Need info regarding St Swithun's School, Winchester

[purpleday45]

Hello ,I am thinking of sending my daughter to St Swithun's School in Winchester where she would join the sixth form for next year. I would be very grateful if anyone could give me any information about the general school life (particularly from parents who have/had daughters in the 6th form) but any info/advice is welcome, even from younger years' parents and I would also like to have answers to a few questions, if you can answer them, thanks!

How many new girls usually join the Lower Sixth?

Are there lots of international students in each year? If so, which nationalities?

How many students are in the Lower Sixth altogether? Do most of them board?

What are the girls like at St Swithun's?

Are a lot of students accepted into Oxbridge? (Numbers would be useful for each year, as daughter is interested to apply)

What are the stages to apply for Oxbridge? Are the girls allocated an Oxbridge tutor?

What are the teachers like? And how many students are in a tutor group?

Would you consider the school as an academic hothouse and is there a lot of pressure?

Bump

I think you need to go to an open day. If you are talking about Oxbridge then of course there is pressure! You apply for Oxbridge ( Oxford or Cambridge) before mid October in upper 6th. This gives your DD the whole of lower 6th to see if she meets the required standard. Usually schools have destination of leavers on their website or in the prospectus. What the school does regarding preparation could be ascertained from asking them as could size of new intake. The Good Schools Guide may have useful information.

No school will really tell you what type of girl is there but it will be those with parental money, in the main, and ones whose parents are interested in their education. Schools make every effort to integrate new girls but the new girls have to make an effort too.