Canford School A GSG School
- Canford School
Wimborne
Dorset
BH21 3AD - Head: Mr Ben Vessey BA MA MBA
- T 01202 847207
- F 01202 881723
- E admissions@canford.com
- W www.canford.com
- An independent school for boys and girls aged from 13 to 18.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Poole
- Pupils: 640; 450 full boarders; sixth formers: 260
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day £26,466; Boarding £34,770 pa.
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
Most boarding houses are close to the main school buildings but two of the boys’ houses are a scenic seven-minute walk from the main school. Boys told us they enjoy the stroll and some bike or skateboard back and forth. School is full of bright ideas – everything from Radio Canford to Connections, a general studies programme that challenges pupils to think beyond the curriculum and links different academic disciplines. Another innovation that caught our eye was Yellow Hour, an...
What the school says...
Canford is among the top co-educational boarding schools in the country. We combine first class academic achievement with a diverse range of artistic, cultural and sporting activities to provide a balanced and broad education. The environment encourages participation, hard work and a strong sense of community, teamwork and integrity. The campus setting gives the school a collegiate feel, while the beauty of the buildings and quality of the facilities, set within 250 acres of grounds, inspire pupils to achieve their full potential.
Examination results are impressive. In 2014, eleven pupils were offered places at Oxford and Cambridge making a total of forty two offers in the past three years. A level results were among the best in the schools history, with nearly a quarter of all entries awarded the top A* grade.
Canfordians also excel in a range of co-curricular activities. Music and Drama are strong, with a recent whole school musical written and produced entirely by Canford staff. In sport, the U14A boys were unbeaten last season in rugby, hockey and cricket, becoming rugby county champions. All six boys' and girls' hockey squads were county champions for two consecutive years - never before achieved by a school in the region - while the 1st VIII boat reached Henley Royal once again. Canfordians are currently representing GB at hockey and rowing.
Scholarships are available at 13+ and 16+, with means tested bursaries worth up to 100% of fees offered throughout the school. ...Read more
What the parents say...
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2015 Good Schools Guide Awards
- Best performance by Boys taking Classical Civilisation at an English Independent School (GCE AS level)
2016 Good Schools Guide Awards
- Best performance by Boys taking German at an English Independent School (Cambridge Int Certificate Level 1/Level 2)
Curricula
Cambridge Pre-U - an alternative to A levels, with all exams at the end of the two-year course.
Sports
Rowing
Shooting
Sailing
What The Good Schools Guide says
Headmaster
Since 2013, Ben Vessey BA MA MBA (40s). Educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford, then read history at Southampton. Intended to join the army but after tearing both knee ligaments playing rugby worked as an oil and gas broker for five years in the City and on placement in Texas. ‘But when I came back from the US I realised that it wasn’t what I wanted to do,’ he says. Applied to Dauntsey’s, who snapped him up to teach history. Became head of history and housemaster there, followed by four and a half years as head of history, politics and law at Millfield. Spent six years as senior deputy head at Christ’s Hospital – ‘it was a great apprenticeship for headship,’ he says. Along the way he did an MA in history, a PGCE...
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Special Education Needs
Canford aims to support all its pupils in effective learning. The special needs policy is broadly inclusive although it is recognised that some pupils may need extra support at times during their academic career. Communication between pupil, teachers and school is a vital part of its philosophy. Information about pupils with diagnosed difficulties along with suggested teaching strategies is entered onto the school database so that it can be accessed by staff at any time and INSET is offered on a regular basis. In the Shell year a group of about 8 pupils is selected to take Extra English classes rather than Latin or Classical Civilisation and in the 4th and 5th year a small group of pupils opt to do Learning Skills in place of a GCSE option. This enables them to focus on writing and general study skills and relieves the pressure at this demanding stage. One-to-one tuition from suitably qualified specialist tutors is available for those who require it, and is usually delivered in the form of a six week block of study skills. The Support for Learning Centre is fully equipped and pupils are made to feel welcome and can discuss their needs in a supportive atmosphere. 10-09
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | Y |
| Aspergers | Y |
| Aspergers Syndrome [archived] | |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | Y |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders [archived] | |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Delicate Medical Problems [archived] | |
| Dyscalculia | |
| Dysgraphia | |
| Dyslexia | |
| Dyspraxia | |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | |
| Epilepsy [archived] | |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| Not Applicable | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
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Stand by for some myth-busting from our SEN consultants
My daughter spent 4 years at Canford - she enjoyed it very much but had to leave in Sixth Form as her results for AS were not good. In my opinion, a good school for the right child - your child must be academic otherwise they will fall behind and because the majority of children there are very academic, your child will not get the attention they may need as the school is just not set up for this.
Commented on 3rd Nov 2013