Shaftesbury School, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Shaftesbury School is a mixed 11-18 school with excellent facilities on the edge of the ancient town of Shaftesbury. The school benefits from an abundance of outdoor space for PE and games. We are proud of our commercial catering facility with restaurant and enviable facilities for Art, Music, Drama, IT and Computing. We are in the final stages of building a new Sixth Form study area to further enhance the facilities offered to our Sixth Form students.
At the heart of our school are the values of our Christian Foundation together with 3 core ideas:
Aspiration: Set goals and targets to drive your everyday experience, and have dreams to follow in the long term.
Action: Work to reach your goals and make your dreams become reality. It may be hard, but it will be worth it.
Achievement: Gain qualifications and skills and value everything you do that takes you one step closer to your dream.
We encourage all students to take an active role in school life through our House system. On entry to the school students are assigned to one of four houses, each named after a famous Olympian – Thompson, Redgrave, Owens and Sanderson. Older students act as mentors for younger students, encouraging and guiding them.
Our boarding residence at Barton Hill House provides accommodation for over 100 boarders. Many of these students travel to us from all over the world, enriching our learning environment through their diverse cultures, faiths and traditions. Boarding at Shaftesbury School enjoys a well-established and rich heritage dating back to 1898. Barton Hill House, a short walk from the main School, was developed to accommodate boys and girls in 1994, and is now a comfortable, modern and bright boarding house with accommodation for up to 107 students. We are proud to be one of only 38 state boarding schools in the UK and our boarding house was reopened in 2012 by HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex following a refurbishment and new build. The facilities were rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in their report in 2011 and every year we welcome students from all over the world to join the ‘Barton Hill Family’.
Shaftesbury is a beautiful English country village situated atop a hill with spectacular views overlooking the Blackmore Vale. The town welcomes many visitors every year to explore the old Abbey and Gold Hill, made famous for a TV commercial in the 1970s. The town features many shops and restaurant and plenty of places to stay. Students are always encouraged to engage with the local community and many of our boarders play for local sports teams and work in the charity shops. Although Shaftesbury is a small town, it is safe and there is always plenty to do.
Study at Shaftesbury School
In Years 7 to 9, a similar programme is taught to all students. Students are taught in the same class in Year 7, except for Mathematics and French/Spanish. These subjects operate a system of “setting” In Years 8 and 9, students are also “setted” in Science. Towards the end of Year 9, students prepare for the programmes of study that they would wish to pursue in Years 10 and 11. Details of the process of selecting subject preferences are provided in the KS4 Options booklet which is given to all students in the Spring of Year 9.
The Shaftesbury and Sturminster Sixth Form is a collaboration between two successful North Dorset Schools coming together to create what we believe is a very special place to learn. We believe that Shaftesbury and Sturminster Sixth Form is the ideal size; large enough to offer a wide range of courses, small enough that you feel part of a community where you are known and supported. Every student is part of a small form with a specialised Sixth Form tutor. As well as registrations every student has a regular one to one tutorial. This support helps students successfully make the step from GCSE to Sixth Form studies.
We believe that one of the keys to academic success is to help students form a clear plan for where they want their Sixth Form education to take them. All students have a Personal Learning Portfolio which helps them to plan for the future and also allows them to work with subject teachers to set personalised targets and track their academic progress.
Boarding Activities and Trips
There is a lot of scope at Barton Hill House for activities. The boarding house provides plenty of space for games and relaxation, as well as extensive gardens and grounds. We want to encourage the students to be involved as much as possible and so we provide the opportunity to enjoy a wide-range of activities. The school offers a number of extra-curricular activities including sports, arts and music. Students are free to join any club and are encouraged to do so.
Cost for 2021 - 2022
The cost of boarding is £ 12,300 per year
As a state boarding school there is no cost for tuition. The only cost is for boarding. A deposit of £ 2,500 is required to secure the boarding place.
For more information on Shaftesbury School in Dorset, please write an e-mail to our address at StudyUnitedKingdom EU <- click for e-mail
