66 Tatler Schools Guide 2020 tatler.comNORTH & SCOTLANDPUBLICSTRATHALLAN
SCHOOLthrough fantastic internship oppor-
tunities. Sedbergh is well-known
for sporting success: it is one of the
top rugby schools in the country,
the U18 cricket team are national
champions, 90 pupils have repre-
sented their country in eight sports
in the past decade, and the new
Hirst Sports Centre even includes
spinning facilities. Thirty five
sports, 60 activities and 20 aca-
demic societies – from shooting to
investment group – engender a
‘get stuck in’ attitude. Academics
are equally strong: A-level results
are up four and a half per cent on
2017 and a number of students
secured Oxbridge places. ‘A school
that encourages you to be at
the top of your game,’ says one
delighted parent, who believes that
Sedbergh offers the best bang for
your buck in the North.STRATHALLAN
SCHOOL
Forgandenny, Perthshire
PH2 9EG
Website strathallan.co.uk Head
Mark Lauder, MA, since 2017;
previously Head of Ashville College,
Harrogate Pupils 522. Day: 114
boys, 88 girls; boarding: 187 boys,
133 girls Ages 9–18 Term Fees
Day £7,844; boarding £11,550
Oxbridge Occasional Registration
At least one year before entry; £100
fee Admission School’s own exam
Alumni JJ Chalmers, swimmer
Duncan Scott, historianTessa Dunlop
PREP Head Mark Lauderbeyond the classroom that has the
greatest appeal. Students eagerly
await house singing and the
‘phenomenal’ theatre productions,
in which every pupil is encouraged
to get involved on stage or behind
the scenes. Meanwhile, those with
artistic talents have their work
exhibited in the gallery space, often
alongside work by local artists.
Whether its singing in the Veneto,
volunteering in Swaziland or stud-
ying politics in Washington DC,
St Peter’s school trips exemplify the
enviable opportunities open to
these hard-working students.SEDBERGH
SCHOOL
Sedbergh, Cumbria LA10 5HG
Website sedberghschool.org
Head Andrew Fleck, MA, since
2010; previously Head of Ashville
College, Harrogate Pupils 550.
Day: 6 boys, 8 girls; boarding: 327
boys, 209 girls Faith C of E Ages
13–18 Term Fees Day: £8,305;
boarding: £11,280 Oxbridge 4%
Registration Two years before
entry; £125 fee Admission School’s
own exam, interview and previous
school’s report Alumni Rugby players
Will Carling and Will Greenwood,
screenwriter Simon Beaufoy
PREP Head Will Newman
Pupils 210 day and boarding: 112
boys, 98 girls Ages 3–13 Term Fees
Day: £5,395; boarding: £7,970
Sedbergh’s idyllic setting in the
Yorkshire Dales, close to the Lake
District National Park, lends itself
to an ‘all-round’ education as one
of the few 24/7 boarding schools
left in the country. A family spirit
pervades with no fixed exeats but
social gatherings and fixtures
aplenty, allowing parents to visit
regularly as most live within a
three-hour drive. Boarding houses
play an important role in the
school’s culture with meals served
in-house to cultivate a cohesive
ethos and cross-year relationships.
‘The older years provide great sup-
port and guidance for the younger
pupils,’ reports an insider. The Old
Sedberghian Society is ‘a credit to
the school’, helping students to
realise their career aspirationsWITHINGTON GIRLS’
SCHOOL
Wellington Road, Fallowfield,
Manchester M14 6BL
Websit e wgs.org Head Sarah
Haslam, BA, since 2016; previously
Deputy Head Pupils 560 day girls
Ages 11–18 Term Fees £4,465
Oxbridge 18% Registration
By December of year before entry;
£50 fee Admission School’s own
exam and interview
Alumnae Designer Sarah Burton,
playwright Julia Britton
PREP Head Bridget Howard
Pupils 155 day girls Ages 7–11
Term Fees £3,414
‘A lot of people think we’re “working
machines”, but this is not the case,’
implores one Withy girl. Indeed,
this Manchester day school does
consistently churn out some of the
best academic results in the country
(2018’s A-levels saw 43 per cent A*
grades), but they’re a dynamic and
multi-talented bunch: four Year 8
students are taking part in a GCHQ
initiative to get girls into cyber-
security, lunchtime activities such as
fencing are as popular as ever and,
for the third year running, the girls
reached the final of the Independent
Schools Netball Cup. ‘Withington
provides an environment for the
girls to enjoy their intelligence,’ says
one parent, and state-of-the-art
facilities too it seems. The Sport and
Fitness Centre is the talk of the town
while the tech-clad science labs are
rumoured to blow the University of
Manchester’s out of the water.
Individuality is keenly celebrated, as
shown by the girl who answered ‘I
have my own style’, when asked
about school trends. ‘Caring
and conscientious’ Head Sarah
Haslam emphasises the school’s
founding principles – respect for
self, respect for others and personal
responsibility – with no academic
prizes and few rules and regulations
which, perhaps contrary to
expectation, produces saintly and
highly successful girls. After all, who
needs rewards when trips to St
Petersburg, the school’s famous
chocolate fudge cake and numerous
Oxbridge offers (16 in 2018) are
there for the taking? (Pupils 88 day and boarding: 46
boys, 42 girls Ages 9–13 Term Fees
Day: £5,145; boarding: £8,243
‘We were struck by the number of
young, fit staff who make excellent
role models for our children,’ one
parent says of Strathallan, a popular
co-ed set in 150 acres of Perthshire
countryside. With just 525 pupils
(49 per cent boarders), Strathallians
hail from across the UK and the
world, forging a diverse commu-
nity (Wednesdays are for national
dress, be it a kilt or lederhosen).
Head and ‘force of nature’ Mark
Lauder is committed to holistic
education, balancing a ‘CEO-style’
strategy with a healthy dose of flex-
ibility – he’s been known to cancel
lessons if the weather calls for ski-
ing. Lauder is heavily involved in
each pupil’s GCSE mock feedback
and UCAS applications and even
has his own piper (comes with the
job). Parents praise the school’s
knack for helping each student to
discover their talents and for its
ethos of inclusivity: everyone up to
the fifth form is given the opportu-
nity to represent the school at
sport, which is particularly impres-
sive when you consider that one in
10 pupils represent their country
at sport and four joined Team GB
at the 2018 Commonwealth
Games. It’s unsurprising that 90
per cent stay put for sixth form,
securing solid results (70.5 per
cent A–C at A-level in 2018) and
making the most of the roster of
music, clubs, trips and socials.10-19-Schools-Guide-PublicNorthScotland.indd 66 14/08/2019 23:58