About

Us

Benenden is one of the leading boarding schools in Britain. Founded in 1923, we are situated in 250 acres of attractive parkland in Kent, the Garden of England, just an hour from London. There are 560 girls in the School, aged 11-18.

Welcome from

the Headmistress

I hope that from viewing our website you will have gained a flavour of what it is we do and stand for at Benenden. We are passionate about education in its broadest sense so that every girl who studies and lives here receives a Complete Education and enjoys her school days.

Whilst instilling within the girls the values to which we hold firm of confidence, compassion, courtesy and courage, we prepare them to be professional young women in whatever field of work they choose to pursue in later life. Above all, Benenden is a home where our girls benefit from outstanding facilities and extensive grounds for them to enjoy, together with the intimacy and care that come from being a community of no more than 560.

At Benenden we aspire for excellence in all that we do. Motivational teaching through a dynamic and challenging curriculum is central to our educational offering. All of the girls are expected to engage in the extensive subjects we offer. They will leave us not only with excellent results at A Level, but very importantly with an understanding of the world in which we live, skills in critical thinking, practical skills such as financial management, a flavour of the world of entrepreneurship and business as well as the knowledge of professional skills which will support them in the world of work beyond university.

Furthermore we pride ourselves on our extensive and imaginative co-curricular programme which offers every opportunity for the girls to learn, develop interests, excel in areas beyond the classroom and very importantly, have a great deal of fun!

Crucially, we work with every girl to discover and nurture the passion that will drive whatever path she might want to follow. We will support her in achieving more than she would have thought possible when she first entered the School and by that instil within her the self-belief that she can embrace her future with confidence. As we prepare the girls for life beyond Benenden, it is important to equip them with the skills to work effectively with others, lead with confidence, understand themselves and manage a healthy work-life balance.

For 100 years Benenden has been educating girls successfully. Our Seniors look back on their Benenden education as one that has taught them a great deal and offered them a wealth of very fond memories and friendships to take them throughout their lives. Come and see for yourself; we look forward to welcoming you and introducing you to our community.

Mrs Samantha Price.

Vision

and Mission

Vision
Inspiring future thinkers and leaders to shape a better world.

Mission
Through our Complete Education, we:
• Create a culture of intellectual curiosity
• Ignite a passion for creativity and innovation
• Nurture the value of community, and
• Inspire each individual to make a difference

This mission is underpinned by our values of confidence, compassion, courage and courtesy.

: Benenden School is an expert in educating young women. Above all, we want our students – whether boarders or day students – to relish all that life in a boarding school has to offer, to enjoy their learning, develop intellectual curiosity and be ambitious, while learning to achieve balance in their lives.

In all that we do at Benenden, we foster the need to value oneself and others. In so doing, we expect each pupil to be a responsible and considerate citizen and we support her to grow into a confident, positive young woman who will play an active part in society.

By emphasising the importance of spiritual and personal growth, we help our pupils to develop self-knowledge, to become outward looking, courageous and compassionate, so that they will be inspired to make a difference both to our school community and throughout their lives for the benefit of others.

Development

We have educated more than 5,000 Benenden Seniors since the School was founded in 1923. Benenden has made many enhancements to its education provision over the years – investing in facilities, broadening the curriculum, widening access and developing community partnerships.

The Complete Education enjoyed by Benenden pupils today has in large part been made possible by the generosity of support provided by the Benenden community.

Discover more about development at Benenden here.

Leadership and Governance

We are pleased to introduce the teams at Benenden who are responsible for our leadership and governance.

Governing

Council

Learn more

Senior

Management Team

Learn more

Equality

and Diversity

Benenden enjoys a diverse community of both students and staff and this very diversity is one of the School’s greatest strengths.

We recognise the link between equality and quality and will not unfairly discriminate in the recruitment or general treatment of staff or pupils on the basis of any factor which is not relevant to academic achievement.

To be clear, we do not tolerate any form of unlawful or unfair discrimination which could include, but is not limited to, age, race (which includes colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, trade union membership, disability, pregnancy or maternity, political views, religious or similar philosophical beliefs or because someone is married or in a civil partnership. We aim to ensure equal treatment for all.

Benenden School is committed to securing equality of opportunity through the creation of an environment in which individuals are treated solely on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities.

: The School is committed to promoting and developing equality of opportunity in all its functions and will seek to do this by:

• communicating its commitment to equality and diversity to all members of the school community through Prayers talks and whole-school celebrations of cultural events;
• encouraging student-led initiatives like PRISM, the gay-straight alliance, run by the Sixth Form;
• holding regular Equality and Diversity committee meetings, meetings in which staff and pupils exchange ideas regarding the school’s provision in this regard;
• communicating where responsibility lies for equality issues;
• providing training for decision-makers and briefings for staff and pupils;
• maintaining mechanisms for implementation, monitoring, auditing and review;
• treating acts of discrimination as a disciplinary offence.

Explore

Work with us

If you would like to come and make difference at here at Benenden School, please do view our current vacancies.

Learn more

School Shop

Order our Centenary merchandise online and find out about the range of services provided by our School shop, LASS (Limes Avenue Sales & Services Ltd).

Learn more