Westminster is one of the UK’s leading academic institutions and is the only ancient London school to occupy its original site, immediately next to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.
Westminster is a school for both day and boarding pupils; it is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent thinking is encouraged and excellence is nurtured. Our ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition, reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster’s Elizabethan foundation where it states that our pupils should be “liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state.”
This outward-looking approach to education defines the School today. We are a place that embraces learning, encourages deep thinking and takes great pleasure in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding; but, most importantly, we want to encourage our boys and girls to use their skills and intelligence to benefit society.
We seek to encourage young people to engage in a loyal dissent. Whilst our pupils are loyal to the principles of a liberal education, respectful of genuine scholarship and appreciative of the learning process, they are equally prepared to challenge, to question and to explore the content of that learning, pushing boundaries and overturning expectations.
For centuries Westminster has been the educational home of some of the world’s most influential thinkers, writers, poets, politicians, artists, actors, musicians, economists, linguists, scientists, philosophers and social entrepreneurs and we look forward to many more years of playing such a role in the shaping of history.
