Head of Boarding

We're delighted to introduce you to Swanbourne House School

Swanbourne House is an Independent Day and Boarding Co-educational Prep School for children aged 3 to 13 years old. The School was rated ‘Excellent’ in all areas by the most recent report from the Independent School Inspectorate (www.swanbourne.org/inspection).

The school is set in 55 acres of Buckinghamshire countryside, around 20 minutes from Central Milton Keynes (which has 30 minute fast trains into London), an hour from Heathrow Airport and 40 minutes from London Luton Airport.

ACADEMICS

We’re creating a progressive and dynamic learning experience at Swanbourne House that is fit for the challenges and opportunities of the modern world. We create an environment where the children undertake activity and investigation, giving them the confidence to think for themselves and to be resilient when problem solving.

We are passionate about developing in the children, genuine awe, wonder and curiosity at the complexities of life and the world about us – past, present and future. We value the skills of independence, communication, collaboration, resilience, reflection, and leadership, and the development of these core skills is integral within our curriculum.

The Faculties at Swanbourne House School are English, Maths, Science & Technology, Ancient & Modern Foreign Languages, Humanities, The Arts, Sport and Outdoor Learning.

We place a strong emphasis on academic achievement. Our smaller class sizes allow us to personalise children’s learning so that, within individual subjects, we are able to appeal to their interests and individual needs.

The Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB) at Swanbourne House is an assessment framework designed to highlight and develop the importance of skills in a 21st century education. With PSB, the core skills of independence, communication, collaboration, resilience, reflection and leadership are fostered and applied during the learning process.

Academically, the children benefit because, alongside ‘learning’ the knowledge of a demanding curriculum in all areas, they understand how to apply that knowledge.

LEAVERS’ DESTINATIONS

Our Year 8 children leave Swanbourne House to attend a variety of leading independent senior schools, and we are consistently successful in securing their first choice of school. We also regularly have a number of pupils who achieve scholarships at senior school.

This year we sent children to a range of independent senior schools including Eton, Harrow, Cheltenham Ladies College, Stowe, Uppingham and Rugby.

ENRICHMENT

At Swanbourne, strong academic foundations and a cross-curric­ular programme are complemented by the activities, workshops and courses that make up the Enrichment Programme. This popular and thriving programme gives children the room and opportunity to see new things, learn different ways of thinking and approaching a prob­lem, and discover new interests and passions.

The engaging activities create challenges that harness the child’s capabilities to grow in new and different ways, becoming resilient team-players and creative individuals while having fun. Enrichment Programme activities have included Fashion & Design Workshops, Enterprise Club, Language Courses, Bushcraft Skills, Parlimentary Debating and Performance Car Design & Build.

SPORT

We engage in sport every day, competing in weekly fixtures and hosting elite coaching from professional players and national governing body accredited coaches. We expose pupils to a wide range of sports and activities to develop their physical strengths and talents. Sports played at Swanbourne House School include rugby, hockey, golf, football, tennis, athletics, netball, cross country, swimming and cricket. There is also opportunity to take part in climbing, fencing, mountain biking, clay pigeon shooting, yoga and trialthalon, amongst others. Facilities include cricket pitches with pavilion, football and rugby pitches, 20m indoor swimming pool, all weather tennis and netball courts, indoor basketball courts, a dance studio, an all-weather hockey pitch, sports hall with two basketball courts and a 6 hole golf course.

MUSIC & DRAMA

Music at Swanbourne House plays an integral part of school life for every child. Class music lessons involving listening, appraising, composing and performing skills are taught across the school at least once a week. A great deal of the work we do is practical, as that is how we believe that children learn best. All children in the 7s and above also have a 60 minute drama lesson as part of their weekly timetable. We showcase over 40 music and drama productions every year, including two full-scale musical productions (recent performances include Shrek the Musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Beauty and the Beast).

BOARDING

The team are passionate about creating the best boarding experience. Our expertise, facilities and grounds means the school has become first choice boarding school for many families locally, nationally (particularly with our handy proximity to London) and internationally (we regularly welcome pupils from across the globe).

Recently, the school has invested significantly in the Boarding House Facilities. New beds and redecoration of the dorms, as well as complete refurbishment of the bathrooms, has created a modern and comfortable home-from-home for the boarders.