Padworth College was founded in 1963 by Oxford University tutor, Peter Fison, and a group of Oxford dons whose vision was to bring Oxford’s educational philosophy of tutorial teaching to school-level education. Our founders saw the potential for a different, modern approach to learning in contrast to rigid, traditional teaching methods, which allowed little room for individuality.
Padworth College strives to uphold the innovative vision of our founders to offer a truly unique educational experience – based on small tutorial style classes – which allows the development of personal strengths and provides opportunities to succeed and thrive in a global community.
It is fundamental for our students to have a firm commitment to community values and teamwork, whilst being individuals who are open-minded, reflective and tolerant. We seek to be inclusive, respecting all faiths and promoting responsible and active citizenship. We aim to build self-discipline, self-confidence, and to develop initiative and communication skills in our students to enable them to contribute wisely and with respect to the global community.
The Padworth ethos is that we strive to unlock the academic and personal potential of each student and encourage them to realise their ambitions.
- Our educational philosophy is based on the Oxford University tutorial model of teaching, with small personalised classes.
- A programme of learning is devised for each individual that reflects university and career aspirations, as well as personal interests and ability.
- Our class sizes are small for optimum learning and to encourage student-teacher interaction.
Consistent with the underlying ethos of the College are its aims. We aim to:
- Create a healthy, safe, caring, supportive environment in which students can feel at home and voice their opinions;
- Develop all aspects of a student’s character;
- Encourage a strong sense of community; and
- Enable students to build self-motivation and develop a professional attitude inside and outside the classroom.
