THE ST EDMUND’S
College for pupils aged 11-16
“St
Edmund’s College is modern and forward-thinking in its outlook and attitude to learning. Academic, pastoral, spiritual and co-curricular development are all of the very highest quality...”
Discover the St Edmund’s
EDGE
Matthew Mostyn Headmaster, St Edmund’s College, Ware
Welcome
It is impossible for any introduction from me to fully convey the richness of the educational experience that we offer here at St Edmund’s, nor the atmosphere that makes it such a truly exceptional place.
Our mission, stretching back to 1568, has been to send young people into the world who will, whether by mighty deeds or quiet leadership, be a force for good. There could be no greater epitaph for an Edmundian than to have led a life through which they made the world around them a little better, and the people around them a little happier.
We want our pupils – whilst with us and when they leave us to head out into the world – to be excellent but never arrogant, ambitious but never selfish, robust but never uncaring and to show conviction but never intolerance. This is the lifeblood of a school which genuinely believes in the education of the whole person – mind, body and spirit.
At St Edmund’s we celebrate our traditions proudly. But we do so living very much in the present and looking firmly towards the future. As a High Performance Learning World Class School our teaching reflects the very latest in educational research and thinking and recognises the importance of nurturing and developing the cognitive skills and learning behaviours needed for pupils to achieve their goals.
I am immensely proud of St Edmund’s and the fine young people it produces. I know you will feel similarly about your child, and I warmly invite you to visit us to discover more about our School.
It is the confidence to speak up, the curiosity to keep learning, and the character to lead with kindness. The St Edmund’s Edge is the unique combination of academic ambition and emotional intelligence, nurtured through High Performance Learning and our values-based ethos. It is what sets our pupils apart, not just on paper, but in how they think, lead, and grow.
Find out more about HPL
“I wanted to let you know how pleased we have been with the teachers ‘M’ has had and for their support in getting her exam ready. They have all fired up ‘M’s’ enthusiasm and shown her, by their support and dedication, how well she can do.”
Ms CR, Parent
Academic
Every pupil in each year group is treated as unique, receiving a tailored, broad and balanced curriculum as they progress through the College.
Learning at St Edmund’s is underpinned by the High Performance Learning (HPL) framework, an evidenced-based approach to education, embraced by a growing number of world-leading schools. We offer an excellent choice of subjects, taught in small class sizes, particularly during the key GCSE years and the Sixth Form. Whilst our focus is much broader than grades alone, we are very proud of the College’s academic standing. With outstanding tracking processes at every stage, we adapt with your child as they grow academically, supporting, challenging and stretching them as required.
In Rhetoric (the Sixth Form) the focus is on ensuring students have a tailored programme of study reflecting on their interests and designed to prepare them for life after sixth form. A wide range of subject choices and qualifications is complemented by our Super-Curricular programme, guest speakers, clubs and societies and individual careers coaching.
Pupils have an exceptional record of academic achievement, and success in gaining places at their university of choice in the UK and overseas as well as prestigious degree apprenticeships.
High Performance Learning
At St Edmund’s, we believe that high performance isn’t reserved for the few –it is a habit that can be learned by all.
This is why we have embraced High Performance Learning (HPL), a pioneering educational framework that equips pupils not only with academic rigour, but with the values, attitudes and attributes they’ll need to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Backed by over 40 years of research from Oxford University and developed by renowned education expert Professor Deborah Eyre, HPL gives every child – not just the top percentiles – the tools to think deeply, learn strategically, and grow confidently. It is about stretching ambition, not narrowing opportunity.
St Edmund’s is proud to be one of a select group of World Class HPL Schools worldwide – a distinction that recognises our commitment to academic excellence and holistic education. As part of the Fellowship and Global Community of HPL Schools, we stand alongside some of the most forward-thinking and ambitious schools across the globe.
Here, HPL is more than a framework: it forms a thread that runs through what we do, shaping pupils who are problem-solvers, intellectually curious, emotionally intelligent, and quietly self-assured.
Find out more about HPL
“To read your report and see words like service, humility and leadership in his teachers’ reports has made us very proud indeed.”
Ms C, Parent
Pastoral support
Pastoral care at the College is centred on knowing our pupils well. We take time to get to know every child from the outset and work closely with them, their parents and staff to ensure there is support whenever it is needed.
Our pastoral care is founded on our House system. A pupil’s Housemaster or Housemistress works alongside their tutor to oversee their personal and academic development ensuring that this is an ongoing conversation. However, our support extends beyond any one member of staff. From our wellbeing team to our pupil mentors and the chaplaincy, there is a wide network and circle of care in place for every pupil.
Personal development
We also believe that personal and social development is essential to educational success and plays a central role in shaping pupils into well-rounded, compassionate and responsible young people so that they are equipped to embrace life’s opportunities and overcome its challenges – both now and in the future.
Throughout their journey at the College pupils are supported in discussing topical issues and those that they and pupils of their age typically face through our PSHE programme. Our careers and futures programme similarly provides a curated approach allowing them to explore the full range of career options and identify and build the relevant skills employers are looking for.
Careers & futures and PSHE programmes
Spiritual life
We are committed to the spiritual development of every child – regardless of their religious background. As England’s oldest Catholic School, values, prayer and reflection underpin all that we do.
These values, and our Edmundian Virtues, are universal, reaching across pupils and families of all faiths and of no faith at all. Service and leadership are central to all aspects of College life and pupils are active in supporting others through volunteering and charity work.
Our Grade I Listed Pugin Chapel and the Chaplaincy are at the heart of the College, helping pupils in the spiritual and reflective aspects of their lives. All pupils attend Mass on Holy Days and key Edmundian Feast days, and boarders attend Mass on Sundays.
Find out more about spiritual life at St Edmund’s
Trips and visits
Educational trips beyond the classroom walls, not only enhance academic learning but foster personal growth, cultural understanding and social development.
Every year we curate a diverse selection of trips locally, nationally and overseas. Each is designed to offer unique opportunities for discovery and adventure
In the last few years alone our overseas trip programme has included differently themed trips to South Africa, India, the USA, Costa Rica, Iceland, Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Austria and Italy.
Trips brochure
Co-curricular activities
Continual learning beyond the classroom is fundamental to the all-round education that we deliver. We pride ourselves on the variety of co-curricular activities on offer, ensuring that there really is something to engage, excite and stimulate everyone.
As the final lesson of each day, pupils have a timetabled hour where they choose from a wide range of activities – from fencing to golf, to Model United Nations or learning to cook.
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is another popular activity, with pupils learning key disciplines and skills such as leadership, navigation and survival. Many also participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme with significant numbers going on to achieve their Gold Awards.
At the end of the Trinity term “Enrichment week” sees all pupils taking part in a residential trip or a programme of co-curricular activities providing them with a diverse range of new experiences or careerrelated qualifications.
Music, Drama and Dance
Our Music Department is at the heart of both the academic and the co-curricular life of the school.
With over 25 concerts a year and an extensive list of ensembles from our Schola Cantorum, to our Cantores choir, to our orchestra and various instrumental ensembles, to pupil-led Rock bands, we offer a wealth of performance opportunities for all levels. Recent orchestral highlights include performances of Fauré’s Requiem, Rutter’s Requiem and Orff’s Carmina Burana. Our skilled team of peripatetic teachers and coaches support the development of talent across all genres and at all levels and include professional performers and composers who bring real-world insight to the classroom.
Many pupils go on to achieve great success, achieving choral and organ scholarships at major universities and gaining places at leading conservatoires.
Drama thrives at the College. We offer one-to-one London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) lessons and there is a busy calendar of productions ranging from small pupil-led performances to ambitious whole-school musicals. Recent productions include Fiddler on the Roof, Made in Dagenham, Legally Blonde, Starlight Express and Les Misérables –all performed to packed audiences.
Dance is a growing area of excellence, supported by a purpose-built studio and a wide range of group and individual lessons available throughout the week.
Sport
Sport at St Edmund’s College embodies inclusivity and excellence, inviting pupils to ‘Play More, Play Better’.
Our mission is to empower every pupil to find their athletic passion and excel through a higher-performance learning culture. We drive growth through competitive fixtures at district/county/independent school and national levels, as well as build strategic partnerships with external clubs and organisations that enable sporting pathways.
With a diverse array of team and individual sports available for both girls and boys, including football, rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, athletics, tennis and more, we encourage and nurture participation by all. Our campus and the local area provide top-tier facilities from high-quality grass pitches to floodlit allweather surfaces, tennis courts, an indoor gym with physical conditioning and cardio suites, an indoor swimming pool and an athletics track (Wodson Park).
Our Aspiring Athletes Programme provides for pupils who are already performing at, or have the potential to perform at, an elite level, supporting individual training and commitments to clubs or academies.
Play More, Play Better
Boarding
Boarding at school can play an important role in helping pupils to develop confidence and independence. Pupils thrive on the experiences gained and the opportunities it presents to them, many of which are not always possible at home.
At St Edmund’s pupils are welcome to board from age 11 upwards and with the options of full, weekly or flexible boarding. The Boarding community includes those who live locally and from a truly diverse range of nationalities. With the opportunity to make the most of the College grounds and facilities and supported by a dedicated team of boarding staff, it is a close-knit community, and pupils make lifelong friendships that span across year groups, hobbies and interests.
A fully bespoke evening and weekend activity programme is in place, with trips arranged to the theatre, cinema, sporting events, shopping and any number of outdoor activities. There are also planned sightseeing trips to London, Cambridge and Oxford.
Flexible boarding is an excellent way to maximise involvement for those pupils who take part in the many co-curricular activities offered, as well as for those who can benefit from staying at the College for some additional supervised study time. For some, it’s just a great way to take a break from the daily commute with the occasional overnight stay. Weekly and flexible boarding are particularly attractive given our outstanding travel links and proximity to both London and Cambridge.
Find out more about boarding
Applying to St Edmund’s College
Our key entry points are at the beginning of Year 7 (age 11+), Year 9 (age 13+) and Year 12 (16+), but we do accept new pupils into other years if places are available.
Following registration, every applicant will be invited to an interview before they sit their entrance assessment. The assessment is a computer-based test measuring ability in English, Maths and NonVerbal Reasoning. Scholarship assessments in Art, Sport and Music also take place prior to the main Entrance Assessment Day. Pupils whose first language is not English are also required to complete an English language test and to achieve a score appropriate to their age and intended level of study.
Find out more about registering
Entry to our Sixth Form
Entry to our Sixth Form is conditional upon an interview and will take into consideration GCSE results and predictions to ensure that candidates are selecting subjects and qualifications which will allow them to thrive.
Offers of a place can be made throughout the academic year and are confirmed when GCSE results become available.
St Edmund’s College & Prep School
Old Hall Green
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG11 1DS
T: 01920 824247
E: admissions@stedmundscollege.org
How to find us
stedmundscollege.org
By car
We are situated just off the A10 London to Cambridge main road. At the A120 roundabout on the dual carriageway (signed to Stansted, Bishop’s Stortford and Puckeridge), take the exit signposted ‘Old Hall Green’. Follow the signs to St Edmund’s College and enter through the main gates.
By train
The College is approximately fifteen minutes’ drive from Ware, Hertford or Bishop’s Stortford main line railway stations. Regular, fast train services run to and from London, taking approximately thirty minutes.
By air
St Edmund’s is situated approximately twenty minutes by car from Stansted, forty-five minutes from Luton, and just over an hour from Heathrow Airport.
Bus routes
The School offers an extensive network of bus routes, stretching from North London and Essex to the south, right up to Cambridge to the north, with all towns along the A1, A10 and M11 corridors included. New routes can be added to the network on request, where there is sufficient demand.
