All That You Can Be

Stonyhurst is the UK’s leading Catholic co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 3-18. The school empowers boys and girls to be the best they can be, shaping leaders of the future who carry a sense of purpose and a desire to make the world a better place. The school prepares young people to be ‘men and women for others’ and is a family where heritage and innovation are fused to inspire young people to be agents of change in the world.  

Stonyhurst has a fascinating heritage, being the oldest continuously active Jesuit school in the world. It was founded in St Omer in 1593 and moved to its present site in Lancashire in 1794. school is set in a magnificent Grade I listed building, with its very own museum and historic libraries containing 37,000 artefacts and 65,000 books. This is a valuable resource to ignite the minds of young people and bring the curriculum to life. There aren't many schools where you can handle a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, dinosaur fossils, the Holy Thorn that was believed to be part of the actual Crown placed on Christ’s head, and Henry VII's Cloth of Gold Cope. 

Based on a secluded and safe 1,000-acre estate, Stonyhurst overlooks the beautiful Ribble Valley countryside in the centre of the United Kingdom. The school is inhabited by many varieties of wildlife including three resident herons, otters and deer to name just a few. This scenic backdrop is an ideal setting for intellectual exploration and personal reflection. Children joining Stonyhurst will benefit from the well-being, safety and happiness that comes with life in the countryside.  

Stonyhurst is a full-blooded British Boarding School with children from over 26 nationalities. The cultural diversity adds to the richness and the global outlook of the school community. Stonyhurst is a seven-day-a-week school - a true home-from-home for all pupils. Boarding at Stonyhurst is distinctive - pupils board in year groups – i.e. horizontally – rather than vertically in Houses. This makes a big difference: pupils board in full-year groups, surrounded by all the pupils and friends of their own age group rather than with just a small selection of them, as in a House system. Horizontal boarding, therefore, helps pupils to bond as a year group, where they support each other and develop lifelong friendships. Houseparents can better focus on and cater to the specific needs of an age group, meaning the different expectations and rules for each age group can be effectively managed. 

Pupils have many opportunities to discover new passions and talents through the Co-curricular Diploma at Stonyhurst. There are over 75 unique co-curricular activities for pupils to enjoy outside of their normal curriculum, creating a fully-rounded education, ranging from astronomy, Combined Cadet Force, sport, fencing and shooting, to horse riding and swimming! Pupils who immerse themselves in the school, in games, in activities, and in the outdoors will thrive. These activities are supported by excellent on-site facilities including a swimming pool, gym, 22 sports pitches and 2 indoor Grand Slam tennis courts, 7 chapels, Astro pitch, shooting range, 2 theatres, golf course, golf simulator, museum, observatory, woodland classroom, dance studio and more… 

The Sixth Form offers three options for study – A level, International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, or the Cambridge Technical Diploma. Each route provides a wide range of subjects to choose from and a pathway to suit different learners. Being a non-selective school, Stonyhurst continues to achieve high academic results with many pupils going onto Russell Group universities and other renowned universities across the world. However, while academic performance is important, learning and personal growth extend far beyond the classroom at Stonyhurst. The school aim to continue to excel in shaping individuals to be the best that they can be, just as they have been doing successfully for over 400 years. 

This year, Stonyhurst was rated excellent in all areas by the Independent School Inspectorate. The report recognised the high standards of academic achievement of the pupils, stating that ‘pupils of all ages and abilities display excellent attitudes towards their learning’, and ‘possess strong study skills and take an inquiry-based approach to their studies’ with their academic and other achievements being ‘wide and varied, and highly accomplished’. Pupils were found to be ‘highly articulate and speak with eloquence when addressing others’.  

From a personal development perspective, the report documents that ‘pupils of all ages show excellent levels of self-understanding’ and ‘show strong levels of perseverance when faced with challenges’. Pupils were found to ‘demonstrate high levels of self-esteem’.  

On global matters, ‘pupils have a strong appreciation for the multi-cultural nature and diversity of the school community’, and ‘the overwhelming majority of parents agreed that the school actively promotes values of democracy and, respect and tolerance of other people’, a reflection of Stonyhurst’s aim to develop men and women with a global outlook who can play a positive role in the world as outstanding people of the future. 

Take the next step to become part of the Stonyhurst family: https://www.stonyhurst.ac.uk/admissions