WHAT? WHERE?

Luxuriating in over 170 acres of verdant parkland in the heart of High Wycombe is top senior girls’ boarding school Wycombe Abbey. Founded in 1896 by Miss Frances Dove – later a Dame – the ‘abbey’ is in fact an early 17^th century manor house, given a Grade II Gothic makeover by James Wyatt in 1804.

On this vast school site you’ll find boarding houses largely peppering the perimeters in a mix of purpose-built and 18th century buildings, and big set piece structures such as the Performing Arts Centre sitting next to the lake and the Sports Centre in the heart of the action, along with beautiful woodland – the day I visited a deer popped out to see us. The tranquil setting is quite the opposite of what you’d expect from the steep roadside approach to High Wycombe where the school buildings with their high walls and grey building seem austere.

Wycombe Abbey is a relatively small school in numbers, with around 650 girls between 11-18 years, 190 of those in Sixth Form, and class sizes of 18-20, with approximately 90% boarding full time. Not surprisingly for a school set up for young ladies in the 19th century, there’s a strong Christian tradition, with an onsite chapel and resident chaplain, though all and no religions are welcome here.

FACILITIES

It’s almost easier to list what this school doesn’t have but, you know, it would be a very short list. Wycombe Abbey has very deep pockets and generous alumni and it shows.

/SPORT

No jokes about jolly hockey sticks please, it’s lacrosse and netball that are the major sports here. Sport is strongly encouraged at Wycombe Abbey and, to that end, there are 5 lacrosse pitches, indoor and outdoor netball courts, a floodlit astroturf, 4 cricket pitches, a 25m 6 lane swimming pool (part of the standalone sports centre), 4 squash courts, 12 tennis hard courts, grass athletics track, plus dance studio, gym with ergometers (rowing is popular too), climbing wall and a fencing piste.

Not enough? Well, should you be so inclined, there’s also polo, ski racing and horse riding and golf on offer too.

Elite sport is offered here with individual training plans and high-level support and that has translated, in the last 12 months, to hardware. The Senior tennis pairs won the U16 National Schools finals, the iU16 netball team reached the regionals in the National Schools comp, the intermediate athletics team qualified for the National Finals of the ESSA Track and Field Cup and both Junior and Senior swimmers were placed 3^rd – 6^th nationally in the ESSA National Relay Finals. Lacrosse is always in the action, with Wycombe Abbey winning the national champs outright in 2014 and more recently in 2020. And hot off the press in May 2024, a girl in UIV (Year 9) has been selected for the GBR Worlds Team after taking part in trials at the National Sailing Academy.

/CREATIVE ARTS

There’s a stand-alone Performing Arts Centre for drama and music which includes a 500-seat theatre with hydraulic stage, lighting and sound deck, recital hall, teaching spaces and practice rooms. Around 66% of pupils learn an instrument here which is actually a little lower than average, but those taking a second lesson each week is higher than the norm at 27%, suggesting that there’s a core of very dedicated musicians here. You can expect a wide variety of ensembles, including four choirs, three rock bands and three orchestras. Unusually both the Symphonia and Chamber Orchestra are for Grade 8 pupils only and it says something that there are enough Grade 8 pupils to fill a whole orchestra! In terms of drama, LAMDA is well supported here, with 160 pupils taking exams each year.

The big news for 2025 is the building of a multi-million pound Innovation and Design Centre, creating an ‘Arts Quarter’ along the lake with the Performing Arts building. Watch this space.

/GENERAL

The Senior library – quite collegiate in feel

More general facilities worth a mention include a snazzy café in the atrium, three libraries (one of which is for Juniors), 10 science labs, the pretty ornamental lake, a beautiful chapel, and a large cookery studio from where eight-week Leiths Cookery Courses are taught for the Lower Sixth. There’s a new Junior boarding house in the pipeline too.

ACADEMICS

I’ll be blunt. Wycombe Abbey is an academic behemoth and, if your daughter comes here, she’s almost pre-destined to leave with a bagful of top grades because the exam results are, frankly, astounding. In 2024 for GSCE, 90% of girls were awarded 8/9 (A*), and 97% gained 7-9 (A-A*). Just think about those results for a second – only 3% of pupils examinations gained less than a 7 / A! Meanwhile for A Levels, 92% of pupils gained A*-B

The curriculum here is very much ‘classics done well’, with Latin and Greek studied from 11-14, and a largely traditional range of subjects. That said, modern languages push the boat out with Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish all taught here.

If your daughter is allergic to sciences, beware – all three are compulsory subjects for GSCE here along with English Lang and Lit and Maths. Then girls select another 4-5 subjects (so yes, 10-11 subjects taken here) including one modern language and one humanity. At A Level there’s more choice, with a generous 26 options to choose from, the most ‘out there’ being Government & Politics, Psychology and Art History.

UK pupils have been flirting with the idea of overseas universities for several years now, and a big string to Wycombe Abbey’s bow is its four-year US Pathway programme, which helps girls strategically apply for and gain places at US universities – 18 Wycombe Abbey girls are heading across the Atlantic for term start in Sept 2024.

In the Sixth Form a bespoke Chinese course is on offer, working towards the HSK examination. This rigorous qualification provides non-native speakers with a progression pathway from GCSE Chinese to the internationally recognised HSK level 3 and 4 qualifications.

PASTORAL

Pastoral provision here seems very strong to my eye, with two in-house counsellors at school with pupils able to self-refer or refer others. There’s a dedicated Deputy Head Pastoral, the Chaplain is on hand every day, and there’s a 24/7 Health and Wellbeing Centre which includes a den with weighted blankets for relaxation, doctor’s appointments four times a week and a visiting physiotherapist. Time outside is encouraged around the grounds. A therapy dog, Bella, comes in for cuddles and walks on Wednesday afternoons and various co-curricular events pepper the year to cool down any stress levels, including Reading Week which is homework free and there to encourage a love of books, and regular Detox Hours where the girls step away from all devices and homework.

THE HEAD

Jo Duncan has been Head since Sept 2019, having previously held the top post at Royal High School Bath and Princess Helena College. Before that she was Head of Department at Benenden for seven years so, you know, this ain’t her first girls’ school rodeo. She seems warm and approachable, and is winningly honest about Wycombe Abbey’s ‘hot house’ reputation, accepting that this is the prevailing reputation outside the school and that it’s not a school that fits everyone, instead suiting girls with strong academic drive and a willingness to be involved in the community life of a full boarding school. During Covid in 2020 Duncan delivered a five-year strategy plan in place to make sure Wycombe Abbey is “a world leader in girls’ boarding education” so she has quite some ambition of her own too.

QUIRKS

It isn’t a school creaking with crazy uniform traditions, or strange words for the tuck shop, but there are few things worth mentioning. Firstly, I’m not sure how many other schools can boast visits from President Eisenhower, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and Winston Churchill – that’s a pretty neat collection, largely down to the school being requisitioned by the US air force during WW2. Secondly, I stumbled across a rather lovely Instagram feed HumansofWycombe that focuses on the stories of WA staff – it somehow ran out of steam last year but I think should be reinstated! Lastly, the Upper Sixth boarding house, Clarence, unusually recreates a university living experience, with the girls given a weekly budget for food, asked to organise a rota to cook the meals, and also to sort their own laundry. They get more food allowance for inviting staff members up for dinner which is some kind of hungry teacher genius.

BOARDING

If you’re worried about full boarding being a euphemism for “see you in three months’”, be comforted that there are two three day exeats each term plus Half Term for 7-10 days, along with other weekends at your choosing, though there are also two weekends each term (the first and last) that are designated ‘closed weekends’ where all pupils stay at school together.

The school offers a limited number of day places for pupils within a 15 mile radius but boarding is central to the Wycombe Abbey ethos with the vast majority of girls taking this route. There are 11 boarding houses, with the Junior house and Upper Sixth house, Clarence, separate to the nine other Senior Boarding buildings. From Years 8-11, the girls have mixed-aged dorms, becoming ‘House Daughters’ or, as they get older ‘House Mothers’ to the younger girls, part of creating house ‘families’ that look out for each other throughout the school. The various boarding houses are very different – some modern and shiny, some more homely and cottagey, but the girls showing me around talked about their own boarding house without self-consciousness as “home” and they seemed very settled.

SEND

The Learning Enhancement Department works with pupils via drop-in sessions and specific one-to-one lessons. Roughly 10% of girls need help with a mixture of ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism.

ISI REPORT

The latest compliance report from 2021 shows Wycombe Abbey excellent across the board.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Year 7 to Year 10 pupils leave their phones in the boarding house during the school day and Year 9 – Year 11 hand their phones and other devices in to House staff by 9:30pm. Phones should not be used in corridors, libraries and dining areas.

FEES

Feeling flush? Here’s hoping. It’s £12,900 per term for day pupils and a saucy £16,975 per term for boarders. Oh, and don’t forget the registration fee of £350.

TRANSPORT

There’s a direct 30-minute train from London Marylebone to High Wycombe (a five minute cab ride from the school). For local children there are good bus links from surrounding villages into High Wycombe.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Wycombe Abbey’s ‘hot-house’ reputation is not as simple as pushy parents and compliant, stressed out daughters. One parent I talked to intimated that she knows the school is competitive and ambitious but so is her daughter – it’s the place she wants to be. Certainly the kids I met at the school told me they love it there, and they have great affection for their teachers, so for some parents it may actually come down to your child and how much pressure you want them to exert on themselves and how they cope with so much brilliance around them.

Away from academics, one gripe from the Sixth Formers – they’d like to be let out past 9pm on Saturday nights, please!

THE MUDDY VERDICT

GOOD FOR: Whip-smart, ambitious, curious, go-getter girls who thrive on competition. STEM, medicine and engineering are particularly strong here although there’s great opportunity across all subjects and interests.

NOT FOR: If you have an inkling that there’s a potential chink in your daughter’s confidence, or that she’d enjoy her schooling better in a gentler, less aggressively A-stream pond, move on.

Wycombe Abbey, Frances Dove Way, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP11 1PE. Tel: 01494 520381.

Wycombe Abbey, High Wycombe

You may also like