Westbourne House School Penarth
Encyclopedia
Westbourne School is a small coeducation
al independent day school
, nursery
and prep school
for children between the ages of 3 and 18 located in the holiday resort town of Penarth
, in the Vale of Glamorgan
, Wales
5.2 miles (8.4 kilometres) south west from the Welsh
capital city
of Cardiff
.
Traditionally the school was strictly boys only. However in the mid 1980s the decision was taken to also accept girls and become a coeducational school. There are currently 162 pupils on roll. Westbourne School opened its new 6th form for the Autumn term of 2008. The school introduced the speciality of the Diploma Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organisation
.
The school is housed within two buildings, approximately half a mile apart. The first houses the nursery and infants, the other the prep school
and senior school. With 24 permanent staff and 2 teaching assistants the class sizes remain small, varying from a maximum of 17 down to as low as 9 in some subjects. The academic results are consistently excellent and Westbourne School is nationally recognised as a high achieving school. The school is now owned by the Montague Place Group of Independent Schools.
In 1901 the school relocated to the large corner property at 13 Stanwell Road, which still forms part of the current school building.
It was decided to make the additional purchase of the struggling independent St Alma’s Girls School located in Victoria Road and, with the purchase, the combined school became coeducational.
Examinations are held for Years 3-10 during the Summer Term followed by a detailed written report. Examinations for Year 8 and Years 10-11 are also held at the end of the Winter Term. Assessments may also be held at other times during the year, on the basis of which mark sheets are prepared and interviews arranged with parents. GCSE examinations for Years 10 and 11 and Common Entrance examinations for Year 8 are held in May and June.
Westbourne School also benefits from the expertise of occasional visiting teachers and tutors from local Cardiff schools, colleges and universities. School facilities include gymnasium, IT suite, library, science laboratories, sports hall as well as access to high quality local sports facilities including athletics track, Penarth RFC
Rugby pitch and the public owned swimming pool.
Westbourne School now offers the internationally recognised Diploma Programme of The International Baccalaureate Organisation – considered to be the modern global ‘gold standard’ in secondary education and a perfect vehicle for achieving the school’s vision for the future of its students.
Educationalists view the International Baccalaureate as academically rigorous, relevant and forward-looking. The range of opportunity that it provides is designed to present students with the best possible chance of success in a fast moving world.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al independent day school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, nursery
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
and prep school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
for children between the ages of 3 and 18 located in the holiday resort town of Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
, in the Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
5.2 miles (8.4 kilometres) south west from the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Traditionally the school was strictly boys only. However in the mid 1980s the decision was taken to also accept girls and become a coeducational school. There are currently 162 pupils on roll. Westbourne School opened its new 6th form for the Autumn term of 2008. The school introduced the speciality of the Diploma Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organisation
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
.
The school is housed within two buildings, approximately half a mile apart. The first houses the nursery and infants, the other the prep school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
and senior school. With 24 permanent staff and 2 teaching assistants the class sizes remain small, varying from a maximum of 17 down to as low as 9 in some subjects. The academic results are consistently excellent and Westbourne School is nationally recognised as a high achieving school. The school is now owned by the Montague Place Group of Independent Schools.
Foundation
The school first opened in 1895 at Ebenezer House on Westbourne Road, Penarth. However the school's foundation is deemed to be during the following year in 1896 under the headship of Mrs Caroline Ferris. Mrs Ferris renamed Ebenezer House as Westbourne House and the school was therefore retitled as Westbourne House Preparatory School for Boys.In 1901 the school relocated to the large corner property at 13 Stanwell Road, which still forms part of the current school building.
Expansion
In 1975 the adjoining property at 4 Hickman Road was also purchased and the combined properties were developed as Westbourne Senior School. The school opened a junior college for children aged between 9 and 11 years of age.It was decided to make the additional purchase of the struggling independent St Alma’s Girls School located in Victoria Road and, with the purchase, the combined school became coeducational.
Organisation
The Victoria Road facility now houses the nursery school and junior school. The prep school, senior school and the sixth form are located in the main school building on the corner of Stanwell and Hickman roads.Examinations are held for Years 3-10 during the Summer Term followed by a detailed written report. Examinations for Year 8 and Years 10-11 are also held at the end of the Winter Term. Assessments may also be held at other times during the year, on the basis of which mark sheets are prepared and interviews arranged with parents. GCSE examinations for Years 10 and 11 and Common Entrance examinations for Year 8 are held in May and June.
Westbourne School also benefits from the expertise of occasional visiting teachers and tutors from local Cardiff schools, colleges and universities. School facilities include gymnasium, IT suite, library, science laboratories, sports hall as well as access to high quality local sports facilities including athletics track, Penarth RFC
Penarth RFC
Penarth Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based since 1924 at The Athletic Field, Lavernock Road, in Penarth, in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales.-Origins and early history:...
Rugby pitch and the public owned swimming pool.
Sixth form
The Autumn term 2008 saw the establishment of the school’s first sixth form, housed in a new state of the art Research and Media Centre with its separate sixth form common room and roof terrace.Westbourne School now offers the internationally recognised Diploma Programme of The International Baccalaureate Organisation – considered to be the modern global ‘gold standard’ in secondary education and a perfect vehicle for achieving the school’s vision for the future of its students.
Educationalists view the International Baccalaureate as academically rigorous, relevant and forward-looking. The range of opportunity that it provides is designed to present students with the best possible chance of success in a fast moving world.
Inspection
The latest inspection of the school by the ‘’’Independent Schools Council’’’ (ISC) can be found at the ISC websiteResults
Results in GCSE exams remain consistently high. In 2007 the school achieved a 100% pass level in over 200 GCSEs, with 98% of those passes at grades A*, A, B and C. The recent banner mounted on the school's fence indicates "1st in Wales, 4th in the UK".Notable former pupils
- Adrian GoldsworthyAdrian GoldsworthyAdrian Keith Goldsworthy is a British historian and author who specialises in ancient Roman history.-Biography:Goldsworthy attended Westbourne School, Penarth...
(born 1969) - is a British historianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and military writer. Goldsworthy attended Westbourne House School. Later, after studying ancient and modern history at St John's College, OxfordSt John's College, Oxford__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
, he completed a D.Phil in ancient military historyMilitary historyMilitary history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
from Oxford University in 1994, using his doctoral thesis in his first book, The Roman Army at War 100 BC - AD 200. Goldsworthy was a Research Fellow at Cardiff UniversityCardiff UniversityCardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
for two years and has taught in different university departments where he has produced various articles on Greco-Roman warfare.