September 10, 2025
We are pleased to share that Withington has once again been featured in the Tatler Schools Guide 2026, a carefully chosen selection of the UK’s leading independent schools.
The guide is put together based on a programme of school visits incorporating conversations with heads, pupils and teachers, and a comprehensive annual survey. Earlier this year, we welcomed a reporter from the Condé Nast publication to experience a day at Withington.
“Withington is an undeniably academic establishment: its most recent results saw more than 40 per cent of A-levels graded A*, and 55 per cent of GCSEs scoring coveted nines. But if the school encourages students to succeed, it isn’t afraid of letting them fail so long as they’ve had a go.
And have a go they do: netball and lacrosse are strong and competitive; there are opportunities to practise yoga and dance; and the thriving and eclectic array of clubs, which includes Model United Nations, basketball and an electric harp ensemble, is much-loved by the children, with one saying: ‘The number of extracurriculars is massive. I’m constantly wondering what else I can do – although with everything available, I’m never stumped.’
Improvements continue to be made to the fresh-air facilities: alongside the outdoor classroom, a pond has been installed by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. In the classroom, there’s currently a drive to invest in the training of teachers (who attend fortnightly professional development sessions and collaborate with their peers at Manchester Grammar School to discuss the latest educational thinking). When you consider that ‘edupreneurial’ guru Ross Morrison McGill asked Withington to be a case study for his book, it must be working.
Meanwhile, community outreach is a big deal here – take ‘Manchester Sings’, a lovely occasion at which six local primaries join Withington Juniors to give voice in the cathedral – and the school gives lessons to local state students and also has a long standing commitment to supporting educational projects in The Gambia.”
