Why Shebbear College?
Founded in 1841 and steeped in history, Shebbear College is a thriving day and boarding school in Devon, for girls and boys aged 4 to 18. Our 85-acre campus is situated in the beautiful Devon countryside, close to Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks and the fantastic surfing beaches of the North Cornwall coast. We are a forward thinking school with traditional roots, working together to develop our young people and their passions.
People often comment on the ‘happy feeling’ you get when you come to Shebbear College. But what defines that feeling, what is it that makes us unique? When you try and put your finger on it, you realise that this feeling isn’t about our physical environment, but our people. Our teachers recognise that every child should have the chance to shine instead of getting lost in a large, impersonal system which stifles their individuality. They support each individual pupil in the way that is best for them. They care!
Our pupils are motivated, confident and happy. These are children who have been nurtured and guided to be comfortable with who they are. Compassion, kindness and courtesy are all ingrained in a Shebbearian and they encourage each other, celebrate others’ successes and help each other with problems.
We are delighted to have achieved an excellent ISI Inspection in November 2024 with all standards met, and have been shortlisted for a number of prestigious awards including the Independent Schools of the Year Awards for the last three years.
We are a small school and proud of it! Our smaller size means that we can offer bigger opportunities for our pupils, from smaller class sizes enabling tailored learning; the chance to take part in exciting opportunities that simply wouldn’t be open to everyone at a bigger school.
We keep our class sizes small, usually between 15 and 20 (5 in Sixth Form), enabling learning to be active and pupil centred. Every pupil can excel here and we help them to identify and develop their strengths, whilst building confidence and resilience so that they can achieve their personal best. For some, this is achieving Grade 9s at GCSE and for others it’s excelling on the sports field or developing confidence in the Performing Arts. For many, it’s the value-added side of school life, the improvements they have made here that they couldn’t have achieved elsewhere.
In April 2024 Shebbear College joined Inspired Learning Group (ILG). ILG consists of 25 schools and nurseries in the UK, educating children aged from 3 months to 18 years and is the largest UK only independent school group in the UK. ILG’s vision and ethos matches that of Shebbear College, and they aim to deliver inspired learning through highly personalised care and attention that nurtures each child’s unique talents, addresses their fears, and enables them to achieve their full potential.
As a member of ILG, we maintain operational control of the school, with ILG offering support, advice and investment centrally.
Every pupil is different and our team of passionate and committed teachers will find each individual’s spark and discover what motivates them, fostering enthusiasm and optimism in everyone.
The Shebbearian Magazine
Read our latest school magazine, The Shebbearian 2024-25, to find out more about the day-to-day life here at Shebbear College. If you can’t see the reader icon, please click here.
The Shebbearian 2024-25|PDF for Mobile
The Shebbearian 2024-25|PDF for Desktop
