Welcome
We are delighted to introduce our school to you and hope that you will find our website informative as you browse.
At St Edward’s School we are committed to preparing young people to live life to the full.
We have the highest expectations of all of our students, and they leave us ready to go to some of the best universities in the world, to exciting employment opportunities, or empowered to take their next steps in learning. We believe that preparation for life is best facilitated in the midst of a caring and supportive community but one that does not allow excuses for poor behaviour. A community that attends to spiritual and moral formation, as well as academic excellence.
Our school is a very successful, heavily oversubscribed, and distinctive joint Roman Catholic – Church of England Voluntary Aided School supported by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth and the Church of England Diocese of Salisbury. We are a truly comprehensive school, which educates over 1000 students from the age of 11 to 18.
We want every student to experience gospel values on a day-to-day basis throughout the curriculum and also to promote a happy learning community supported by a strong Christian ethos where everyone feels valued, and where opportunities for enrichment allow gifts and talents to be developed, for each and every student.
We believe that children deserve to be equipped for life with the best education, together with values that enable them to navigate future choices and opportunities. We are committed to providing both. We collaborate with parents and carers in bringing up their children, and work with local church communities in guiding young people as they seek answers to questions of meaning and purpose. To this end we welcome representatives from a range of church communities to exercise their ministry among us.
I believe that St Edward’s is a very special place to be, as confirmed by Ofsted, who in their most recent inspection in 2022 celebrated our positive learning community, with respectful, kind and polite students. Our curriculum was highlighted as being ambitious and challenging, strongly preparing students for future success. Our most recent Church School Inspection in 2023 rated us “outstanding” in all areas.
I am proud of our wonderful students, our dedicated staff and our supportive governors, parents and carers. I hope that your experience of us will lead you to believe that St Edward’s is the right home for your child’s education.
Mr Michael Antram
Executive Headteacher
St Edward’s is a successful and welcoming school where students and teachers enjoy learning together. As a joint Roman Catholic and Church of England Voluntary Aided school, Christian values are at the heart of everything we do, allowing students to leave us ready to become beacons of light to future generations.
One of our core purposes is to nurture and grow respectful and well-rounded young men and women who are enriched, resilient and curious lifelong learners. We seek to cultivate generations of confident young adults who can connect with others, overcome barriers, and believe in the limitless potential of both themselves and God.
Our school is a happy place to learn and work, with every member of our school community making an important contribution to maintaining our ethos and values. We have high expectations of effort and behaviour and are committed to ensuring that each individual child experiences the best education possible and achieves their full potential.
Our students thrive academically, socially and spiritually during their time with us, and we secure excellence through high quality teaching and a strong emphasis on pastoral care and support.
Whether a prospective student, past pupil, present-day member of the school community or a visitor, I sincerely hope that you will enjoy browsing through our website and gaining an insight into the vibrant and wonderful school that is St Edward’s.
Mr Chris Barnett
Headteacher