FAQs

The Sedbergh Schools Group is a charitable family of schools led by Executive Head Mr Dan Harrison and supported by an experienced and forward-thinking Board of Governors. Rooted in a 500-year heritage of educational excellence, the Group has a clear and ambitious vision for sustainable growth, innovation and long-term strength. At its heart sits Sedbergh School, alongside Sedbergh Prep School, our thriving commercial division Sedbergh Courses, and the globally recognised Sedbergh International Summer School. The Group also includes established international schools in Vietnam and China, including Sedbergh Vietnam and Sedbergh Fuzhou.

Together, these ventures form a connected and ambitious network shaped by shared values, high expectations and a commitment to character as much as achievement. With strong foundations in place across academic, boarding, enrichment and international provision, further announcements regarding the continued development and expansion of the Sedbergh Schools Group will follow in April, as we continue to strengthen our position as a leader in values-driven independent education both in the UK and globally.

Inspired by the 500-year heritage of Sedbergh School, the Sedbergh Schools Group is rooted in the enduring values of high-quality charitable independent education, where character matters as much as achievement and our values of humility, ambition, resilience and kindness shape daily life.

We are committed to developing schools where high expectations sit alongside deep care, where excellence is pursued without losing sight of community, and where education is guided by purpose as well as performance. We actively seek to align ourselves with schools that share these values, working in partnership with like-minded communities to strengthen and sustain exceptional independent education.  In a world that often rushes childhood, we believe in keeping children younger for longer, giving them the time and space to grow in confidence and independence at the right pace, blending tradition with innovation to prepare them not just for exams, but for happy, grounded and fulfilling lives.

The Sedbergh Schools Group is built on a bold and purposeful ambition: to create a family of schools fundamentally rooted in excellence.

By bringing outstanding schools together under one values-driven banner, we maximise the power of charitable educational partnerships. Teachers collaborate, innovate and learn from one another professionally. Pupils benefit from wider opportunities, shared programmes, enriched experiences, leadership pathways and a broader community that stretches well beyond a single campus.

At the same time, the Group model allows us to operate intelligently and sustainably. Through economies of scale and shared support functions, we reduce duplication, strengthen resilience and redirect savings back where they matter most, into teaching, facilities, scholarships and pupil opportunity.

We will welcome new schools who share our standards, our ambition and our values. Schools that believe, as we do, in character as much as achievement; in community as much as competition; and in education that prepares young people not just for exams, but for life.                 

The Sedbergh Schools Group was founded to build long-term strength with clear educational purpose. By bringing outstanding schools together, the Group creates greater financial resilience through shared services and economies of scale, ensuring that more resources can be reinvested directly into teaching, facilities, bursaries and pupil opportunity. It also strengthens stability and reach, creating clearer pathways for families while supporting strong leadership, recruitment and retention across the organisation.

Crucially, the foundation of the Group is not simply structural, but educational. It enables deeper collaboration between teachers, the sharing of best practice and innovation, and broader academic and co-curricular opportunities for pupils. At the same time, each school retains its distinct identity and ethos. The Group was established to safeguard and strengthen high-quality independent education, ensuring that excellence, character and community remain at the heart of our schools for generations to come.

To be a charitable group means that the organisation exists for public benefit, not private profit. Any financial surplus generated is reinvested directly back into the schools, into teaching, facilities, bursaries, pastoral care and pupil opportunity, rather than distributed to shareholders or owners. The focus is long-term educational quality, access and sustainability, guided by a Board of Governors (Trustees) who have a legal duty to act in the best interests of the charity’s beneficiaries: its pupils.

The Sedbergh Schools Group is proud to be a charitable organisation, placing mission and educational purpose firmly above commercial return.

For a charitable schools group like ours, financial strength matters but as a means to secure and enhance educational provision, not as an end in itself. It allows us to take a long-term view, protect our ethos, widen access through bursaries and scholarships and ensure that resources are directed where they have the greatest impact: on children and their education.

The Sedbergh Schools Group is led by Executive Head, Mr Dan Harrison, and supported by the Chief Operating Officer and an experienced Board of Governors.

The Heads of each UK school form part of the Group’s Senior Leadership Team, working collaboratively and reporting directly to the Executive Head.

Schools joining the Sedbergh Schools Group become part of a strong, values-led charitable family with over 500 years of heritage at its heart. Membership brings long-term financial stability through shared services and economies of scale, allowing leaders to focus on educational excellence rather than operational pressure. Schools retain their own identity and ethos, while benefiting from strategic support in marketing, admissions, compliance, governance and leadership development. Heads join a collaborative Senior Leadership Team, teachers gain access to wider professional networks and shared best practice, and pupils benefit from expanded academic, co-curricular and international opportunities across the Group. Above all, partnership within the Sedbergh Schools Group offers security, ambition and shared purpose, strengthening each school individually while expanding horizons.