insideKENT Magazine Issue 20 - Sep/Oct 2013 | Page 32

EDUCATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH Cobham Hall A physical description of Cobham Hall does little to set us apart from many other independent schools. We have the magnificent manor house, set in 150 acres of parkland; we have the swimming pool, the sports hall and the music and art facilities one might expect. The location too, is, of course, ideal - 17 minutes from London by high speed rail, close to the M25 and major London airports, and a mere train ride away from Europe. What does set us apart is our belief that every girl has the potential to be extraordinary; that every experience is a lesson, every lesson should be based on experience and all these experiences are interlinked and interwoven; that we will do all we can to help each girl discover that there is more in her than she thinks and to prepare her for a successful and ful?lling life after school. Our ability to deliver on this belief is largely due to our commitment to the International Baccalaureate Diploma and Round Square. The Round Square ethos complements the IB, taking the idea of education through experience and breaking it down into six principles: internationalism, democracy, environmentalism, adventure, leadership and service. At Cobham Hall, we take these ‘ideals’ and turn them into positive, often profound, action, from building schools in far ?ung places to leading a sports team; from helping out at the local community shop to sharing a room with someone from a different part of the world. Education through experience also underpins adventures outside the classroom from extracurricular activities to school trips and Round Square conferences, service projects and exchanges. Spread across six continents, the Round Square network gives girls the opportunity to develop an authentic understanding of other cultures. The diversity of Round Square is not experienced only by girls venturing outside the school grounds. Although most of our students live in the UK, girls join the school from over 30 countries, creating a space where views can be aired and shared and where compassion and understanding develop as natural byproducts. And as a boarding and day school, we offer the best of both worlds. Daygirls bene?t from the busy-ness of a boarding school – we’re always ‘open’ – and the ?exible boarding options, while weekly and full boarders can go out with local girls. So, while we may not look unique, as the only all-girls boarding and day school in the UK with a Round Square ethos, appearances, as they say, are not everything. www.cobhamhall.com 32 www.insidekentmagazine.co.uk