Culford School

Word From The Head

Claire Bentley

At Culford we believe in an education that is challenging, enriching and fun. Academic excellence is at the heart of what we do, but the wider educational experience here is what prepares our pupils for success in their future lives.

We believe that lessons should be challenging in content and pace; that they should be enriching, going beyond the curriculum wherever possible; and that they should be fun, because the best learning happens when pupils are engaged and enthusiastic.

Leadership and other life-skills are rarely learnt within the academic curriculum, however. They can be learnt and developed through sport, charity work, drama, music, outdoor pursuits and the wide range of other opportunities we offer. These are not bolt-on extras, but fundamental parts of the learning experience.

We have wonderful facilities in our 480 acre park, the envy of bigger schools. We enjoy state of the art science facilities, a stunning sports hall with 25m indoor pool and indoor climbing wall, a wonderful Studio Theatre, boarding houses with internet throughout, and a magnificent four-court indoor tennis centre. What's more, a 2.2 million library sits at the heart of the school, a real hub for learning and teaching. A brand new art centre also opened in 2019 and more recently we opened two dance studios both fitted with a harlequin dance floor, the same used by professional dancers. In 2020 we were also lucky to receive a donation to open a 24-track recording studio.

We are, however, a deliberately small school of some 400 pupils in the Senior School, half of whom board, since that enables us to fulfil our aim to nurture the individual. We are also deliberately inclusive in our admissions policy, since we welcome children with a wide range of talents. Standards of attainment are high, however, with an average of 66% of A Levels gained at A* to B grade over the last 5 years.

Our aim is to focus on the individual and see pupils emerge from Culford a credit to us and a delight to their parents. If you want to see how we do it, please do arrange a visit since I would be very pleased to welcome you to Culford.