| Motto | Vincit qui se vincit (One who conquers oneself conquers all) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1863 |
| Type | Independent, co-educational boarding and day school |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headmaster | Ian Lavender |
| Chairman of Governors | Peter Redhead |
| Location | Patterdale Road Windermere Cumbria LA23 1NW United Kingdom |
| Students | 400 (approx.) |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 2–18 |
| Houses | Cavendish, longsdale, strickland and Fleming ( Red, Green, Yellow and Blue) |
| Colours |
Navy blue and light blue |
| Former Pupils | Stannites |
| Website | www.windermereschool.co.uk |
Windermere School is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school in the heart of the English Lake District. It was founded in 1863 in the seaside town of Lytham St Annes in Lancashire and moved to its present site in 1924. It currently has around 400 pupils, a third of whom are boarders. In addition to the main campus, the school owns the nearby Elleray estate, which houses the preparatory department, and a watersports centre on Windermere. Originally a girls' school, boys have been admitted since 1999, the school has been known by a variety of different names including, St. Anne's School, and Windermere St. Anne's. The school is a member of Round Square and the Society of Headmasters & Headmistresses of Independent Schools.
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The senior school is based at the Browhead campus — a wooded fellside estate of 92 acres and a mile from the town of Windermere. At its heart is the Victorian mansion, which houses the school's administrative centre, library and girls' boarding accommodation on the upper floors. Crampton Hall was added as an extension in 1967. Other buildings on site include the Westmorland and Langdale boarding houses for sixth formers and boys respectively, science complex, additional classrooms, Jenkins Centre (for the music, performing arts and languages departments, dining hall and kitchens), the art and technology department at South Lodge, additional staff accommodation at North Lodge, the Headmaster's house (Brow Wood), the Astroturf hockey pitch, hard tennis courts, sports hall and sports pitch. Much of the landscaping and planting date from the nineteenth century, and the estate is home to a variety of rare plants and trees.
Windermere Preparatory School occupies the neighbouring estate of Elleray, on the outskirts of Windermere. The large Victorian house forms the centre of the school, and has numerous classroom extensions for its nursery and infant departments. It has its own football/rugby pitches and tennis court, and the surrounding fields serve as a playground. Three eco-friendly 'pod' classrooms were added in 2009.
The school's third campus is its watersports centre, Hodge Howe, on the shore of Windermere. There is a central pavilion, boathouse and extensive wooded grounds. It has accreditation from the British Canoe Union and the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority, as well as being an RYA Teaching Centre.
Westmorland House is the Sixth Form centre. It acts as both boarding house and study centre for the school's sixth form. Boarding students live in single sex flats of five complete with kitchenette and a small lounge. Day students are assigned to a flat. There are also central common rooms and computer facilities. The Houseparent couple and their family have their own flat in the building, as do other house staff.
Browhead houses girl boarders from the ages of eight to sixteen. It comprises the upper floors of the main school building, Browhead. Boarders sleep in dormitories until Year 10, when they transfer to double study bedrooms for their GCSE years. Many of the rooms retain original Victorian features, such as sash windows and marble and cast-iron fireplaces.
Langdale houses boy boarders from the ages of eight to sixteen. Purpose-built in a wooden Scandinavian style in 2001, it operates the same sleeping arrangements as Browhead.
For competitive purposes, the school is divided into four linear 'houses' in the team sense. They are Cavendish (red), Flemyng (blue), Lonsdale (green) and Strickland (yellow).
The National Curriculum is followed at all levels. Sixth form students may pursue the International Baccalaureate Diploma and the International Baccalaureate Careers Certificate.[1]
The major competitive sports are hockey, netball and football in the Autumn and Spring terms, and tennis, cricket and athletics in the Summer. In addition, basketball, cross-country running, rounders, riding, rugby and volleyball are offered as part of the after-school programme. Some pupils also compete at regional and county level. International sports tours are organised for senior pupils, most recently to Barbados, South Africa, France, Spain and Switzerland.
Outdoor Education is a compulsory part of the curriculum for Lower School pupils. This includes mountaineering and rock-climbing, as well as a full watersports programme from Hodge Howe, the school's watersports centre on Windermere. Sixth formers can opt to undertake the International Baccalaureate Career Certificate, combining core academic elements of the International Baccalaureate with a BTEC in Sport and Adventure.
For girl students in the Preparatory, Lower and Middle school, the uniform comprises a navy kilt and jumper, worn over a white and navy striped blouse. In addition, girls still wear the striking deckchair blazer—one of the few reminders of the school's seaside past. Boys wear a plain navy blazer and trousers, with a white shirt and school tie. Sixth Formers wear dark suits of their own choosing.
As at many boarding schools, traditional slang terms are used by pupils to describe everyday items—e.g. prep (short for preparation), meaning homework, tuck for boarders' snack food, shadow for a guide allocated to a new pupil, and civvies for non-uniform clothes. Some words are unique to Windermere, such as Stannite—meaning a former pupil, while Elleray and Browhead are internal names for the preparatory and senior schools respectively. The school song, Nunc Canimus, was re-written in 1924 to commemorate the move to Windermere. It is no longer in use.
Windermere School's alumni are known as Stannites, in reference to the school’s history. The Stannite Association has four main aims. To promote and strengthen links between former students and the school itself. Secondly to assist Stannites from all over the world keep in touch with each other. Working with current pupils within the school to keep alive the Windermere School’s history and traditions, and finally to promoting networking opportunities to current students through The Stannite Community.
The Stannite Association is run by a committee of volunteers, consisting of a variety of former students and staff of the school. The committee is currently chaired by former pupil and current governor of the school Mrs. Victoria Jowett. The Stannite Committee organise annual reunions and publish a yearly magazine.
The Stannite Association has started preparations for the 150th anniversary of the school (in 2013), with research currently being carried out for a book on the school’s history. The committee are also looking into various options for memorabilia to commemorate the school’s anniversary. As well as this the Stannite Association are hoping to put on one of the largest Stannite Reunions in the history of the school, to be held at Browhead in summer 2013. Preliminary plans for the day, include Stannite vs. student hockey matches, a local church service, and tours of the modern day school.
The Stannite Association can be contacted through the schools website, or through a variety of social media platforms.
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