Director of Admissions

Situated in 250 acres of landscaped grounds near Wimborne, Dorset, Canford is among the top co-educational boarding schools in the UK. It is regularly recognised nationally for the high quality of the education it offers. In 2023, the school’s centenary year, it ranked No.1 in the South West among co-educational senior schools by The Sunday Times Parent Power 2023 report for the school’s 2022 A Level results, winner of the BSA Award for Boarding Excellence and the HIEDA Award for All Round Excellence in Health and Wellbeing and was a finalist in the TES Awards for Boarding School of the Year 2023. The school is thriving, enjoying the highest school roll in its history, with 660+ pupils aged 13-18 years from September 2023, of whom approximately 65% are full boarders. 95%+ leavers move on to university, with over 80% to Russell Group/Sunday Times Top 12 universities in the UK including Oxbridge and an increasing number of scholarships to universities in the US. As the Good Schools Guide points out ‘With its first rate teaching, stunning setting and innovative ideas, Canford is definitely at the top of its game’.

Despite reaching its centenary, Canford is a relatively young school compared with similar top British public schools, which enables it to blend tradition with forward-thinking. The Grade 1 listed manor house is complemented by a range of exceptional modern buildings including a sports centre, theatre, Real Tennis court and boathouse.  A new library, two new boys’ boarding houses, three new day houses and a new Assembly Hall are among the most recent developments in its facilities. A new Sixth Form College is planned.

Canford’s vision is for all those working and living in its community to ‘explore, express and excel’. It combines academic achievement with a diverse co-curricular programme of intellectual, cultural and sporting activities. The environment encourages participation, hard work and a strong sense of community and integrity. The school promotes the values of Purposeful Engagement, Courageous Attitude, Humble Ambition and Gracious Leadership in every pupil so they leave equipped with the soft skills to excel, whatever their future career path may be. Pupils who thrive are those eager to embrace the wide range of opportunities. Success is evident outside the classroom as well as within it, including GB rowers, England Hockey players, England Cricketers, county rugby and hockey championship teams and ABRSM Music diploma achievers. Importance is placed on educating pupils to appreciate the coherence between and connections across their learning experiences in a wide range of contexts. The pastoral side of the school is very strong and applicants should be willing to play a full part in the thriving co-curricular life.

Few schools are fortunate to have such a beautiful setting as Canford – The Daily Telegraph voted it among the most beautiful schools in the country – and it offers an enjoyable, stimulating and inspirational atmosphere in which to work, close to the beaches of the south coast and the exceptional landscapes of both Dorset and the New Forest yet also very well placed for major road and rail links to London and close to a number of international airports.

Please visit www.canford.com/who-we-are to learn more about Canford and why it is such a special place to live and work.