Education special
High spirits at Beaudesert
village’s renowned arboretum, lies Westonbirt School, an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18. Since being converted from
a stately home in 1926 into a school, Westonbirt has grown a reputation that extends far beyond Gloucestershire. There is a £3m sports centre on site (which is also professionally run as a sports centre for locals) and recently built accommodation for 6th Form boarders. And as well as the compulsory six core GCSEs and the European Computer Driving Licence, there are also 14 optional GCSEs such as drama, food and nutrition, and latin. Every pupil is treated as an
individual and there are extra opportunities for those who need more support. Girls in the top 10 per cent are also offered the opportunity to join additional classes and activities to provide extra stimulus. Plus, students from overseas can receive extra coaching from an expert English language training department on site.
Beaudesert Park School was once the summer palace of the Bishop of Gloucester
Exam results speak for
themselves: in 2011 A Level pass rates were 42 per cent between A* and A, and 87 per cent A* to C. At GSCE 61 per cent of girls achieve A* or A grades. Extra curricular activities include everything from fencing to wakeboarding, art to ballet, charity work to debating. The school is also one of only a
handful in the UK with the licence to run the Leith’s Basic Certificate in Food and Wine, and it offers polo classes at nearby Beaufort Polo Club. In terms of facilities there is a careers centre, a chapel, golf course, a range of libraries, and more. Class sizes rarely exceed 20 and A Levels classes on average stay in single figures. There is also Rose Hill Westonbirt School and Nursery within the grounds for 3-11-year-olds. Fees: £16,050 to £29,970 a year. Open days: Saturday 12 May from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Contact:Westonbirt School, Westonbirt •
www.westonbirt.gloucs.sch.uk
Beaudesert Park
School Catering for girls and boys aged 3-13, Beaudesert Park School (a former summer palace for the Bishop of Gloucester) is set amongst 30 acres of grounds on the edge of Minchinhampton Common. Small class sizes and high-quality teaching has lead to academic success – a recent ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) report found the school’s work in line with the EYFS to be “outstanding”. There is free after-school care
and it is one of the first Cotswold schools to embrace the concept of flexi-boarding, giving older children the chance to be booked in for an overnight stay at school with friends for one, two or more nights a week. There are no less than 30 different
after-school activities on offer from LegoTechnics to knitting, judo to jewellery making. Plus, the Forest School is an initiative at Beaudesert Park, where children wear wellies and waterproofs to explore the
www.mediaclash.co.uk Tetbury Life 17
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