Worth is a Catholic Benedictine boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 11–18 where those of any faith, or none, are welcome. It is a truly distinctive school, known for its strong community values, friendly atmosphere and the excellence of its all-round education. The school has been under the leadership of Mr Stuart McPherson (formerly at Eton College) since September 2015 and in the Head Master’s words is: ‘a place where we seek to uncover and ignite children’s passions and talents. The path a life takes often begins at school, and this is why we do not just provide education, we offer learning with heart and soul, and this gives Worth a difference of kind that sets us apart.’
This magnificent school is in the heart of the Sussex countryside, about halfway between London and Brighton, and less than 15 minutes from Gatwick airport. We are ideally placed to allow students to sample some of the cultural highlights that Britain has to offer, while providing a beautiful environment in which to learn.
In an Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) Report in November 2017, Worth was judged to be excellent – the highest possible grade – for the quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements and personal development. A review by the Good Schools Guide in 2017 concluded that ‘This school has everything going for it...’. A review in the Tatler Schools Guide refers to Worth as a ‘school on the up’ while in October 2024 Worth was named Boarding School of the Year at the Independent Schools of the Year awards.
The school offers a broad curriculum, where students can opt for the International Baccalaureate Diploma or A levels. The School has offered the IB since 2002 and a pre-IB course was introduced for non-UK students in Year 11 in 2015. Examination results are excellent and pupils enter the best universities in the UK and abroad, including Oxford, Cambridge, Russell Group universities and Ivy League institutions.
The wider curriculum is rich and varied with a huge range of activities, societies, lectures and trips from which to choose. There is also a lively sporting programme which has produced students of international, national and county standard, and the school’s reputation for performing arts is outstanding.
History. Worth welcomed girls into Years 7 and 9 in September 2010. They joined other girls in an already thriving co-educational Sixth Form, and the school has been fully co-educational since 2012 with girls integrated into all aspects of school life.
Courses of study. At GCSE level, students usually take ten subjects. The compulsory core is: English, Mathematics, Sciences, French or Spanish or German (plus PE and SMSC).
There is a wide choice of subjects at A level and there is also the opportunity to take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). A BTEC in Business is available subject to demand. Full details of subject choices can be found on the School website.
Alternatively, Sixth Form students may study the International Baccalaureate. This involves the study of six subjects, three at Higher Level and three at Standard Level. Details can be found in the Sixth Form Subject Options booklet on the Worth School website.
Thanks to the generosity of a former student, a multi-million pound new Sixth Form Centre and School Library opened in April 2022. Sixth Form students may also choose to study for Oxbridge entrance and a number gain places at either Oxford or Cambridge.
Pastoral care. Care of each student is of central importance throughout the school, as evidenced by our ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted grading for Boarder provision. Each pupil is a member of a House and has a personal tutor who monitors work progress and assists the Housemaster/Housemistress with overall care. The House support structure also includes a Chaplain and a matron, supported by an assistant matron in each of the Boarding Houses. There is a counsellor available to pupils.
Sport. Worth loves its sports. The main sports are: rugby, football, hockey, netball, cricket, tennis and athletics. Other sports played at competitive level include fencing, squash, golf, basketball, lacrosse and badminton, and sports are also available through school clubs and activities including a Worth equestrian team (see below). There is a floodlit Astropitch, a nine-hole golf course, an indoor golf simulator, squash courts, tennis courts, fencing salle, dance studio and fitness suite. The school also makes use of the excellent athletics facility and 50-metre swimming pool at a multi-sports centre nearby.
Performing Arts. Music is important at Worth. There is a flourishing choir, the Schola Cantorum, that is involved in tours and makes regular appearances in the Abbey Church. The school orchestra performs regularly, as does the Jazz Band. The annual House Music and Young Musician of the Year competitions provide all pupils with an opportunity to perform and encourage an interest in music.
Drama also flourishes with regular dramatic and musical productions at all levels and the standard of performance is exceptional. There are three major productions a year, taking place in the purpose-built Performing Arts Centre which comprises a 250-seater theatre, box office, drama office and workshop, dressing rooms, recording studio, a soundproofed ‘rock room’, rehearsal rooms, a recital room and music classrooms.
Extracurricular activity. Pupils of all ages take part in activities one afternoon, and clubs and societies at least twice a week, as part of the academic timetable. There are more than 150 activities, clubs and societies to choose from each week, ranging from helping with the local primary school and photography to sailing, clay pigeon shooting and chess. There is a horse riding school for students nearby and there are stables on the campus. Worth is also a centre of excellence for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. There are lectures by external speakers and a wide array of trips, visits and exchanges both at home and abroad.
Weekends. In September 2022, Saturday morning academic lessons, previously compulsory for all pupils in the senior school, moved into the Monday to Friday timetable. This change presents a range of new opportunities for boarders and an exciting new structure for the weekend boarding experience at Worth with a dynamic programme of activities, clubs, revision classes and more, as well as compulsory sports fixtures.
Admissions policy.
Entry at 11+: Entrance tests in English, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning are held in January each year. Offers are based on test results, a report from the student’s current school and an interview with the Head Master. Annual promotion is subject to the pupil having shown satisfactory academic performance as determined by the Head Master, and a good disciplinary record.
Entry at 13+ (Year 9): Admission at 13+, after visits and registrations, is via Worth's own assessment tests and interviews held at the school in the Lent Term of Year 6 or, occasionally, Year 7. Admission for overseas candidates is via separate assessment tests and interviews held in their own countries.
Entry at 16+: Admission is by means of reports and references from the candidate’s current school, assessments and interviews held at Worth during the year prior to entry. Entry is competitive, and successful applicants will usually be predicted to gain top grades in most of their GCSEs or equivalent examinations, but we recognise the central value of Art, Drama, Music, Sport and other co-curricular activities, and enthusiasm in these fields is expected and encouraged.
Scholarships. Scholarships at Worth are highly prestigious awards available to students demonstrating outstanding talent and ability in the spheres of Academic Study, Art, Design and Technology, Drama, Music or Sport. Candidates must be registered with the school prior to entering the scholarship process and applications for bursaries should be made at the same time as applications for scholarships.
For all types of scholarships, awards can range in value and a candidate may also hold one or more awards, so that Academic, Art, Design and Technology, Drama. Music or Sport awards may be held concurrently. Additionally, at the Head Master's discretion, exceptional awards with a fee concession may be made where, during the assessment process, we identify exceptional potential or need. Tenure of any award depends upon continued satisfactory progress. The school reserves the right to vary the number of awards according to the strength of applications. The level of fee concession provided can be augmented by bursary support which is subject to means assessment.
For further information on scholarships and bursaries, please see the school website.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Years 9–13: Boarding £15,110, Day £10,290; Years 7 & 8: Day £6,935.
Friends of Worth. The parents of children at Worth run their own programme of social events to which all parents are invited.
Worth Society. All Old Worthians are entitled to join the alumni society which organises events as well as assisting with individual work experience and ongoing careers guidance. Contact Mary Lou Burge at worthsociety@worth.org.uk. Charitable status. Worth School is a Registered Charity, number 1093914. Its aims and objectives are to promote religion and education.
Governors & Staff:
Board of Governors:
Rt Rev Abbot Mark Barrett, OSB, MA Cantab, MA, PhD (President)
Mr Jeremy Fletcher, BA (Chair)
Mrs Brenda Alleyne, LLB
Mr Laurence Bosshard, BSc, FCA
Ms Mary Coller, BSc
Dr Bridget Dolan, QC
Mr George Fitzsimons, MA, FCA
Mr Peter Green, Cert RE, MA
Mr Christopher McCourt (from September 2024)
Dom Martin McGee, BA, MA, MSt
Ms Alison Palmer, BSc
Mr Tim Pethybridge, MA
Dr Cameron Pyke, MA, MMus
Mr Geri Silverstone, MSc
Dom Peter Williams, OSB
Head Master: Mr Stuart McPherson, MA
Senior Deputy: Ms Marisa Bosa, BA, BEd
Deputy Head (Academic): Dr Daniel Coughlan, BA, MA, PhD
Deputy Head (Pastoral): Mr Mark Macdonald, BSc
Deputy Head (External): Mr Gordon Pearce, MA
Deputy Head (Co-Curricular and Partnerships): Mr Julian Williams, BSc, MA, Dip TESL
Assistant Head (Sixth Form): Mr Matthew Doggett, MA, MSc
Assistant Head (Head of Middle School): Mrs Sarah Flint, BA
Director of Mission: Mr Dan Harris
Mr Anthony Moore, MA Oxon, MBA (INSEAD), Chief Operating Officer
Teaching Staff:
* Head of Department/Subject
Miss Sarai Adams, LLB, MA (English)
Mr Paul Ambridge, BA (Physics)
Mrs Esmé Mustian Atkinson, BA (Librarian)
Mr Garry Backshell, BSc Hons, MSc (Physics)
*Mrs Frances Baily, BSc, MSc (Physics)
*Mrs Andrea Beadle, BA, MA (German)
Ms Mica Bearman, BSc (Physics)
*Mrs Sophie Belloul, BA (French)
Mrs Sarah Bennett (Examinations Officer)
Miss Maria Bilton (Youth Minister)
*Mr Jonathan Bindloss, BA, MA (Religious Studies, Theory of Knowledge)
Mr Stuart Blackhurst, HND (Head of Digital Strategy)
*Mr Lewis Brito-Babapulle, MA (Director of Music)
Mr Thomas Brocklehurst (Graduate Sports Assistant)
Mrs Bethany Browning, MA (Mathematics)
Mr William Burch, MSc (Maths, Games, Rutherford Deputy Housemaster)
Mrs Caroline Burton, MSc (Biology, St Anne’s Housemistress)
*Mr David Burton, BEd (Director of Sport)
Mrs Lucinda Button, BA (Art & Design)
Mrs Katie Camp, BA (Art)
Miss Lily Campbell (Youth Minister)
Mrs Olivia Carter, BSc (Mathematics, Assistant to Head of Sixth Form (A level))
Miss Mariana Chan Dominguez (Youth Minister)
*Mr Raj Chaudhuri, BCom, ECB Level 4 (Master in charge of Cricket)
Mr Paul Cheeseman, BA (Design and Technology, Farwell Housemaster)
*Miss Sarah Clarke, BA (History, Classics, Sociology)
*Mrs Dawn Clubb, BA, MA (English, Media Studies)
Mr James Coleman, BA (Religious Studies, Assistant to Head of Sixth Form (IB))
*Mr Daniel Collins, LLB (Head of Football)
*Mr William Crénel, LLCE (French, St Bede's Housemaster)
Mrs Claire Cross, BA (Religious Studies)
Miss Taya Davidson (Graduate Performing Arts Assistant)
*Miss Stephanie Dawes, BSc (Psychology, St Mary’s (Sixth) Deputy Housemistress)
Mr Augustine de Menezes (Youth Minister)
Miss Maria Isabel Del Valle, BA Hons (Spanish, French)
Mr John Dent, MEng (Mathematics, St Bede’s Deputy Housemaster)
Mr Kieran Elson, BA, MA (History)
*Mr John Everest, BA (Photography, Assistant to Head of Middle School)
Mrs Hannah Fennelly, BSC Hons, MSc (Physics)
Mrs Sally Finn, BA (Spanish)
Ms Debora Finotti, BA, MA (Italian)
*Mrs Julie Fleming, LLB (Economics and Business)
Dr Barbara Gehrhus, Diplomchemiker, PhD (Chemistry)
*Mr Calum Giles (Head of Hockey and Master in Charge of Golf)
Mrs Sarah Glanville, BA (English)
*Mrs Danielle Gwynne, BSc (Mathematics)
Mr Paul Harrison, BSc (Geography, Careers Coordinator, Chapman Assistant Housemaster)
Mrs Jo Harvey-Barnes, Cert Ed (Games & Physical Education, Biology, St Catherine's Housemistress)
*Miss Juley Hudson, BA, MA (Visual Art, Interim Head of Department)
Mr Andrew Hunter, BA, MA, MSc (English)
*Mr Joseph Huntley, BA (Religious Studies, *PSHE)
Mrs Sarah James, BSc (Science)
Mr Toby Jones (Youth Minister)
Mr Lewis Kelly (Trainee Teacher of PE)
Mr James Kemp, BA (History)
Mrs Jo-Anne Kennedy, BA (Art, Visual Arts Technician)
*Mrs Andrea Kirpalani, BSc (Head of Science, Chemistry)
Mr James Laird, BA (Economics)
Miss Naomy Larkin, BA (English (Second in Department))
Mrs Catherine Latham, BSc, MSc (Head of Learning Support and SENCO)
Mrs Rachel Le Mare, BA, MA (Business)
Mrs Daniele Lloyd (French)
Miss Lucy Lockwood, BA (Music Technology)
Miss Elizabeth Longstaff, BA (Learning Support Maths, St Mary’s (Middle) Deputy Housemistress)
Mrs Natalie Lynch, BA (Director of Drama)
*Mrs Anna MacMahon, BA, MEd (Austin Housemistress, Head of Development)
Mr Alick Macleod, MSc (Geography, Gervase Housemaster, Head of Boarding)
Mrs Helen Macleod, BA (History)
*Mr David Marks, BA, MA (English as an Additional Language)
*Mrs Claudine Maude, BSc (Biology, Academic Projects Coordinator)
Mrs Gemma McCabe, BSc (Mathematics)
Mr David McColl, BSc (Sports Coach, Science, Games & Physical Education)
Mr Tom Meston, BSc (Mathematics, Economics)
Mrs Sigrid Moiseiwitsch (German)
*Mrs Maria Molinero, BA (Modern Foreign Languages, Spanish)
Mr Bruce Morrison, BEd (Games & Physical Education, Mathematics, Butler Housemaster)
Mr Robin Moss, BSc (Chemistry & Science, Gervase Deputy Housemaster)
Miss Angela Mutongerwa (Chaplaincy Team Leader)
Mrs Georgina Nigliazzo, BA (French, Spanish)
Miss Tola Olawuyi, BEng (Mathematics)
Mrs Emily Pearcy (Sports Coach – Athletics, St Anne’s Assistant Housemistress)
Ms Elaine Pieters, BA (Games & Physical Education)
Mrs Fay Revell, BSc (School Counsellor)
Mr Thomas Richardson (Head of Rugby Development, Chapman Housemaster)
Mr Liam Richman, BSc (Mathematics, Rutherford Housemaster)
Mrs Beverley Rodwell, BA (Learning Support, Deputy SENCO)
Mr Stephen Rodwell, Cert Ed (Assistant Director of Music)
Miss Kathryne Rosati, BSc (Science)
Miss Eleanor Ross, BSc (Chemistry, St Mary’s (Middle) Housemistress)
Miss Charlotte Rule, BSc (Geography, St Mary’s (Sixth Form) Housemistress)
*Ms Victoria Sadler, MA (Geography)
*Mrs Tanya Scorer, BSc (Computer Science)
Dr Peter Scott, BSc, PhD (Biology)
Mrs Kirsty Stannard, BA (English)
Mrs Geeyoung Steele, BA (Religious Studies)
Mr Ben Taylor (Games & Physical Education)
Mr Joseph Teague, BA (History & Politics)
Mrs Charlie Todman, BSc (Tutor of Mathematics)
*Mr Philip Towler, BA (Latin, Classics)
Mrs Averil Waghorne, BA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant)
Mr Matthew Walsh, BSc (Assistant Director of Sport, Head of Academic and Core PE)
Mr William Warwick, MA (History, Gifted and Talented Coordinator)
Mr Edward Watson, BSc (Economics)
*Mr Dan Weaver, BA (Design and Technology, Butler Flexi Boarding Tutor)
Mr Matthew Wellman, BA, MA (Assistant Director of Drama, Farwell Assistant Housemaster)
Mr Tom Wilkinson, BSc (Sports Coach – Performance)
Mrs Jennifer Williamson, BA (Design and Technology)
Dr Michelle Wood, BSc, PhD (Science)
Mrs Bethanie Wright, BA, Med (Psychology)
Mr Chris Wyles, BSc (Religious Studies, Games, Social Outreach Coordinator)
Miss Bei Yu, BSc (Mandarin)
Registrar: Mrs Jo Everett
Head Master’s Secretary: Mrs Samantha Braund
Head of Pupil Healthcare: Miss Tania Murphy