Aims & Ethos

The up-to-dateness one felt about Wychwood was not of rebellion, frustration or revolt… the very essence of Wychwood’s climate was …evolution and reasonableness…

Mrs de S. Dewar (nee Vere Beauclerk) 

Wychwood has, and its pupils develop, a palpable shared spirit. Yet every pupil is an individual, and that individuality is celebrated. There is no such thing as ‘a Wychwood pupil’ since no one pupil is being moulded into anything but the best version of themselves that they can manage in any given moment. A pupil leaving at 18 is hopefully a more mature and polished version of their 11 year old self, yet they are that very same person. Everything about Wychwood is genuine.

Wychwood does evolve and the exciting changes happening now are part of its evolution, but there will always be our modern equivalent of ‘reasonableness’ underpinning that, and at the heart of the Wychwood spirit. The ethos will not change when the school becomes co-educational. Rather, we will continue to be enriched by the development of individuals and the strengths that they bring to our community.

The shared ethos here is such that, as soon as you enter the school, there is a tangible feeling of warmth, care and positive, meaningful engagement. Pupils are encouraged to learn self-respect, to have mutual respect for peers, and for all those in the community. They uphold and value their community in the right spirit. This will be the ethos moving forward as a co-educational school, and most importantly in the intervening years as the transition naturally takes place and numbers will inevitably be unbalanced. Every pupil will be valued.

This will continue to encourage a rich, learning environment, where responsible risks encourage academic development; and a supportive social environment in which nuanced soft skills are developed freely and naturally to allow pupils to ultimately find their natural space and place in the world beyond school, a world that has always been co-educational.