Frequently Asked Questions

Our experienced pastoral team works closely with families to ensure every pupil is nurtured and can make a happy transition to life at senior school. Wellbeing and personal development come before all else.

Before term begins, pupils entering Year 7 are invited to a number of events where they can familiarise themselves with the school and get to know others in their year. They are also allocated a buddy from a higher year to help them settle in.

Year 7 are divided into pastoral groups, each with a Form Tutor to ensure we can get to know them well and help every pupil make a positive and happy start. After Year 7, Form Tutors usually remain with their forms across two years to ensure every pupil is thriving and that we maintain a good understanding of individuals’ needs and personalities as they progress upwards through the school. Groups are often arranged so that pupils who live close to one another can make friends outside school and where possible, travel to school together.

We work closely with families to ensure every pupil develops the self-confidence and sense of self to help them thrive as they navigate the teenage years. From day one all pupils know they are valued members of a warm and inclusive community and through our extensive Wellbeing and PSHE programmes we explore topics including health, online safety, relationships, sex education and citizenship as well as study skills and careers planning.

Our most recent ISI inspection reported, “There is a caring and holistic approach to the health and wellbeing of pupils, who are supported academically and emotionally by the school’s pastoral team.”

Keeping children safe online and supporting them to use social media responsibly is one of our most important priorities. We are all too aware of the impact of smartphones and social media on young people’s wellbeing and cognitive development.

To limit access to and engagement with smartphones, we ask that Year 7 pupils do not bring smartphones (phones with internet access) into school and that they do not do so until they are in Year 9 at the earliest. 

If you wish them to have a phone for safety and logistic, please purchase a basic, non-smartphone model without internet capabilities, a ‘brick’ or ‘dumb’ phone.   

Once in school, all phones must be switched off and stored in a Yondr pouch from when the pupils arrive in school until the end of lessons at 3.50pm.  Once in this Yondr pouch, the phone will be inaccessible until the pouch is tapped on the unlocking base which will be available to pupils only as they leave school.

To ensure digital safety, pupils are not permitted to use their phones whilst on trips or travelling to and from fixtures, unless given express permission from a member of staff.

In keeping with our commitment to safeguarding, phones must NOT be used as cameras on school premises.

Registration is at 8:30am and there are two lessons before Break at 10:45am and another two lessons before Lunch beginning at 1:10pm. Afternoon registration is at 2:20pm and then a fifth lesson before the school day ends at 3:50pm. Clubs and extension opportunities run during Lunch, before and after school.

The Senior School Library is open from 7.30am until 5pm every school day.

In Year 7, pupils are given a maximum of four subject homework tasks each evening. Each is expected to take around 20 minutes. Deadlines will be set by the subject teacher.

Pupils in Year 7 are not set for any subject, so they have an equal opportunity to develop regardless of material covered in their previous school. Teachers support all students to ensure they are reaching their potential and making the most of the many opportunities for extra stretch and challenge. From Year 8, pupils are set for Mathematics.

Science is combined in Year 7. In Year 8, our Natural Sciences tripos enables students to make connections between concepts in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as well as developing the underpinning practical techniques and problem-solving skills necessary for success at GCSE. In Year 9, all students begin the AQA GCSE curriculum in all three separate sciences.

Computer Science with an emphasis on computational thinking and problem-solving skills is embedded in the KS3 curriculum. Students are encouraged to think creatively about technology and its positive impact on the community through app design and cybersecurity competitions. Basic programming begins in Year 7, involving problem solving strategies and practising logical analysis and critical thinking. Programming grows in complexity through Year 8 and 9 to ensure that, by the time they choose GCSE optional subjects, students have good understanding of software development techniques.

Pupils learn coding languages such as Python in Computer Science and in lessons across Computer Science, Design Thinking and Product Design. (Python can also be taken as an additional ‘modern language’ option in Year 9). Our Innovation Centre offers a learning hub for explorations into AI and robotics and we offer a Sixth Form Space Technology Diploma.

All Year 7 pupils are issued with their own iPads. To aid their research, collaboration and presentation of their learning, we also use Apple Pencils and the latest wireless technologies. Whilst able to connect to the internet, the devices are tightly managed and the filtering system operates fully, regardless of whether the iPad is in school or at home.  Students can download from our own app store, SelfServe but do not have access to the App Store. We have invested in Jamf Parent which allows parents to put in place additional controls on the iPad outside of school hours.

In Year 7 pupils choose either French or Spanish AND German or Mandarin – two hours of each per week. Latin is introduced in Year 8 and pupils in Years 9, 10, and 12 may also join a GCSE course in Ancient Greek which runs outside of the timetable.

From Year 9, students continue their two modern foreign languages and choose a third option from Latin, ab initio Italian, ab initio Spanish or Python coding language. For GCSE, students choose at least one of the Modern Foreign Languages they have been studying (although they may choose more).

NB. In order to study French, German or Mandarin at GCSE and beyond, you MUST have studied these languages during Years 7, 8 and 9. These languages cannot therefore be started after Year 7, whereas Italian and Spanish can be started in Year 9.

We have a programme for speakers of French, German, Spanish, Italian or Mandarin. In Years 7, 8 and 9, bilingual pupils do not attend normal lessons in the relevant language, instead receiving tuition from a native speaker within their timetable. In Year 10 tuition continues outside of the timetable so that this extra GCSE can be sat a year early, at the end of Year 10.

Music is a classroom subject for all students in Years 7 to 9, with an emphasis on practical music-making. It is a popular GCSE choice and every year students taking Music A Level go on to study at leading universities and conservatoires. There are three orchestras, a jazz band, brass group, wind band, five choirs, a parent and alumnae choral society, a host of a cappella and pop groups, as well as a thriving chamber music scene.

Over 350 instrumental and vocal lessons are taught in school each week, with a visiting specialist staff of over 30. We have student members of Junior Conservatoires and regionally and nationally auditioned choirs and orchestras. The Chamber Choir embarks on a foreign tour in alternate years, and all Year 7 pupils are involved in a Freshers’ concert.

In Year 9 pupils perform a musical, and GCSE and A-level students give regular performance concerts. Keen composers are actively encouraged and there are many opportunities to work with the drama department throughout the year. Putney Young Musician of the Year in the Spring term and the Arts Festival in the Summer term are notable highlights.

Lessons are 40 minutes long and are available for the full range of instruments, including drums and voice. In Years 7–9, these are scheduled on a rota basis throughout the day (7:30am to 5.30pm) to ensure that part of the same lesson is never missed frequently. In Years 10–13, Music lessons do not clash with any academic classes. There are special arrangements for students taking two or more sets of lessons.

Putney holds national titles in lacrosse, netball, gymnastics, handball, tennis, cross country and athletics and also enjoys particular success in rowing (including a recent World Champion!). There is an Elite Athlete Programme for those competing at county and national level but sport is very much “for all,” whatever level of proficiency, so everyone finds something they enjoy taking part in.

Pupils in Years 7 to 9 have lessons in netball, lacrosse, trampolining, table-tennis, gymnastics, cricket, volleyball, badminton, dance, tennis, football and athletics. These are all supported by co-curricular clubs. Tennis coaching is available during PE lessons or at lunchtime.

Joining the rowing club is an option in Year 8 with rowing becoming a curriculum sport from Year 9. In Years 10 and 11, PE options include dance fit, self-defence, strength and conditioning, yoga and spinning sessions. The Sixth Form has its own Fitness Suite.

We have a large sports hall with cricket nets and tennis and netball courts on-site. There is a specialist Fitness and Conditioning Suite and an Astro sports pitch for lacrosse and athletics. Off-site Lacrosse lessons and matches take place at our home ground, Wimbledon Rugby Football Club, a ten-minute coach ride away. We also use Roehampton Playing Fields, Wimbledon Athletics Track and Wimbledon Cricket Club. Our boathouse is on Putney Embankment and the school has membership of the Barn Elms Rowing Club.

Not currently.

At 11+, all applicants are automatically considered for an Academic scholarship. Music and Sports scholarships are also available. At Sixth Form, current pupils are eligible to apply for an additional Academic Travel scholarship in Languages or Science to conduct a university-level research project overseas. For internal and external students at 16+, Academic, Art, Design, Drama, Music and Sports scholarships are available.

We are keen to offer the opportunity of a Putney education to applicants regardless of their family’s financial circumstances and offer a number of means-tested bursaries. An award can be up to 100 per cent of school fees dependent on individual circumstances, with joint household income and assets taken into account.

There are four Houses: Beryl Burton, Kathleen Ferrier, Audrey Hepburn and Freya Stark. We hold regular House assemblies where girls make friendships across year groups through regular House competitions and fundraising opportunities.

A school bus service for Junior and Senior pupils operates to and from school. We currently have four bus routes in operation: Kensington via Hammersmith and Fulham; Richmond via Barnes, East Sheen and Mortlake; Raynes Park/Wimbledon via Southfields; and Sloane Square via Chelsea and Fulham. We are also well-served by public transport.

Year 7 take part in a team building activity early in the school year, as well as trips to support the subject curriculum. There is a week ‘off timetable’ for trips and workshops in the summer term and the option of participating in a residential team-building trip. Trips abroad begin in Year 8.

Our Enrichment schedule includes everything from History Society and Coding Club to Debating Society, Chess and Medical Society. Students are encouraged to attend at least one academic enrichment club to stretch their thinking and approach to their studies outside of lessons. In a typical year, there are also trips to Iceland, Costa Rica, New York and Berlin, to name a few. The Athena programme offers students the opportunity to create an impressive academic CV, working independently on competitions and extension courses, whilst also collaborating in seminars run throughout the school year. The PIE+ audiences run twice a year giving students the chance to hear inspirational stories and ask questions of our speakers, further widening their experiences.

Our Careers Programme offers support on subject options, work experience and career paths, as well as helping to develop real-world skills for the future. There is an annual careers week, a biennial Careers Fair and we hold careers talks with alumnae, business experts and leading entrepreneurs. Dedicated Oxbridge, UCAS and International University specialists work in-house to guide and support students through their applications. Alumnae Working Breakfasts and lunches connect students with current and recent Putney undergraduates, giving them insight into university life.

Putney High School’s class of 2024 have gone on to top universities in the UK and the USA. Students are studying at Oxford and Cambridge universities reading subjects as diverse as Law and Medicine to Modern and Medieval Languages. Other most popular destinations included Bristol, Durham, Edinburgh and Leeds. Popular courses included Engineering, Geography, Medicine and Biological and Neurosciences.

Overseas, USA destinations included Cornell, University of Chicago, Northeastern and Middlebury. Creative destinations included Nottingham Trent for Furniture & Product Design and Kingston for Art Foundation. One student has begun a degree apprenticeship with Price Waterhouse Coopers at Queen Mary’s University.