Putney High School

Putney High School is one of the UK's leading schools, with a reputation for providing the challenge of a rich and broad education for bright girls aged 4 – 18.
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Discover Putney

The best schools are fun, supportive and inspirational environments for young enquiring minds. Putney High School is all of that and more. We believe that thinking should be “out of the box”, not “tick the box” and our infectious passion for learning means we achieve more than outstanding results: we build confident, creative thinkers and deliver an education that is truly relevant to their future.

Leadership Admissions

Junior School (4-11)

We believe that childhood is a time to explore. Our pupils take a passionate interest in the world around them within a nurturing, happy and stimulating environment.

Senior School (11-16)

Putney High School has been expert in educating girls for over 125 years, which means we can draw on a wealth of experience in how girls learn best.

Sixth Form (16-18)

Our Sixth Form has been designed to create an environment closer to university level study, encouraging girls to push their learning and look to the future.

Life at Putney

Our students enjoy discovering new interests and making friends for life, nurtured and encouraged within a kind and down-to-earth community. They leave us with the character, confidence and the resourcefulness to make their mark in the world, equipped with the knowledge and real-world skills to give them the edge.

About Putney Learning

 

Putney pupils are spirited, vibrant and learn to think for themselves, but they also know how to have fun, and most importantly, to really enjoy their time at school.

Suzie Longstaff

Suzie Longstaff
Headmistress

Newsroom

Check this page regularly for updates on what's going on at Putney High School

The newsroom Athena Online Magazine – Spring 2021

Reading matters

Read the latest news and views in posts to the Putney Blog

View all Blog

Events

There’s always a lot going on at Putney. From inspirational talks and musical performances, to careers fairs, dramatic productions and prizegiving.

Here are those important dates for your diary.

All Events Open Days

Full calendar details for the term

School Calendar Term Dates

Featured Events

Putney High School

Life at Sixth Form

The Sixth Form is an opportunity for you to delve deeper into your academic passions, explore the myriad of opportunities beyond the classroom, and build lifelong friendships within an inclusive and welcoming community.

A Day in the Life

Emma is studying for A Levels in Chemistry, Biology, Physics and French. Read her description of a typical day...

The Sixth Form is very much run by you, for you and there are countless ways to get involved. The facilities in our dedicated Sixth Form Centre are primarily for your use and whether you are catching up with friends over coffee in our Sixth Form diner, relaxing in the Lounge, or training in the FOPHS fitness suite, we really want you to feel that this is a place for you to call your own and start building towards life at university.

Lara joined Putney in the Sixth Form and is currently studying for A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology with AS Level Mathematics and an EPQ.

“Moving schools can be daunting but my year group have been so welcoming and there are so many ways that you can meet people and make friends here. There is so much going on that you are bound to meet the group of people that are ‘for you’.

Find out more

Mio, class of 2019, studied for A Levels in Music, Psychology and pre-U Mandarin.

She was a Strings Finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2020 competition and has taken up a Music Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music.

“I am a violinist, and typically my morning would begin with String Ensemble in the Elgar Room.

“I was lucky enough to be awarded 2nd prize in the Premio Francesco Geminiani competition in Verona, Italy. I was the youngest musician to compete, and my prize was the use of the ‘Dante and Alfredo Guastalla (1936)’ violin on loan. It is a privilege to play it”.

Read Mio’s memories of Sixth Form…

Read more

Beyond the Curriculum

The Athena Programme

The Athena Programme is Putney High School’s unique programme of academic extension which encourages students to pursue scholarship and academia beyond the syllabus in preparation for entry to the top Higher Education institutions.

Available to students in Years 10 – 13, the programme offers a customisable plan of self-directed study and supports them as they learn to think differently and explore their academic passions outside the classroom.

Participants have the opportunity to build an “Academic CV” as they research, discuss and present their work through university style seminars alongside evidenced reports and presentations.

The Athena Programme is an integral part of the academic provision for Academic Scholars but is also available to any Putney student looking for extra stretch and challenge.

Further Information

LEAP - Learning & Enrichment

Open and expand your mind beyond the classroom hearing from leading edge speakers with the LEAP Lecture Series.

You will be encouraged to push the boundaries of the syllabus, discover new passions and develop your intellectual agility to venture with confidence into exciting new territory.

Sixth Form Prospectus

Getting involved...

Our Sixth Form students get involved. Whether it’s in clubs, team sports or charities, our girls get stuck into every experience available to them. By the time they start applying for university, they have plenty to say about their lives beyond A levels.

Your voice matters in the Sixth Form. Join one of our student committees and represent your peers to effect the change you want.

Read more about Putney in the Community.

Leadership

Leadership

Putney is a democratic environment where pupils enjoy a dialogue with their teachers and leading is done by example. Sixth Form students provide essential leadership throughout the school. They take on formal roles, as part of the Head Girl team or as prefects and House Officials, and informal roles, directing younger years in the House Drama Festival and leading book groups to promote reading across the school. They learn that good leadership goes hand-in-hand with teamwork.

Meet the Head Girl team

Clubs & Societies

In the Sixth Form you will be encouraged to lead, and be empowered to do so, in every aspect of school life whether in the classroom, running societies or on the sports field.

Sixth Formers play a key role in starting up and leading societies. Here are just a few of the Super-curricular activities available:

Psychology Club
Medical Society
Model United Nations
Philosophy Society
Life-drawing
Orchestra
Young Enterprise

A Study In Purple

A Study In Purple is a vibrant magazine written by Putney students for Putney students.

The magazine provides a unique insight into Putney life, with issues showcasing student art and photography, as well as articles on hard-hitting topics.

With tips from everything from fashion to improving your mental health, A Study In Purple is a wonderful way for students to utilise their creative and journalistic skills.

Click here to view the A Study In Purple main website.

A Study In Purple - Issue 14

Meet the A Study In Purple team

Meet the A Study In Purple team

Under the Microscope

Our Sixth Form STEM magazine is a dynamic magazine written by Putney Sixth Form students. Each issue focuses on a different theme and articles cover all things STEM.

Read the latest issue here

Sixth Form Art, Music & Drama

From Sixth Form drama productions the annual Dance Show; from A Level Art trips, artistic “Happenings” on the lawn, and a cappella at Edinburgh Festival and beyond; there are plenty of opportunities to explore and pursue your creative passions.

Sixth Form Sports

It’s not all about building a CV. We also want students to find time to relax, to enjoy time keeping fit, and to play or compete as part of a team.

From regular team sports to dance, tennis, cross-country and even Zumba, there are many ways to have fun, keep fit and relax in your time away from studies.

There is dedicated time on Tuesdays for team sport including lacrosse and rowing and the Sixth Form are major contributors to the school’s annual Dance Show.

Find out more about Senior School Sport

Sixth Formers have exclusive access to the FOPHS Fitness Suite with an extensive range of fitness equipment allowing them to train before, during or after school.

Other sports available include:

Lacrosse
Netball
Rowing
Tennis
Volleyball
Gymnastics
Dance
Athletics
"The spirit of the Sixth Form will differ from your earlier experiences of school. You will be encouraged to be more intellectually curious in your lessons, to lead confidently within the school and to connect with kindness and integrity in your community.

You will feel a sense of belonging that will allow you to flourish, leaving Putney as individuals with a strong identity and purpose, and the ambition to continue to achieve in all that you do."
Ella Barden - Head of Sixth Form

Pastoral Support & The House System

Wellbeing & Individuality

The happiness, personal development and wellbeing of our students comes before all else.

We believe that from the moment a student steps through our doors, they should feel safe, supported and free to be themselves. Tolerance, integrity and freedom are key to the happiness and wellbeing of our school community. Nowhere is that more true than in the Sixth Form. 

You will feel free to express yourself and enjoy a sense of belonging that will enable you to flourish, leaving Putney confident in who you are and with the ambition to achieve in all that you do. 

Finding a tribe

A House system runs upwards through the school, uniting girls of all ages in each of four houses. As a member of Burton (Beryl Burton), Ferrier (Kathleen Ferrier), Hepburn (Audrey Hepburn) or Stark (Freya Stark) girls in the Senior School form friendships, learn teamwork, try out new skills and enjoy a good deal of healthy competition and fun.

Careers and Higher Education

We want all our pupils to be interested in and excited about careers from an early age so we hold a host of talks, workshops and events to start them thinking about the opportunities that await them.

From Year 7 to Year 13 exceptional careers advice and tailored support is available to every student at the school.

Winner – Independent Schools of the Year 2019 for Careers Programme

Careers and Higher Education

"I was given a huge insight into the future I could hold, as an aspiring female scientist".

Empowering Women in Science - Rosie (Year 12)

Adventures & Trips

Putney has a bold, open-minded and adventurous outlook on the world, which is reflected in an exciting programme of trips to destinations across London and the globe.

Regular sports and choir tours add many more destinations to the mix. Closer to home, we make full use of the many exhibitions, theatrical productions and fascinating opportunities laid at our feet in London or at easy reach in the UK.

In recent years, flashes of Putney purple have been spotted in the following locations:

On the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, as part of an Outlook expedition
In a Shanghai classroom, during our cultural exchange to China
On the canals of Amsterdam, in a History of Art trip
In Costa Rica, during one of several Spanish trips offered this year
Eating a madeleine in a café in Paris, or a bratwurst in Tübingen
At NASA HQ in Florida
The large hadron collider at CERN in Switzerland

Putney in the Community

At Putney High School we believe that reaching out to the local community means doing more than just fundraising, volunteering and sharing spaces – it involves sharing a whole mind-set.

We actively engage with the wider community and with local schools to develop the sense of empathy, responsibility and togetherness that allows us to broaden our horizons, improve our environment and learn from one another.

Putney in the Community

Alumnae

What have our Alumnae gone on to do?

Find out more

Sixth Form prefects organise the PIE+ lecture series, which brings exceptional guest speakers into school each week, offering insight into the world of work.

What's coming up Putney Ideas Exchange

Discover Putney

The best schools are fun, supportive and inspirational environments for young enquiring minds. Putney High School is all of that and more. We believe that thinking should be “out of the box”, not “tick the box” and our infectious passion for learning means we achieve more than outstanding results: we build confident, creative thinkers and deliver an education that is truly relevant to their future.

Leadership Admissions

Junior School (4-11)

We believe that childhood is a time to explore. Our pupils take a passionate interest in the world around them within a nurturing, happy and stimulating environment.

Senior School (11-16)

Putney High School has been expert in educating girls for over 125 years, which means we can draw on a wealth of experience in how girls learn best.

Sixth Form (16-18)

Our Sixth Form has been designed to create an environment closer to university level study, encouraging girls to push their learning and look to the future.
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