It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our website. We welcome students of all abilities and celebrate the diversity of cultures, backgrounds and talents which students, parents and staff bring to the school.

Waldegrave has much to offer young adults of the future. We set high standards of behaviour and have high expectations of all of our students. We are proud of the partnership we have with parents to ensure all students reach their full potential and enjoy school. Ofsted reported in 2018 that this is an outstanding school. Our examination results are excellent and reflect the work of committed staff and students. This success has placed the school on the Sunday Times Parent Power list for many years and in 2016 we were named Comprehensive school of the year.

Waldegrave School, however, has much more to offer than examination results. We firmly believe that the most successful students are those who really throw themselves into the life of the school. The opportunities here are many and varied and all students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and make the most of leadership opportunities they are given both in and out of lessons.

Ms Elizabeth Tongue

Waldegrave comprises an outstanding comprehensive school for girls aged 11 to 16 years, together with a successful mixed sixth form of nearly 400 students. We are a school whose aim is that everyone enjoys learning, feels valued and experiences success.

We have approximately 150 staff made up of 100 teachers, 12 teaching assistants, 15 technicians and curriculum support staff, 20 administrative staff and 3 premises staff. Our examination results are excellent and reflect the work of committed staff and students.

Waldegrave was given an Outstanding by Ofsted in 2018 and we were awarded comprehensive school of the year in 2016 by The Sunday Times parent power tables. We have been awarded the World School accreditation.

Based in Twickenham, in the leafy London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, we are fortunate to be set in spacious and attractive grounds over a 14.5 acre site.

The school has received significant recent investment including a new sixth form block, dining room and sports hall, and a refurbished performing arts centre. Departments enjoy well-equipped specialist facilities, good break and lunch areas, as well as collaborative spaces.

We value the diversity of our school community and our curriculum. Staff and students enjoy positive relationships. Students are enthusiastic about learning and have ambition to succeed, as a result behaviour is excellent. This atmosphere allows teachers to have autonomy and be innovative and is one of the main reasons so many staff choose to stay at the school.

Support staff are valued and respected, and work collaboratively with teaching staff. They are integral to our ability to provide a safe, and happy environment in which students can thrive.

Our Vision

To empower us all through:

• Great teaching and learning
• Positive relationships
• Being the best we can be
• Embracing the new
• Great leadership
• Being open-minded and respectful
• Sharing common values and practices
• Developing strong partnerships and by throwing ourselves into the life of the school

This is summarised using the three words;

Enjoy, Achieve, Empower

Our School Rule

Learning comes first: we show mutual respect and understanding for everyone, through courteous and considerate behaviour at all times.

"The quality of teaching is consistently strong across the curriculum,"

"Teachers are thoughtful practitioners, constantly looking at ways to become even better,"

"Leaders, governors and teachers are united in having the highest aspirations for pupils,"

"Students achieve exceptionally well in the sixth form. This is due to consistently effective teaching and excellent opportunities to enhance students’ wider personal development,"

"Middle leaders are very effective at improving the quality of provision and outcomes in their subjects,"

"The exceptional leadership of the headteacher and her senior team ensures excellent standards in all aspects of the school’s work,"

The inspection team looked at all aspects of the school including: standards of achievement, teaching and learning, the personal development and well-being of students, and leadership and management. All were graded outstanding which put the school in the top 25% of schools in the country.

There is a strong commitment to training and professional development, as well as the work/life balance of all staff. We are a national teaching school and deliver ITT in partnership with local universities.

“I love coming to work at Waldegrave every day because I know that I’ll find myself amongst fun, supportive and knowledgeable colleagues. I’ll be very worried if I no longer heard the sound of laughter coming from the Science staffroom. A real point of difference at Waldegrave however is that the students are enthusiastic and receptive learners. An empowering leadership and longer lesson length allows freedom to plan creatively. At Waldegrave, I can be the teacher I wanted to be when I first joined the profession.”

“I joined Waldegrave school because of its outstanding local, and national, reputation. I wanted to work in a school which had high expectations of all pupils and an ethos which promoted inclusivity. It was also important to me, as an experienced teacher, that I could work collaboratively in a strong department whilst also maintaining independence to tweak lessons to suit my own teaching style.”

“I have been a staff member at Waldegrave School for over 20 years. The support from staff members whether caretaker through to Headteacher is amazing. Whenever you are having a bad day someone always seems to comfort you, brings a cup of tea, a hug, or just listens to your problem whether work or home. They always make time and go the extra mile. I have not had this support from any previous job and this is what make this a great place to work.”

“I am grateful to be part of the school and am confident it will help me succeed. My teachers are willing to help me outside of lessons/school day hours. I feel comfortable talking to my form tutor as she's very friendly and kind and I am very happy in school”

“I really enjoy school. Since coming to the sixth form I have really appreciated the level of respect, and we are treated more like young adults which is fitting with our new responsibilities”

“I think this school has helped me so much and has given me so much confidence and I am glad I picked this school to go to”