Basic Information & Location
Shiplake College is based in Oxfordshire in the south of England, around one-hour’s drive from London and 40-minutes from Heathrow Airport. The college is in a rural location but with good access to local towns and transport links.
Shiplake has around 470 pupils and take boys aged 11 to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18. Around 140 of those are boarders, with around 20 overseas pupils from seven different countries. This means that non-British pupils have a fully immersive British boarding school experience.
School Motto
The school motto is Exemplum Docet which – broadly – means ‘Teaching by Example’.
Academic Development
Shiplake is an all-ability school and can support a broad range of academic needs, from the very brightest to those who require a little more support due to certain learning difficulties (the school’s specialism is dyslexia)
The school’s class sizes are around 16 but this can vary, especially in the older year groups. Teaching is innovative and constantly evolving. At Sixth Form, the school offers both A Levels and BTEC qualifications, depending on interest and suitability. Its ‘value-added’ score is very strong.
Pastoral Care & Boarding
Shiplake is especially well known for its pastoral care which is provided predominately through its House system. House staff know their pupils very well and have excellent relationships, tackling any issues – academic or pastoral – early. Its staff pupil ratio is around 1:6.
Extra-curricular & Personal Development
The college offers a very wide co-curricular programme, with sport a major feature as well as music, art, community activities, CCF, DofE and many many more. It is a very strong rowing school.