Age Range. 3–16.
Number of Pupils. 370 day pupils, boys and girls.
Fees per term (2023-2024). £3,688–£5,300.
The co-educational School, founded in 1885, is an Educational Trust with a Board of Governors, some of whom are Parents. The number of entries is limited to maintain small class sizes – with an average class size of 14 throughout the school and a staff to pupil ratio of less than 1:10.
A new £3 million development opened in 2022 for the expanding Pre-School and Junior School including three new classrooms, a gymnasium and a state-of-the-art hall for music and drama. French, Music, Drama and Games are taught by specialists, some in subject specialist rooms. Specialist Science and Technology are introduced from Year 4 (8+), as well as specialist teaching in Computing, Art and Design. French, Science, Computers, Drama and Sports are introduced from the age of 4.
In the Junior School, Forest School, in the school’s historic Dell, provides an innovative programme of curricular outdoor learning. There are also ICT, Drama, Art and Music Rooms, Fiction and Reference Libraries, and a Hall with a Stage.
The Senior School provides teaching to GCSE from Year 7 to 11, up to age 16. It has its own campus immediately adjacent to the Junior School. Years 7 and 8 have the benefit of their own designated building with access to all the facilities available in Senior School. The school has a 3-form entry in Year 7 with a scholarship class. External and internal scholarships are taken in January of Year 6. All Senior School children are placed in sets in Maths (from Year 5), Science and English.
The school focuses on individualised learning, where close support and monitoring enable teachers to bring out the best in every pupil according to their ability. There is a tailored programme of additional curricular and extra-curricular activities for More-Able Pupils (MAPS) and a Special Educational Needs (SEN) team. Great emphasis is laid on courtesy and the school’s values of respect, resilience, excellence and inclusion
An enrichment programme open to all pupils enables a wide range of cultural activities. Art, Music and Drama are strongly encouraged throughout the school, with regular concerts, plays and art exhibitions. Tuition in several instruments is available. A new Drama Studio opened in June 2015 and new Chemistry and Biology laboratories in September 2017.
The main sports are Rugby, Football, Hockey, Cricket, Athletics, Netball, Rounders and Cross-Country Running with regular matches against other schools. There are also opportunities for Short Tennis, Swimming, Basketball, Volleyball, Fencing, Skiing, Badminton, Climbing, Golf and Scuba Diving. Numerous educational visits are on offer with annual trips abroad.
A supervised breakfast club runs from 7.30am to 8.15am. While the length of day depends on the age of the child, there are after-school facilities for all pupils until 5.15pm, with some going on until 5.45pm. There is no school on Saturdays.
Charitable status. Westbourne School is a Registered Charity, number 529381. It exists to provide education of the highest quality for boys and girls.