention means that children benefit not only from small class sizes, but also from one-on-one tutorials that give them the confidence to excel. Currently, Eaton Grange only offers education up to GCSE, but pupils are fully supported in making the move to sixth form elsewhere.
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Hurstpierpoint College, Hassocks
Open Morning (13+ entry) - 23 September 2023
Open Morning (16+ entry) - 07 October 2023
A 140-acre site near the village of Hurstpierpoint is the setting for this well-known West Sussex all-through school. First-class facilities – 1850s chapel, traditional dining room, a state-of-the-art theatre, small farm, extensive sports pitches – and top results (91.8 per cent A*-B at A-level) make this an excellent day and boarding option.
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Lancing College, Lancing
Small Group Visits for Yr 9 Entry 9.30am & 11am - 10 June 2023
Revitalised, forward-looking and full of energy, Lancing is a flexi boarding school to put firmly on your list. This isn’t an exclusive old-fashioned place oozing with entitlement and privilege – instead, tradition bends for independence, initiative and inspiration, while comparatively small pupil numbers make for a hugely welcoming atmosphere and a solid sense of family and community.
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Marymount International School London, Kingston Upon Thames
Open Event - 23 September 2023
The first all-girls school in the UK to adopt the IB curriculum – both the Middle Years and Diploma programmes – Marymount International School offers a broad-horizon education from its leafy setting in Kingston upon Thames.
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Mayfield School, Mayfield
Open Morning - 16 June 2023
A happy, successful, all-girls Catholic boarding school set in beautiful Sussex countryside, Mayfield draws families of all faiths looking for a rounded, grounded education – underpinned by strong moral values too.
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Radley College, Abingdon
Open Day - 17 June 2023
Open Day - 25 June 2023
It’s an increasingly rare commodity: an all-boys, full-boarding school with that trad British-public-school edge. Radley is one of the all-time greats, quietly getting on with the business of giving boys a solid education and fantastic opportunities. But over the past decade, there has been gentle evolution in the air. Innovation has soared, access has widened exponentially and an impressive partnerships scheme is making waves in both the local and national communities. This is a school in a league of its own – and 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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Sevenoaks School, Sevenoaks
Open Morning - 10 June 2023
Open Morning - 17 June 2023
Headmaster Jesse Elzinga arrived in September 2020 from Reading Blue Coat School, where he had a proven record of raising the academic bar. And what a hugely successful, sought-after school he is inheriting.
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Shiplake College, Henley-on-Thames
Sixth Form Open Morning - 14 October 2023
Whole School Open Morning - 18 November 2023
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 from September, the school will go fully co-ed, welcoming them from Year 7.
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St George's School, Ascot, Ascot
Sixth Form Information Evening - 21 September 2023
‘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 Swithun's School, Winchester
Senior School Open Day 9am - 24 June 2023
This all-girls senior school in Winchester has long had a reputation for being academically sound. But with efficient headmistress Jane Gandee at the helm for the past decade, it has also moved towards a more well-rounded approach that puts equal store by out-of-the-classroom activities. Results are consistently strong: last year’s leavers achieved 86 per cent A*-B at A-level and earned places at top universities such as Oxford, Bristol, Durham and Exeter. There’s a prep school for ages three to 11; the main intake for the senior school is at 11+, when places are offered to those with the potential to best keep up in lessons.
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The King's School, Canterbury, Canterbury
Open Morning (13+ Entry) - 10 June 2023
Open Morning (Sixth Form Entry) - 17 June 2023
Open Morning (Sixth Form Entry) - 16 September 2023
Open Morning (13+ Entry) - 07 October 2023
Thought to be the oldest school in the UK (it’s been around since 597AD, when St Augustine arrived to evangelise England, and was rebranded by Henry VIII in 1541 as his own school – hence the name), The King’s School, Canterbury is also one of the longest-established co-eds. It comes with an extraordinary history-steeped setting, heaps of tradition and a thrilling musical legacy (the cathedral doubles up as the school chapel) – but crucially it’s not stuck in the past. Results are superb, but there’s a much bigger point here: pupils are allowed to excel in any field they choose. This is a school, which, the head tells us, celebrates quirks and wants characters.
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The Marist School, Ascot
Open Morning - 10 June 2023
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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Thornton College, Milton Keynes
Whole School Open Morning 10am-12 noon - 30 September 2023
Meet the Head 9.30am-11am - 16 November 2023
Virtual Meet the Head (International applicants) - 16 January 2024
Meet the Head 9.30am-11am - 25 January 2024
Whole School Open Morning 10am-12 noon - 02 March 2024
Meet the Head 9.00am-10.30am - 16 May 2024
Very much an all-through school, Thornton College is one family on one site with a focus on inclusive Christian values. Girls we met were confident, chatty and exceptionally well behaved – and nurture is well and truly baked in.
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Tonbridge School, Tonbridge
Open Morning 9.30 AM - 12.30 PM - 10 June 2023
Mini Open Morning 11.10 AM - 1.00 PM - 22 June 2023
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 child there. But at Tonbridge School, we have simply been left wondering ‘why wouldn’t they?’. Academically astounding yet emotionally intelligent, with altruism running through its core, Tonbridge is the heavyweight boxing champion who doesn’t need the shiny gold belt – they just train hard and let their actions do the talking.
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Wellington College, Crowthorne
College Tour Day - 10 June 2023
College Tour Days - 23 September 2023
A progressive school at the forefront of educational innovation, Wellington was transformed by visionary head Sir Anthony Seldon and is soaring once again with James Dahl in charge. With its constant buzz, forward-facing attitude and so much for the taking, its pupils are brilliantly prepared to cope with the pressures of the modern world. There’s a palpable culture of inclusivity and ‘go-getting’ – it’s cool to be busy, and to make the most of life here, children need to be driven and willing to get involved.
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Badminton Junior School, Westbury-on-Trym
Whole School Open Morning - 30 September 2023
Junior School Open Morning - 01 February 2024
As a small, single-sex school, Badminton offers an incredible level of support from the get-go, with all girls well known individually and allowed to grow at their own pace. That’s not to say the junior school doesn’t have academic clout – it definitely does. Most pupils transfer to the senior school in Year 7, but even for those who don’t, this is a smashing launch pad.
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Cheltenham Prep School, Cheltenham
Whole School Open Morning - 14 October 2023
A thriving school with outstanding facilities of its own as well as some of the additional resources of Cheltenham College, Cheltenham Prep really does tick all the boxes. With a very visible and engaged headmaster to boot, this impressive school is surely – in the local racing parlance – a dead cert.
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Dean Close Pre-Preparatory School, Cheltenham
Open Morning - 07 October 2023
Known as the Squirrels, this pre-prep is the natural starting point for those wanting an all-through education at Dean Close. The WOW days are a neat way to top or tail a study topic, with exciting activities such as treasure hunts, detective trails or hands-on science experiments.
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Dean Close Preparatory School, Cheltenham
Open Morning - 07 October 2023
A co-ed prep with a family feel set in 50 acres near the centre of Cheltenham. Children here are championed and challenged through positive reinforcement and strong pastoral care and the school also educates the choristers of Tewkesbury Abbey as part and parcel of its offering. A pre-prep that takes children from two years old, as well as providing pupils with a seamless transition to the senior are massive boons for most – plus the expansive zoned campus gives prep pupils the best of both worlds with dedicated spaces just for them and a world of further opportunity on the doorstep.
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Godolphin Prep , Salisbury
Prep Snapshot Morning - 09 June 2023
A lovely pint-sized, pocket rocket of an all-girls prep school offering small class sizes and exemplary pastoral care. Gorgeous trademark red pinnies give a traditional feel to this down-to-earth school, where individual support is front and centre.
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Pinewood School, Shrivenham
Whole School Open Morning 10am -12.30 - 05 October 2023
We left this popular Wiltshire co-ed prep beaming from ear to ear. Pupils are cheery, outdoorsy, unsophisticated in the best possible way and there’s a sense of merriment in the air – of doing all the important things very well while not taking life too seriously. Which is exactly what prep school should be.
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Port Regis School, Shaftesbury
Pre-Prep Open Morning - 29 September 2023
Prep Open Morning - 04 November 2023
Don’t be fooled by the turreted façade of Motcombe Park, Port Regis’ magnificent Victorian red-brick home: this is no draughty, creaky old school. It’s a place that shimmers and shines; hot on manners, hard work and integrity, yet dynamic and progressive. Brilliant head Titus Mills arrived in 2021, tasked with reinvigorating Port Regis – if you’re expecting a sleepy country school, prepare to be blown away.
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Taunton Prep School , Taunton
Open Morning 09.00-12.30 - 30 September 2023
Virtual Open Morning 09.00-13.00 - 14 October 2023
Virtual Open Morning 09.00-13.00 - 27 January 2024
Open Morning 09.00-12.30 - 03 February 2024
Virtual Open Morning 09.00-13.00 - 20 April 2024
Open Morning 09.00-12.30 - 27 April 2024
Taunton Prep offers families a compelling all-through school experience, with siblings moving easily between the pre-prep, prep and senior schools with no exam pressure. The prep’s campus sits in the middle and feels spacious with its own half of a brand new dining hall and dedicated performing arts centre. The school is proudly inclusive with top-notch co-curricular credentials. A real all-rounder, it stands its ground against other competitors in the area.
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Wells Cathedral Prep School, Wells
'Be a mathematician for a day' Yrs 5 & 6 - 17 June 2023
'Be a chorister for a day' Yrs 5 & 6 - 16 September 2023
Autumn Open Morning - Whole School 10am - 07 October 2023
'Be a specialist musician for a day' 10-16yrs - 04 November 2023
Scholarships Online Q&A session 10am - 11 November 2023
For one of the oldest educational establishments in the world (founded in 909), Wells Cathedral School has a decidedly modern motto: Esto Quod Est (Be What You Are). This co-ed day and boarding all-through school is very well set up for getting the best out of every pupil, and it’s clear that the prep school – which shares the same site as its senior sibling – takes this warm, accepting attitude seriously.
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Badminton School, Bristol
Sixth Form Open Evening - 22 September 2023
Whole School Open Morning - 30 September 2023
Senior School & Sixth Form Open Morning - 23 February 2024
A small, all-girls, all-through day and boarding school from three to eighteen, where strong relationships are forged and a real culture of tolerance and respect is fostered. Badminton girls are, in the words of former head Rebecca Tear, ‘not in a rush to grow up’, but at the same time ‘empowered, passionate and independent’ – a winning combination, we’d say. This is a hugely democratic sort of place, where girls are encouraged to be proactive – and it has an air of intellectual rigour to boot.
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Canford, Wimborne
Open Morning - 07 October 2023
It’s hard not to be blown away by the grandeur of Canford, a Sir Charles Barry-designed castle in the thick of 250 acres of Capability Brown parkland. But despite all this magnificence, both school and pupils are unstuffy and flash-free. Gearing up to celebrate its centenary in 2023, this is a brilliant all-rounder that looks outside of the bubble, aces exams and turns out wonderfully grounded young men and women with a real awareness of the world around them.
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Clifton College, Clifton
6th Form Open Evening - 29 September 2023
Cross College Open Day - 30 September 2023
International Online Open Event - 07 October 2023
A flourishing pre-prep, prep and upper school that offers a seamless education all the way through from age two to 18 – and has very respectable results from its broad pupil intake.
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Dean Close School, Cheltenham
Open Morning - 07 October 2023
A fabulous educational oxymoron, Dean Close is a smallish big-hitter. With around 500 pupils, it has enough numbers to pack a punch, but it retains the family feel of its prep-school sibling. Facilities are fantastic and this is a school which seems very clear about its identity and purpose. It really is, as their strapline suggests, ‘Distinctly Dean Close’.
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Godolphin , Salisbury
Senior Snapshot Morning - 23 June 2023
This might be one of the oldest single-sex boarding schools in the country, but there’s nothing stuck in the past about this Salisbury senior where pupils are instantly recognisable by their signature blue pinny uniforms. It’s refreshingly down to earth, parents work hard to send their daughters here and greatly value the opportunities that Godolphin has to offer.
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Marlborough College, Marlborough
16+ Afternoon Visit (2024) - 07 June 2023
13+ Open Day (2027) - 10 June 2023
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. It is one of the country’s most popular co-ed, full-boarding all-rounders, and one of the very few genuinely seven-days-a-week schools left in the UK. It is incredibly popular and deservedly so, it strives to exceed its acclaim rather than resting on its reputation.
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St Mary's Calne, Calne
Open Day - 11 November 2023
Open Day - 24 February 2024
Small and nurturing, academic but not a hothouse and brimming with laidback, nicely gung-ho girls, St Mary’s Calne is, says its head, ‘the best of the British boarding school tradition – with a modern twist’. Girls are equipped with firm foundations for life, leaving armed with bucketloads of confidence and self-esteem.
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Taunton School, Taunton
Open Morning 09.00-12.30 - 30 September 2023
Virtual Open Morning 09.00-13.00 - 14 October 2023
Virtual Open Morning 09.00-13.00 - 27 January 2024
Open Morning 09.00-12.30 - 03 February 2024
Virtual Open Morning 09.00-13.00 - 20 April 2024
Open Morning 09.00-12.30 - 27 April 2024
A proudly inclusive school that excels in academics as well as co-curricular subjects, Taunton Senior School offers families a compelling all-through educational experience with children moving seamlessly from pre-prep to prep to senior school, meaning parents don’t have to worry about multiple school locations as their children move up the years. This is just one of its strengths in an area with plenty of independent schools vying for pupils.
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Wells Cathedral School, Wells
'Be a mathematician for a day' Yrs 5 & 6 - 17 June 2023
'Be a chorister for a day' Yrs 5 & 6 - 16 September 2023
Autumn Open Morning - Whole School 10am - 07 October 2023
'Be a specialist musician for a day' 10-16yrs - 04 November 2023
Scholarships Online Q&A session 10am - 11 November 2023
For one of the oldest educational establishments in the world (founded in 909), Wells Cathedral School has a decidedly modern motto: Esto Quod Est (Be What You Are). This co-ed day and boarding all-through school is well set up for getting the best out of every pupil, regardless of their talents. It’s also one of only four specialist music schools in England, and the only one to operate within the broader context of a traditional school.
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