tatler.com Tatler Schools Guide 2020 43SOUTH EASTPUBLICTUDOR HALL
Wykham Park, Banbury
OX16 9UR
Website tudorhallschool.com
Head Wendy Griffiths, BSc, since
2005; previously Director of
Studies at St Catherine’s Bramley
Pupils 325 girls: 75 day, 250
boarding Faith C of E
Ages 11–18 Term Fees Day:
£7,600; boarding: £12,400
Oxbridge 5% Registration At
least two years before entry; £100
fee Admission CE, school’s own
exam and interview Alumnae
Annabel Heseltine, Dame Julia
Peyton-Jones
This Cotswolds haven offers a joy-
ful education for a broad church of
abilities. The whole ethos is about
maximising each individual girl’s
abilities and making the most of
their potential in a small and nur-
turing environment. ‘We moved
our daughter from a school which
won all the trophies and had all the
results, however middle of the
road girls don’t often get the op-
portunity to participate at these
type of schools. Within one term
at Tudor my daughter had played
more sport and participated in
more teams than over the last two
years at her previous school, and
she had made better friends. As a
result, her confidence and perf-
ormance has soared,’ says one very
appreciative parent. Academics
here are more than respectable
with 64 per cent 9–7 at GCSE last
year and 34 per cent of A-level stu-
dents achieving A*–A. Five per
cent win Oxbridge places, 70 per
cent head off to Russell Group
universities and the remaining few
choose diverse options including
textile design and song writing.
The new £6 million Teaching
Centre is the jewel in Tudor Hall’s
academic crown, housing core
subjects like Maths and English in
specialist classrooms with lots of
break out areas for collaborative
thinking, alongside space for more
creative options like ceramics,
photography, and food and nutri-
tion. Weekend options include
trips to London and even post-
exam spa treatments.WELLINGTON
COLLEGE
Duke’s Ride, Crowthorne,
Berkshire RG45 7PU
Website wellingtoncollege.org.uk
Head James Dahl, MA, from
September; previously Deputy Head
Pastoral & Wellbeing Pupils 1,060.
Day: 130 boys, 80 girls; boarding:
505 boys, 345 girls Faith C of E
Ages 13–18 Term Fees Day:
£10,125; boarding: £13,860
Oxbridge 9% Registration By
June of Year 5; £300 fee Admission
ISEB pre-test, school’s own exam
and interview Alumni Sebastian
Faulks, Sir Christopher Lee
PREP Head Andrew Barnard
Pupils 375 day and boarding: 196
boys, 179 girls Ages 3–13 Term Fees
Day: £6,270; boarding: £8,425
Wellington College is one of the
foremost educators in the country- innovation, energy and enthusi-
asm burst from every corner and it
is impossible not to be swept up in
its magnetism. The pupils, while
high achieving across the board,
are happy and well-rounded. Set in
410 acres, Wellington has every
first-class facility imaginable, in-
cluding an award-winning per-
forming arts centre nicknamed the
‘Wooden O’. Academics continue
to soar: 60 per cent of last year’s
A-level candidates achieved A*–A
and this year’s IB results were
record-breaking with an average of
40 points and seven pupils scoring
the maximum 45. ‘Our IB students
have all thrived and flourished
studying this superb curriculum
and will now go on to a broad
range of leading institutions,’ says
a very proud Deputy Head Aca-
demic Matt Oakman. For those
applying to US universities, they
can sit their SATs at the College
and, in a pioneering move, stu-
dents will soon be able to sit their
ACTs there too. Nothing stands
still here: ebullient Head Julian
Thomas has now departed and
Wellington stalwart James Dahl is
the new Master. Applicants would
do well to listen to Mr Dahl in the
Tatler Talks Education podcast in
which he shared some admissions
secrets. Resilience seems to be an
important quality, with the annual
‘Maniacs Competition’, which sees
hundreds of brave Wellingtonians
dive into the icy outdoor pool;
‘Kinsgleys’, a mass staff and student
run followed by a dip in the
college’s Swan Lake; and the Open
Water Swimming Club, which sets
off in relay across the Channel.WINCHESTER
COLLEGE
College Street, Winchester
SO23 9NA
Website winchestercollege.org
Head Dr Tim Hands, PhD, since
2016; previously Master of
Magdalen College School Pupils
680 boarding boys Ages 13–18
Term Fees £13,903 Oxbridge
32% Registration Three years
before entry; £375 fee Admission
ISEB pre-test, school’s own exam
and interview Alumni Anthony
Trollope, Oswald Mosley, George Nash
Asked to choose his favourite
teacher, one pupil gave a typically
Wykehamist response: ‘Mr Sparkes,
my Global Perspectives teacher. He
has such an interesting past
as a diplomat to a number of
countries, and that experience
brings new insight into the class.’
Yes, boys here live up to their
reputation as notoriously quirky,
whip-smart and independently
minded. Alongside the firm focus
on academia, politics and current
affairs, students engage in a huge
range of extracurriculars. There
is sport every afternoon and a
yearly highlight – the Winchester
College Football match (‘our
combination of football and rugby,
likened to an English bulldog
playing with a ball,’ a pupil
explains). The arts are taken equally
seriously: last year saw the arrival of
resident artist Jesse Leroy Smith,
and the drama department is strong,
with many boys displaying a flair
for directing. There has been a
surge of interest in the natural
world and, under staffer Nick
Baker (a notable English naturalist),
students work alongside the
Zoological Society of London’s
conservation department. ‘Win-
chester College boys and alumni
are defined by our motto,
“Manners Makyth Man,”’ says
Director of Communications Jenny
Michalczuk. ‘The qualities that
inspire us are character, conversa-
tion, curiosity, foresight and
leadership. Those parents and
boys who visit Winchester are
able to see each of these wonder-
ful qualities in action.’ ]STOWE SCHOOL10-19-Schools-Guide-PublicSouthEast.indd 43 14/08/2019 22:16