The March Week 1 2025 Education Roundup

All the latest UK news from schools in the past week can be read below. Alternatively, find the best school for your child here.

Making Waves: NLCS Unveils a Bold New Film and Future-Forward Brand

North London Collegiate School (NLCS), one of the UK’s leading independent schools for girls, has unveiled a bold new brand identity alongside a powerful new school film, both designed to reflect the energy, confidence, and individuality of its students.

From the start, this was a student-driven project, with girls contributing ideas, shaping the narrative, and ensuring their voices were genuinely represented. Behind the camera, the film was produced by a female-led creative team, directed by the exceptional Alena Shevchenko, whose vision brought the NLCS story to life with honesty and creativity.

School teams up with mental health experts to strengthen commitment to pupil wellbeing

A Worcestershire school has teamed up with mental health experts to strengthen its commitment to the wellbeing of its pupils.

The Downs Malvern has become a member of The Wellbeing Hub, which provides support for parents, carers and whole school communities.

The Wellbeing Hub, which works with almost 260 schools across the country, offers a proactive approach to children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing by providing evidenced-based support, drawing on the latest research from psychotherapy, psychology and neuroscience.

‘This gives us another string to our bow to ensure our pupils have the best start possible in all aspects of their academic life.’ says Andy Nuttall, Headmaster.

Find out more about NLCS here.

DLD College London’s Four-Figure Fundraising Series

DLD College London has announced its latest series of fundraising efforts – organised by the college’s student council – which resulted in donations to four high-profile charities, raising an impressive total of £1,874.

Supporting Evelina London Children’s Hospital, students hosted an impressive Christmas party with games, activities and holiday-themed activities, raising £500 for the charity. For Macmillan Cancer Support, a bake sale – with the help of kitchen staff – was held by the student council during break times to raise funds, with cookies and cupcakes on offer for people to buy, accruing a total of £600.

Furthermore, the Lady Garden Foundation received a £564 donation from the college as a result of a fruitful ice cream sale which was met with great enthusiasm by students and staff, raising awareness and funds for women’s health and gynaecological cancer research and lastly, students dedicated time to Cancer Research UK in a unique fashion by celebrating National Teacher’s Day and hosting a Krispy Kreme donut sale, subsequently raising £210 for the cause.

Find out more about DLD College here.

Ryde School Sailoring Team – undefeated for 18 months

Ryde School’s sailors won the Suffolk Shiver, defeating top teams including Rutland Rebels, extending their undefeated streak to 13 events. This victory, achieved after a long journey to Suffolk, highlights their exceptional skill and teamwork.

The first team to sail consisted of James, Elias, Sam, Ruby, Zeb and Catherine, who dominated from the start and managed to beat Rutland Rebels in race one – a feat Ryde’s sailors have never managed before, and a momentous achievement. The team went on to beat Rutland Rebels five times over the weekend.

The second team started strong and performed well throughout the day, identifying their development areas for training sessions in the coming months. The early win against Rutland meant Ryde School won the final tie break and won the event overall. Ryde School has now won the last 13 events attended, and they remain undefeated for 18 months.

Berkshire School Champions Local Teachers on International Women’s Day

Downe House is putting its female teachers in the spotlight this week ahead of International Women’s Day (8 March 2025), in a bid to celebrate the unique talents, hobbies and achievements of its staff outside of their main day-to-day teaching roles. The #MoreThanHerJobDescription campaign is a new initiative which seeks to showcase the diversity and passions of the female teachers within the school’s community, while reinforcing a strong sense of identity and engagement around women in the workplace.

The campaign sees the school share several inspiring stories and portraits of its teachers on Instagram and via its website and blog, celebrating the incredible women that teach on the campus at Cold Ash.

Emma McKendrick, Headmistress at Downe House School commented, ‘We are incredibly fortunate to have such talented women working at our school. They really are amazing role models for our girls. This inspiring initiative will not only help our school community to recognise and celebrate their personal achievements outside of their daily teaching roles, but our students will also benefit hugely from hearing real-life examples of passion, perseverance, and personal growth.’

Find out more about Downe House here.

Horris Hill Prep School Announces Exciting Curriculum Extension to Include GCSEs

Horris Hill, located on the Hampshire/Berkshire border, is thrilled to announce a significant expansion of its academic provision to include GCSEs. Driven by its long-standing educational successes, this decision has been underpinned by careful consideration and extensive planning. Horris Hill School will be extending its offering by an additional three years, from Years 9 to 11. The school will commence recruitment into Year 9 as soon as possible, likely that the first class will be in September 2027 or earlier, in September 2026 if there is sufficient demand.

Find out more about Horris Hill here.

Taunton School renews sponsorship of cricketer, Tom Abell

Taunton School has become the official sponsor of Somerset County Cricket Club player and former student, Tom Abell. The sponsorship renewal marks the School’s third year in a row as Tom’s official sponsor. Tom – who captained his home team for seven seasons – was a student at Taunton School between 1996 and 2012.

‘We are thrilled to sponsor Tom again for the forthcoming season,’ says Deputy Head Co-Curricular Matthew Cook. ‘We are exceptionally proud of his outstanding sporting achievements, an incredible source of inspiration to so many of our students who have their own aspirations to become professional cricketers.’

Find out more about Taunton School here.

Current Canfordian and World Champion in Martial Arts selected for GB once again

Congratulations to Canfordian Aaron B who has once again been selected to represent Team GB at the WMAGC Martial Arts World Championships in Oslo in November. Aaron is the current World Champion in the Light Continuous Sparring in his age group and will be defending his title at these Games.

Aaron has qualified for all his categories – Japanese Kata, Creative Kata, Kumite, Light Continuous Sparring and Points Sparring. He is already the European Champion for both Japanese Kata and Creative Kata and earned gold and silver medals for all categories at the European Championships in summer 2024.

Find out more about Canford here.

World-renowned pianist to perform in Shropshire as part of school’s star-studded concert series

One of the world’s greatest musicians and the first British-born pianist to be knighted in 45 years is heading to Shropshire in the latest coup by a county school determined to bring classical music’s biggest stars to a local venue.

Sir Stephen Hough will be the highlight of a new series of concerts unveiled by Wrekin College in Wellington.

His appearance follows previous performances by world-leading cellist Sheku Kanneh Mason at Wrekin which welcomes a calibre of musicians more frequently seen in globally renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House.

Their appearances in Wellington are part of an ongoing programme, launched after the school opened its own Music School, aimed at ensuring established icons would appear in the same series as up and coming stars of the future at a school encouraging youngsters to enjoy all genres of music and more importantly, performing.

Find out more about Wrekin College here.

Celebrating World Book Day at Leweston Prep

Leweston Prep celebrated World Book Day with the students coming into school in their vocabulary-themed costumes, turning the morning assembly into a parade of linguistic flair. The morning was packed with wordplay activities, focused on synonyms and House colour-inspired words, plus crafting Top Trump character cards from their chosen words. To top it all off, they enjoyed a Harry Potter-themed lunch.

Find out more about Lewiston Prep here.

The Halliford School Battle of the Bands 2025

Wednesday’s annual Battle of the Bands event brought the Halliford School community together to celebrate the incredible musical talents of our students. The evening was filled with electrifying performances, friendly competition, and a shared appreciation of wonderful music.

The night began with a captivating performance by the Year 7 Rock Band, setting the stage for an unforgettable showcase of diverse musical genres and styles. Six bands from various year groups took the stage, each delivering powerful renditions of classic and contemporary hits, including songs by Coldplay, Muse, Nirvana, and The Rolling Stones.

The audience played an active role in the event, voting for their favourite performances using a QR code system. Mr Wright, Director of Music, announced the winners in various categories, including Best Dressed Band, Best Stage Presence, Best Frontman, Best Guitar Solo, Best Song, and Best Band.

Find out more about Halliford School here.

Celebrating World Book Day at Beaudesert Park School

Beaudesert Park School in Minchinhampton celebrated World Book Day with creative book

character costumes. The children also took photos of themselves reading with their pets at home as part of a community project to encourage reading. Dogs, cats, hamsters and ponies all posed for photos with children and their favourite books.

‘World Book Day is a wonderful opportunity to ignite a passion for reading in our children,’ says Headmaster, Chris Searson.

‘Seeing children from Nursery all the way to Year 8 celebrating their love of literary characters is a highlight of the year for me.’

Find out more about Beaudesert Park here.

Celebrating World Book Day at Kimbolton School

Pupils at Kimbolton School, Cambridgeshire, embraced the magic of reading as they celebrated World Book Day with a range of exciting activities designed to inspire a lifelong love of books.

Students in the Prep School brought their favourite literary characters to life, dressing up as beloved book animals. Children in the Lower Prep explored ‘Room on the Broom’, with staff joining in the fun by dressing up as characters from the story to enhance the experience. Meanwhile, Sixth Form students delighted younger pupils by reading to Reception and Lower Prep classes, while Upper Prep pupils also paired up with younger students for shared reading sessions.

In the Senior School, students put their debating skills to the test in a lively ‘Balloon Debate’ – where participants argue why they should be the one to stay on a sinking hot air balloon – led by the Sixth Form debating team. Members of the school’s Debate Society argued whether Lord Voldemort or Makka Pakka would triumph in a battle, or if Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon could outwit Sherlock Holmes. Staff also joined in the fun, dressing up to celebrate the occasion.

New Hall Students Tackle Global Issues in Question Time Debates

As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate the news agenda, students at New Hall School in Chelmsford have been addressing some of the world’s most pressing political challenges through the School’s Question Time debates.

 In a recent lunchtime debate, 12 students in Years 10 to 13 took part in a rigorous discussion on the new American administration’s approach to achieving peace in Ukraine. The debate explored diplomatic strategies, military aid, and the broader implications for NATO and European security. 

 Many students drew inspiration from New Hall alumna and leading journalist Christiane Amanpour, whose recent interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted the urgent need for a unified European defence strategy in response to escalating geopolitical tensions. This issue resonated strongly with the themes explored in New Hall’s own debate.

Find out more about New Hall here.