Community Collaboration

Sherborne Girls has a long tradition of support for music, drama, academic, and other community events. The Music Department regularly leads outreach events in the community, with music in residential homes, local primary schools and churches. This includes chamber music groups, the jazz ensemble, and the clarinet group. The choirs also perform in local parish churches. The Drama Department offered a matinee performance of Wind in the Willows for state schools and subsequently lent out the costumes. Sherborne Girls were delighted to support the Sherborne Abbey Festival, The Sherborne Festival Chorus and a series of concerts by Ruth Rogers. Sherborne Girls Governors are pleased that the Merritt Centre, with its state-of-the-art facilities is now, once again, playing an important part in supporting community events.

Last year, teachers and pupils from the Science Department visited six state primary schools to deliver STEM outreach. The Head sits on the committee of Tinney’s Youth Centre in Sherborne. Other members of staff volunteer with the Sherborne Parochial Church Council, Sherborne Hockey Club, West Coker Scout Group and holiday clubs for state school pupils. A member of the Sherborne Girls’ chaplaincy team works with primary school pupils in holiday periods, going into primary schools to lead assemblies, acts of worship, workshops and spirituality days, at St Mary’s Bradford Abbas and All Saints Bishops Caundle, St Mary’s, Thornford, and a toddler group in Yetminster. Last year, Sherborne Girls hosted the ‘Debating Matters’ competition for Sixth Form pupils, open to the public. A member of the Science Department is involved in the Barton St David Beaver and Cubs Group, helping them to achieve their ‘Science Award.’ Pupils, too, are encouraged to give their time and expertise generously and as such, they have been involved in many other community activities, such as being youth advisors at the Sherborne Town Council.  

Members of the Sherborne Girls’ community dedicated 2392 hours to volunteering between April 2021 and March 2022.