November 7th 2024
We're delighted to share that Sherborne School is featured in The Good Schools Guide - the UK's number one school guide, helping parents in every aspect of choosing the best education for their children.
Here are some highlights from their review:
"Parents love the fact the boys can sing in the abbey, take part in CCF and be in the first XV rugby team, a member of staff told us. The boys concur and say that when they come up with bright ideas and ambitions, the school backs them to the hilt. A 16-year-old pupil became the youngest person to fly solo around the world in 2022 while another ran 100km in one day, 200km in two days and 400km in four days, raising £8,000 for Children in Need in the process".
"Classrooms range from the historic Old School Room to the ultra-sleek Pilkington labs. The revamped library, in the heart of The Courts, is stunning, with an open-timber roof and an air of quiet scholarship".
"A sixth former told us how much he enjoyed being in the fourth XV rugby team – known as The Gents because they turn up to matches in tweeds, often with a bagpiper playing. New boys play rugby for their first three or four weeks but if they decide it’s not for them they can choose something else – you name it, golf, water polo, sailing, fencing, cross-country, cycling, they can do it. ‘No boy does a sport that he doesn’t want to do,’ said a housemaster".
"Music is heavenly, with a stunning, very modern music school, a concert hall and the sound of music pouring out of windows when we arrived".
"When boys pass a wall bearing the names of Old Shirburnians killed in the First and Second World Wars on the steps up to the chapel they fall silent as a mark of respect – very moving to witness".
"Housemasters are a close-knit group and ensure that house rules and sanctions are consistent throughout the school. We visited Abbeylands, fondly known as Happylands, a boarding house in the centre of town, covered in wisteria and bearing the date 1649 above the door. Sixth formers and some year 11s get their own rooms while younger boys share (never more than five or six to a room). No year group corridors. The housemaster’s door is always open, complete with children dashing in and out, which makes the house feel like a home from home".
"Parents like the fact that the school 'isn’t snooty' and our impression was the same. ‘It’s not a cookie cutter school,’ a mother told us. ‘It’s traditional but it’s forward-thinking and embraces boys’ talents and strengths.’ The boys we met were down-to-earth, full of fun and yes, very, very busy".
"A terrific boys’ boarding school in a breathtaking golden setting. Sherborne, with its strong sense of community, good academic results and opportunities galore on all fronts, succeeds in combining the best of ancient and modern without diminishing either. Now that its close ties with Sherborne Girls are formalised, parents debating the merits of single sex versus co-ed schools for their sons reckon it offers the best of both worlds".
