Sherborne Girls A GSG School

Sports

Equestrian centre or equestrian team - school has own equestrian centre or an equestrian team.

Fencing

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2018, Dr Ruth Sullivan BSc MSc PGCE PhD, formerly deputy master at Haileybury and a variety of teaching and pastoral posts at independent schools up and down the land (Queen’s Chester and Glenalmond among others) before that. Dr Sullivan grew up in London but escaped to the country – well, Sherborne anyway – for her sixth form years: yes, she now heads the school she attended. Fond memories of her sixth form years at Sherborne – ‘I just flew!’ – and clearly the magic has not worn off. ‘I love every aspect of the school,’ she told us. Some years after her geography degree from Edinburgh, Dr Sullivan returned to academia to do a doctorate in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine but her self-confessed love of educating kids and empowering girls brought her back to teaching.

Superwomen come in many guises and this one rocks a print dress, lipstick pink sling-backs (cue immediate shoe envy), exuberantly curly hair and the smiliest demeanour we have ever seen. Time outside school is spent training for physically demanding pursuits such as Iron(wo)man and half marathons (she runs several a year) and in school holidays, travelling to interesting corners of the globe. By her own admission, she is driven; ‘I like to be mentally and physically challenged and stimulated,’ she said. Her students describe her as ‘intense, energetic, a lark not an owl’ and as having a very cute dog. And the parents? ‘We’re blown away!’ one gushed, but all we spoke to appreciated her warmth, visibility, the amount she knows about each of her students (eg who has brothers at the boys’ school and who they are) and her approachability. ‘She should be a little remote and intimidating’ was the sole comment which damped down her otherwise outstanding approval rating.

Entrance

Entry points at year 7 or the bulk at year 9, depending on the junior/prep school (mostly fairly local). Though Sherborne Prep and Hanford now belong to the same foundation, transfer is not automatic. The process starts in year 6 for both age groups, with assessment days or weekends and boarding tasters. No 11-plus or Common Entrance: here it’s online testing in English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, plus creative comprehension and problem solving, devised for the school by Atom, a national provider; lots of online resources and practice material. Everyone is interviewed and 13+ girls will be observed doing a group creative activity.

At sixth form, around 20 join: hopefuls sit a general paper alongside one relating to probable A level subject(s), plus a group activity, eg debating. Offers are not conditional on GCSE grades but more detail would be helpful.

Exit

About 10 leave after GCSEs, occasional leavers at other points, eg to co-eds such as flashier Marlborough or to more academic pastures. Upper sixth leavers go on to a wide range of institutions, both here and abroad, to pursue a variety of courses, academic and creative, including art schools and music conservatoires. ‘I love the fact that some leave to work as chefs aboard yachts, while others go to Cambridge or train as doctors,’ one mother mused. Popular university destinations in 2024 were Bristol, Exeter, Cardiff and Oxford Brookes. Four to Oxbridge and four medics in 2024. Increasing demand for places at overseas universities and degree-level apprenticeships has led to the appointment of a member of staff dedicated to these routes.

Latest results

In 2024, 64 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 52 per cent A*/A at A level (78 per cent A*-B).

Teaching and learning

Learning skills (hard digital and softer collaboration and problem-solving) sit comfortably alongside a good range of subjects from modern – eg entrepreneurship – to ancient, eg Latin. Adventure and leadership and future-ready skills are listed among the core academic subjects: independent learning is promoted from the get-go. And gosh they love a diploma: one for junior girls in years 7 and 8 (fourth forms) and another in year 9, the start of three fifth form years ending with GCSEs.

School offers IGCSEs in certain subjects including English and maths; four options out of 16 up for grabs beyond the core subjects in which top sets will take separate sciences, others combined science, the equivalent of two GCSEs. Everyone is required to have a pen-enabled device, Microsoft Surface being the school’s recommendation.

At sixth form, there’s a terrific choice of 30 subjects at A level (no IB); the norm is three, four in exceptional cases. A handful of subjects are taught at the boys’ school, including BTECs. Bright sparks applying for highly competitive courses (Oxbridge, medicine) will be assigned a mentor. Our visit took place in exam season: a GCSE physics practical meant hushed corridors and fierce notices; bright and quiet library a wonderful space for research and study. Lower sixth classes in politics – a mixed group was exploring the funding of US election campaigns – and sociology, where girls were using a mix of technology and good old-fashioned writing to look at notions of visibility and invisibility, seemed interesting, collaborative and engaging. And the girls agree: ‘I love all my subjects!’ exclaimed one. Maths got a universally good press, Latin slightly less good.

As for the parents, they recognise that while academic girls fly, the less academic get their confidence from elsewhere and are content to do their best. Agility over A level choices – ‘They jumped into action!’ – much appreciated, but one mother was vocal on the matter of too high a turnover among teachers of certain subjects, leading to (she felt) gaps in her daughter’s knowledge.

Learning support and SEN

Not huge numbers here – 12 per cent or so and at the mild end of needs. On occasion, learning support will be required as a condition of entry. Other than that, it falls largely to teachers to address any learning difficulties within the classroom, but there is a five-strong department which offers interventions where required. ‘My daughter has a 20-minute session twice a week and it’s worth every penny,’ one mother reported. No stigma, says school: girls will know of other friends’ issues. No mention of non-academic learning difficulties such as neurodiversity but we were assured that it is ‘a key area of focus for our teaching and non-teaching staff alike’.

The arts and extracurricular

‘Music is at the heart of school life’ – so says the school, and that’s not wrong. About 60 per cent have instrumental or singing lessons outside timetabled music, several girls hold diplomas post grade 8 and one recent leaver was offered a scholarship place at all the London conservatoires. And not all highbrow stuff either: girls can get into DJ-ing and songwriting too. The impromptu bursting into one of Legally Blonde’s top numbers from our chatty interviewees – a joint production with the boys’ school – brightened our day. Genuinely something for everyone.

As well as musical theatre, there are plays for all age groups, one joint schools, inter-house drama, big take-up for Trinity Guildhall exams and the opportunity to study film-making. Latest productions were The Railway Children for younger girls and The Island, an adaptation of Lord of the Flies, for slightly older ones. Concerts, plays and lectures take place in the stunning and versatile Gransden Hall, part of a beautiful modern music complex, grouped with centres for drama and art at the edge of the campus.

Visual and indeed any kind of art all on offer, encompassing 3D and textile design at GCSE, adding fine art, fashion and photography at A level. Sixth formers really love their own pods, where they can leave their work out in the clean white space of the art block – the lower gallery being particularly spacious and inviting, and a fitting backdrop for some large ceramic mushrooms suspended in mid-air. Equally funkily, a house ‘trashion’ show had girls sashaying down the catwalk in confections knocked up in just an hour out of bin bags and foil.

Extracurricular life is rich here: though the list of clubs reads somewhat cerebrally, with the likes of olympiads in chemistry and biology, the rocket science club and the Turing Society (the most distinguished figure to be educated in the town). DofE is huge, perhaps eclipsed only by the (voluntary) CCF, run with the boys’ school, where the girls are outperforming the chaps in many cases, such as taking two of the top officer slots in 2024. Leiths certificate in food and wine is a popular sixth form option for those gap year jobs and beyond.

A well-developed exchange programme takes girls to schools in South Africa, Australia, more recently Sherborne Qatar and of course Toronto, where some girls were evacuated to Branksome Hall to escape the bombs of WW2. Nearer home (mostly!), a full range of trips enhances study and provides sporting opportunities: Athens for the classicists, Berlin for the linguists, the Chalke Valley History Festival for, yes, historians; South Africa for the 2023 hockey and netball overseas tour and the Isle of Wight for the cricketers, which just about counts.

Sport

The array of grass tennis courts is the first thing you see beyond the school buildings and they set the outdoorsy hearty tone of the place. Grass pitches stretch to the far boundary: girls were taking full advantage of the glorious weather when we visited – for tennis, cricket and, in the distance, a lone runner. The Oxley centre across the road comprises an eye-poppingly blue Astro outside drawn with lines for winter hockey and netball and tennis in the summer; inside, a well-equipped sports hall, dance studio, squash courts, gym and 25-metre pool complete the comprehensive sporting offer.

School-level sport is fine, with football and lacrosse also on offer; predictably, mixed tennis fixtures with the boys’ school are popular and the annual sports day brings out girls in warrior face paint in house colours. Healthy lifestyles are certainly promoted and there is plenty for those with no interest in ball sports or team games, eg Zumba, yet this is not an overwhelmingly sporty school, where around 15 per cent of girls are on a county, regional or national pathway. We sense that this is not the best place for elite sportswomen: no external coaches, one mother reported; another remarked that her very sporty daughter’s timetable was ‘too packed’, to the point of exhaustion. But school is addressing any perceptions of a low sporting profile through promoting women’s sport, starting with the hosting of a GSA Girls Go Gold conference, where 400 girls will descend on SG to take part in sports masterclasses etc with current professionals. Nonetheless, ‘We do incredibly well and punch well above our weight,’ states the head.

Boarders

Those not ready to commit to full boarding, look away now: no weekly, no flexi and the weekends so full on that one mother remarked ruefully that her daughter was too busy to be visited every weekend; weekly socials and wholesome activities like pizza-making and bowling with the boys’ school (where the same boarding ethic prevails) doubtless help. Parents hailing from afar (we spoke to ones at either end of the UK) love the fact there are ‘no grim Sundays’ and the girls, having given us an instant thumbs-up, that there is enough time to relax on those Sunday afternoons.

Junior girls go into West, purpose-built just over ten years ago, hence en-suite shower rooms for each four-bedded dorm, and are ‘kept really busy’. Girls spend the next four years in one of five houses, before moving into Mulliner for their last year. Here, the rules are much more relaxed – ‘We rely a great deal on trust,’ as the leaflet says. There are no fixed bedtimes, though quiet is expected after 10.30pm, and boys are allowed to visit as long as they stay downstairs. Despite being close together, houses maintain distinct identities – ‘But it’s not tribal!’ we were assured.

Accommodation was bright, cheery, comfortable and welcoming, with touches of home actively encouraged in dorms. Communal spaces furnished in vibrant colours and quaintly known as ‘drawing rooms’ to this day. Wall hangings saying ‘Hello lovely!’ bring it bang up to date and sum up the vibe. And ‘We’ve never had anything less than brilliance from houseparents,’ which says it all. All meals are – most unusually – taken in houses: we lunched in West where on Fridays the junior girls get to request the menu. In this instance, it was chicken katsu curry and brownies – not perhaps the pinnacle of a chef’s capabilities but an SG favourite and very tasty. ‘We love being able to have breakfast in our pyjamas too,’ girls grinned.

Ethos and heritage

It only took just under 350 years since the founding of the boys’ school in 1550 for an enlightened local dignitary, MP for North Dorset and fabulously named Kenelm Wingfield Digby, to conclude that the girls needed a similar deal and to donate land for the project. Opening in 1899, numbers grew rapidly and it was not long before the school moved to its present site in Bradford Road. The impressive arched entrance leads to tawny stone buildings flanked by sturdy, more modern additions, forming a crescent overlooking the rest of the campus; one boarding house is reached via a footbridge over a busyish road. The boundary of its 26 acres is conveniently across the road from the furthest flung of the boys’ boarding houses (no footbridge), a fact not lost on its inmates.

Parents love the fact that their daughters can escape the pressure of mixed classes, yet make great friends at the boys’ school early on ‘before everyone gets hormonal’, as one mother put it. In 2024, Sherborne Girls, Sherborne School, Sherborne Prep and Hanford came together under a new charitable foundation, Sherborne Schools Group, causing one delightfully cynical girl to remark that the well-trumpeted strapline should be rephrased as ‘Separate but a little bit more together’; we were assured that no radical change was planned and that come September, it would be absolutely business as usual. And that business is, according to one mother, to ‘cheerlead girls into whatever they want to do’. Another declared that she didn’t care about academics, she cared about happiness – but as all decent schools know, one tends to follow the other and results are none too shabby. We were heartened by the apparent lack of cliques – sporty, musical etc – and by the strong sense from the head that everyone is welcome and everyone is as valuable as everyone else, witness a groundsman with very long service being awarded with a medal at sports day, to rapturous applause.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Girls are very much given the tools to manage their own wellbeing (centre stage here but not wishy-washy), which is not to say that pastoral care is not there when needed. Tutors, houseparents, health centre staff and the chaplaincy make up a web of support to catch anyone ‘in danger of an incipient nervy b’, as one girl told us with a wink. In-house dining means a close eye can be kept on any sign of disordered eating and we liked the sound of ‘press pause day’, a device-free time filled with more inclusive and wholesome pursuits; limited phone use on Mondays and Thursdays also, though school is ‘aware of burner phones’, say parents.

Genuinely a place where all are welcome: ‘You don’t get shunned,’ girls told us (we should think not!) and ‘It’s okay to be yourself’. ‘LGBTQ just not a thing,’ one mum remarked and true, a search on the school’s website produced no result, but then we stumbled across an excellent section on homo/bi/transphobic bullying which deserves to see the light of day. Bullying was scarcely mentioned as a live issue but ‘housemistresses deal with it and they are quite receptive and intuitive,’ one mother reckoned. Discipline ranges from the petty, if you ask the girls (holes in tights, too many earrings, insistence on ‘uncomfortable and pointless’ lanyards), to the justifiable, if you ask the parents (suspension for a trip to the boys’ school for a few beers and not returning on time; strict breathalysing after a trip to the pub, allowed once girls reach 18). Stronger action on vaping would be welcome.

Pupils and parents

‘Not always enormously monied: a lot of two working parents,’ according to the head – all things being relative, of course. Indeed the parents we spoke to seemed delightfully unpretentious, as did their daughters, who giggled their way through our encounter. Just over 20 per cent come from abroad, a mix of overseas nationals and British ex-pats; a good chunk from London (there’s a Hogwarts train for exeats), a strong showing from the south west and a sprinkling from the rest of the UK; SG seems to be one of very few remaining national girls’ boarding schools. ‘But it wouldn’t suit really urban families who don’t like outdoor pursuits,’ in the view of one mother, or girls who ‘don’t do anything’, according to another. Parents rate school communications and the fact that parental WhatsApp groups generally carry very little traffic is a sign of a happy school.

Money matters

New charitable foundation will provide some buffer against the imposition of VAT on school fees. Military families are eligible for a 10 per cent discount; bursarial support available and generally given in combination with scholarships; worth noting that it has all been allocated for the current academic year. No scholarships below 13+ and these awarded on the condition that the recipient completes her education at the school. Scholarship values range from £900 to £3000 pa.

The last word

A complementary counterweight to the distinguished boys’ school in this glorious golden Dorset town, providing a tremendous all-round education to girls who really can be themselves in the classroom and beyond, yet share activities and social time with their peers and brothers: truly a winning formula.

Special Education Needs

The School focuses on quality first teaching by subject specialists who meet the individual needs of pupils. Where there is a need, the Learning Support department offers individual specialist learning support lessons. Roughly 5 per cent of pupils have ESL lessons and 12 per cent have mild SEN.

Who came from where