Silcoates School

Silcoates is a 3 to 18 school which seeks to bring out the very best in every pupil through instilling in them a love of learning and a willingness to seize every opportunity they are given. Whilst many of our pupils begin their life at Silcoates in the Junior School, others join aged 11 and 16 (and at many points in-between!). This continuity serves to embed the skills and qualities that make our pupils enthusiastic and effective learners. It also ensures that they develop strong and life-long friendships with their peers. New pupils to the School are given an especially warm welcome and they soon feel valued members of our community.

Whilst we are academically selective, the pupils have a broad range of abilities and needs and thus we have a curriculum that becomes increasingly flexible as pupils develop their own strengths and aptitudes. However, the most academic will succeed at Silcoates, with recent leavers obtaining places at Cambridge and Durham universities and medical school. The breadth and variety of our curriculum is matched by the range of activities on offer outside the classroom. Having all the School on one site enables the pupils in the Junior School to benefit from the vast array of facilities on offer, from the all-weather playing surfaces to the indoor swimming pool to the fully-equipped Drama Studio.

Sport and exercise are important features of life at Silcoates. Boys are introduced to our core sports of rugby, hockey and cricket in the Junior School and, due to our size, most have the opportunity to play for the School throughout their career; girls are equally as competitive in hockey and netball.

All pupils are given every encouragement to express themselves in the full range of artistic activities and push themselves way beyond their comfort zones through going on trips and expeditions abroad. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme is very well established and several pupils achieve Gold every year. ‘Grit’ and determination are also evident on our biennial expedition to Tanzania.

The principal accolade that many parents and former parents afford the School is that it is a warm and welcoming community and that their children make friendships here that last them a lifetime.