Basic Information & Location
Shrewsbury School is an English co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus, to which the school moved in 1882, is on the banks of the River Severn.
School Motto
Shrewsbury aims to instill a rigorous approach to academic work, based on the encouragement of independent thinking and intellectual curiosity. The School believes that learning should be a habit that is inculcated for life, not only a means to short-term examination success.
Academic Matters
Students can choose from a wide range of subjects at A level – alongside the usual academic subjects, there are ceramics, photography, computing, design, theatre studies and PE. Recent results are excellent, with 83 per cent of grades at A levels being A*/B. Academic life outside the main curriculum is vibrant, with sports leadership programme, Arabic, Russian, law, debating societies and Model United Nations. Shrewsbury School is a registered SAT centre, offering tuition for SATs . The School organises “clinics” for those who need the additional help. There are around 130 students with SEN, mainly with mild dyslexia. One full-time and five part-time staff members are hired to provide support. Students are given university and career advice, including help with finding relevant working experience.
Boarding / Pastoral Care
There is a strong feeling of community present at Shrewsbury. Each boarding house has either housemaster or mistress, matron and a team of four or five tutors. House loyalty is strong, with numerous inter-house competitions in drama, music and sport. Sixth formers organise talks, lectures, film nights and socials. They choose their own tutor and can apply for the post of prefect.
Extracurricular
Sport is taken seriously at Shrewsbury, but the emphasis is on “fun, friendship and fitness”. A vast choice of sports is on offer and the most popular ones are rowing, cricket, canoeing, kayaking, climbing and mountain biking. The School’s musical tradition is rich, with many ensembles and choirs and the annual house singing competition. Students perform concerts in London and Birmingham, and there are two major drama productions a year as well as house plays. The excellence of the art department is confirmed each year when a number of students go on to art schools.
