Address: Tudor Hall, Wykham Park, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX16 9UR
Website: tudorhallschool.com
Founded: 1850
Pupils: 300, all girls aged 11-18
Termly Fees: £9,480-£16,800
Head Teacher: Ms Julie Lodrick
Religious Affiliation: Church of England
Entrance Procedure: Selective, using 11+ and 16+ assessments
School Visits: Whole school open days in September, March and May; sixth form open morning in October
Contact: [email protected] or 01295 756259
The Curriculum
Tudor girls are encouraged to take risks, develop a growth mindset and to aim high. Tudor Hall is the only High Performance Learning pathway school in Oxfordshire and one of fewer than 15 independent schools in the UK working towards the prestigious World Class School accreditation based on cognitive and neuroscience research. Teaching and learning is very well resourced, with 21 subjects available at GCSE, 28 subjects at A level and equivalent, plus EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) and Leiths Professional Cookery course. Girls are encouraged to make subject choices for GCSE in which there is an interest and in which strengths lie. There is a wealth of careers advice, talks and opportunities for girls at every age and support is given to avoid imbalances which could prevent entry into particular courses at university level.
Sport & The Arts
Sport and PE is integral to life at Tudor Hall. Core sports are hockey, netball, lacrosse, tennis, athletics, swimming and cricket, with opportunities to participate in dance and gymnastics. Sports facilities on site include 46 acres of grounds, a heated swimming pool, floodlit astroturf, floodlit hard tennis and netball courts, sports hall, lacrosse pitches, state-of-the-art fitness suite, and a hall for dance. The Tudor Hall equestrian team is well established and takes part in a number of high-profile competitions. The art, ceramics, photography, design technology and textiles departments all have specialist experienced teachers with expert skill levels to inspire pupils. There is a strong drama tradition at Tudor and the school has a studio opened by OT (Old Tudorian) and Academy Award winner Serena Armitage. Several girls have successfully auditioned for the National Youth Theatre and the school has a partnership with Chipping Norton Theatre. An average 200 individual music lessons take place per week and take part in house music competitions and community music events throughout the year.
Pastoral Care
The aim of Tudor Hall’s pastoral care is to help girls develop into grounded young women with the self-respect to become all that they want to be and the resilience to withstand the pressures of modern life and face the challenges that come their way head-on. The tutor and housemistress, supported by the health centre staff, the chaplain, counsellors and other staff, make up the pastoral team. Their aim is to provide a safety net around the girls so they are able to take responsible risks, so that they might grow. Staff constantly encourage them to step up to challenges while providing them with a safe environment to do so. All girls are members of small tutor groups, with a tutor who quickly gets to know them. All girls, day or boarding (25 percent of our pupils are day girls) are members of a boarding house; after years seven and eight, all the girls live together in a house dedicated to their age group and move up together each year. Not only does this form an incredibly strong bond across the year, it means that each housemistress and their pastoral team are experts in the needs and challenges that girls meet at each age, allowing the structure and priorities of each house to support every girl.
Exit Destinations
Girls achieve excellent A level outcomes and go on to a range of top universities in the UK and overseas, including Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Newcastle and York. In 2024, destinations included Oxford and the prestigious Jimmy Choo Academy.
Head Teacher’s Philosophy
To encourage girls to achieve academic excellence through a wide-ranging curriculum that enables girls to broaden their horizons, exceed their potential and provides the foundation for them to speak their minds, take intellectual risks and believe that anything is possible. The girls are ambitious and determined to make the most of the many opportunities in school and further afield. At Tudor, pupils are selected not just on their academic ability but also on their personal strengths and character. Having grown up in an environment where their individual interests and talents are nurtured, girls emerge as poised, confident and articulate young women.
