WHAT? WHERE?

One of the oldest boys’ schools in England, Warwick School is believed to date back to the times of warrior queen, Aethelflaed, the oldest daughter of Alfred the Great and Lady of the Mercia who ruled Mercia in the Midlands from 911. It was named Independent Boys’ School of the Year 22-23.

This Senior school for boys aged 11-18 is located just outside Warwick town centre on a verdant 50-acre campus stretching down the River Avon. It is shared with Warwick Prep, Warwick Junior and King’s High School for girls aged 11-18. 

There are around 1,000 boys in Years 7-11 and 300 in the Sixth Form – with average class sizes of 22-25 and smaller teaching groups for some GCSE and all A Level subjects. Pupils live mainly within a 50-minute drive of the school. Most boys start school in Year 7, after taking the Entrance Exam or coming up from the Junior School, or Year 12 (Lower Sixth).

The school itself feels full of life, with a real sense of community and pupils are highly socially aware – this was praised by ISI inspectors as a real strength. The school’s head boy recently led an initiative which saw enough money raised to buy a van for local charity Warwick Foodbank, along with two ambulances to send to Ukraine. 

Notable alumni include Christian Horner, Team Principal for the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team – who’s married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell – royal florist Simon Lycett, Bristol Old Vic Actor Maanuv Thiara and actor Ralph Davis, who graduated from RADA and starred in the RSC’s 2018 production Tamburlaine with Jude Owusu. 

FACILITIES:

Exceptional. Sports music and drama are a big deal at Warwick School and it’s not difficult to see why with these kinds of facilities. The school has enjoyed an impressive £40m programme of development in recent years.

Facilities include a refurbished £2.7m Sports Pavilion, comprising of a 25m swimming pool, sports hall, squash courts, hospitality suite, climbing wall, gym, and all-weather sports facilities including a new 3G pitch.

The main red-brick Victorian building is striking with a grand staircase and the welcome is warm and friendly.

Situated on the first floor of the Masefield Centre, the Library plays a central role in the life of the School. It is extensively used for reading and research throughout the day and is a popular venue at break times, lunch times and after school. It offers a venue for Sixth Form private study periods during the day and hosts Homework Club and Boarders Prep in the evenings. 

Head librarian Mrs DeVouge-Bernards has created a fab selection of bookmarks with reading list suggestions in various genres. I came home with the entire collection – in the hope it might inspire my own kids! The school has also recently launched a new project focusing on 10 minutes’ reading every day during form time with the emphasis on ‘reading for pleasure’.

There’s also the fully equipped purpose-built state-of-the-art Cheshire Science Centre, outstanding bespoke Art and DT facilities and a music school with acoustic teaching pods for music lessons. 

The big wow building is Warwick Hall, a top-class regional auditorium seating up to 1,000 with a balcony, plus smaller drama/dance studios which opened in 2016. Also used for whole school assemblies and community shows.

On the drama front The Bridge House Theatre, opened by Dame Judi Dench in 2000, seats around 300. It also hosts visiting professional productions and community events.

The School Chapel dates to 1879 with its stunning stained-glass windows by Henry Holiday and Francis Spear and war memorials. All the boys attend a chapel service once a week and on some Sundays in term time there’s a family service.

SHARED SIXTH FORM CENTRE

King’s High School for girls aged 11-18 moved onto the campus in 2019 allowing for greater collaboration between the two senior schools, while teaching remains single-sex. 

A big USP is the Shared Sixth Form Centre offering pupils the ‘best of both worlds’ before they head off to uni. Facilities include a large social space with self-service kitchen and café; specialist study spaces, social areas and a Careers Hub. 

It’s beautifully-designed and open-plan with a Scandi-feel, stunning main wooden staircase, light and airy with gender-neutral toilets and the most amazing rooftop views – Kevin McCloud, the presenter of TV’s Grand Designs would be impressed.

ACADEMIC RESULTS

As you would expect from a selective school, the results are consistently above national level. In 2022 they had a 100% pass rate at A Level with 66% of boys gaining A*or A grades and 87% A*-B. GCSE results were similarly outstanding, more than half the grades (54%) were at A* or the equivalent in the new system (9-8). 76% of grades were awarded at A*-A (9-7) with 91% at A*-B (9-6). 

90% of sixth formers last year got into their first-choice uni, and nine students already have Oxbridge offers for this September. Most go to Russell Group or similarly research-focused universities like Birmingham, Warwick, Exeter or St Andrews, while some have also travelled abroad to continue studies in America. There’s special pathways too for those who want to study law or medicine. 

I’d say the school does a fantastic job with the brightest boys while also supporting the less academic. Degree apprenticeships are also embraced. 

The 2018 ISI report is ‘Excellent’ all-round. View here. 

WHAT ELSE?

On Friday afternoon there’s a popular lecture series which takes place after school with the likes of politicians (David Blunkett recently was a guest), mathematicians and professionals in different sectors. 

The varied list of co-curricular activities includes 90 clubs and societies as diverse as Politics Society featuring lectures from prominent politicians, Biology Film Club, Altiora Dance Company led by professionals from Warwickshire’s international dance company Motionhouse with girls from King’s High; scuba diving, mural-makers, classics club and Bundesliga Xbox Club. 

There’s an extensive range of trips and tours and boys can also join the Combined Cadet Force (Army, Navy and Air Force) here – they love it because they say it’s a lot of fun, plus develops confidence, character and leadership.

SPORTS

Hockey, rugby and cricket are big here with inter-school, inter-house and inter-class matches. There’s also swimming, golf, tennis and athletics where boys have the opportunity to take part in competitive matches.

Although many of the school’s teams perform at a high level, staff are keen to involve every boy in competitive sport and finding sports all boys can excel – with a vast number of weekly fixtures at different levels and a huge choice of sports clubs. Recent alumni include former head of school Finn Smith, who was picked in the Six Nations Squad.

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE ARTS

MUSIC

The school aspires to be a national centre for the arts and there’s music oozing from every corner. You’ll find a huge amount of musical talent here with more than 750 boys taking music lessons each year and more than 40 orchestras and ensembles including a symphony orchestra, concert bands, woodwind and brass ensembles, chapel and choral choirs, jazz and rock bands, which is phenomenal!  

In addition to their class music lesson, all Year 7 students have the opportunity to learn a new instrument as part of the Year 7 Music Scheme, with tuition taking place each week in small groups. Young musicians regularly participate in national music festivals, achieving national successes.

DRAMA

As well as some of the best facilities for drama in the country and experienced professionals, there’s workshops, trips and performance opportunities including the first student-led House Drama competition. One of its Year 10 students, Moosa, was most recently seen as Eugene in Netflix’s Wednesday.

BOARDING

Currently, there’s a small boarding community with 60 boarders, from the UK, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Nigeria and more aged 13+ living in modern accommodation split across two School Houses run by resident ‘house parents’. Each boarder has their own Boarding Tutor. The school also caters for weekly boarding and flexi-boarding.

WELLBEING

There’s been a real boost to pastoral care here, which has recently been given a complete restructure. Warwick has always been well ahead of the game when it comes to pastoral care, recognising the stresses and pressures of teenage years and it’s all about ‘knowing the individual’ here. A Wellbeing Hub recently opened with a triage system where boys can refer themselves or be referred by parents or teachers and decide what kind of support would be most beneficial. There’s peer-to-peer or staff support, CBT therapy and art therapy overseen by the senior mental health lead.

There are plans to launch ‘vertical tutoring’ from this September which staff hope will encourage a greater bond with tutors and more peer mentoring. Each small tutor group will have around 16 pupils made up of students from across two adjacent year groups. Year 7s are staying in traditional forms to better aid their transition to senior school.

HEAD MASTER

Old Warwickian James Barker was appointed Head Master in June 2020. His association with Warwick School goes back to September 1991 and his first day as a pupil. Having studied History, Politics and Economics at A Level and captained the 1XV in his final year he went on to read Philosophy at Cardiff University. After training as a teacher, he returned to Warwick as Deputy Head Co-curricular in 2017 following stints as Upper Master at Abingdon and Assistant Head Co-curricular at the Royal Grammar School Worcester. He was appointed Senior Deputy Head in 2019 before succeeding Dr Deneal Smith as Head Master a couple of years later.

A Warwick School education has always been an education that aims to develop young men of ‘character, interest and achievement who thrive in the world both now and in the future’. 

James’ passion for the school and his commitment to delivering a curriculum for the 21st Century, that helps develop young people who are able to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, work collaboratively and have the character to deal with rapidly changing world, is infectious.

A Warwickian through and through, James is known for his commitment to Warwick School’s vision of ensuring that every boy is known and celebrated as an individual, benefitting from the huge range of opportunities available, fulfilling their potential and pursuing their ambitions.

QUIRKS

The Warwick Town Crier is traditionally invited to school every year to ‘request’ that the Head Master grants permissions for an extra week’s holiday at half-term for the boys. The boys gather together to hear the announcement, which is always greeted with ecstatic cheers.

From Year 9 upwards, Friday afternoons are set aside for boys to take up extra activities they wouldn’t normally be able to follow within curriculum time – academic and co-curricular. These range from volunteering to cooking for university, furniture making, sailing and yoga.

FEES & SCHOLARSHIPS

Average for across the region. £6,388 per term; full boarding from £12,744 per term weekly or £15,666 for full boarding, including tuition fees and 20% VAT. Warwick School offers Academic, Music and Choral Scholarships, and a range of bursaries for eligible pupils. View here.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Word is that the school is very nurturing and has a warm, inclusive ethos with a big emphasis on enrichment and personal development. Clearly, the parents who send their sons here have high expectations for their academic path and success and the school delivers to the brief. Pupils also say the school responds quickly to support any boys’ individual welfare needs and the strong feeling among boys across all ages is that they’re very proud to be part of this vibrant school community.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: It’s hard to know a boy who wouldn’t enjoy it here. It has the rolling acreage and incredible facilities of a top country school, conveniently located just outside the centre of Warwick. It’s inclusive and has amazing results but the style of teaching and the huge amount of music, sport, drama and co-curricular activities mean the lads have a great time too – with many boys enjoying a through education from nursery to Sixth Form.

Not for: Boys who prefer a fully co-ed experience or parents purely looking for a highly academic, results-driven school. Warwick School is all about the holistic experience, getting involved in the opportunities that are available, and learning to become life savvy, not just book smart.

Dare to disagree? Book in for a tour or a Year 5 Taster Morning on Saturday 5 April where your son can experience life at Warwick Senior School, sample a range of subjects, meet the staff and enjoy a morning filled with fun activities. Register here.

Warwick School, Myton Road, Warwick CV34 6PP, Tel: 01926 776400. Email: enquiries@warwickschool.org