The June Week 1 Education Roundup: Latest Independent School News

Considering independent education? Find the best school for your child here. Otherwise, read on for the latest independent school news (June 2025).

Independent School News: June Week 1, 2025

Harrogate Ladies’ College Announce New Co-Ed Era

Harrogate Ladies’ College has announced it will go co-ed from September 2026 – and merge with its associated junior school, Highfield Prep, to become Duchy College.

The new name references the school’s location in the Duchy area of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The college has had a dynamic history, first opening as a boys’ school before becoming a senior girls’ school and opening a co-ed prep school 25 years ago. Now, boys will once again be welcome at the new Duchy College from year seven.

Explaining the change, principal Joanna Fox said: ‘We were pioneers of girls’ education in the early 20th century at a time when girls struggled to access university. The world has, thankfully, evolved and our focus has evolved with it.’

Discover Harrogate Ladies’ College: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/harrogate-ladies-college/

Blundell’s School Appoints New Head

Exciting leadership changes are happening at Blundell’s, which has appointed Gareth Pearson as its new head from September 2026.

Pearson, who studied mechanical engineering at Loughborough university before serving as an office in the Royal Marines, is currently head of Christ College Brecon. In addition to holding leadership roles at major schools such as Millfield and Wellington College, Pearson was last year shortlisted for a ‘best public school head’ award.

Current Blundell’s head, Bart Wielenga, will be moving across the world to become rector of a South African boarding school.

Discover Blundell’s School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/blundells-school/

Taunton Prep Students Gear Up for English Channel Swim

Each year, a group of Taunton Prep School students swim the English Channel for charity – and this year’s team is raring to go.

In August, ten 13 year old pupils will become the 11th group of swimmers from the school to tackle (and complete) the challenge. The swim will raise money for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the Armed Forces.

The pupils have been training for the challenge since age 11, getting used to swimming in open waters at low temperatures.

‘The English Channel is known as the Everest of swimming,’ explained Taunton prep headteacher Ed Burnett. ‘To attempt this at just 13 years old shows great determination and strength.’

You can donate to the students’ JustGiving page here.

Discover Taunton School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/taunton-school/

Artwork by Sheffield Girls’ Pupils Showcased in National Gallery Exhibition

Artwork by pupils at Sheffield Girls’ Infant and Junior School has been included in this year’s National Gallery’s Take One Picture exhibition.

The Take One Picture programme, now in its 30th year, is a national competition which invites primary school students to create artwork inspired by a piece from the National Gallery. The piece this year was Pieter de Hooch’s 17th century painting The Courtyard of a House In Delft.

Over 83,000 children from 380 schools took part in the 2025 edition of the programme, with only a few artworks showcased in the final exhibition. These include Sheffield Girls’ Out with Mummy project by the reception class (using pencil and watercolour, pupils produced artwork of themselves and their mothers) and the Playing with Friends project by year three (sculptures created with wire, jersey and cloth which explore what makes a good friend).

St Benedict’s Waves Goodbye to 11+ Exams

Nerve-wracking 11+ exams are now a thing of the past for pupils at St Benedict’s School in Ealing, which has decided that junior pupils can now continue through to its senior school without sitting a test.

This new development will begin from September, following a survey which revealed junior school parents were overwhelmingly in favour of removing the requirement to sit the 11+.

One parent said: ‘Rather than focusing on one exam result that gives our children a lot of stress at  a very young age, this will give the school the extra time to target a more rounded learning experience.’

Discover St Benedict’s School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/st-benedicts-school/

St Albans Students Explore Science in Florida

This week, a group of students at St Albans School returned home after a week-long science trip to Florida.

Beginning their adventure at Universal Studios, the students learned about the physics of theme park engineerings, from rollercoasters to cinematic simulations. They also visited EPCOT, where they tackled maths and problem-solving challenges as part of Disney’s Leadership the Disney Way workshop.

‘Even the heavy Florida rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm amongst the group,’ said Yanmin Leong, physics teacher at St Albans. ‘It was such a fantastic week of scientific exploration and learning for our students.’

Discover St Albans School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/st-albans/

St Colomba’s College Announce School in Action Day

St Colomba’s College in St Albans has announced its 2025 Prep and Senior School in Action Day, taking place next month.

On Thursday 3 July, prospective families will be able to tour the college and gain insight into everyday life at St Colomba’s. Visitors will also hear from the headmaster, head of prep and pupils themselves.

Royal High Bath Celebrates Award-Winning Alumna

Royal High Bath has unveiled a purple plaque celebrating alumna Jane Pearce, who recently won a prestigious innovation award.

Pearce was honoured with Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation award for her sustainability work. By removing phosphate (commonly used in fertilisers) from wastewater and re-using it on farmland, her company reduces the need for mined phosphate, which is non-renewable and damaging to the environment.

Award winners receive up to £75,000 in funding to allow them to continue tackling important issues.

Pearce said it was ‘a real pleasure’ to return to her old school and ‘help inspire the next female innovators’.

Discover Royal High School Bath: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/royal-high-school-bath/

Bolton School Unveils Woodland Learning Site

The newly developed Leverhulme Woodlands, an outdoor learning and conservation area at Bolton School, has been officially opened.

With outdoor education a fundamental part of the school’s curriculum, the woodlands will be a valuable place for pupils to learn more about wildlife, particularly through use of the new bird hide and wild areas for practising bushcraft.

In his ribbon-cutting speech, school governor George Apsion spoke about the benefits of outdoor learning for pupils’ physical and mental health and their all-important relationship with nature.

The Downs Malvern Announce Move to New Grounds

The Downs Malvern, Small Independent School of the Year in 2024/25, is set to relocate in September 2027 – joining the same site as its parent school, Malvern College.

Headmaster Andy Nuttall said the decision was made in an effort to ‘plan ahead’ amid ongoing challenges in the independent education sector. He added: ‘Buildings do not constitute a school; they simply accommodate it.’

Existing Malvern College spaces are to be repurposed to accommodate the move, with nearly 15 acres of land made available for The Downs Malvern, its pre-prep Forest School, and its nursery Mini Malvern.

Discover The Downs Malvern: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/the-downs-malvern/

The Oratory School Hosts Fundraising Triathlon

Last Sunday, The Oratory School hosted its first Knight Frank Schools Triathlon, which brought together over 800 pupils from 38 schools.

A fantastic £110,000 has been raised for over 30 charities as a result of the event, which saw aspiring athletes run, swim and cycle a total of 1,700km combined.

Top fundraisers Acquilo, Alexander, Luna and Sophie raised over £2,700. When asked if they had any advice for other young people taking part, they said: ‘Have fun, don’t give up and don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t do it.’

Discover The Oratory School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/the-oratory-school/

St Augustine’s Priory Pupils Recognised for Sustainability Commitment

St Augustine’s Priory in London has been awarded the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag accreditation.

The internationally recognised award celebrates schools, and their pupils, that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and make a real difference in protecting the environment. At St Augustine’s, this was the work of the Eco-Committee, led by sustainability lead Miss Lee. Over the last year, the group has installed new school recycling stations, harvested rainwater and organised litter-picking events.

Eco-Committee member Thea said: ‘I have loved learning about sustainability and how we can all make a difference to the world we live in, no matter how big or small.’

Discover St Augustine’s Priory: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/st-augustines-priory/

Bryanston Hosts Inspiring Education Summit

Last week, over 200 educators and parents gathered at Bryanston School for its annual education summit, with this year’s theme being ‘it takes a village to raise a child’.

A number of public figures delivered striking speeches, including cricketing legend Kumar Sangakkara’s comparison between education and leadership on the sports field, and Gogglebox star and educator Basset Siddiqui’s personal but powerful opening keynote speech.

Discover Bryanston School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/bryanston/

Burlington House School Releases Future-Focused Sixth Form Film

Burlington House School has released the third and final instalment of its Sixth Form video series.

While the first two films explored the sixth form’s ethos and student experiences, this final part focuses on the future, including the hopes and ambitions of the school’s students, staff and wider community.

Discover Burlington House School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/burlington-house-school/

Haberdashers’ Monmouth Students Get Up Close and Personal With Fashion Legends

Students at Haberdashers’ Monmouth School had the experience of a lifetime this week when they visited the Jimmy Choo Academy (JCA) in London.

As part of an exclusive educational partnership with the JCA, the students attended the academy’s graduate fashion show and gained behind the scenes access to model preparation, makeup artistry and runway rehearsals. They even had the chance to meet Karen Millen OBE at a VIP reception.

Haberdashers’ Monmouth students described the experience as ‘outstanding’ and ‘inspiring’, with several already planning to apply to the JCA’s summer and full-time programmes.

Discover Haberdashers’ Monmouth School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/haberdashers-monmouth-schools/

St Mary’s Calne Pupils Dance the Night Away at Strictly-Themed Contest

St Mary’s Calne students enjoyed a night of glamour and glitter balls last Friday, as the school hosted its second annual Strictly Calne Dancing event.

The night was a great success, with dancers from all year groups impressing a panel of judges, made up of teachers from across the school. But only one house could take the trophy – and this year it was Moberly, who performed a fantastically choreographed mashup featuring a cameo from their head of company, Mrs Baldwin.

Discover St Mary’s Calne: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/st-marys-calne/

Cumnor House Sussex Unveils New Brand Film

Leading independent prep Cumnor House Sussex has launched its new school film, titled ‘Every moment, extraordinary’.

Produced by Affixxius Education, the film showcases four different ‘extraordinary moments’ as a way to capture the school’s mission and the energy of its pupils.

Cumnor headmaster Fergus Llewellyn said: ‘What matters most to us is the authenticity captured in the individual moments. This film is an invitation to step into our world and the joy and purpose that fuels our community every day.’

All photographs courtesy of the respective schools.