Welcome to LWC News
A very warm welcome back to The 1200.
It’s been wonderful to have the LWC community together again and we look forward to seeing many of you at The Beckwith tomorrow, an annual favourite.
If you’re not yet signed up, you can find details of how to get involved in this week’s LWC News.
In the meantime, grab five and catch up on what’s been going on at the College over the summer, along with what there is to look forward to…
News
Summer Exam Success
This summer’s GCSE results are some of the best in LWC’s history.
53% of results were graded 9-7. 14% of entries were awarded a grade 9 and a record-breaking 74% of all marks achieved 9-6 grades.
The progress made by this year’s GCSE students once again places the College in the top 10% of education providers nationally, according to the Alps school data analysis system. GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature remain in the top 1%.
We look forward to watching the progress of our newest A-level and BTEC students as they settle into their new home in the LWC Sixth Form. Read more here.
LWC Shortlisted for National Awards
For the second year running, LWC has been shortlisted for the Independent Schools of the Year Awards.
The College has been nominated in the Regional Independent School of the Year (South) category.
Sternian, Thomas, has also been shortlisted for the Rising Star of the Year Award in recognition of the solar cooker he invented with friends whilst in the LWC Sixth Form. Their parabolic boiler has the potential to save millions of lives from waterborne diseases such as cholera.
St Neot’s Preparatory School, part of the Lord Wandsworth Family of Schools, has been nominated for the Independent Pre-Prep of the Year Award.
Last year, LWC was a finalist in the Co-ed Independent School of the Year category. This year’s finalists will be announced on Thursday (9th September).
A-level Results Secure Top Alps Scores
LWC’s A-level results have placed us in the top 10% or higher of schools and colleges for the second year running, when it comes to progress made in Sixth Form.
70% of results were graded A*-B, with 90.5% A*-C.
Head, Adam Williams, reflected, “These results are thoroughly well-deserved and we’re delighted for our young people who not only carry strong A-levels and BTECs into the world, but a mindset to make a positive difference to it.”
Read more of Mr Williams’ thoughts here.
Welcome Back from Heads of College
LWC’s four Heads of College are looking forward to resuming their work this term.
The group comprises Ella (HoC Academic), Abi (HoC Co-curricular), Jack (HofC Wellbeing) and Henry (HoC Community).
“I’m really looking forward to welcoming a new cohort, just beginning their LWC journey,” reveals Henry (pictured back, right).
“I’ve so far loved being able to have an impact on the school as part of the Prefect Team and working alongside my peers and teachers. I hope to continue to grow this diverse and inclusive community and to encourage students to explore their passions.”
Phoebe Runs the Length of the UK
There can’t be many schools who’ve seen three members of their community completing Land’s End to John o’ Groats (or vice versa) this summer. But then, there are few schools quite like LWC.
Sternian, Phoebe became the youngest known woman to run the length of Britain last week, having travelled over 1,000 miles in 68 days.
Phoebe started in John o’ Groats just after completing her A-levels at LWC in June and arrived at England’s most westerly point last Wednesday morning, having received her A-level results (3 As) along the way. Together with dad, Chris, she has raised nearly £5,000, to be split between the Lord Wandsworth Foundation and the National Autistic Society.
“I’ve completed something that I’ve always dreamed of doing,” revealed Phoebe, who begins a medical degree this month. “It’s made me realise that even the biggest goals are possible when you break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks.” Read more about Phoebe’s achievement on the BBC News website.
Kevin Completes Quest
This summer saw LWC Governor, Kevin, cycle between Land’s End and John o’ Groats for the second time in his life and it’s one he’ll definitely remember.
“I’m a little battered, grazed and bruised (thanks to a Glen Shee pothole), but the memories and friendships formed will never fade,” he admitted. “It’s continued my education, learning about geography, resilience and the importance of working as a team.”
Kevin completed his journey on Sunday, 9th August, having taken an impressive 16 days and averaging 70 miles a day (in honour of his 70th birthday later this year).
He has been supporting the Lord Wandsworth Foundation, The Worshipful Company of Woolmen and Abby’s Heroes via his fundraising page, which is still accepting donations.
Will’s Success in the Saddle
And last but certainly not least, LWC 5th Former, Will, also completed Land’s End to John o’ Groats in mid-August.
Together with his dad, Tom, 19-year-old brother Nicko and 17-year-old sister Chloe, Will journeyed in aid of Treloar’s School in Alton and PALS (Partners for Active Leisure Scheme) West Berkshire, both of which have supported Chloe (who has cerebral palsy).
The cyclists were accompanied along the route by mum, Alex and Labrador, Koda in the support van. The family has remarkably raised more than £30,000 through sponsorship and donations via their fundraising page.
“I’m proud of myself & my whole family’s achievement,” added Will. “It was a fun but challenging experience, with every emotion you can imagine.”
Bumper Number Begins Term
At the start of Summer Term, LWC had more students than at any other time in its history.
This academic year, we begin with some of our highest numbers on record for Autumn Term.
Thank you for your continued trust in us. We look forward to showcasing the College in our forthcoming ISI Inspection, anticipated for later this term.
Harvest Help
There’s no doubt that this summer has been challenging for farmers across the UK. Conditions in England and Wales have been some of the driest for nearly 200 years.
For LWC Farmer, Paul Sigley and his team, this summer’s harvest has been the hottest, driest, earliest and shortest ever – requiring long hours and the wider LWC community to help.
These pictures come courtesy of LWC Teacher of Maths, Dave Widdowson, who stepped in to help with harvesting barley, wheat, beans, rape seed and linseed.
“I’ve been driving the corn-kart tractor, transporting wheat and working with the telehandler,” Mr Widdowson explained.
Well done to all involved in this year’s harvest.
The Beckwith!
If you have yet to sign up, it’s not too late to join us for The Beckwith tomorrow!
Our annual run/walk around our stunning 1200-acre campus is a highlight of the College year and we can’t wait to see you there!
It all gets underway at 10am, with a choice of a 5 or 10k route, taking in Sheephouse Copse, the Quercus Tree and Heaven and Hell.
Online registration is now closed but you are able to sign-up on-site in the morning, near to the Acorn Gates. Four-legged competitors are also welcome!
Ukrainian Group Finds Respite in 1200
It’s been a busy summer on campus, with various groups hiring our spaces and boarding houses for events.
The Wimbledon School of English made a welcome return to The 1200, bringing students from all over the world to develop their language skills as part of their English Study Camps.
This included, for the second consecutive year, a group of young people from Ukraine on places jointly funded by LWC and WSE.
All members of the group (aged 13-15) have lost a parent during the ongoing conflict with Russia and are being supported by The Children of Heroes Charity Fund.
“Here we can find peace and relax a little, away from the war,” explained 14-year-old Mariia. “We have met people from all over the world,” continued 13-year-old Nazarii. It was our pleasure to host the group for two weeks.
What’s New at LWC
The activity at LWC over the summer hasn’t been restricted to our visiting groups.
Redevelopment work has been ongoing across The 1200.
The Grove (our new home for Art, Design, Textiles, Ceramics, Computer Science, Film and Media) has now been created.
The Barn Fitness Centre has been equipped with changing facilities, a sports rehabilitation space and reception area, alongside new changing rooms for the Swimming Pool.
Students will notice a number of classroom refurbishments, boarding house upgrades and improvements to our sports pitches. They’ll also soon be able to take advantage of our Wild Acres Coffee Van, providing refreshment all year round.
Committee Reaches New High
LWC’s student-led Charity Committee is looking to build on the success of last year’s fundraising efforts.
The group raised an astonishing £8,500 during the academic year, nearly doubling the figure raised in the previous year.
Heads of the Charity Committee, Tom and Aubrey are hoping to continue the momentum over the next few months. “We hope to raise the most amount of money the Charity Committee has ever raised,” admits Upper Sixth Former, Aubrey. “We aim to support a range of charities to benefit as many different communities as possible.”
“We try to be fun and engaging with our fundraising,” adds Tom. “It’s important to bring the LWC community together and put smiles on people’s faces. Anyone thinking about becoming involved should come along to one of our weekly meetings. We have a great team but are always on the lookout for new, creative minds.”
CCF Receives Recognition
Last summer term saw LWC’s CCF Contingent undergo its Biennial Inspection.
Over the summer break, the College received a glowing report following the visit by RAF Odiham’s Station Commander, Group Captain Sarah Moorehead OBE.
“A very professional programme of activity, with clear engagement by the students and support not only from the contingent instructors but all school staff,” wrote Gp Capt Moorehead.
“It was encouraging to see the formal relationship with Costello School and the benefits that the diversity of thought and approach brought to the cadets, instructors and the unit as a whole… I was impressed by the breadth and variety of activities on offer, which I understand to be routinely broad. The cadets clearly relish the opportunity to practice their field skills, as well as more classroom-based activities.”
Cadets Savour Summer Camp
Meanwhile, LWC’s CCF contingent enjoyed a six-day summer camp at the start of the holidays.
“Our Army cadets travelled to Lydd in Kent and took part in an overnight fieldcraft exercise, bushcraft activities, archery, the use of a climbing wall and watersports,” revealed CCF Contingent Leader, Alex Hamilton.
“The RAF cadets made LWC their base and visited RAF Odiham, took part in a range firing day, watersports, flying in a tutor aircraft from Boscombe Down and were picked up in an RAF Chinook.
“The summer camp is the highlight of the cadets’ training year and is designed not only to be the culmination of their year’s training, but also to provide a variety of activities that the cadets won’t have experienced before.”
Podium Finish for Liv
Upper Sixth Former, Liv, has earned four medals in the 2026 European Biathle, Triathle & Laser Run Championships on Madeira.
Liv came away from the event with one gold and three silver medals after a fantastic performance.
“My proudest achievement was coming 2nd in the Individual triathle,” (running, swimming and shooting), she explains. “This was my first individual medal at an international event like this. We also won a team gold for triathle, a team silver for laser run and a silver for laser run relay.”
Duke of Edinburgh Adventure
LWC has seen record numbers of students getting involved in our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
Over the summer, those aiming for the highest of the awards completed their qualifying expeditions.
This year’s gold challenge took our group of LWC Sixth Formers to the remote reaches of the Welsh wilderness, where they were asked to navigate their way through the unfamiliar landscape, whilst wild camping.
Teamwork, resilience, self-reliance and good judgement were all put to the test and ably demonstrated.
LWC Gets Set for Speedgolf Champs
LWC Head, Adam Williams is aiming to become Senior British Speedgolf Champion for a third consecutive year this weekend.
Mr Williams will compete alongside others from LWC at the British Speedgolf Championships at Sunningdale Heath Golf Club on Sunday.
Head of Business, Tom Flowerdew, Upper Sixth Formers, Callum and Charlie and 5th Former, Evan will also be taking part.
“The world of Speedgolf is growing so quickly, in both participation and standard,” added Adam. “It’s wonderful to see LWC students and staff in the competitive mix, not to mention so many members of our LWC community volunteering to make the event as special as it is.” We’ll keep you posted on their progress.
Spanish Swing
A group of LWC golfers made the most of the final few days of the summer break with a trip to Malaga.
Students stayed at the Hotel Monarque Fuengirola Park and were given the opportunity to play three prestigious golf courses: Alhaurín Golf, Cabopino Golf and El Chaparral Golf Club.
They arrived back on Monday having perfected their game and spent quality time together before beginning the new school year.
Get Set for Beauty & the Beast
Auditions begin next week for this year’s LWC musical.
Beauty and the Beast will be performed at The Haymarket in Basingstoke from Wednesday, 20th to Friday, 22nd January and follows on from the success of The Wizard of Oz, Bugsy Malone and Oliver!
“Being involved in the musical gives students a chance to collaborate with others across year groups,” explains Head of Performing Arts, Gemma Papadimitriou.
“It also presents a wonderful opportunity to work within a professional theatre. Anyone planning to audition should try to become as confident as possible with their audition pieces. It’s always competitive for our leading roles!”
Extraordinary Eclipse
A group gathered at LWC last month to watch a once-in-a-lifetime partial solar eclipse.
On the 12th August, more than 90% of the sun was covered by the moon across most parts of the UK, including The 1200.
Teacher of Physics and Astronomy, Esther Haydock, gathered members of the LWC community around the College’s Seestar telescope to witness the moment.
“The Seestar is a digital all-in-one telescope, used by our GCSE Astronomy students,” Dr Haydock explains. “It projects the image onto an iPad, so it was really easy to track the eclipse and make a time-lapse video.”
The Walls Can Talk
This summer’s classroom redevelopment work uncovered something special.
This graffiti was discovered behind SMART boards in our Stables Block near School House, dating back to the Second World War.
At the time, LWC remained open to provide an agricultural and general education to students who had lost one or both parents.
It’s a long-held belief that during the war, you could see the glow emanating from the burning Southampton Docks at Junior (now Bramley) House, more than 40 miles away.
Hampshire Book Awards
This year’s Hampshire Book Awards winner is My Name is Samim by Fidan Meikle and LWC was involved in the voting process.
Two of our 2nd Form students, Orla and Ben, attended the voting day at Calthorpe Park School with LWC Assistant Librarian, Helen Komrower.
Schools from across the county were represented at four different voting venues to debate the shortlisted books before placing their own votes.
“We were able to meet like-minded people and discuss our favourite books,” explained Orla. “I would definitely recommend taking part to anyone. It’ll open up your reading and help you as a student.”
LWC Life
Now the school routine is back in place, why not treat yourself?
LWC Life is a benefits platform designed exclusively for LWC parents, staff and Sternians.
A whole raft of new offers have just been added, including discounts on RHS memberships, 15% off at The White Company online and 10% off at The Wellness Club Collective in Alton.
Check out what’s landed and if you have yet to sign up, you can do so for free, here.
Autumn Colour
The Autumn Equinox may be a few weeks away, but meteorological autumn began this week and signs that the so-called ‘ber’ months are creeping in are dotted around campus.
Each week in LWC News, we like to feature the photos that you’ve captured across The 1200.
If you have one that you would be happy to share, or have any wider contributions to our weekly newsletter, please email them to stories@lordwandsworth.org.
During the Holidays at LWC…
The summer barely even seems put to bed, but if you’re looking for October half-term options already, then let us help you out.
This October, Activate Camps are back at LWC with their JDH Next Level Hockey Camps.
There are sessions available between 9.30am and 4.30pm on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th October for both 6-7-year-olds and for the 8-14-year-old age groups.
You can find out more and book via the Activate website.
Meet LWC’s New Director of Music
Some of LWC’s new teaching staff have travelled further than others to begin their new roles in The 1200 this week.
For the College’s new Director of Music, Simon Beston, 6,000 miles to be exact.
Mr Beston takes up his position fresh from the British School in Tokyo, where he was also Director of Music and founder of the Tokyo International Music School.
“Having spent ten years in the Tokyo concrete, I’m looking forward to something quite different,” he admits. He’s certainly found it.
Performing Arts at LWC is soaring. A new Music Team is now in place, featuring Teacher of Music, Louis Pettitt and Musician in Residence, Emily Singh, working alongside Simon. With another full programme of performances, workshops, co-curricular and academic activities planned for the academic year, there’ll be little time for the new director to get his bearings, but we’re confident he’ll feel at home from the outset.
“It’s clear that Aaron (Parker, previous Director of Music) has put in an enormous amount of work to build something fantastic at LWC,” he admits. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what that looks like in practice, meeting the musicians here and achieving something great together.”
Simon is a proficient pianist, saxophonist and bass guitarist, but his first love is singing.
“I heard our school choir singing and immediately wanted to join,” he grins. “I was in Year 10 and so this was quite late compared to when many in the singing world first started. My voice had already broken!”
Comparatively late to bloom he may have been, but this didn’t hold him back. Simon would go on to combine a semi-professional music career as a lay clerk alongside his teaching and has performed in spine-tingling settings such as New College, Oxford and The Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace.
But his aim is not to create the professional musicians of the future here in The 1200 (even if that would be a happy accident). Instead, he’s simply keen to foster a love for a discipline that LWC students still return to, long into adulthood.
“If a young person leaves the College and continues to do something musical throughout their life, then that’s a success,” he states. “For those who take music into adulthood, they see the real benefits. You can bond with others, focus on striving for the mastery of it and appreciate what beauty is because you’re trying to create it with every note that you sing or play.”
We think that’s worth travelling the globe for.
Read more of Simon’s story here.
Key Dates
The Beckwith
Saturday, 5th September
College Photos
Tuesday, 15th September
Class of 2026 A-level & GCSE Art Exhibition Private View, Prideaux Gallery
5-7pm, Monday, 21st September
Exeat Weekend
4pm, Friday 25th September
LWC Sixth Form Open Morning & Subject Fair
9am, Saturday, 10th October
Half Term Begins
4pm, Friday 16th October
Autumn Term Resumes
Monday, 2nd November
LWC Music Department in Concert, Gavin Hall
7pm, Friday, 13th November
Exeat Weekend
4pm, Friday, 20th November
Cabaret Evening, Gavin Hall
7pm, Thursday, 3rd December
Carols & Christmas Market
6pm, Thursday, 10th December
End of Autumn Term
Noon, Friday, 11th December
Useful Links
The school calendar can be viewed using the link below:
LWC CalendarThe school sports calendar can be viewed using the link below:
LWC Sports CalendarPlease view the Sports Weekly Schedule here:
Sports Weekly ScheduleHere’s a guide to required kit per sport:
LWC SPORTS KIT LIST