Welcome to Priory School, an Independent Co-educational Day School for boys and girls aged 4-16 years. We are a non-denominational school, run with a Christian ethos under the patronage of Our Lady of Walsingham. Originally founded in Shanklin in 1993 out of Upper Chine School, ownership was transferred by the founders to Edmund Matyjaszek BA (Oxon) in 2009, and in 2012 the school moved to the historic site of Queen Victoria’s school at Whippingham.
The aim of Priory School is to offer a first-class education at an affordable cost in a well-structured and clearly run environment in order to become the school of choice for parents and pupils on the Isle of Wight.
The aim of Priory School is to offer a first-class education at an affordable cost in a well-structured and compassionately run environment in order to become the school of choice for parents and pupils on the Isle of Wight. We operate an ‘open house’ policy and parents considering Priory School are encouraged to book a tour of the school to see us in situ.
Priory School provides a family atmosphere where pupils feel safe, secure and can thrive in all areas of school life, curricular and co-curricular. Values of kindness and respect, and the development of the individual underpin all that we do, and our small class sizes facilitate expert knowledge of the child and very strong relationships between staff and pupils. Moral and ethical decision making are central to our provision and we encourage all members of our school community to be upstanders and not bystanders.
Although non-denominational, a distinct Christian ethos underpins Priory School’s ethos. It welcomes children of all faiths and none, including among its pupil body Christian, Jewish and Muslim pupils, as well as those of other faiths and beliefs. St Mildred’s, a Saxon foundation but re-built by Prince Albert, hosts the school services and is in effect the school ‘chapel’. It is within easy walking distance. The School was blessed by the chaplain Rev Alan Swanborough on Monday 8th October in the presence, and with the assistance, of other representatives of the Christian Church and of the island mosque and others.
Originally founded in 1993, out of the closure of Upper Chine School, Priory School moved to a new site in February 2012, Whippingham School, which was the school designed by Prince Albert and commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1864 for the children of the staff who worked on the Osborne Estates.
In the Department of Education League Tables, published in February 2018, Priory School was ranked best on the Isle of Wight for A Levels, best on the Isle of Wight for GCSE English and Mathematics, and ranked 21st out of 4417 secondary schools in England for A Levels. Since 2019 the school has achieved 100% pass rates for GCSEs and A Levels. In 2023, it secured its first Oxbridge entrant at Jesus College, Oxford. We field teams & individuals across a range of sports, including horse riding, sailing, basketball, golf, fencing, cycling. We have had national champions in cycling and sailing, and regional winners in horse-riding and golf.
Priory School is part of a wider community of pupils and staff, their extended families, St Mildred’s Parish Church, and residents of Whippingham and the rest of the Isle of Wight. We are ever mindful of the impact of our actions on local, national and international communities and we encourage our pupils to engage with people and projects beyond our school gates. Community Service is an important and popular co-curricular activity, and we raise funds for a range of charities, including Aspire in Ryde, Pan Together in Newport, St Mildred’s Church, Mountbatten Hospice, Blue Seas Protection and many more on and off the Island. An important message is that of being an ethical upstander and challenging people and issues that are harmful and immoral. Initiatives such as an active Eco-Council which meets weekly and works hard to improve our environment for current and future generations, for example, raising awareness of plastic pollution, and our annual Eco-Fashion Week which seeks to alert our community to the dangers of fast fashion and exploitation, add an important dimension to a Priory education. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to work and study at Priory School, and pupils understand that is a privilege that many will never enjoy.