Wycombe Abbey

Wycombe Abbey is the top UK boarding school for girls. It was founded in 1896 by Francis Dove, who actively fought for equal opportunities for girls in the Victorian era. Wycombe Abbey is famous for its high academic performance, which is primarily based on girls' love of learning.

The school annually gets to the top of the ranks of educational institutions, and the indicators for passing the final exams are always one of the best in the UK. Girls perform in different disciplines, achieving excellent results in exams. The results of the GCSE and A-Level courses in 2018 were outstanding, 95.2% of all students on the GCSE course received A * -A grades. On the A-Level course, 84.3% received A * -A scores.

Pupils are given unlimited opportunities in the school, located on 170 acres of green areas, which are saturated with the tranquillity of rural life. Nearby is the city of High Wycombe, where girls get out at the weekend to go to the cinema, go shopping and take a break from class. London offers easy access from the school, and Heathrow Airport is just 30 minutes away.

The secret to school success lies in the fact that girls live at school and are in constant interaction with each other and with school staff. School policies are aimed at stimulating and inspiring girls throughout the school day, allowing them to reveal their talents and abilities. In the school community, each of the students is perceived as a person.

The school has about 650 students.

DIRECTOR (stand 2023)

Jo Duncan, Education - University of St Andrews, MA in English Literature; Cambridge university (PGCE).

FAMOUS SCHOOL GRADUATES

• Penelope Fitzgerald, poetess, writer ("Bookstore", "Blue Flower").
• Sally Phillips, theatre, film and television actress (“The Bridget Jones Diary” films, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”).
• Sonia Walger, television actress (TV series “Lost,” “Remember what will happen”).
• Lady Nicholas Windsor, member of the British Royal Family.

KEY FACTORS

• Wycombe Abbey is an outstanding school by any criteria, including high academic performance. The school has a long tradition of academic excellence and is constantly one of the best schools in the country for exams.
• The school has an impressive sports reputation. In 2015/2016, the school reached 16 national finals in eight different sports, as well as successes at the international, regional and local levels. Since 2017 the school is among the ten best independent sports schools in the UK in School Sport Magazine, ranking eighth in the overall ranking and being the third best school for girls across the country.
• Students enrol in leading universities in the world with the highest passing scores. Among them: Oxbridge, Russell Group universities, prestigious schools of art, theatre and music, Harvard University, Stanford, Princeton and others.
• The school organizes internships for its students. Each girl in the school is a member of Futurewise, which offers many courses covering the field of the profession from law and medicine to journalism and the media.

EQUIPMENT

The school has a functional Davis sports complex, which includes: an indoor 25-meter pool with 6 paths, water polo halls, a multi-purpose gym, a climbing wall, a dance studio, a fitness centre, 4 squash courts, a hall for fencing.

Also, on the territory of the school there are five sites for lacrosse, a track for athletics, a full-fledged football field, indoor and outdoor areas for netball, 20 tennis courts.

The school has its own fine arts centre, which includes a student theatre, as well as a special centre for the study of modern foreign languages.

PROGRAM

GCSE

A two-year program for obtaining a certificate of general secondary education. Required to study 6 subjects, 4 subjects are studied by choice.

A-level

A two-year university preparatory program. Students choose 4 or 5 subjects for in-depth study.

The school has support in English for girls for whom English is not their first language; this includes IELTS and IGCSE training for students who join the Sixth Form without a GCSE qualification in English.

ACCOMMODATION

The school has a separate comfortable house for girls of 11 years old: thanks to living here they can get used to the academic environment of the new school, to live away from home and relatives, quickly adapt and make new friends. The remaining 9 houses are designed for students aged 12-17: each accommodates 45 people, living are divided according to the age principle.

SPORT

Pupils are given the opportunity to try themselves in various sports with a specialized trainer. Every year, students organize trips to a tennis tournament in Florida. Among the available sports - climbing, basketball, badminton, water polo, horse riding, golf, judo, karate, kickboxing, Pilates, squash, fencing, tennis, rowing, lacrosse. The Lacrosse School Team is recognized as one of the best in the UK.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Possible additional classes include: various academic societies, art, photography, various dance groups, ballet, drama, music classes and participation in various orchestras and groups, and many others.

Informal events are held at home every week, such as DVD evenings, birthday parties, and smoothies. Each house also has many fun activities, such as the “House Holiday” or the whole house going to the cinema, restaurants and boat trips throughout the semester.

There is a lot of competition between houses. Girls learn to work in a team, overcome differences, develop resilience and, ultimately, deepen friendship. For each girl, there is a competition for the house, whether it is a sports competition at the end of each semester, a music competition, a discussion competition, etc.

Weekend activities include activities such as: Zumba classes, spa days, trips to the Thorpe Park amusement park, a tour of the Warner Bros and Harry Potter movie studios, skiing in the Snow Zone, shopping in London, singing in Oxford and orienteering in the countryside.

COST, 2023-2024

£15,900 per semester.
There are 3 semesters in the school year.

Included in cost

• Teaching
• Accommodation and meals

Extra paid

• Registration fee - £350
• Acceptance Deposit - £2,500.
• Deposit - £14,700
• Additional classes
• 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 (not all schools enter into correspondence with foreign parents, treat them with caution, trust only 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.