Windermere St. Anne's School
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Windermere St Anne's is an private, independent, co-educational boarding and day school in the heart of the English Lake District, catering for children from 2 to 18 years of age.
'WSA' was founded in 1863 in St Anne's-on-Sea in Lancashire, moving to its present site in 1924. The distinctive 'deckchair' blazer worn by girls is one of the few reminders of the school's seaside past. The school's motto is vicit qui se vincit (she who conquers herself conquers all). Today, the school is based in a large Victorian house in a steep, wooded estate of 92 acres, with lake and mountain views from many classrooms and dormitories. Former pupils are known as Stannites, and include the author Dodie Smith and the Olympic equestrienne Emma Howell. Originally a girls' school, boys have been admitted since 1999.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of WSA is its membership of the Round Square Association, an international group of schools who follow the philosophy of Jewish educationalist Kurt Hahn, who emphasised the importance of internationalism, democracy, environment, adventure, leadership and service in an education as well as academic excellence. Member schools are obliged to ensure each element features prominently in their pupils' programmes. WSA examples include termly exchanges with RS schools all over the world, and a full outdoor pursuits curriculum based around its watersports centre on Windermere (England's largest lake). Other British Round Square members include Gordonstoun School and Wellington College.
There are approximately 400 pupils at WSA. Half of this number are boys, and half are boarders, who come from all over the world. A third are at Elleray, the preparatory school and day nursery for children aged 2 to 11, set in its own house and estate towards Windermere village.
Boarders at the senior school live in one of three houses:
Browhead - for girls aged 11-16 (and the few Elleray boarders), Langdale - for boys aged 11-16 and Westmorland - for girls and boys aged 16-18
Boarders aged 8 to 14 live in dormitories of 4-6 people, and thereafter have single or double study bedrooms. Sixth formers have increased personal responsibility - e.g. they live in (single sex) flats and do their own cleaning and laundry, in preparation for university.
In addition to Round Square activities, the school enjoys a fine reputation for sport, with hockey probably the most popular for both girls and boys. For competitive purposes, the schools is divided into four 'houses' (in the team sense), each named after an old Lakeland family:
Cavendish (red) Flemyng (blue) Lonsdale (green) Strickland (yellow)
The most fiercely fought inter-house event is the annual Performing Arts Competition, in which the entire school is involved.
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