In the United Kingdom, Winchester College will open to female students. – Alex MacNaughton Photog/REX/SIPA
This is a first since the establishment was founded in 1382. Winchester College, a very elitist private boarding school for boys in the south of England, announced on Tuesday that it would be partially open to girls. This small revolution is part of a reform aimed at bringing this school “in the 21st century” 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 the school over the next few years,” the college said on its website. “Admitting girls will bring multiple benefits: new intellectual challenges, diversity of thought, broader horizons,” he added.
Winchester College’s new vision embodies modernisation across the school as a whole, in education, in physical environment, and in the admission of girls and day pupils in the sixth form. Read more https://t.co/PXvHsiRT3u. pic.twitter.com/1K7HASXqYS
— Winchester College (@WinColl) February 9, 2021
Up to 50 girls boarders from 2024
The establishment, which currently accommodates around 700 boys from middle school, will admit at least 30 day pupils, of which about half are girls, from the equivalent of high school “at the latest for the start of the 2022 school year”. Up to 50 female boarders should be integrated into 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. It also plans to increase the possibilities of online courses to strengthen “Collaborations” with public schools.
