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Wells Cathedral School
- United Kingdom, South West
- Co-educational
- The Liberty, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2ST, United Kingdom
- +44 1749 834441
- https://wells.cathedral.school
- admissions@wells.cathedral.school
Alastair Tighe
Head Master
| Description | Founded in 909AD, with HRH The Prince of Wales as Patron, Wells Cathedral School is one of the oldest schools in Europe. For over 1,100 years it has educated the choristers of Wells Cathedral and since 1970 it has been recognised by the Government as a specialist music school – the only one offering a pre-professional level of music tuition within a ‘proper’ school offering a full academic curriculum and co-curriculum. In addition to a second specialism in mathematics, today, Wells is a thriving age 3-18+ co-educational day and boarding through school with 710 students on its roll – 565 Senior School and 160 Junior School – around 15% of whom are international students from over 25 different countries. |
| Tuition costs | Years 12-13 – GBP 10,232 (boarding) GBP 6,114 (day) |
| Accommodation | Family-style boarding houses with international and domestic students fully integrated. No third-party home-stays; some international day pupils. |
| School type | Private |
| Student support | All students have an academic tutor with whom they meet twice weekly. Learning Support Centre offers support to students with mild specific learning difficulties e.g. dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. |
| Type of programs | Long-term programs (study for 1 year or more), Short-term programs (study for 3-6-9 month), Study Groups, Short-term programs for international students: Pre-A Level Foundation Programme – one year for ages 15-16+ prior to Year 12 entry. International Study Centre – for 1-3 terms for students aged 14-16+ wishing to improve their English to mainstream course standard. Wells Music Summer Schools (www.wellsmusicsummerschool.com) International String Week – one-week (5-11 August 2018) for all abilities aged 8-18. International Wind, Brass & Percussion Week – one-week (29 July - 4 August 2018) for all abilities aged 10-18. International Jazz Week – one-week (5-11 August 2018) for ABRSM Grade 5+ musicians aged 13-18. Encore International Music Summer School (www.encoremusicprojects.com) – two-week (16-28 July 2018) course for piano, strings, guitar, voice, composition and chamber ensembles, for intermediate and advanced musicians. Study groups: Can be considered on a case-by-case basis. |
| English as second language | Led by Head of English as an Additional Language. Programs tailored to each student. Cambridge English, IELTS and CEFR testing offered. |
| Years of entry for international students with parents : | From : Year 1 To : Year 12 |
| Years of entry for international students without parents : | From : Year 3 To : Year 12 |
| Sports | All major team sports - cricket, hockey, netball, rugby and soccer; badminton, basketball, tennis and volleyball. Combined Cadet Force and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offer adventurous outdoor activities (abseiling, rock climbing, sailing, swimming, etc); countless clubs and societies. |
| Application process | UKiset or Wells’ own academic entrance tests; copies of last two school reports; an interview either in person or by Skype. For potential specialist musicians: audition – in person or by video clip (YouTube, etc) or DVD. |
| Features of the local area | England’s smallest, mediæval cathedral city; Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; historic cities of Bath (World Heritage Site) and Bristol. |
| Curriculum | Based on English National Curriculum: (I)GCSEs and A-levels. |
Programs
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