Co-education

Two years ago, we fundamentally changed the DNA of Elstree School. Family values have always been at the heart of the Elstree ethos, so it feels entirely right that boys and girls are able to enjoy both a full Pre-Prep and Prep school education with us. The move to full co-education means that our pupils are naturally prepared to take their place in the wider community. Next year, we will have 85 girls throughout the school and will be fully co-educational from Nursery to Year 8. Our younger girls will have exceptional role models to look up to. True innovators with a strong moral compass and an inspiring hunger to take on all that Elstree has to offer. We hope that they will be a steadfast influence on the growing cohort of young girls joining Elstree. We have expanded our extracurricular programme to incorporate dance, art and cooking alongside our more traditional activities such as fencing, judo and golf amongst other opportunities.

Girls and boys are invited to try them all and it is wonderful to see them embrace all activities with such enthusiasm.

Sport for both girls and boys continues to flourish at Elstree. In the Summer Term we were thrilled to see Sophie Payne make history by smashing the 300m track record at Caldicott School, finishing lengths ahead of the boys. Tennis has been enduringly popular, the girls and boys served up a feast of skill and sportsmanship. The nets were alive with activity and mixed teams fielded for cricket throughout the summer. As the Autumn Term approaches, we await the return of football and hockey. There is always a wonderful team spirit and friendly cooperation that makes these activities so rewarding for children, at every level. We are looking forward to seeing the girls take the next step in their educational careers. We are seeing an interestingly equal split in the number of girls who are going on to single-sex schools and those who will remain in a co-educational environment. Downe House, Wycombe Abbey, St Mary’s Calne and Sherborne Girls are popular single-sex choices and Bradfield, Wellington, Marlborough and St Edward’s Oxford are the main co-educational contenders.

True to our Elstree values, we continue to nurture and inspire every child, according to his or her ability and interests. Our tailored approach and ability to recognise each pupil on an individual level has made the transition to a co-educational school very straightforward. Because the very ethos of an Elstree education remains the same, it is as if the girls have always been here. ACTI