We're Growing Co‑ed

We have clearly heard about the many benefits that come from a Thorpe education, and we would like to extend these opportunities to more pupils, not just boys, while building a sustainable future for the school. Many families see value in a school where daughters and sons can belong to the same community. The consultation also highlighted opportunities for social development and broader participation. These are educational and strategic judgements, reinforced by the perspectives of everyone we consulted: pupils, parents, staff and governors.

The decision comes at the culmination of a three-year development plan. This has focused on evaluating the success of the Sixth Form (now evidenced in A level and BTEC results and university placements), the addition of the Nursery, strengthening academic provision across the school and making sure the shared values of the Thorpe Way are integral to every part of school life.

Our plan is focused on Thorpe and Thorpe only, and it is not a response to the actions or decisions of any other school. Our Governors have agreed the proposal, but the September 2027 expansion depends on prior Department for Education approval. We have been through this process before, with very positive outcomes, so we are confident in our position.

Small classes, individual attention, the family atmosphere and the Thorpe Way will continue to guide daily life. Our expertise in supporting boys, including boys who benefit from a nurturing and highly personal approach, remains central. We will continue to challenge and support every pupil, regardless of their starting point.

Our co-educational Sixth Form gives us real, evidence-based experience of boys and girls learning successfully together. Parents spoke positively about the deliberate way girls and boys are welcomed, taught and brought together, including through Games and in every lesson. This has been shown through outstanding A level and BTEC results, and through exit interviews and testimonials as our Year 13s moved on to their next destinations.

We are also very aware that the needs of younger children differ. We will design Nursery, Prep and Year 7 provision for their age and stage rather than assume one model fits all, while building on the strengths we have already seen across Years 12 and 13.

In March 2024, the Independent Schools Inspectorate examined our plans to extend provision to age 18, increase capacity and admit girls aged 16 to 18. It found that all the standards within the scope of that inspection were met and recommended approval of the material change.

Inspectors described suitable plans for sixth form teaching and the curriculum, effective safeguarding procedures, appropriate consideration of female pupils' needs, suitable risk assessment, and premises likely to meet the needs of the proposed changes. They also found that leaders and governors had planned suitable additional safeguarding and other roles.

Our growth of co-education into Nursery, Prep and Year 7 is a further change and will be assessed on its own merits through a similar approval process. You can read our reports on our ISI inspection reports page.

The aim is measured growth, consistent with a school where every child is known. Families and pupils made class size and access to teachers a priority. Cohort numbers, staffing and room capacity will be tested before entry arrangements are finalised. The consultation summary records a working expectation of around 16 pupils as a practical class maximum, which is in line with our current practice.

Admissions planning will consider the number of girls joining together, their experience within the wider year group and the support available from tutors and pastoral staff. We will set a viable cohort threshold, with a contingency if recruitment is lower than expected, rather than place a very small number of girls in an isolating situation. Transition visits, induction and regular pupil feedback will help us refine the experience, as they do for every pupil joining us in Year 7.

Schools that follow a diamond model tend to be co-educational across EYFS and Key Stages 1 and 2 (at Thorpe, this is the whole Prep School), moving to intentional separation of boys and girls at Key Stages 3 and 4 (the Senior School), with a fully co-educational Sixth Form, as we already have.

Our experience tells us a diamond model has the potential to be very successful at Thorpe, but we would define it around our pupils as they come into Year 7, and around the legal requirements of such provision. We would explore subjects where pupils are taught in single-sex groups (evidence suggests both girls and boys can make more rapid progress in subjects such as mathematics and the sciences when taught this way), alongside subjects such as languages and the arts, where there is compelling evidence that learning is best when boys and girls are taught together. Our own version will be specific, focused and flexible.

Our plan for September 2027 is to welcome girls into Nursery and Prep, Year 7 and our established co-educational Sixth Form. We are not proposing a general intake of girls into Years 8 to 11 at that stage.

We understand families may ask about other year groups, and we would be pleased to hear from them. Any decision to extend admissions would need to take account of the legal position, the number of pupils joining, and how we could make sure every girl feels fully part of her year group. We will share any change to these arrangements with families directly.

Children can differ in confidence, interests, development and approach to learning. Our Prep teachers will continue to take the time to know each child well, whether a boy or a girl, using regular assessment and observation to adjust the support and challenge they provide. In practice, this means a range of teaching approaches, including discussion, practical activity, reading, writing and purposeful play, alongside flexible grouping when children would benefit from it.

We will also pay attention to who participates, who needs encouragement and whether any child is being limited by assumptions about what boys or girls enjoy or do well. As part of our material change application, we have submitted a professional development plan that will shape staff training across the school this year and beyond, focused on getting the best from every pupil across age and gender, without making generalisations.

Yes, absolutely. Just as every individual at Thorpe is known and recognised for who they are, the same will apply regardless of gender. The Equality Act 2010 makes this very clear, and we have taken legal advice as part of our preparations.

We will also be clear that 'equivalent' does not mean 'identical'. For example, there will be an equivalent uniform for girls and boys, worn with the same pride, but it will not be identical. We already manage this successfully throughout the Sixth Form.

Teachers will prepare for mixed classes with professional development and a review of the curriculum, Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). Pastoral systems, safeguarding arrangements and support for individual learning needs will be reviewed for the new intake, as they are every year. Staff and pupils asked for practical detail; that work is part of our readiness plan, and an executive summary will be shared with our community.

Sport, leadership, outdoor learning, swimming and the wider co-curricular programme matter greatly to our community. We will plan girls' and boys' participation and fixtures, and review PE staffing, toilets and changing spaces, uniform, trips and timetables, making the necessary provision before launch. Pupil requests for improved facilities are an important part of our planning.

Much of what we need is already in place. We have a fully integrated girls' toilet, changing and shower area in the MPH, girls' and boys' toilets on the main site, and a Sixth Form that was designed from the outset to be fully co-educational. Some relatively small changes to the toilets in the Prep School and the Pavilion are in line with our regular maintenance and will be completed well before September 2027.

A material change is about more than facilities. It also covers staff training, PSHE and RSE, staff experience and wider facilities such as playing fields. We worked through all of these for our March 2024 material change, and that experience has benefited our whole community.

Pupils in Years 8 to 11 in September 2027 will remain in their existing year groups under this proposal. Their access to teaching, pastoral support and wider opportunities will continue with the same focus as now. The changes we made when we added a co-educational Sixth Form have had a positive impact across the school.

Absolutely. Of the 42 staff included in our September 2026 review, 40 (95%) have previously taught in co-educational schools, with a combined 499 years of co-educational teaching experience.

Every member of our Senior Leadership Team has taught in a co-educational school, with an average of almost 20 years each. In Prep, six of seven staff have co-educational experience, averaging 13.4 years, while 29 of the 30 staff in the wider teaching team have experience of co-educational education. We will also build on the 15 members of staff who have worked in girls-only schools, alongside targeted professional development.

In short, our teachers aren't starting from scratch when it comes to teaching girls.

We would be delighted to hear from them. Our Admissions Team, led by Susan Fontenelle, can be reached at susan.fontenelle@thorpehouse.co.uk or on 01753 882474.