Winchester College will no longer be just for the boys of the British elite. The very elitist boarding school in the south of England from which the Minister of Finance Rishi Sunak graduated, announced Tuesday, February 9, that it would be partially open to girls, for the first time since its founding in 1382.
This small revolution is part of a reform aimed at registering “In the XXIe century “ this school where tuition fees amount to nearly 42,000 pounds per year (approximately 47,400 euros).
“After nearly a century of deliberation on the subject, we will be bringing girls into school over the next few years”, detailed the college on its website. “Admission of girls will bring multiple benefits: new intellectual challenges, diversity of thought, broader horizons”, he added.
Increase the number of scholarship recipients by 25%
The establishment, which currently accommodates around 700 boys from middle school, will admit at least 30 day students, about half of them girls, from the equivalent of high school. “At the latest for the start of the 2022 school year”, he detailed. Up to 50 female boarders should be received in college from 2024.
Winchester College, which aims to eventually accommodate some 850 students, also aims to increase the number of scholarship holders by 25% from 120 to 150 in 2024 and to increase the possibilities of online courses to strengthen “Collaborations” with public schools.
“These changes represent an exciting new phase in Winchester history, which will bring many benefits to generations. [d’élèves] current and future “, said college official Richard Stagg in a statement.
Winchester College, which is one of the most prestigious private secondary schools in the United Kingdom, like Eton College, announced in May 2020, during the first wave of coronavirus, an investment of 100 million pounds (112 million euros at the current rate) over five years to help reduce the educational inequalities created by the pandemic.
These include increasing the number of students exempt from tuition fees or developing partnerships with public schools, especially “In disadvantaged areas”.
