The Mount School

The Mount School - boarding school for girls. Located in the beautiful historic city of York, just 10 minutes by train from the city centre. The school was founded in 1785. It occupies its current location since 1857. York is a cosmopolitan city with a large number of cultural events. London is only 2 hours away by train.

The school was founded by Quakers and to this day adheres to the traditional values of Quakers. Namely: the respect and value of each person, the freedom to develop in a calm and caring atmosphere, the desire for personal improvement, activity and the desire to contribute to the modern changing world.

The Mount School is convinced that each girl is unique, and the purpose of education is to reveal the inner potential and talents of students. For this, the school creates all conditions. Girls are taught to think independently, to develop at their own pace and in an individual manner, to grow free from stereotypes.

About 300 girls’ study in the school, 80 of them live in the boarding school.

DIRECTOR (stand 2023)

David Griffiths, education - University College Chichester (UCC), BA (Hons), PGCE, Accounting and Business/Management.

FAMOUS SCHOOL GRADUATES

• Judy Dench, actress (films "Chocolate", "James Bond", awarded the Order of the British Empire)
• Rose Neal, BBC Presenter
• Jocelyn Barnell, astrophysicist (awarded the Order of the British Empire)
• Laura Sayers, radio producer
• Antonia Susan Duffy, writer (awarded the Order of the British Empire)
• Margaret Drabble, writer (awarded the Order of the British Empire)
• Kate Bellingham, host of the BBC
• Annie Walker, BBC Host
• Katie Click, BBC Presenter
• Mary Yur, actress (film "Where the Eagles Nest")
• Hillary Wainwright, journalist and writer
• Ellein Kelet-Bowman, politician (awarded the Order of the British Empire)
• Isobel Barnet, TV presenter
• Elfrida Vepon, children's writer
• Joan Henderson, politician
• Rachel Howard, artist
• Cheryl Taylor, managing director of BBC Children's Television

KEY FACTORS

• An extensive educational program pays attention to all subjects and promotes versatile and deep education.
• Small classes guarantee an individual approach to each student, which contributes to academic success.
• A very strong community at school teaches girls solidarity, tolerance, conflict resolution and compromise.
• In high school, girls are assigned a group of mentors who maintain close contact with teachers and parents and closely monitor both academic successes and extracurricular activities of each student.
• We are personally acquainted with the administration of this school.

EQUIPMENT

Modern classrooms for each subject with all the necessary equipment. There is a theatre studio, rehearsal room, music department. The school has a separate building for art, very bright, with modern rooms where girls can engage in painting, sculpture, ceramics, technical design. The school has a medical centre with qualified staff. There is a laundry room.

The school has gorgeous sports equipment located on 16 acres of school grounds. Large sports centre, 25-meter indoor pool, fitness studio, tennis courts, netball, volleyball, hockey, and athletics courts.

PROGRAM

GCSE

To obtain a certificate of general secondary education, girls’ study 10 or 11 subjects, of which 6 are compulsory, the rest are optional.

A-level

A two-year program focused on admission to the selected university. Of the 21 academic subjects offered by the school, girls usually choose to study 4 subjects in the first year of study and 3 subjects in the second year of study. Subjects are selected profile based on the selected university and admission requirements.

English as a foreign language

For foreign students who need additional English classes, special courses are held in small groups or individually.

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation in one of two houses on the school grounds. Girls live according to age, in rooms of a maximum of 4 people. The younger schoolgirls live on the first floor, the older ones on the second. Housemistress, the hostel manager, lives here. Each room has a sink. The rooms have high ceilings and large windows, there is always a lot of light and space.

Each house has a large living room, which is the heart of the house, where girls can get together, chat. There is a kitchen where you can prepare food, a games room with table tennis, cards, various board games. The girls have a TV room and a small library at their disposal, which the girls themselves regularly replenish. There is a separate room for classes, where they try to keep silence and where you can study or work in a relaxed atmosphere.

SPORT

At school, they play hockey and netball at the highest level. Girls regularly represent York in competitions in sports such as netball, cross-country, biathlon and hockey. You can go swimming, tennis and athletics. There are sections of fencing, judo, dance, gymnastics, badminton, cricket and football.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

In addition to studying, girls are actively engaged in creativity: music, theatre, art are very popular. Three times a year, musical concerts are held at the school with the participation of students. You can learn to play one or more musical instruments, sing in a choir, or take part in an orchestra or group.

The theatre studio regularly holds performances in which girls take an active part. This is not necessarily a game on the stage, it is the creation of scenery, the design of the scene, and the production of light.

The school has 58 interest clubs - in addition to studying in her free time, every girl will find something to do with herself! Club on art, ceramics, choir, modern dances, culinary, theatre, fencing, club of history buffs, music theory, photography, club of the Spanish language, Zumba and much more. On Saturdays, when there are no classes at school, girls can go to the city, go shopping, bake cakes or read a book quietly. The hostel constantly hosts film screenings, various games and competitions.

COST, 2023-2024

£9,773 - £11,957 per semester (depending on age).
There are 3 semesters in the school year.

Included in cost

• Teaching
• Accommodation and meals
• Educational materials
• Laundry
• Health care
• Additional classes in basic language training (for high school students)

Extra paid

• Registration fee - £75
• Deposit - 1 term’s fee
• Flights
• Transfers to / from the airport
• Visa
• Services of the company "Paradise"
• Guardianship (as required by British law)

SERVICES OF THE EDUCATIONAL COMPANY INCLUDE

• Selection of 5-6 schools that best meet the individual characteristics of the child, further goals, talents, with the desired environment. Help in the correct interpretation of school ratings, an explanation of why the school occupies one place or another. Help in obtaining reliable information about schools that are not included in the ratings, with an explanation of the reasons for non-participation in it.
• Admission to 1-3 schools, selected from the proposed. Which includes the preparation of the necessary documents, school reports, characteristics, recommendations. Selection and submission of tests to prepare the student for exam testing, assistance in preparing essays. Preparation for an interview with the teacher / principal, registration for the exam. The necessary list of recommendations when attending school for passing entrance examinations. Correspondence with the school (far from all schools enter into correspondence with foreign parents, they are cautious about them, trust only to a trusted agent).
• Assistance in paying registration fees, deposits, bills. Clarification of school rules, including disciplinary and legal aspects.
• Filling out the required medical forms.
• Selection of guardians required by UK law.

Student supervision during the first month of training is provided as a gift: assistance in resolving issues related to resettlement, billing, informing parents about the child’s health status, assistance with understanding of academic programs, organization of ext. classes for the child in a particular subject, help in choosing the program most suitable for the child, transfer to another class, etc.

IMPRESIONS OF SCHOOL VISITS

Marina Golovnina, former-director "Paradise" & expert of boarding schools and Olga Karpova, expert of boarding schools

Located directly in the city, the separate education school has, at first glance, a territory of not very impressive size. However, if you look at the courtyard from the French windows that go to the floor, the school has everything you need. There is a sports hall, and a swimming pool, and a scientific block, and laboratories, and sports fields, which in the summer turn into three tennis courts. 

Inna Shelekhova
Former-director of Paradise’s Moscow office

The school is located in the city of York, in an old building. Inside there is a purely English decor: high ceilings, antique oak furniture, figures of elephants and gilded candelabra, a table clock and painted vases. On the walls of the picture, the stairs are carved, airy. The combination of antiquity and bright colours in the classrooms, living rooms, lounges gives a great effect. For example, modern avant-garde lamp and lampshade in the lounge, an aquarium in the kitchen, and ... a harp in the living room.