Wells Cathedral School
Wells Cathedral School is a girls boarding and day school in Wells, Somerset, educating pupils aged 2 - 18. Boarding fees are £11,789 - £16,990 per term. Our advice on this school is independent and free.
- Type
- Girls boarding & day
- Boarders from
- 8 - 18
- Ethos
- Church of England
- Guardian required
- Yes
About Wells Cathedral
The story, ethos and character of Wells Cathedral.
- Setting
- Town
- Ethos
- Church of England
- Head
- Mr Alastair Tighe
Founded over 1,111 years ago, Wells Cathedral School is a family-orientated, co-educational boarding and day School for 2-18 year olds. The School provides an all-round education alongside world-class Specialist Music and Chorister training.
The School's mission is to inspire every individual pupil to nurture their talents in a vibrant, creative, spiritual and stimulating environment to become a responsible global citizen. Perfectly located in the heart of the medieval City of Wells, in the beautiful surroundings of Somerset, the school offers a great balance between rural and city life with easy access to Bristol Airport, and Bath, Frome and Castle Cary train stations (with direct train links to London).
Wells provides an innovative and bold curriculum with an Integrated Arts Programme, Modern Foreign Languages, STEM, a Specialist Music Scheme and a Specialist Maths Scheme.
Sport is an integral part of the School's overall education with numerous pupils gaining representation at county and national level. Offering over 15 sport options and the School is proud to have been named home to one of the 10 most picturesque cricket grounds in Britain by Chief Cricket writer Scyld Berry at The Telegraph in 2024.
The School has recently won awards for sport and performing arts. The School is unique in being one of the four Specialist Music Schools in England but within the setting of an independent school. This allows them to cater for musicians of exceptional talent on specifically designed programmes that put music at the centre of the pupils' daily school routine, but it also enables them to provide a very broad range of musical opportunities for those who pursue music as a hobby.
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Academics at Wells Cathedral
What pupils study at Wells Cathedral — and where it takes them.
All pupils study French in Year 7. In Year 8, they choose either German or Spanish in addition to French and will then carry on with their chosen combination until the end of Year 9. We recognise that all pupils need a proper balance of recreation and physical exercise so we also include Sport, Integrated Arts (consisting of art, music, drama and dance), as well as Outdoor Education.
Choristers and Specialist Musicians work together in dedicated forms following individually tailored learning programmes. Upper School (Years 10 and 11) We personalise your learning to follow a curriculum at a pace and in a direction that suits your needs and plays to your strengths but pushes you to reach your potential.
Programmes offered
Subjects offered
Where our leavers go
Typically , up to 5% of our Upper Sixth leavers go on to the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge (Oxbridge) each year, often with music scholarships. Another 80% of leavers are accepted into the leading Russell Group universities to read everything from Archaeology to Zoology, Accounting & Financial Management to Economics, Engineering, History of Art, Law, Medicine, PPE (Politics, Philosophy & Economics) and Veterinary Science.
Our Specialist Musicians go on to attend the leading music colleges and conservatoires in the UK and abroad such as the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall in London and Juilliard in New York.
Figures are indicative — contact us for the latest results.
Boarding at Wells Cathedral
Day-to-day boarding life and pastoral care at Wells Cathedral.
- Boarding houses
- Girls 3, Boys 2, Mixed 2
- Exeat weekends
- Yes
- Guardian required
- Yes
- Saturday lessons
- Yes
Each House consists of around 20 to 30 boarding pupils, which is large enough to ensure everyone has a good balance of friends but small enough that everyone knows everyone well. We find this balance helps strengthen our family feeling. Each Boarding House has a resident Houseparent and Assistant (both are often joined by their families and pets!), along with a non-resident Matron and a number of staff.
The House teams are vital to running the Houses smoothly, but more importantly, they give a continuity to the boarders' lives. We find boarders form strong relationships with our House teams, which enables them to have an adult they trust on hand to help with anything and everything!The boarding family is complemented and strengthened by day pupil members who are all assigned to Houses, making them vibrant and exciting communities.
A genuine home away from home
Our Boarding School in Somerset provides family and community life in a beautiful setting. We realise that Wells is a home away from home for our boarders and recognise how important it is to make them feel comfortable and secure. Birthday parties and chats with the matron over a cup of tea - among many other things - help our boarders feel right at home.
Boarders learn to live with others, which helps them to develop personal characteristics such as kindness and honesty. We encourage our boarders to take advantage of our many opportunities because through getting involved in our activities and events, our pupils develop a 'can do' attitude that helps them grow as people and as part of a team.
We can arrange trusted UK guardianship for international families.
Wells Cathedral admissions
How children join Wells Cathedral, and how we make it simple.
Tell us about your child
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We shortlist & introduce
We match you to the right schools and make the introductions to their admissions teams.
Assessment, offer & enrolment
We guide you through entrance assessments and interviews, and handle visas and guardianship if needed.
What you'll typically need
- Recent school reports or transcript
- Passport copy
- English-language evidence (if applicable)
- Completed registration form
- A reference from the current school
Special notes to agents about entry to the school We have exeat weekends but pupils can stay on site for a weekend of activities please check with admissions for further details. Saturday morning school is from Y9 Application procedure and entrance tests Registration form and relevant fee completed and returned.
Entrance tests Year 12: on-line Cambridge University English test or UKiset, interview, CAT4 test reference from current school, predicted I/GCSE or equivalent, self-description, and last two school reports. Years 9-11: on-line Cambridge University English test or UKiset, interview, CAT4 test reference from current school, predicted I/GCSE or equivalent, self-description, and last two school reports.
As your advisors we manage the application end-to-end at no cost.
Wells Cathedral fees & funding
What Wells Cathedral costs, what's included, and how we help with funding.
What termly boarding fees include
- Tuition
- Boarding accommodation
- All meals
- Pastoral & house care
- Most academic materials
Funding & scholarships
Registration deposits, EAL tuition, uniform and trips are usually charged separately. Many schools offer academic, sport, music and art scholarships plus means-tested bursaries — ask us and we'll send a full, current breakdown for Wells Cathedral.
Fees change year to year and by entry point. As your independent advisors we hold up-to-date figures and can compare Wells Cathedral against similar schools so you know exactly what to budget.
Figures shown are the latest we hold — we'll confirm current fees on enquiry.
Wells Cathedral location & travel
Where Wells Cathedral is, and how to get there.
Travel details Address The Liberty, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2ST, England Airport transfer We provide a private coach service to pick up all new pupils from Heathrow Airport. Pupils are greeted by our staff and accompanied to the school Travel time to London by train Less than 2 hours Telephone +44 (0)1749 834200 Website https://wells.
cathedral. school/ Most convenient airports Airport Distance (miles) Drive time (minutes) 1. Bristol 17 35 2. London Heathrow 100 125 3. London Gatwick 142 170 Most convenient train stations Station Distance (miles) Drive time (minutes) 1. Castle Cary 11 25 2.
Inside Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral — frequently asked questions
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