Windermere School

We are a leading co-educational boarding and day school in the north of England.

Windermere School is committed to delivering an outstanding and forward-thinking boarding and day experience for our pupils. Where pupils from the age of 3 to 18 are nurtured, guided and inspired to develop their own individual skills and interests. We value academic performance and work tirelessly to maximise the ability of every child and make every use of our exceptional surroundings to enrich the experience of our pupils.

Windermere School offers its pupils an education that combines academic achievement with a host of extra-curricular activities, all underpinned by a spirit of adventure.

The beauty of our location, the expertise of our staff, and the wealth of facilities are enhanced by our size. Windermere is a deliberately small school. Pupils are known and cherished for who they are, every family is a vital part of our community and the voices of everyone are heard. Our classes are small, our pupils are happy, our education is bespoke and the results are stunning.

Pupils often tell us that when they join the school, there is a tangible sense of being somewhere truly unique and incredibly special.

Nestled on a hillside within 45 acres of the National Park landscape that inspired such writers as Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth, Windermere School enjoys one of the most picturesque views in the Lake District, and arguably, the best school view in the world.

Our three woodland campuses (including our private Watersports Centre) contain all of our academic, boarding and sporting facilities.

Windermere School is a small school within which every individual can find their place.

With an average class size of 12 across all sections of the school, and a teacher to child ratio of 1:8, a personalised approach to learning and exceptional pastoral care is not just possible, but the norm.

Our pupils are encouraged to have the confidence and resilience to stand up for what is right and a desire to reach out to others. This balance of confidence and compassion is not on any syllabus, ye it is central to everything we do and embedded in our School’s aims and values.

Life at Windermere School is different. Our location is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the scope of the facilities and grounds is truly inspiring. Our compliment of pupils across all of our age ranges ensures an environment where young people can grow in confidence, excel academically, and discover their innate strengths, talents, and potential.

Our Mission: At Windermere School, our mission is to produce confident and compassionate people, shaped by our determination to encourage self-knowledge through teaching excellence, supportive pastoral care and experience of our environment, embodied by our school motto:

Vincit qui se vincit – One conquers who conquers oneself.

Today that means: overcome yourself and you will achieve, which is what Windermere School is all about – challenging people to excel. In order to be of service to others, we want all our pupils to have sufficient self-reliance to know that, with determination, they can overcome adversity and remain true to their purpose; that they can be of value to society.

Our Aims
We aim to guide children as they grow and progress along their own pathways so that they are prepared for life beyond the school gates. We inspire our pupils through a broad and balanced curriculum that challenges both inside and outside the classroom, where they learn about their strengths and weaknesses and are encouraged to strive for excellence in all things.

We believe that your teachers are a guide through learning and life and guide is also an acronym for the five Aims of the school: global, unique, individual, democratic, excellence.

We are a School with a global perspective, using our unique location, developing individual talents, fostering a democratic culture and encouraging our students to strive for excellence.

The individual sits at the heart of our Aims as they do throughout the entire Windermere School journey.

Adventure is not merely an activity at Windermere School, it is a way of life.

Outdoor Learning is woven throughout every aspect of the curriculum, particularly within the Junior School where 40% of all learning takes place outside of the classroom. These experiences nurture ‘hard to measure’ life skills such as self-awareness, independence, motivation, confidence, empathy, resilience and determination, building a growth mindset within our pupils.

The International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) is a rigorous two year, internationally recognised qualification taking the place of A-Levels.

Pupils open the door to their future confident that their education has transcended pure academics, and equipped them with the key transferable life skills necessary for all aspects of life beyond the school gates.

We are privileged to have our own Watersports Centre, Hodge Howe, less than a mile away. This unique facility, recognised as a Royal Yachting Association Youth Sailing Club, lies at the heart of our Outdoor Learning Programme.

At Hodge Howe pupils learn to sail, canoe, kayak, windsurf and wild swim. They also learn survival and map reading skills, participate in team-building exercises and gain first aid qualifications.

As a Round Square School, we are delighted to welcome international pupils of all ages and pride ourselves on our diversity and international mindset, with an average of 25 nationalities within the school at any one time. Our pupils discover and embrace similarities and differences between countries and cultures, promoting lasting, transnational, understanding and respect.