Wychwood School building
About Us

History & Benefits

The History of Wychwood School

The Early Days

Wychwood School was opened in 1897 by Miss Batty and Miss Lee with one pupil (Margaret Gay) at 41 Banbury Road. However, by 1912 and following several moves; the school admitted 16 boarders for the first time and moved to 3 Bradmore Road. By 1918, the school moved to the current site (74 Banbury Road) and the traditional forest green school uniform was adopted, the constitution formed and a system of House Mothers documented for the first time. By 1923, the Old Girls’ Association was formed and the first magazine published.

Three years on and ‘The Hut’ was constructed allowing the pupils to do gym and also produce plays. Miss Coster, as co-principal in the 1920s, introduced the school council system and a constitution that exists to this day. The school continued to expand and in 1941, Miss Snodgrass became the Headmistress and she introduced The Dalton System of Learning, replacing classrooms with subject rooms for the first time. In 1952, the school became an Educational Trust and the first Board of Management was formed.

Constant Evolution

Some time later, in 1971, the new library was opened and a new Headmistress, Mrs Schuller, was appointed. Following Mrs Duffill’s appointment as Headmistress in 1981, the school bought its first computer, careers’ evenings were introduced and weekly boarders were encouraged. By the 1990s, the school had a new dining area offering self-service to the pupils and staff. The Duke of Edinburgh Awards were offered at this point and work experience encouraged.

It was in 1993 that the Friends of Wychwood was established and then a few years later The Young Enterprise Scheme was first offered to the pupils. Mrs Wingfield Digby became Headmistress in 1999 and the library was refurbished in 2001 with a legacy from Miss Snodgrass and opened a new Hall with retractable seating in 2006 (the original Hut having been removed). Mrs Johnson followed in 2012 to take over the reigns for the next decade of the school’s history, overseeing Wychwood School becoming Wychwood School, Oxford Ltd with Albion Schools Partnership.

In the school’s 125th year (2022), the school welcomed its 8th new Head, Mrs Evans, who is looking forward to leading the school into another new era of co-education with new opportunities for boys and girls to enjoy and celebrate.

The Benefits of Wychwood School

A Bright Future

In September 2022, Mrs. Jane Evans was appointed and the future looks brighter than ever. Mrs. Evans brings with her vast experience and knowledge in education, creative approaches to teaching and learning and she believes strongly in allowing every pupil to achieve their potential through offering a range of opportunities both in and out of the classroom and encouraging the pupil voice to be a part of the development of the school.

Wychwood is a uniquely British school located in the heart of Oxford, initially founded to educate the children of civil servants and Oxford University Dons. In September 2023, Wychwood will move to co-education and accept boys for the first time.

True to the culturally diverse and vibrant cosmopolitan community around us, Wychwood believes in the need to encourage global citizenship having representation from over 15 different nationalities.

4 Core Pillars

Wychwood has a sound set of long-standing traditions that have evolved from our extensive history, but we are a forward-looking school with a mission to provide academic excellence through creativity of thought delivered through 4 core pillars:

  • Innovation
  • Collaboration
  • Creativity
  • Leadership

The above mission is delivered through a rigorous academic programme that spans a broad and comprehensive curriculum, free from the typical subject ‘blocks’ to ensure each pupil has access to their chosen fields of study wherever possible.

Each pupil is supported within a highly pastoral school environment ensuring that the majority of our pupils obtain their first-choice university.

The school alumnae are represented globally with notable pupils including Dame Honour Fell (science), Florence Pugh (drama), Rebecca Stockland (music), Alice Boggis-Rolfe (art) each being real life pioneers in their respective fields.