St Hugh's School

• Location: Carswell Manor, Faringdon, Oxfordshire,
• Founded in: 1906,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of education: mixed.

St Hugh's School is a preparatory British school for international children from 3 to 13 years old.

The school provides students with a choice of full-time, flexible or full boarding.

St Hugh's School is a member of the United Association of Preparatory Schools, and its work is overseen from within by the Board of Governors. The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) conducted a comprehensive review of St Hugh's School in 2022 and recognised it as 'Excellent' in all categories.

Since its inception, St Hugh's School has been a boarding school for boys only, it received the status of an institution with a mixed type of education only in 1977.

Students at St Hugh's School live on campus, in a boarding house. The residence has rooms for boys, girls and mixed blocks; Women's bedrooms are located on the ground floor, men's bedrooms are on the upper floor, each of the rooms is designed for several people, there are shared showers. Shared units include 5 shared bedrooms for boys and 4 for girls. Students are divided into rooms according to gender and age, and also according to the format of education: with flexible or full board.

All children are taught to order in the rooms: they must perform some of the basic cleaning duties themselves, for example, change bed linen and not litter. Comprehensive cleaning is carried out by specialists.

The residential building has not only bedrooms, but also rooms for recreation and extracurricular activities. Children, together with the educational staff of the boarding house, gather every day in the recreation areas, drink tea and socialize. They can have a snack together before going to bed in the kitchen: treat themselves to fresh fruit, toast or cereal. The time of going to bed depends on the age group, teachers read fairy tales to kids before going to bed.

Palmer and Howells, a partner company, is responsible for quality food on the territory of St Hugh's School. All ingredients for dishes are purchased from local producers, so they are delivered to school as fresh as possible. Chefs take into account the personal nutritional characteristics of children, prepare healthy and delicious food.

At school, each foreign student feels part of a large family, children spend time together every day, not only doing academic subjects, but also having fun. For example, employees arrange interactive formats for children every Friday, marking the start of the weekend. It can be entertainment on campus: pool parties, discos or evening conversations around the campfire. Sometimes Friday evenings take place outside the school: in the city laser tag, on trampolines or in a golf club.

In their free time, children can engage in sports or creativity on campus, for example:

• play tennis;
• swim;
• draw;
• take music lessons;
• to study in a drama club;
• conquer equestrian sports.

Field trips are an important component of the extracurricular program, each age group has its own plan for the year. For example, kids often go on one-day excursions around the city and the surrounding area with teachers, older students visit The Wilderness Centre, Foxlease and Youlbury educational centers, go hiking with overnight stays in the forest, go on a week-long expedition to Devon. Closer to the final grade, children are taken to France, where they live for 7 days in a castle in Normandy. An alternative travel route for adult learners is a trip to Barbados.

• Co-education of girls and boys helps children to better socialize for further life paths: academic, career and personal.
• St Hugh's School upholds 6 core values: kindness, respect, independence, cooperation, courage and curiosity.
• Usually no more than 15 children study in one classroom, the ratio of students to teachers is about 7:1. Small educational group sizes allow teachers to contact each of the children personally, helping them to fully understand each topic of the lesson.
• All classrooms are equipped with modern technology, they are comfortable, clean and spacious, so they are suitable for both "sitting" theoretical lessons and mobile practice.
• Teachers and tutors help children to fully reveal their potential during the years of study, find hobbies that interest them and recharge with inspiration for further life achievements.
• At the school, all employees first of all take care of the physical and mental health of children, supporting them and accustoming them to a balanced lifestyle.

St Hugh's School has all the necessary infrastructure for comfortable education and recreation:

• educational building;
• residential boarding;
• sports grounds;
• mini shop with different snacks and candies;
• own pool;
• creative workshops.

The total cost of an academic year at St Hugh's School includes the main expenses, minimizing additional expenses. The standard package of services, in addition to the educational program itself, includes:

• scheduled excursions and accommodation in out-of-town hotels;
• round-the-clock ensuring the safety of the child: supervision and security;
• academic materials that are required by the program;
• internal circles and sections, which are led by school staff, and not by invited teachers;
• personal support for children with special needs.

In addition, parents need to pay for some services not included in tuition fee:

• accommodation in a boarding house;
• school meals;
• additional field trips;
• electives and master classes conducted by third-party teachers;
• additional expenses for souvenirs while travelling with the class;
• registration fee;
• administrative fees;
• deposit, which is returned before departure;
• insurance.

Admission to St Hugh's School takes place in several stages:

1. Examine of learning conditions and requirements for potential students.
2. Online or offline tour of the campus, communication with staff and administration.
3. Registration of an application from parents and payment of the fee.
4. Receiving an invitation from the school and paying the deposit as confirmation.

Teachers, in parallel with the main educational process, prepare children for life outside of school: they develop their independence, responsibility, critical thinking, and a sense of teamwork. Under the strict guidance of specialists, children grow up and become full-fledged members of society, who are well aware of their value and significance, know their role in society.

The academic success of students at St Hugh's School is high, even though the school does not select candidates on a competitive basis. Students have received about 85 awards over the past 5 years, which include both academic achievement and rewards for excellence in the arts, technology, drama, music, sports, and leadership movement. All these victories and high current grades are a good basis for further education in the best international schools and universities. Many high schools in the UK are ready to accept graduates of St Hugh's School, and outside the country, future high school students will also be successful.

St Hugh's School offers its students not only psychological, but also material support by providing scholarships. One of them, for example, is aimed at helping new students whose families want to send their child to boarding school, but cannot pay the full cost of the academic year; This type of scholarship is offered to children starting from the third grade.

In September 2025, the school will have a new project of material support for students - a discount for brothers and sisters. If one family has three or more children and they enter school at the same time, then the discount for the third child will be 5%, and for subsequent children - 20%.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision