St Swithun’s School: Reviews Rankings, Fees and More

Welcome to our guide on St Swithun’s School. The school is renowned for fostering a tight-knit community of young women who consistently provide one another with unwavering support and motivation. Situated just a brief 15-minute stroll from Winchester town, the school enjoys an advantageous location, offering both a rich experiential environment and convenient access to amenities. St Swithun’s presently boasts an enrolment of more than 500 students, comprising 40% boarders. Among the boarders, 20% partake in weekly boarding arrangements, while the remaining 16% hail from a diverse array of 17 different countries, contributing to the school’s international and inclusive atmosphere.

St Swithun’s School Guide and Review

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Table of Contents

Summary Of School

  • Type of school: Girls
  • Age range: 11-18
  • Pupils: 515
  • Boarders: 42%
  • Fees: £14,217 per term
  • 2023 A Level Results: 60.8% A*/A
  • 2023 GCSE Results: 80.4% A*/A

Overview

The motto of St Swithun’s is Caritas, Humilitas, Sinceritas which is Latin for Charity, Humility, Sincerity. St Swithun’s School vision is to develop strong, independent women based on their motto which can be seen in the attitudes of its students. In 2019, the school celebrated its 135th anniversary. The history of St Swithun’s has become a story which reflects the community spirit in Winchester as St Swithun’s is known for helping young girls reach their full potential, be it academically or behaviorally.

St Swithun's School Courses & Programmes

GCSE

The compulsory subjects are English, Mathematics, at least two of three sciences, and a minimum of one modern foreign language. Foreign languages available are French, German and Spanish.

A Level

Students have the freedom of picking their subject combinations based on their desired choice of university, degree course and career. However, subject choices depend on the availability within the timetable.

St Swithun's School Application Deadline

St Swithun’s School Application Deadline

Entry points

Deadline

Prep School

Before September in the entry year

11+

By summer of the child’s year 5

13+

Registered during child’s year 6 and pre-tested in their year 7

16+ (Sixth Form)

By the end of September of the year before the proposed entry.

St Swithun's School 2023 Rankings

According to our 2023 GCSEs League Table, the school is now standing at the 71st spot in the country. 

St Swithun's 2023 Results

St. Swithun’s cohort did exceedingly well in 2023, maintaining the school’s excellent results.

St Swithun’s A Level Results 2023

The school’s A Levels pupils scored 60.8% A*/As this year

St Swithun’s GCSE Results 2023

At the same time, their GCSE students did extremely well, scoring an astounding 80.4% 9-7 this year.

St Swithun's School Fees 2023/24

The following are St. Swithun’s school fees per term for the academic year of 2022/23.

Prep School:

Preschool

£4,414 per term

Reception, Years 1 & 2

£4,414 per term

Years 3-6

£5,854-£5,938 per term

Co-curricular activities/clubs

From £35 per term

Supervised prep/After school club

£5 per hour

Breakfast club

£5 per session

*Registration fee of £75 is non-refundable.

*Deposit £500 (£250 is offset against the 1st term’s fees and the remaining £250 is deducted from the final term’s fees.)

Senior School:

Boarder

£14,217 per term

Day girl

£8,452 per term

Registration fee

£250

Deposit**

For 11+ entry deposit of £1000 is required in March

For 13+ entry deposit of £3,200 is required by 31 January of the year preceding entry

For 16+ entry a deposit of £5,000 is required to be paid by 31 January of the year preceding entry once the offer has been accepted.

**The deposit is offset against the first term fees barring £500 which will be returned after payment of the final term’s fees and any extras.

*Parents of non-EU citizens are required to make payment of the first year’s fees in the spring term before entry.

Bursaries and scholarships such as music scholarships and sports scholarships are awarded to those who qualify. 

St Swithun's School Entry Requirements

Nursery/Reception Classes

No formal assessment. As long as the child can access the curriculum.

Year 1-3

Entry is at the head’s discretion based on student’s latest school report, assessment results and educational psychology report

Year 4-5

Applicants are required to sit for CAT4

11+

Applicants are required to pass CE before admission.

Students from St Swithun’s prep school prior to year 5 are eligible for internal transfer process

13+

Pre-test during pupils’ year 7

16+

Overseas candidates are required to register with UKiset.

Child’s most recent school report needs to be emailed before filling out the application.

St Swithun's School Reviews

Parent of Year 5 pupil
5/5

“The school is one of the most prestigious in the country being the number two all-girls school after Wycombe Abby, so as you can expect your friend’s daughter will feel a little bit of pressure from the school especially in the older years. The teachers are lovely and some of them I would say are the best I have ever come across!”

Jenny K.
5/5

“Academics here is rigorous, but I’ve got a lot to thank St. Swithun’s for. If I hadn’t enrolled here, I don’t know that I would be challenged to do my best the way I was here. I am also thankful for my experience as a boarder, I think in this aspect I would be ready for university. The people here are great, especially the teachers. I could not have done it without them.”

University of Oxford student
5/5

“The academic program at St. Swithuns is very good, the focus is very much on academic work from the start.”

Kristie Poon
5/5

“St Swithun’s takes in students of every background and brings out the best in them, without ever compromising what makes them unique.”

Maria Solovyeva
5/5

“This is where I built life-long friendships and spent some of the most memorable moments.”

St Swithun's School Accommodation

Year 7 pupils who plan to board in campus will have the benefit of St Swithun’s ‘Sevens’ program. This program ensures friendships with other year groups and also the the support of older and younger girls give boarder some sense of dynamics of family life. 

St Swithun’s School offers:

Weekly Boarding

Weekly boarding allows the girls to participate in an exceedingly wide selection of activities and complete their homework in school during the week, which ensures quality time spent with their families within the weekend. A bus service is provided from St Swithun’s School to London on every Friday evening and a return journey on Sunday.

Full Boarding

There is a diverse range of activities on and off site on weekends. Facilities like the swimming pool, art studio, library and fitness suite are open for boarders to use. St Swithun’s School has a weekend program for both day girls and boarders. The weekend program consists of a co-curriculum program of 45 clubs and activities which runs on weekends. Full boarders are permitted to stay with friends or relatives on the weekends if they wish.

The boarding houses are responsible for looking after the girls and this creates a powerful sense of belonging and mutual support. There are many inter-house competitions such as lacrosse, swimming, public speaking and drama which strengthens house allegiance.

Boarding houses:

  • Le Roy Junior Boarding House For L4 (Year 7)
  • Senior Boarding Houses For U4 (Year 8) To L6
  • Finlay Upper-Sixth Boarding House

Pastoral care is additionally provided which helps the girls to be healthy, both physically and mentally. The boarding house staff are trained to work with young people and ensure the girls have a balance between their studies, relaxation and challenges.

St Swithun's School Student Services And Extra-Curricular Activities

Clubs and Societies

Clubs and societies meetings are held regularly as part of the school’s after-school program. Pupils are expected to commit to an after-school activity of their choice for one term. This includes societies of a varied range of subjects such as biology, linguistics and debating.

For full boarders, the school offers numerous activities so that the girls can try out new experiences and learn time management. There are different activities organized each week, for example, an art workshop and golf.

Another stimulating point would be that the school has organized major overseas expeditions that last for four weeks. In the past, various expeditions have brought the team to Kenya, Tanzania, Malaysia and Uganda.

Socializing

St Swithun’s create different opportunities for the girls to socialize with other school pupils. Students from St Swithun’s often co-produce music and drama performances with other schools. Bands and spectators from various schools are invited twice a year to participate in a rock concert in the performing arts center. Other socializing activities include ballroom dancing with Winchester College, roller discos with a local boys’ school and informal socials such as pizza dinner out and bowling afternoon.

Sports

Each girl is enrolled into the Team Orange Performance Program which provides guidance for each girl to reach her full potential as athletes. There are teachers who specialize in the physiological aspects of sport and coaches who will train the girls about the various technical skills involved in a sport. Visiting trainers and speakers are brought in to advice and help the girls achieve more.

St Swithun's School Contact Information

Apply For St. Swithun's School

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