St Edward's School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) in Oxford, England. It is known informally as 'Teddies'.
Approximately sixty pupils live in each of its thirteen houses. The school is a member of the Rugby Group, the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and the Oxfordshire Independent and State School Partnership. Termly fees in 2023/2024 are £15,660 for boarding and £12,528 for day pupils. The school is also affiliated to the Church of England.
The school teaches the GCSE, A Level and International Baccalaureate (IB) qualifications. The sixth form is split evenly between pupils studying A Levels and the IB Diploma.
History
The school was founded in 1863 by Thomas Chamberlain, student of Christ Church, Oxford and vicar of St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford. The original school building was Mackworth Hall, which then stood on New Inn Hall Street in central Oxford.
In 1873, after a storm damaged the school buildings and in anticipation of growing numbers, A. B. Simeon, the first Warden, moved the school to Summertown. At the time, the site was on the boundary of Oxford and surrounded by farmland, and Simeon bought a large plot for the school. The school remains on the site today, with the Quadrangle and playing fields on opposite sides of Woodstock Road.
Simeon created an independent school with monastic-style buildings around a quadrangle. The original buildings were designed by William Wilkinson. The north range was built in 1873 and 1886, the gatehouse in 1879, and the east range, including Big School and the library, in 1881. Wilkinson's most significant building at St Edward's is the chapel, built in 1876.
Henry Ewing Kendall was warden from 1925 to 1954.
In the Second World War, air raid shelters were dug into the grass of the Quad. The school was presented with a stained glass window by the RAF at the end of the war in recognition of "the superb contribution to the war effort made by former pupils of the School". These included, among many others, Guy Gibson of 617 Squadron, who led 'The Dambusters', flying ace Douglas Bader, and Adrian Warburton, famous for his role in the defence of Malta. Pacifist inclinations during the 1970s and 1980s caused the window to be relocated, before it was put back on display in the Old Library. The window has since been moved again and can now be seen on display in the warden's dining room. The school also has a scholarship fund to assist pupils whose parents are in the armed forces.
In 1982, the sixth form became co-educational. The whole school became fully co-educational in 1997.
Recent history
The school opened a new music centre in January 2017, the Ogston Music School. It expands the musical repertoire of the school, with 20 practice rooms, seven ensemble rooms, the large Weston Recital Room, a rock room, the Fenton Recording Studio, and the Ferguson Sixth Form Music Library.
In 2016, the school announced a new building project to complete the school's main Quad. The new development, designed by architect Nick Hardy (TSH Architects) and completed in 2020, includes a purpose-built Library, a university-style academic centre, and a new hall, with a capacity for 1,000 people.
July 2007 marked the official opening of The North Wall Arts Centre. The centre was built on the site of the old school swimming pool, which was the oldest swimming pool in the country. The North Wall Arts Centre is run by Ria Parry and is a producing theatre.
The North Wall Arts Centre won several major architectural awards for its design, including a RIBA award.
The Martyrs Pavilion, designed by architect John Pawson, was opened in 2009 and won the 2010 Oxford Preservation Trust award in the New Buildings category.
Houses
There are 13 boarding houses lived in by approximately 60–70 boys or girls. Each house is run by housemaster or housemistress who is a member of the teaching staff at the school and lives in accommodation within the house with their family. Each house also has a set of house tutors who supervise prep (homework) during the week and also tutor members of the house. Each house also has a matron who looks after pupils' medical (and often social) needs.
The school has around 120 day pupils, a small proportion of the total.
Sport
The sports on offer for girls include rowing, cricket, hockey, football, netball and tennis, while the main sports offered for the boys include rowing, rugby, hockey, cricket, football and tennis. The School has over of playing fields in North Oxford.
