Breaking Down Barriers: Schools where the student comes first

Barriers in schools hinder learning. It’s only when students feel included no matter who they are and how they look that they can truly thrive. When they have the support to perform in all aspects, it can be a transformative experience.

The best schools do this. They ensure diversity is reflected in their curriculum. They include students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those who are from Black Asian and minority ethnicities (BAME) and disadvantaged backgrounds. The journey to make this a reality for every learner may be complex and far reaching, but they endeavour nonetheless. 

If this is the education you envision for your child, these UK schools have the unique features — and track record — to make sure everyone can achieve their full potential at school and beyond:

Christ’s Hospital

If you want a school with the “wow” factor in abundance, look no further than Christ’s Hospital. From the moment you arrive you’ll see that Christ’s Hospital is a very inspiring place. Sweeping sports fields, beautiful buildings and a spectacular quad are immediately visible. The school is set in 250 acres of stunning countryside situated between London and Brighton and just 20 miles south of London Gatwick and 38 miles from London Heathrow.

Most pupils and teachers live on site, creating a happy and secure community. The seven day a  week boarding school environment provides the time and space for pupils to develop their interests and talents.

What is so special about Christ’s Hospital is the extent of the resources on offer: outstanding teachers, a broad range of activities including societies like the medics group to help with university applications as well as extensive and impressive facilities. When pupils start at Christ’s Hospital they are encouraged to join in and to have a go, to discover new hobbies, to make use of the wonderful site and to ensure they get the most out of their time at the school.

Christ’s Hospital has been rated “excellent” in every aspect by the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate. It is one of only four co-educational full boarding senior schools in the country. The advantage of full boarding is that all pupils stay at school 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On Saturday mornings, there are lessons followed by a weekend programme of sport, co-curricular activity and entertainment.

The school is unashamedly academic – with 98% of pupils moving on to the leading universities. Only 12% of pupils are international and international parents welcome the high proportion (88%) of UK students.

To join Christ’s Hospital in September 2022 or September 2023, contact the school here to book a video conference call. Christ’s Hospital would love to hear from you.

Lincoln Minster School

Few schools produce bright and resilient young athletes the way Lincoln Minster School does. Based in the heart of Lincolnshire, UK, the school is an independent co-educational HMC day and boarding school for pupils aged four to 18. It offers unique, exceptional sports performance programmes that cover golf, football and tennis and a new BTEC in Golf programme. All of these come with industry-standard facilities and highly qualified experts in their field.

The school’s new Golf Performance Programme, in partnership with Lincoln Golf Centre, PING, Market Rasen Golf Club and Woodhall Spa Golf Club and Performance Centre – “The Home of England Golf,” offers young golfers specialist coaching. Coupled with the expertise of England Golf’s Neil Harvey who boasts 25 years of golfing experience and is a PGA Advanced Member, pupils will surely develop to become elite golf players.

For those passionate about tennis, look no further than the school’s Tennis Performance Programme. It provides students with an industry-standard environment and with the support of experienced, expert professionals, giving them the best possible advantages when competing in local, regional and national singles and team competitions.

For aspiring footballers, the school’s International Football Programme is your best bet. It’s delivered through a unique partnership between Lincoln Minster School and Lincoln City FC, giving talented young footballers the opportunity to benefit from the professional football club’s coaching, whilst obtaining quality education for their A Levels.

The school’s squash teaching is some of the best in the UK too. The school’s squash coach, Fran Wallis was recently ranked as England’s number one and UK’s number two in the 50s category. She has led many pupils to achieve high rankings in the UK, including the school’s recent KS3 team which was crowned national champions in squash, making them number one in the UK.

Click here to find out how your child can be enriched with a well-rounded education at Lincoln Minster School.

Tettenhall College

A beautiful woodland campus, with 35 acres of land. Just 30 minutes from the UK’s second largest city, Birmingham and within easy reach of Manchester and London’s international airports. A wonderful home from home. Eighty-five percent of  A Level students pupils securing A* to B. Russell Group university destinations. A thriving Performing Arts department. Superb sports facilities. No exeats. Boarders representing 21 countries. Where every student is known as an individual.

These features define Tettenhall College. At this independent, co-educational day and boarding school, boys and girls aged between two and eighteen years achieve excellent academic and personal outcomes. An exceptional learning environment and outstanding pastoral care – driven by the values of Ambition, Character, Community, Creativity and Opportunity – ensure this.

Tettenhall College’s Pastoral Care and Wellbeing is rated “excellent” by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. Here, pupils are happy and achieving their personal best. The extensive extra-curricular, sport and music provision also ensures all pupils have a broad range of challenging and inspiring activities which ensure every day is as fulfilling as possible. The quality of boarding accommodation and facilities is outstanding, benefiting from a recent £1.5m renovation project. Boarding really is a home from home at Tettenhall College.

“Staff provide very effective support and guidance for pupils in accordance with the school’s aim to be warm, friendly and caring” states the ISI report. “The school lives up to its aspiration to be a single, inclusive community in which everyone is valued equally. Teachers know their pupils very well and are able to respond to their individual needs, whether academic, practical or emotional.” To learn more about the school developing the gifts and talents of their pupils within the classroom and beyond, click here.

Rishworth School

At Rishworth School, pupils rejoice in their achievements and others’. There is plenty to go around at this thriving, independent co-educational school. In an unprecedented year, 2021’s Year 13 pupils celebrated extraordinary results, within and beyond the academic spheres. They achieved a 100% A Level pass rate across 17subject areas, with nearly a half at A* and more than two thirds at A* to A, and 78% at A* to B.

Some of the top universities these graduates are headed to next include University of Cambridge  (Law), Durham (Natural Sciences and also Geography), King’s College London (Medicine), York (Psychology), Exeter (Business and Management) and Warwick (Economics). All applicants gained their firm choice place.

Such results are the result of Rishworth School’s inclusive approach. Students are admitted not only on the basis of their academic talents but on their ability to contribute to the school community. Pair this with a diverse and vibrant educational community; excellence in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), music and sport; and every Rishworth child exceeds their expectations.

The setting? A 140-acre campus of beautiful Yorkshire countryside in the village of Rishworth. The city lights of Manchester are only half an hour away. With all these features, it is little wonder the Independent School Inspectorate (ISI) report gave Rishworth a “double excellent” grading, stating “The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent” and “the quality of pupils’ personal development is excellent.”

Rishworth is described as a “multicultural community and there is a strong sense of mutual respect” where “overseas boarders are quickly and effectively integrated” as well. To learn more about Rishworth School, click here.

 *Some of the schools featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International