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Welcome to Adcote School
Set in the heart of beautiful Shropshire countryside, Adcote School is an award-winning day and boarding school for girls aged 7-18 years. We have a long tradition of providing outstanding education to girls of all abilities, with a strong reputation for nurturing talent and expanding confidence in all the students under our care. As an all-girls school, we specialise in developing the leaders of the future, using our substantial knowledge of the way girls learn to inspire and challenge them so they can reach their full potential and realise their ambitions.
Adcote is proud to be the winners of the ISA Senior School of the Year Award in 2020 in recognition of our high standards, as well as being the 2019 winners of the ISA award for Academic Excellence and Innovation for our unique CLEAR Learning Programme, fostering the core values of confidence, leadership, engagement, achievement and resilience. We are also the top value-added school for A Levels in Shropshire.
Adcote is the CLEAR Choice for your daughter
Our Award-Winning CLEAR Learning Programme
Confidence
We build confidence through our small class size and warm atmosphere. Our learning environment is one based strongly on kindness, reassurance and mutual respect, where each student is inspired to use her voice and be an active member of the classroom conversation. We offer all our girls a tailored, personalised education which promotes self-belief and self worth, leading to greater security and confidence.
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Our Award-Winning CLEAR Learning Programme
Leadership
As an all-girls school, we feel we have a particular responsibility to equip the next generation of young women with all of the skills, qualities and self-belief that they will need to lead themselves and others in their adult lives. At Adcote, we offer work-related activities and our CLEAR Learning Challenge Days to build the skills necessary to be an effective and impactful leader.
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Our Award-Winning CLEAR Learning Programme
Engagement
Adcote girls engage exceptionally well with their learning and are encouraged to take an active role not only within the school but also within the wider community. Our PSHE programme ensures that the girls have a strong understanding of current affairs and visiting speakers give them an informed account of a variety of key issues. Adcote girls also have a strong reputation for engaging with the local community and beyond, being generous fundraisers for charities.
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Our Award-Winning CLEAR Learning Programme
Achievement
As a non-selective school, we are proud to welcome all children to Adcote regardless of their academic ability, recognising that all students blossom at different times and in different ways. Our mission is to secure the very best academic outcomes possible for every one of our girls. Our accomplishments are not only academic. Additionally girls achieve great success in external competitions in the fields of Science, Sports, Art and Performing Arts as well as within school.
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Our Award-Winning CLEAR Learning Programme
Resilience
We understand the many challenges that our girls will face during their time with us, as they grow from little girls into strong young women. To help them to conquer those challenges, we build resilience in their characters so that they will cope with adversity and flourish. We build resilience in the classroom through stretch and challenge and deep dive learning, taking girls to the limits of their ability so that they can break through barriers and achieve more than they thought possible, supported by our outstanding pastoral care.
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Why Adcote?
Our Community
At Adcote, a strong sense of community runs through every area of the school from the staff who specialise in the way girls learn through to the parents and the girls themselves.
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Mrs Diane Browne
I am Diane Browne, Headmistress of Adcote School. I began my teaching career in an 11-16 comprehensive school in Lancashire before heading south to teach in a selective all-girls’ grammar school in Stroud. Wishing to remain in a single sex environment, I then moved to be Head of English at Westonbirt School before becoming part of the Senior Leadership Team as Director of Studies. Since moving to Adcote School as Headmistress in 2016, the school has won national awards, including recently becoming ISA Senior School of the Year, and the top value-added school in Shropshire for A levels.
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Miss Louise Hudson
I am Miss Miss Louise Hudson, Deputy Head, Head of Pastoral and Head of Geography. I have a Bachelor of Education with honours. Prior to joining Adcote I have always taught in girls’ only independent school education and I am passionate about the importance of girls’ only education.
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Mrs Nicola Tribe
I am Mrs Nicola Tribe, Director of Studies. I teach Science at Adcote with a specialism in Physics and Astronomy. Prior to teaching I spent six years in industry, designing and detailing reinforced concrete, steel, timber and brick buildings. Having presented at schools and STEM events I decided to retrain as a teacher, and have never looked back. My main role at Adcote is leading teaching and learning across the school. I also manage assessment and grading, along with the development of the whole school curriculum.
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Mrs Nicky Candler
My name's Mrs Nicky Candler, and I'm Head of the Prep School. I have a PGCE in Primary education, and teach through from Year 3 to 7, over a range of subjects. My role as Head of Prep has oversight of both the teaching and pastoral care within the Prep area, a role I absolutely cherish! I retrained as a teacher some 10 years ago, specifically with the desire to give the quiet pupils an opportunity to shine, something that I am witness to everyday at Adcote.
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Miss Sally Roberts
I am Miss Sally Roberts, Deputy Head of the Prep School, Head of History, PSHE Coordinator, Teacher of GCSE Religious Studies. Before starting at Adcote in 2013, I studied History with Archaeology at Chester University before going on to complete my PGCE at Aberystwyth University. History is my main subject and what makes it so exciting is how varied it is - one minute I can be teaching about the Tudors, the next the French Revolution and then the Witchcraze which swept across Europe in the 16th century! I also organise the annual fundraising events for Children in Need and Race for Life.
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Mrs Kathy Gardner
I am Mrs Kathy Gardner, Head of Senior School. I teach PE and Games and run the Bronze DofE Programme. Having completed by degree in BSc in Sports Science and Administration at Nottingham Trent University, I started my working career in Sports Development. Following my life long dream of becoming a PE teacher I went back to university to complete my PGCE at Loughborough University. Since qualifying I have taught PE in Melton Mowbray (home of the pork pie), New Zealand (twice), Bishops Castle and Baschurch (twice) before joining Adcote in September 2016. I love teaching a range of sports at Adcote and introducing the girls to my crazy made up games. It's great that we have so many fixtures and competitions and seeing the girls compete and grow as performers always makes me very proud.
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Prep School
Adcote Preparatory School is a happy, inclusive environment in which your daughter can learn and thrive. The Prep School welcomes girls from Years 3 - 8 within a happy, safe and caring environment, ensuring that all girl’s individual needs are met regardless of ability. The girls enjoy a wide educational programme and lots of learning opportunities. Class sizes throughout the Prep School are small and enable us to focus on developing individual literacy and mathematical skills, through focused target setting.
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Senior School
It is here that your daughter will start thinking about future careers and preparing for GCSE exams. During these years, she will not only continue to build on academic skills and knowledge but will also develop skills and qualities that will equip her for the future. Throughout their time in the Senior School not only will students be studying for their GCSE exams; they will also be developing important life skills and qualities through a curriculum that focuses on more than just academic achievement.
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Mrs Caz Besterman
I am Mrs Caz Besterman, Head of Sixth Form and Director of Music. I studied Classics at Cambridge University (BA. MA Hons) before completing my PGCE at Bristol University and a diploma with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). I play the piano and viola and enjoy composing. My aim is for music to play a central part in the Adcote school community and for every girl here to enjoy music. As Head of Sixth Form, I look after Year 12 and 13 both academically and pastorally, and I also manage our university applications and careers programme. My role is to ensure the girls are really well supported in their Sixth Form journey as well as developing their personal skills and values.
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Miss Kim Wakenshaw
Hello and welcome to Adcote School. My name is Kim Wakenshaw and I am the Head of Admissions. I am your first point of contact and I will be here to guide you through every stage of the admission process. Choosing a school for your daughter can be very daunting for both parents and child. Having a dedicated member of staff that can provide you with that support is so important through this journey. I am a firm believer that getting to know you all and vise versa is the start of a very special adventure with Adcote.
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Ms Nikki Jones
I'm Nikki Jones, Head of Boarding here at Adcote. I have been at Adcote since 2013 and over the years I have worked in the front office, HR, finance, admissions and since September 2016 I have been in the role of Head of Boarding. Prior to arriving in Adcote I worked in Botswana, Southern Africa for the University of Pennsylvania as the Global Health Program Administrator, coordinating the medical Faculty / Fellows / Residents and Students rotating in Botswana. I also placed students all over Botswana, for their Summer break, in respect to the field they were studying at UPenn. So my field really has been and continues to be in the area of student welfare and pastoral care. I look forward to welcoming you to boarding at Adcote School.
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Mr Richard Walker
I am Richard Walker, Bursar of Adcote School for Girls.
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Sixth Form
The Sixth Form at Adcote provides the bridge between school and the world beyond school, whether that’s university or employment. It is a time for girls to develop their interests and challenge themselves as young adults as they approach the next important stage of their lives. Success in their academic courses naturally forms a central focus of students’ time in the Sixth Form.
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Boarding
Adcote is a full termly boarding school, with a happy mixture of British girls and International students. Our ‘home from home’ boarding houses welcome girls from age eight through to eighteen and we offer full and weekly boarding in a safe, caring, friendly and disciplined environment in a school where privacy and independence are respected, and where the girls can enjoy companionship, fun and a lively programme of boarding activities.
Adcote Highlights
D of E Gold Award Expedition
Posted : Wed 23 Jun
Oh the unpredictable British weather! Our Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award girls completed their final expedition in challenging...
🔥 We have a new website!
Head to https://t.co/ajj0GYCVKw to explore now!
University Destinations
