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Experience the inspirational at Westonbirt School

Westonbirt provides a holistic education, with an emphasis on encouraging and inspiring our children to become the best versions of themselves.  We help them to discover, develop and nurture their talents – wherever these lie – and then celebrate them.

In the Senior school, our scholarships scheme recognises excellence across academia, art, drama, music and sport, promoting ambition and leadership within each scholar’s chosen field.  In addition, our Performance Pathway complements this, encouraging students to develop a growth mindset and achieve their potential.  

Inspirational stories abound in all aspects of the curriculum and co-curricular programmes across both Prep and Senior; but are also prevalent in other areas of school life: community, citizenship, leadership and fairness.  

Academic

We provide our academic scholars and those on our academic performance pathway with the tools and opportunities to become independent thinkers and learners, developing a thirst for and love of learning that goes well beyond school.   

Our students achieve well; in 2023, 41% of A Level/BTEC grades achieved were at A-A*. They go on to great university destinations, progressing to institutions such as Oxford, Nottingham (medicine) Edinburgh, Birmingham and other Russell Group universities.  In Prep, our Year 6 leavers secure their school place of choice.  Our 2023 ISA inspection found that “pupils often exceed their predicted grades” and the same “positive achievement is true of pupils in Prep and Pre-prep.”

Senior students regularly complete and achieve across Maths challenges; Science Olympiads and succeed in national essay competitions. This year students won Silver and Gold Certificates in the ISA Essay competition. They are also involved in exciting and applied academic initiatives such as a research project with the University of Bath and the organisation of the annual Westonbirt Flower Show.

We also offer a wide and diverse co-curricular programme in Senior and 34 different after school clubs in Prep.

Explore our results and destinations
Find out more about our scholarships
Find out more about our Performance Pathway

Sport

With extensive space and wonderful facilities, including a pool and nine-hole golf course, Westonbirt enjoys an enviable reputation for successful team and individual performances across a wide variety of sports.  Teams have won ISA national championships in cricket and rugby, whilst individual students have: won ISA national swimming, athletics and cross country medals; been selected to represent England and Italy in lacrosse; Gloucestershire in athletics; won gold medals in county athletics championships; been selected for country cricket places;  won the Global Karting League regional winter championship; and more.

Individual Prep pupils have also: competed in IAPS National Finals for swimming; ISA Finals for cross country; won a bronze and gold medal in the IAPS National Triathlons; been signed by Forest Green Rovers Football Club; been selected for the Great Britain Racing team for the Sailing World Championships; run the London Mini-Marathon; and secured equestrian success in regional shows amongst other achievements!

A former Westonbirt student has gone on to represent Team GB in the U18 European Athletics Championships 2024 and another has secured a football scholarship to a university in the US.

Find out more about our sports programme.
Read about the World Lacrosse 2024 Women’s U20 Championship here.

Drama and Performance

The Orangery at Westonbirt offers a great theatre space and our students certainly deliver in terms of creativity, determination and talent.  Recent performances include ‘Grease (School Edition)’, ‘Our Country’s Good’, ‘Frozen Jr’ and in Prep, ‘Oliver Jr’.  Students compete in local drama competitions such as the Mid-Somerset Festival and Cheltenham Festival; drama students appear at the Edinburgh Fringe; and this year 100% of Prep pupils who took LAMDA exams achieved the highest grade, Distinction.

 

Art and Music

Westonbirt School is rich with art and musical talent.  From classical to contemporary, our Music Performance Pathway embraces a spectrum of genres, allowing students to explore their musical interests and develop their unique voice.   

 Recent inspirational performances include a ‘Magic of the Movies’ concert; ‘Folk Night;’ and the annual Carol Concert at Malmesbury Abbey.  Students were also invited to perform at the King’s private residence, Highgrove House. 

 Our Art Performance Pathway celebrates creativity, innovation and self-expression and fosters a deep appreciation of aesthetics and originality.   Recent student accolades include recognition in ISA national competitions for the Sketchbook and Digital Art categories.  Staff members act as moderators for exam boards and art scholars exhibit in ISA and regional exhibitions.  

 Leavers have secured university places for art, photography and design courses, with destinations including Edinburgh (Graphic Design; History of Art); University of the Arts, London (Fashion Photography); and Falmouth College of Arts (Fashion Design). Alumni roles in the art world include jewellery design; art gallery director; and head of an auction house.

Discover more about the Highgrove music performance.

Staff

Our highly-qualified and experienced teaching and support staff across both schools also provide inspiration for the community through their own achievements.  Head Natasha Dangerfield will take up the role of Chair of the ISA for 2024-5 as well as retaining her role as President of England Lacrosse.  Several of our sports staff are former professional athletes and have represented their country at competitive level. 

One staff member, Charlotte Butterfield is also an author, with her most recent novel featured by the Times as one of the ‘7 best popular fiction novels of 2023’. Another was shortlisted for a TES award, whilst others are invited to speak at conferences on developments in teaching.  

Community

At Westonbirt, we try hard to ensure that values in our lives are important to all and we underpin our education and activity with the following characteristics: courage, communication, confidence, resilience, respect and kindness.  Students have provided inspirational examples of these; some overcoming personal barriers in order to achieve, others displaying respect, kindness and inspiration to their peers and younger pupils through prefect bodies, chapel wardening and peer supports, and some undertaking fundraising, voluntary or service work for the wider community.

Our annual Speech Day provides awards for students displaying each of these six characteristics.  An alumni award, the June Jacobs Award for Social Justice is also awarded to pupils who have taken action to stand up for the rights of oppressed or minority groups.

 

Interested in finding out more?

We’d always recommend a visit to Westonbirt Prep and Senior in order to experience the inspirational for yourself and find out what makes our school so special. 

Why not visit our autumn Open Mornings; these take place on Friday 4th October (Prep) and Saturday 5th October (Senior)? Alternatively, you can book an individual visit. We’d love to welcome you in person. 

Book a place at our Open Morning.
Book an individual visit.