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‘Bee keepers are as celebrated as first X1 players here,’ says the head. In the next breath he told us that Shrewsbury’s girls’ cricket team were national champions and that the school had ‘invented’ cross country running. Year 9 follow the ‘origin’ curriculum, a non-examined programme which has been developed to ‘inspire a love of learning’ and gives pupils in their first year of senior school something, ‘refreshing and exciting’ to do after the grind of preparing for entrance exams. ‘If we are doing something, how can we share’ is the Shrewsbury approach. Community action, widening access and charity fundraising are fixtures in most schools but here they are front and centre, much more than...

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What the school says...

Founded by Royal Charter in 1552, Shrewsbury School combines tradition with a vibrant, modern co-educational vision. We are a school with a strong sense of community and a willingness to look beyond our 110 acres and make connections across sectors and around the globe.

We are an 'all-in', 'both-and' school. 'All-in' because we want every individual pupil to embrace a wide range of opportunities in a community that values participation and the enjoyment of learning. 'Both-and' because we believe that the development of the whole person is best pursued through exposure to a full range of academic challenge, expert pastoral care, a wealth of co-curricular opportunity, rich culture and intellectual extension and the shared experience of living and learning together.

Our school motto gets to the heart of our educational vision: 'intus si recte ne labora' - if right within, trouble not.

Leo Winkley, Headmaster
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Curricula

Cambridge Pre-U - an alternative to A levels, with all exams at the end of the two-year course.

Sports

Unusual sports

Polo

Rowing

Fencing

Shooting

Sailing

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2018, Leo Winkley, previously head of St Peter’s School, York. Read theology at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Taught at Ardingly College and Cheltenham Ladies’ College as head of religious studies; has also been managing head at Bedales. Married to Jules, a palliative care doctor; they have three children, two at the school.

He was born into a teaching family and in fact for two years he and his father (who was head of Uppingham) were HMC heads at the same time – ‘It was lovely.’ Grew up as a staff child at Cranleigh School in Surrey, staying on as a boarder with his brother when his father was appointed second master of Winchester College. A strong advocate of boarding (he has chaired the Boarding Schools’ Association), he observes that, ‘You...

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Please note: Independent schools frequently offer IGCSEs or other qualifications alongside or as an alternative to GCSE. The DfE does not record performance data for these exams so independent school GCSE data is frequently misleading; parents should check the results with the schools.

Who came from where

Who goes where

Special Education Needs

Although Shrewsbury is not a specialist school for pupils with special educational needs, it is pleased to offer learning support to boys and girls for whom such support is likely to be of real benefit. All pupils who enter Shrewsbury must have performed satisfactorily in our entrance tests. As a guide, we expect boys and girls taking Common Entrance to achieve an average score of not less than 55% across the subjects. Shrewsbury's Learning Support Department consists of six members of staff with specialist qualifications. Each works at the school to a weekly part-time timetable under the responsibility of the head of department. The work of the department is primarily geared to helping pupils whose academic progress is affected by dyslexia or a specific learning difficulty (usually associated with dyslexia). Tuition, one hour per week, is offered outside the teaching timetable and takes place in one of the four specialist rooms occupied by the Learning Support Department.

Condition Provision for in school
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder Y
Aspergers Y
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders Y
CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia Y
Dyslexia Y
Dyspraxia Y
English as an additional language (EAL) Y
Genetic
Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory
Has SEN unit or class Y
HI - Hearing Impairment Y
Hospital School
Mental health
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment Y
Natspec Specialist Colleges
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health Y
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Special facilities for Visually Impaired
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty Y
VI - Visual Impairment

Who came from where


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