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Leweston School

Leweston is a leading co-educational, Independent School, providing outstanding education and wrap around care to children from 3 months to 18 years of age with an option to flexi, weekly or full board. The School is set in 46 acres of beautiful parkland near Sherborne, Dorset and is unique to its area as the only school offering the diamond model of education.

Leweston is a Nursery, Prep, Senior and Sixth Form offering an educational service and pastoral care to families regionally, nationally and internationally.

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About the School: Founded in 1891, Leweston is a Catholic boarding and day school which focuses on preparing pupils for life beyond the school. The independence, resilience and willingness to try instilled at Leweston provides pupils with the confidence to meet the challenges of the wider world. High standards are set both inside and outside the classroom, and our values of community, opportunity and respect are the bedrock of our school. We welcome pupils of all faiths and none, building a strong sense of community, courtesy, respect and affection that has at its heart prayer and service to others.

Our Location: Leweston is situated three miles outside of Sherborne, Dorset surrounded by beautiful countryside in the heart of Hardy’s Wessex. Leweston is accessible by road or rail from London Heathrow in under two hour.

Why Leweston?

Academic Excellence: Leweston achieves some of the best results in the region and excellent university and higher education outcomes.

In 2019 51% of GCSE results were grade 7 (or A) and above, well over twice the national average and the A Level students achieved the highest percentage of A* grades for three years. These exceptional results reflects Leweston’s long history of individualised academic teaching and strong performance in value-added.

In the past five years Leweston’s leavers have gone onto 53 different university destinations, 56% of them Russell Group.

Pastoral

House life lies at the heart of each pupil’s experience, and it comes as no surprise that every Wellingtonian is convinced that their House is the best. Housemasters and Housemistresses, dedicated tutor teams, matrons and housekeepers all ensure that the House truly is a home away from home.

A focus on mental health with both staff and pupil ambassadors, a unique Mental Health Day for parents and pupils, several national awards for Safeguarding, a recent educational initiative on Sex and Consent, and a newly appointed Head of EDI help ensure that Wellington provides a safe and healthy environment for pupils and staff.

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Our nationally recognised Wellbeing curriculum (we were the first school to introduce happiness lessons) focusses on embedding growth mindsets and building grit and resilience: the positive coping strategies that our pupils learn not only allow them to make the most of all the opportunities available to them at Wellington, but also prepares them for healthy, happy, and successful lives after school.

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Value-Added: Leweston has occupied a top 10 position for value-added for many years. Over 25% of GCSE grades in 2019 were one or more levels above the pupil’s personal target.

Diamond Model Education: As a diamond model School Leweston is only one of a handful of schools in the UK offering a structure which combines the academic benefits of single-sex education with the all-round advantages of co-education.

The diamond refers to the ‘shape’ of the educational experience. Boys and girls start their learning together in fully co-educational classes up to Year 8. From Year 9 to Year 11 they are taught separately in STEM subjects, but join together for other subjects, clubs and enrichment activities. Sixth Form is again co-educational in preparation for the world of higher education and work.

Wrap around care: Leweston recognises the challenges facing busy families providing practical solutions to support them. All students are welcome on site from 8am to 6pm with evening activities and supervised prep sessions for day pupils. For boarders there is a full range of flexible options. With no Saturday school families can spend precious weekend time together but a busy programme is in place for those in School. Buses run across Somerset and Dorset and there is a pick-up at Sherborne Station to meet students using the train.

Enrichment Programme: With an extensive lunch-time, after-school and weekend programme covering creative arts, sports, global citizenship and academic enrichment, options are on offer for all ages. The offer changes every term to incorporate new and seasonal opportunities and pupils are encouraged to contribute ideas for future plans.

Boarding: Leweston has been a boarding school for over a hundred years with almost half the school boarding at some time in their school career. The boarding houses are located in the main school building and provide a warm and friendly ‘home from home’ for girls from age 8 to 18 and boys from 11 to 18.

Leweston’s flexible approach to boarding and the absence of Saturday lessons allows weekly boarders to return home on Friday night for precious family time, whilst full boarders can relax and take advantage of the wide range of trips, sports and activities on offer over the weekends.

 

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Sport, Pentathlon and Equestrian: Sport and Physical Education play an important part of everyday life at Leweston and there is an impressive range of options for pupils to take advantage of. All pupils are encouraged to pursue any sport that interests them with the support to develop and achieve to the best of their ability and compete at the level of competition that they aspire to.

In September 2016 Leweston was awarded Pentathlon Academy status by Pentathlon GB, making it one of only nine such academies in the country.

Leweston’s GB coaches provide the full range of sports in Modern Pentathlon and develops athletes of all abilities from beginner to elite with dedicated training and mentoring programmes. The School has produced multiple National and European title holders and GB team members.

Leweston has a thriving equestrian team supported by the School’s own Equestrian Manager and is gaining a reputation as a serious competitor in equestrian sport. The School is current NSEA South West Regional Points League Champion, a title which the team has held for the past four years.

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“The quality of the boarding provision and outcomes for pupils are excellent; pupils benefit from high quality care and strong academic and extra-curricular provision. boarders are happy and feel supported and cared about, while having the space to think for themselves.”

Independent Schools Inspection report

“At Leweston we offer an environment where children feel comfortable to grow. We encourage them to try everything on offer so we can nurture their talents to achieve great things.”

Mr Paget-Tomlinson, Senior School Head

“There are lots of great things about Leweston. If I could choose one it would be the warmth of the School community that I feel very much a valued part of.”

School Pupil, Year 9

“I graduated from Leweston as a confident and wellrounded individual excited to begin life at university. I really could not ask more from a Sixth Form. My confidence derives from outstanding academic results – I achieved 4 A*s at A Level – which I can attribute to the high quality of teaching and academic support offered by Leweston. It also derives from other skills I acquired during my time at Leweston, particularly in leadership and communication. Leweston offers countless opportunities to lead projects and to practise speaking in front of a crowd. I am so glad I made the most of these opportunities, since they equipped me with skills needed to embrace all areas of university life.” 

Former Pupil

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LANDING IMAGE - Leweston Prep (4)

School Videos

School Information

School Facts
  • Head -  Mr John Paget-Tomlinson
  • School type - Co-Education
  • Age Range - 11 -18
  • Pupil Numbers - 236 (75 Boarders)
Address:
Sherborne,
Dorset
DT9 6EN
 
Phone -  01963 210691