Why Berkhamsted Girls?

We believe in preparing our pupils effectively for a world in which they’ll be judged purely on their own merit. That’s why we select pupils from a broad spectrum of talents and abilities who will tangibly benefit from the added value that Berkhamsted can deliver, both academically and holistically. Our academic achievements derive from outstanding teaching, small class sizes, and provision of personal Microsoft Surface devices (from Year 5) to track individual progress. In our prep schools, the children are in small classes with a form tutor who monitors their personal development and academic progress.  By senior school, each child is supported by their Head of House and their own tutor within our House system (maximum 15 children per tutor). From Year 7, pupils work with these tutors to author their own reports and develop their own education plans, with encouragement to Aim High and make the most of the breadth of opportunity available to them at Berkhamsted. In the Sixth Form, there is a pastoral system that more closely mirrors a professional or university environment: every student has a personal tutor who holds a one-to-one coaching-style meeting with them every fortnight to support, challenge, and help them realise their potential. This gives pupils their own voice and the agency to be their true selves – so they can learn to be self-critical in a healthy way.

Whether learning new skills or taking to the stage in a play, Being Adventurous is about our pupils challenging themselves to take risks and achieve more independence. We believe that this involves a leadership mindset that develops self-confidence and a willingness to be courageous and open-minded in taking risks and trying new things. And we help every child achieve this: by Year 2, young pupils are already on our school council and helping shape their own experience; by Year 6, pupils are performing on stage at our 500-seat theatre; by Year 10, pupils are benefitting from specialist public speaking sessions; in the Sixth Form pupils have a selection of leadership opportunities. Of course, Being Adventurous also means not being afraid to make mistakes – which allows our pupils to learn, grow and try again.

working together and achieving as a collective group is an invaluable experience for all our pupils. Alongside learning the power of working as a team, serving others through charitable actions is a major part of life at Berkhamsted.  Each term our pupils choose charities they would like to support and work towards events to help support, raise funds and learn to act to make a difference. There are also lots of leadership opportunities in various different areas of school life which allow pupils to give back to the School community, often by supporting younger pupils in some way. As a result, the pupils come into direct contact with role models who embody our values and have a positive impact on the School’s ethos and culture. All such initiatives have great value to our pupils both now and long term.