The start of this term at Winchester College has been bursting with fresh energy: commitments to new clubs and societies, excited voices across campus, renewed vigour in lessons as well as on the sports fields. All in all, no different to the beginning of any other academic year.
In September, we were joined by approximately 180 new pupils, as many schools would have been. But what is truly new for us is that we are welcoming day pupils for the first time in the Sixth Form – the vast majority of whom are girls.
This is the first time girls have been admitted to the school as part of the formal admissions process – although some girls, including the daughters of teachers, have attended in the past. Years 9 to 11 remain boys-only, and all continue to board.
So how have these new day pupils, including the 17 girls, been getting on?
They have attended lessons, lectures and societies, helped to run events such as the house singing competition, have successfully auditioned for plays, participated in sport, joined in academic competitions, the Chapel Choir and the school orchestra.
Practically, the day pupils have joined four of the existing boarding houses where they eat all their meals six days a week, are part of a vertical tutor group and have a house tutor who meets with them regularly in addition to their housemaster and matron.
“The induction process meant that the year group weren’t strangers to each other in September.”
The House community is an essential part of Winchester College and day pupils have found a ready group of friends keen to help them settle in. The induction process which ran throughout last year meant that the year group weren’t strangers to each other in September.
As might be imagined, we have had to make significant infrastructure changes across the school campus in order to welcome the new pupils and be compliant for an ISI Material Change inspection.
The Warden announced the decision to diversify the pupil body in February 2021 so the Estates and Works teams have delivered exceptional, sustainably driven, changes in a relatively short space of time across an estate that consists predominantly of listed buildings.
“We created a separate space for day girls, which provides the main space for them to change, shower and socialise.”
This has included the creation of co-educational study and social spaces in the four boarding houses which have welcomed day pupils as well as expanded house dining facilities. We also created a separate space for day girls called Oakeshott’s. Oakeshott’s was comprehensively refurbished and provides the main space for day girls to change and shower as well as socialise as a group.
There have also been changes in language as, for example, the school is no longer addressed as “men”. This has had to be implemented across all the school’s policies, its wider documentation as well as parental communications, the external facing website and social media outlets.
“There have been changes in language, for example, the school is no longer addressed as ‘men’.”
All of our school policies were reviewed with a clear focus on making sure they were fit for purpose with day pupils and girls joining the college. As a management team, these changes also meant we had to focus on new conundrums such as the logistical issues of transport for day pupils. We also had to look at how to offer the enriching experience of a Winchester education without it being unmanageable for pupils who were commuting.
The good news was that the timetable already functioned in a way to make a long day more accessible for day pupils with its blend of lessons and extracurricular throughout each day accompanied by a healthy degree of independence for sixth formers to plan their own use of time.
“Despite all this, it is arguable that little has changed by way of ethos.”
The admission of a larger cohort of day pupils, particularly girls, is only one part of the vision for Winchester College in the 21st Century. Sitting alongside this has been an expansion of the bursary programme including the launch of the Wykeham Award. These are bursaries specifically for Sixth Form applicants who are joining Winchester College from a state secondary school, several of which were awarded to pupils starting this September. The intention is to grow bursary provision by 25 per cent to 150 pupils in 2024.
Despite all this, it is arguable that little has changed by way of ethos. Winchester College remains a place which values the exploration and critique of ideas, which seeks to ensure that the interests of individuals flourish and which encourages debate and conversation between pupils, as well as between pupils and dons.
The result of the diversification of the cohort is an increased variety of voices and ideas as new pupils inevitably bring different experiences and perspectives to the school. That is all for the good intellectually and socially.