Monkton Combe School

At Monkton, we believe we are setting standards for life: inspiring young people to become kind and ambitious adults who live fulfilling lives, equipped with the qualities of character they need to become trusted employees, inspiring leaders and valued friends. Alongside our proven and progressive teaching methods and the passion and purpose of our gifted teachers, our pastoral provision is at the heart of Monkton.

What’s different about Monkton? Aside from the stunning views, outstanding academic results and passionate teachers which many schools boast, Monkton focuses on the journey of each individual in a way that is tangibly different.

An exceptional environment

Situated just a mile from the cultural diversity and opportunity of the World Heritage City of Bath, the School lies in the heart of the village of Monkton Combe. Nestling in the Midford Valley it is surrounded by rolling hills and woodland. Monkton offers students the outdoor space and sporting facilities typical of a traditional country boarding school.

A sense of self

Whilst academic rigour is important to us, pupil development of self-knowledge and wellbeing is our highest priority. As pioneers in pastoral tracking, process is always more important to us than outcome, and although we have high aspirations for all our pupils, our focus on process looks after the outcomes, as our excellent exam results bear witness to.

We take a proactive approach to self-assessment and reflection, helping each pupil better understand how they can be successful, to know who they are and recognise how they can use their strengths and overcome their weaknesses by approaching different projects in different ways. We celebrate failure (literally - in assembly) as well as excellence because performance isn’t how we measure success, and authentic resilience cannot be built without it.

A vibrant Christian ethos

Monkton is a school which recognises that each student is a unique creation with individual characteristics and needs, living within a community of other unique individuals. Our ethos promotes an environment of tolerance, where everyone in the Monkton community learns to develop respect for others and forge caring relationships, sympathetic to the needs of other people. Everything that takes place at Monkton is supported by prayer, both in our Chapel, a beautiful space at the heart of the School, as well as more informally.

A cohesive community

Monkton is a small school which allows us to develop excellent relationships and really get to know our pupils. We have a strong sense of family and commitment to a vibrant boarding ethos which help our students to feel unconditionally valued. We are a co-educational school, accepting the contention of single sex schools that boys and girls learn differently, but in place of keeping that separate, we celebrate the opportunity for them to learn from each other.

Boarding at Monkton

A key element to Monkton is our boarding ethos. We really look to develop all aspects of a child and whether a pupil is a boarder or not they will get the best of a boarding world. From the Pre-Prep Early Bird to the Prep School’s range of exciting and adventurous clubs, to boarding taster nights and flexi boarding options, to the Senior School day pupils joining boarders for breakfast, staying for supper and getting a game of Frisbee before going home, at Monkton a boarding ethos is not about who sleeps the night.

A broad and balanced curriculum

Throughout the School we want all our pupils to develop lively and enquiring minds. Our aim is to excite pupils in their learning environments by providing a broad and balanced curriculum to foster every pupil’s educational development. Lessons are lively and enjoyable as well as rigorous and demanding. Ongoing self-reflection and teacher guidance ensure that pupils see progress in areas where they excel as well as in areas that they find more challenging.