Sherborne School for Girls Review 2026: Legacy Meets Contemporary Excellence

The chapel bells mark the hours at Sherborne School for Girls, a landmark that has shaped generations of young women since 1899. Founded by John and Charlotte Wingfield Digby with just 14 pupils, the school today serves approximately 490 students across its Dorset campus, roughly 85% of whom are full boarders living within the seven boarding houses. The school ranks 239th in England for GCSE results (FindMySchool ranking), placing it in the top 5%, and 248th for A-levels, also within the top 10% of schools. Sherborne School for Girls in Sherborne, Sherborne has a strong sense of history, with heritage woven into everyday school life. This is a full boarding school where single-sex education combines with genuine co-educational opportunities, thanks to the school's unique partnership with the neighbouring Sherborne School for boys, known as the 'Separate Yet Together' model. Within this environment, girls develop intellectual ambition, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging to something enduring.

The atmosphere at Sherborne Girls balances formality with warmth. Girls move purposefully between lessons, yet the casual clusters of friends on the school steps and in the boarding houses suggest genuine contentment. Dr Ruth Sullivan, who became Headmistress in 2018, has fostered a culture of ambition alongside acceptance. Sullivan previously served as Deputy Master at Haileybury College, where she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the school, and her appointment to Sherborne represented a shift towards fresh perspectives while maintaining institutional strengths.

The school's foundation is explicitly Christian. Girls attend chapel services, and the school maintains a Church of England character, though the environment does not feel insular. The location matters significantly: Sherborne is a small, safe market town within walking distance of the school. Girls enjoy direct rail links to London Waterloo, a factor that brings social and cultural diversity to the boarding population and allows greater flexibility for family contact than many remote boarding schools offer.

The house system anchors pastoral life. Seven boarding houses, each named and each with distinct personalities, accommodate 45 to 80 girls. House staff, typically a teaching couple with support from day matrons, residential tutors, and non-resident tutors, create the sense that each girl has both academic oversight and personal advocates. The model is intentional: house-based dining, rather than a centralised refectory, reinforces the feeling of home. Most significant, perhaps, is that the school's boarding culture is genuine. Interview accounts consistently highlight girls' sense of agency and ownership, the strength of cross-year friendships, and the reality that boarders form the social core of the institution.

GCSE Results

In the most recent results cycle, Sherborne Girls achieved strong outcomes across all key measures. 64% of all grades awarded were at A* or A (the two highest grades), exceeding the national pattern. The school's average Attainment 8 score and Progress 8 data reflect consistent value-added, with pupils making progress broadly in line with or exceeding their starting points. At GCSE level specifically, the school ranks 239th in England (FindMySchool ranking) and first among Dorset schools, placing it well within the top 5%. This positioning reflects an academically selective intake (the school requires 11+ and 13+ entrance assessments) combined with strong teaching and pastoral support.

A-Level Performance

The sixth form delivers impressive outcomes. In the most recent cycle, 52% of grades were A* or A, and across all grades, 77% were at A*-B level. The school ranks 248th in England for A-level results (FindMySchool ranking), positioning it in the top 10%. The curriculum is broad, with girls free to specialise in traditional academic subjects alongside creative and vocational options. In 2024, four students secured places at Oxford or Cambridge, a significant achievement in context, and the school sees consistent progression to Russell Group universities and other selective institutions.

One distinguishing feature is the Sixth Form Baccalaureate (SFB), an innovative school-designed programme that wraps A-level study within a broader framework of leadership, intellectual exploration, and real-world impact. This approach has won recognition from The Week magazine as the Best Sixth Form award, suggesting that examination success coexists with development of critical thinking and personal agency beyond the narrow domain of subject mastery.

Teaching at Sherborne emphasizes rigorous academic engagement alongside breadth. The curriculum requires all girls to take English, mathematics, a science, religion, and a foreign language, ensuring intellectual versatility. Class sizes average 14 pupils in the younger years and drop to single figures for some A-level sets, enabling close dialogue between teacher and student.

The school's approach to learning reflects careful balance between traditional excellence and contemporary pedagogy. Subject specialists are drawn from universities and leading schools, many holding advanced qualifications. Girls report strong subject knowledge among staff and clear expectation structures. Equally important is the integration of wellbeing and learning support: the school employs a dedicated SENCO and learning support team, ensuring that individual barriers to learning are recognised and addressed early. The library, overseen by Mrs Noble-Watts and Mrs Davidson, is explicitly designed as a sanctuary for both focused study and collaborative work, with access to academic databases such as JSTOR and Britannica Online, alongside a carefully curated fiction collection and facilities for activities including book clubs and board game sessions.

University destinations reflect the school's academic positioning and the breadth of its provision. In the 2023-24 leaver cohort, 40% progressed directly to university, while 28% entered employment and 2% moved to further education. These figures underscore that Sherborne Girls serves a primarily age-based transition point rather than exclusively a university pipeline, though the school clearly maintains significant investment in higher education guidance.

Among those pursuing university education, Oxbridge representation is notable: in recent measurement periods, four students secured places across Oxford and Cambridge (three at Oxford, one at Cambridge). Beyond Oxbridge, girls consistently gain entry to leading universities including Imperial College, Durham, Edinburgh, and Bristol, reflecting both the calibre of application and the confidence instilled through the school's pastoral structures.

The school's dedicated higher education team provides structured support: university open day visits, personal statement workshops, and meetings with university admissions tutors. This scaffolding is particularly valuable in a boarding context, where family distance might otherwise limit informal guidance.

Sherborne Girls offers one of the richest extracurricular programmes in independent girls' schools in England. The breadth is intentional: the school describes its co-curricular offerings as organised around seven explicit pillars: Academic Enrichment, Sport & Health, Adventure & Leadership, Community & Outreach, House Spirit & Fun, Music, and Drama.

Music: A Defining Strength

Music permeates school life. Nearly 50% of girls learn at least one instrument, an exceptionally high proportion for a selective school. The school supports this through the Merritt Centre for Music, a dedicated facility housing specialist teaching spaces, a recording studio, and performance venues. Ensembles include the chapel choir, which performs at Sherborne Abbey and participates in public concerts; the symphony orchestra; and specialist chamber groups. Girls benefit from lessons with visiting specialists, and the school hosts regular lunchtime recitals where emerging musicians perform to peers. The Friday lecture series often features musicians, and senior girls study music at A-level alongside instrumental practice. Joint music-making with Sherborne Boys is coordinated, particularly in orchestra and joint concert performances.

Drama: Highly Professional and Accessible

The Stuart Centre for Drama, combined with the new Beddington Lecture Theatre, provides physical infrastructure for extensive dramatic work. The school produces multiple productions annually, including joint-school musical and play collaborations with Sherborne Boys. Productions have included complex repertoire requiring substantial technical support and cast numbers. Cast sizes are typically large, ensuring that drama remains accessible to girls across ability ranges rather than concentrated among an elite ensemble. A dedicated drama studio supports workshops, improvisation, and small-scale experimental work, allowing all participants, not just those with prior experience, to develop performance confidence.

Sport: Beyond Competition

Sport is mandatory, and access is democratic. All girls participate in core physical education, with options to specialise in competitive or recreational pathways. The Oxley Sports Centre provides a focal point, housing a swimming pool, climbing wall, and gymnasium. Outdoor facilities include tennis courts (both hard and grass), an astroturf pitch, cricket pitches, and a pavilion. The school offers competitive teams in netball, hockey, rowing, tennis, athletics, badminton, and equestrian sports (through partnership with local facilities), alongside recreational options including dance, yoga, and weight training. The Head of Sport oversees not just elite team development but also recreational inclusivity, with girls of all abilities encouraged to participate. Adventure activities, including climbing, canoeing, and fell running, extend opportunities beyond traditional team sports.

STEM and Innovation

Coding and robotics clubs engage girls interested in computational thinking. The Science Centre provides dedicated laboratories for practical work across chemistry, biology, and physics. Girls pursue individual research projects in their final years, supervised by academic staff. Mathematically inclined students enter national competitions, and the school encourages cross-curricular enrichment through clubs such as the Science Society and problem-solving workshops.

Academic and Intellectual Societies

Clubs termed 'Mind Matters' academic societies run throughout the year, allowing girls to deepen subject interest beyond the curriculum. Subject-specific seminars, guest lectures from visiting academics, and intellectual discussion groups feature prominently. The Friday lecture series exemplifies this: girls attend talks from external speakers covering diverse topics, from history and literature to science and ethics, followed by informal supper with the Headmistress, enabling deeper exploration of ideas.

Adventure, Leadership, and Charity

The Adventure and Leadership programme is substantial. Expeditions form part of the regular calendar: Sherborne Girls has well-established exchanges and links with schools internationally, including in continental Europe and further afield, allowing girls to experience different cultures and education systems firsthand. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme runs to Gold level, with most participants progressing beyond Bronze. Service is emphasised: the school organises regular volunteering and charitable outreach, including community projects locally and support for national and international causes. One notable programme is the Leiths Introductory Certificate in Food and Wine, offered to sixth formers, combining practical culinary skills with cultural knowledge.

Clubs and Societies

Library-based activities include the Crochet Club, two Book Clubs (allowing girls to pursue fiction and classics separately), and board games clubs. Arts-based societies provide opportunities for creative writing, visual art, and photography. The Combined Cadet Force, run jointly with Sherborne Boys, offers military education and leadership development to interested students. Across all these offerings, the underlying message is consistent: there are pathways for every interest and every level of engagement, from elite representation (chamber orchestras, first XV netball) to recreational participation (casual knitting circles, leisure swimming).

Boarding fees for Years 9-13 (2025-26) are £18,685 per term (inclusive of VAT), equating to approximately £56,055 per year. Day boarding fees are £15,320 per term, and day-only fees are £11,950 per term. For Years 7-8, boarding fees are £15,300 per term. These figures place Sherborne Girls in the premium tier of independent girls' boarding schools, though not at the absolute peak; the fees reflect investment in facilities, teaching staff, and full boarding provision.

Registration is £300 (non-refundable) and acceptance requires a £2,000 deposit (credited against final fees, or refundable if no place is offered). International families must pay a full term's fees as deposit plus an additional £500 for visa administration. Additional charges apply for music lessons (unless covered by scholarship), school trips, and certain electives.

The school demonstrates particular commitment to military families, offering a 10% discount for serving armed forces parents not eligible for the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). For CEA-eligible families, from September 2025, the fee structure will be the CEA allowance plus 10% of the full boarding fee.

Sherborne Girls operates on a selective basis. Entry is possible at 11+, 13+, and 16+ (sixth form).

At 11+ and 13+, assessment includes entrance examinations in English, mathematics, and reasoning, alongside interview. The school processes applications via common entrance or direct registration. Places are highly competitive, and families are advised to register well in advance. The school details that early registration significantly improves chances of securing a place.

At 16+, approximately 20 girls join the sixth form cohort externally, with most progression coming from internal Year 11 completion. Sixth form entry requires GCSE results demonstrating capability in chosen A-level subjects, and the school specifies minimum performance thresholds (typically grade 6 or above in relevant subjects).

Bursaries are available and awarded on a means-tested basis. The school publishes that a bursary application process opens early in the academic year preceding entry, with specific deadlines (for example, 11+ applications close 31 October, 13+ close 28 November, and 16+ close 21 October). Bursary awards can cover full fees through to partial support, and awards are subject to annual review. Scholarships, distinct from bursaries, are merit-based awards in academic, music, art, drama, and sport categories, typically offering 10-25% fee reductions. The school notes that scholars receive enhanced provision and additional coaching rather than automatic fee discount, positioning scholarships as pathways to enrichment.

Pastoral systems are comprehensive. Each girl has an assigned house tutor (usually a teaching member of staff) who monitors academic progress and personal wellbeing, meeting termly and providing ongoing oversight. The houseparent and deputy houseparent provide daily pastoral presence, oversee mealtimes in house, and manage responses to any wellbeing concerns. A dedicated health centre, staffed by qualified nurses and a school medical officer, operates weekday surgeries from 8am, with out-of-hours access to medical staff 24/7. Girls can request female doctors if preferred, and arrangements are made with local practitioners to accommodate this.

Counselling support is available through trained counsellors. The school has invested specifically in mental health provision, recognising that boarding girls, who may experience homesickness, peer pressure, and the intensity of full-time community living, require accessible psychological support.

The wider community setting supports wellbeing: girls living on a school campus within a safe town, with easy access to outdoor spaces and local facilities, experience environmental wellbeing beyond purely institutional provision. Weekend programmes are planned, including social events, day trips, and opportunities for girls to visit the town centre. Exeats (half-weekend breaks) are scheduled termly, allowing girls to spend time with families; the school also offers accommodation at its Newell Grange campus (£250 plus VAT per exeat, including meals and activities) for families unable to collect girls in person.

School hours run 8:50am to 3:20pm on weekdays. The academic calendar follows the English independent school pattern, with three terms and half-term breaks. Full boarders remain on campus for the duration of term, whilst day girls arrange individual drop-off and collection.

The location in Sherborne, Dorset, offers direct train connections to London Waterloo (approximately 2 hours), access to Bristol Airport and Southampton Airport, and positioning on the A303 and A30 main roads. The town itself is approximately 120 miles south-west of London. For families, this balance of accessibility to major transport hubs and relative remoteness from urban pressure is a defining characteristic of the boarding experience.

Wraparound care and day programmes are not typical in an independent boarding school context; however, the school does coordinate flexible boarding options including day boarding (guaranteeing allocated bed space with additional per-night charges of £72) and daytime-only attendance for local families.

Full boarding culture. This is a school for girls ready to live away from home, often for weeks at a time. While the pastoral systems are attentive, and the sense of community is strong, the boarding experience is not for every family. Girls considering Sherborne should have genuine readiness for independent living and some comfort with separation. Families who value daily family contact or who have young daughters struggling with confidence may find the intensity of boarding life challenging initially, though the school provides transition support.

Selective entry. The 11+ and 13+ entrance assessments are competitive, and girls entering at these points have been vetted for academic capability. This means the peer group is academically bright and typically well-supported; it also means the environment is high-achieving, which some girls find exhilarating and others find pressured. Families should assess whether their daughter is drawn to academic challenge or potentially intimidated by it.

Financial investment. At approximately £56,000 per year for boarding, Sherborne Girls demands significant family financial commitment. Whilst bursaries exist, they are not automatic; families must apply formally, undergo means-testing, and demonstrate need. For families without independent means or external bursary support, fees may be prohibitive.

Gender segregation. Whilst the Separate Yet Together model provides co-educational opportunities, the core experience is single-sex. Some girls thrive in all-girls environments; others, particularly if they have not previously experienced single-sex education, may find the absence of boys in daily school life unusual or limiting.

Sherborne School for Girls represents one of England's leading girls' boarding schools, combining historic foundations with contemporary investment. Academic outcomes place it comfortably within the top 5% in England, and the breadth of extracurricular opportunity is genuinely impressive. The boarding community is warm, well-led, and purposeful. Dr Ruth Sullivan's leadership has maintained institutional strengths whilst bringing fresh energy to teaching, pastoral systems, and creative partnerships with the neighbouring boys' school. For families seeking a selective, full boarding experience for a confident, academically capable daughter who is ready for independence and thrives in structured community settings, Sherborne Girls offers an exceptional proposition. It is not for every family, the boarding commitment, selective entry, and significant fees create a specific profile of student and family context, but for those for whom it is right, the experience is transformative.