News & Diary
Prep Schools Newsletter – Summer 2026
It’s a pleasure to write my first newsletter to you all as Winchester College’s new Registrar.
I joined Winchester in 2023 as Deputy Registrar, following a 20-year career as a journalist based in Washington, Paris and London, writing about economics and public policy. Closer to home, my connection with Winchester is longstanding: both of my sons attended The Pilgrims’ School, and one has recently completed his time at Winchester.
If you would like to visit Winchester College, or if it would be helpful for me or a member of the Admissions team to visit your school, please do get in touch.
We are also delighted to offer bespoke educational visits built around the College’s collections, exhibitions and facilities. These can include mathematics workshops, language taster sessions (including Russian and Spanish), and a range of sporting activities, including rock climbing.
I look forward to working with you.
Do join us for the Under 10 Prep School Tournament on Sunday 11th October 2026.
The tournament will provide an excellent opportunity for young players to enjoy competitive sport in a friendly and enjoyable environment, while experiencing the facilities and atmosphere of Winchester College.
Maximum of 8 players per squad. Teams will play a minimum of 4 games.
Please contact our Soccer Professional, Jason Dodd for more details.
Avoiding the unintended consequences of education reform
In her message to parents this term, Headmaster Ms Elizabeth Stone reflected on the growing debate around online examinations and the wider consequences such changes could have for teaching and learning in schools.
Notions are distinctive words and customs unique to Winchester College pupils and our community.
This unusual language has developed over many centuries, reaching its peak in the nineteenth century.
While notions have naturally evolved, with new words replacing others that have fallen out of use, some of the oldest words still spoken at Winchester preserve direct links to Anglo-Saxon England.
We recently produced a short guide to Notions for new pupils and families, illustrated by a current second year. Please enjoy!
As part of our Original Thinking Series on The Future of Assessment in the Age of AI, we recently welcomed a group of prep school heads and academic leaders for an engaging and thought-provoking discussion.
We were delighted to hear from Daisy Christodoulou (Director of Education at No More Marking) and Kate Bailey (Director of Digital Testing at Cambridge University Press & Assessment), who shared valuable insights into how assessment is evolving in response to technological change.
As we continue our commitment to maintaining a rigorous and fair assessment process, this event marks the beginning of a broader conversation. Together, we are exploring how best to evaluate and support prospective pupils in the years ahead, ensuring our approaches remain both robust and forward-thinking in an AI-driven world.
We were delighted to open our brand new 6-lane 25-metre swimming pool to pupils this term, with all year groups now making the most of the new facility.
The pool is part of our new Sports Centre which includes an eight-court Sports Hall, six squash courts, six fives courts, plus a dance studio and martial arts Dojo.
We were also pleased to open our new all-weather pitch which sits alongside the Sports Centre.
Congratulations to those incoming pupils who were successful at Election in the Spring.
A special mention to the six pupils who took Election and were awarded a Founder’s Scholarship, recognising their academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, analytical rigour, and flexibility of mind.
Recipients of the Founder’s Scholarship will receive a 25% reduction in school fees, awarded on merit and are not means-tested.
It was wonderful to meet our new joiners at the induction event, known as New Man’s Day, earlier this month.
Now kitted out with obligatory hoodie, notebook and pen, we look forward to welcoming them all in September!
