LEADING SCHOOL OFFERS FREE PLACE TO OLDHAM PUPIL

Oldham pupil Mahasweta Ganguly (right) in a chemistry lesson at Withington Girls' School

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Girls from the Oldham area are being offered the chance to apply for a free place at Withington Girls’ School, one of the country’s top independent schools.

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous local benefactor, the Manchester-based girls’ School can provide up to 100% fee assistance enabling an academically-gifted local pupil to join its Year 7 cohort in September. Interested applicants will be invited to participate in a selective assessment process and are asked to register their interest as soon as possible.

The Oldham bursary is open to applicants from postcodes OL1, OL2, OL3, OL4, OL8, OL9 and M35 and promises to fund the full seven years of secondary education for suitable candidates from Year 7 through Sixth Form to Year 13.

ABOUT WITHINGTON

Withington prides itself on being a small, friendly school where girls aged from 7 to 18 from diverse backgrounds and a wide catchment area benefit from an outstanding and broad education. WGS is consistently amongst the top schools in the country in national League Table rankings, with the most recent academic results in A-Levels and GCSE examinations once again exceptional. The higher education destinations of Withington pupils are equally impressive: of 77 Year 13 leavers, eleven took up places at Oxford or Cambridge in 2015 and the vast majority of girls year-on-year go on to study at their first choice (mostly Russell Group) universities.

In extracurricular activities, Withington’s pupils excel at national, and sometimes, international level in a wide range of pursuits, including sport – Withington’s U13 netball team recently won the prestigious ISNC national title after being coached by Oldham resident Miss Alexa Collier, a WGS PE Teacher. And in charity fundraising, community and volunteering outreach, WGS pupils have attracted positive feedback from many impartial observers including the Good Schools Guide.

Withington’s Development Director, Mrs Toni Leden, is responsible for bursary fundraising at the school and comments: “Depending on individual family circumstances, our bursary scheme aims to provide a Withington education to bright and sparky girls who may otherwise not be able to consider it. We very much welcome applications from girls in the Oldham area.”

TRANSPORT

Good transport arrangements are in place for pupils to travel to the School. The City Centre Shuttle Bus provides an express route from the mainline Manchester stations and is very popular with girls from the Oldham area.

HOW TO APPLY

Anyone interested in finding out more should call Toni Leden, Development Director on 0161 249 3491 or email ledent@wgs.org. Opportunities are also available to a current Year 5 pupil for entry to the WGS Senior School in 2017.



MEET TWO WITHINGTON OLDHAM PUPILS
“Our students have simply not looked back since choosing Withington”
Mrs Toni Leden, WGS Development Director

Zara Tahir
Oldham pupil Zara Tahir joined Withington’s Year 7 last September and is already delighted with her choice of school. "Everyone is welcoming, you always see people smiling,” she says, eager to share her experience of life at her new School and praising the warmth of both the staff and students in helping her to settle in.

Highlighting the open and friendly nature of Withington students and staff, she comments, "It is easy to make friends from different forms and years. There are many possibilities for students of all ages to interact through the vast selection of school clubs and activities offered here, and the teachers are really supportive." Sixth form peer supporters are on hand every Wednesday which Zara welcomes. “It really helps if you're ever anxious about anything or have any problems,” she says.

The wealth of lunchtime activities at WGS ensures that pupils who live further away still have plenty of opportunities to participate and Zara is currently enjoying the many extra-curricular clubs on offer, including Netball and Hockey.

What Zara's Parents Say

Zara’s parents Amira and Thair say initial concerns about her commute to school were quickly overcome. The 45-minute drive means she leaves home at a similar time to friends who attend local schools, they say – and fears that she would lose touch with old primary school friends were also unfounded as she has been able to maintain regular contact with many of them.

“Accepting the place at Withington Girls' School was, by far, the best opportunity we could have given to our daughter. Zara has already been able to experience such a wide array of stimulating opportunities at the school, both academically and extra curricular. She is very content and a lot more confident in herself,” they add.

Mahasweta Ganguly (Year 12 Student)
Mahasweta Ganguly, also from Oldham, is now in Withington’s Lower Sixth. Hoping to follow in her father’s footsteps to study Medicine and become a doctor, Mahasweta is currently working towards A-Levels in Chemistry, Biology, History and Maths, having already achieved 9 A*s and 1 A grade at GCSE. "The teachers are all really enthusiastic about their subjects and are very inspiring," she says,

Having joined Withington in Year 7 from a local primary school in Royton, Mahasweta has flourished in the WGS environment, "It is a small school that feels like a nice, little community," she says.

What Mahasweta says

Mahasweta explained how initial apprehensions were soon quelled, "Before starting at Withington, the worry was not going to the same school as friends in my area - but there are lots of people in the same boat," and living further away has not impacted her social life or extracurricular involvement. "I have a close group of friends here. I am a part of the Science Society PhilSoc which is held weekly in conjunction with MGS and Manchester High School For Girls. I'm able to explore topics I enjoy beyond the curriculum whilst also having the opportunity to build friendships outside my own school too," she comments.

Whilst the journey to school usually takes about an hour by bus, Mahasweta says it is worth the travelling. "You get used to the journey and even have time do homework sometimes," she says,

Out of school, Mahasweta has been able to maintain her hobbies: she plays the guitar and takes dancing lessons, mainly modern dance.  She is currently looking forward to a volunteering trip to Uganda. 
 
Having considered places at other good schools for Mahasweta, her father, Dr Ganguly believes Withington was the right choice for his daughter., “We never thought twice before sending her to the best one,” he says. “Today, looking at her we feel happy that we made the right decision. The distance has never caused any major problem.”