Our first girls joined Elmhurst in 2024 and since then our Reception classes have been co-educational, we also accept girls up to Year 4. Founded in 1869, it is unsurprising that Elmhurst began as a boys school – a reflection of the times. Today, we have moved to a co-educational model to be true to the essence of Elmhurst – an inclusive, ambitious school where children find their confidence through being known and challenged to be their brilliant best.
Unsurprisingly, parents of our girls share the ambitions of parents of our boys. They look to the educational journey to build confidence, shape ambition, resilience and buckets of self belief. In choosing Elmhurst, they have chosen a school that knows their child and works with them to support their development in every area.
At Elmhurst, our focus on character development through our EDGE programme means children are taught, caught and sought in their demonstration of good character. Characteristics of great learning are reinforced in school life to build a community of learners with shared values and expectations. Moreover, in our expanding co-educational environment character is being shaped in a real world environment, where boys and girls work alongside one another.
Knowing each individual child is what Elmhurst has always done well and in our new co-education environment we continue to be wholeheartedly committed to that. We reject stereotypes and seek to support authentic individual growth and development.
All of our children pursue a rigorous academic curriculum and benefit from a plethora of enrichment opportunities. Dance, gymnastics, swimming, Music composition club and Anime are some of the many clubs our girls choose. Football, Taekwondo, Chess, STEM are also very popular but importantly they are chosen because we support all children to believe all of these things are for them.
Girls’ council, staff ambassadors for girls and parent voice for those with girls at Elmhurst are vital parts of our school support system.
School development looks at the successful integration of the new girl cohorts and aims to anticipate challenges to ensure every child in the school is enabled to be their brilliant best.
