Cheltenham Ladies' College

Since 2011, Eve Jardine-Young. An old girl herself, she won a scholarship to the sixth form here from her school in Malawi where she grew up. Previously director of studies at Blundell’s, she was also housemistress and head of sixth form development

Girls apply for boarding places from over 500 preps and senior schools all over the UK - one of the most diverse intakes of any of the senior independent schools we visit. Around a third are not UK nationals (girls come from 47 different countries);

Just over 10 per cent leave after GCSEs. Most popular university destinations for sixth form leavers are UCL, Edinburgh, Imperial, Durham, KCL, LSE, St Andrews and Exeter. Ten to Oxbridge in 2024, and 17 medics. Lots to US/Canada – in 2024, to

In 2024, 86 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 70 per cent A*/A at A level (91 per cent A*-B). IB average score 39.

Still proudly retains its place as one of the leading academic schools in the country (IB results are among the best in the UK). However, they themselves acknowledge that they lag behind schools with a similar history and profile. The spin is a

For a school with a high academic profile, there is a surprisingly broad mix of ability. As well as girls with mild learning difficulties, the school can accommodate pupils with moderate hearing and visual impairments. The main campus is fully

The arts take centre stage here. More than 1,000 pupils are involved in music lessons (timetabled so that no one ever misses an academic lesson). Each boarding house has its own practice rooms and some have a fine grand piano in the main sitting room

Sport has long been the Achilles’ heel of CLC. It’s certainly not for want of facilities – these are as tip-top as the rest. An all whistles and bells health and fitness centre that the public are lucky enough to be able to book, a 25-metre pool

Eleven houses (six junior, five for sixth form only) are dotted around the town. Girls here need flat comfortable shoes and are still in danger of ‘September heels’ they cover so much ground during the day. A rolling programme of refurbishment means

‘Cheltenham has always been diverse,’ Eve Jardine-Young tells me firmly – ‘Queen Victoria’s god-daughter was the first black student here in the early 1880s.’ Nor was the school ever exclusively or specifically Christian. The circular prayer room was

However diverse the college may (or may not) have been in Queen Victoria’s time, there are now more different cultures and nationalities forming part of the school community than ever before, with 30 different languages spoken and over 40

Nine per cent of pupils on means-tested bursaries, four per cent have 100 per cent fee remission, and three per cent have a remission of 50 per cent or more. Families can apply for assistance with fees (from one to 100 per cent, depending on their

An education for young women with purpose (as well as brains). Ideal for the all-rounder who wants to get on in life and take advantage of every opportunity – but primarily with the end game of giving something back rather than self- aggrandisement.