“Where children flourish in confidence, creativity, and care.”
St Hilda’s is unique in character and appeal and a special place to educate your child. I am delighted to welcome you to our website, which offers a broad flavour of all that takes place in our busy and vibrant School.
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Wellbeing
The wellbeing of all children, staff and parents at St Hilda’s is our first priority. Everyone has responsibility for others’ wellbeing, and we endeavour to continue the “family feel” that has run through St Hilda’s for over 100 years.
Extra Curricular
St. Hilda’s offers a wide range of Extra-Curricular Activities which seek to cater for a range of interests and abilities. There is something on offer for everyone.
Safeguarding
At St. Hilda’s School, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is a responsibility we all share. We are dedicated to creating a safe, supportive environment where every child can thrive.
Outdoor Learning
At St. Hilda’s, Forest School is a child-centred learning programme that aims to promote holistic development, fostering resilient, confident, independent, and creative learners.
Celebrating girls' education
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#sthildasharpenden
Once upon a time, on the eve of World Book Day, the girls of St Hilda’s were caught getting lost in stories.
From muddy puddles to snowy mountains, in quiet corners, open spaces and even the most unlikely of positions, stories were discovered and pages were turned in the most unexpected places, far beyond the school gates.
Because a good book can take you anywhere — and reading is always worth getting caught for.
#worldbookday #getcaughtreading #readingtime #bookworm #sthildasharpenden
What an incredible moment for our Form VI girls. Their talent, determination and serious hard work has been rewarded with outstanding senior school success.
Every girl who sat an entrance exam to an independent senior school has been offered a place — with 13 scholarships awarded to our most talented academics, athletes and actresses.
This special group of girls have supported one another, risen to every challenge and shown just how much can be achieved with ambition, courage and belief. We couldn`t be prouder of their achievements and can`t wait to see them flourish when they take their next steps in September.
(Although, for now, they are still St Hilda’s girls, and we are so grateful for this time to celebrate them together. ❤️💙🤍)
#academicsuccess #scholarshipnews #seniorschool #independenteducation #sthildasharpenden
Muddy miles and house pride marked this year’s House Cross-Country. Our Forms III–VI girls took to the course, representing York, Warwick and Lancaster with grit, resilience and wonderful camaraderie. Every runner showed impressive perseverance, cheering one another on and racing with true St Hilda’s spirit.
Congratulations to Lanc, who claimed the House title in both the Junior (FIII-IV) and Senior (FV-VI) races, and to our individual champions, Violet and Lizzie.
#sthildasharpenden #SHSsportingstars #housespirit #crosscountry #girlswhorun #thisgirlcan #girlseducation #independenteducation #prepschoolmagic #harpendenparents #harpenden #hertfordshire
Our busy and successful Winter term concluded, as always, with a beautiful service of carols, Christmas music and the timeless story of a baby born in lowly circumstances. The church was filled with music, meaning and Christmas spirit, with the youngest girls bringing the Nativity scene to life and our senior girls reading and singing with confidence — including three stunning soloists opening Once in Royal David City. It was a truly moving celebration of Christmas and a rousing conclusion to a very successful term.
#nativityservice #carolservice #sthildasharpenden #caringcuriousconfident #prepschool #girlseducation #independenteducation #harpenden #harpendenparents #hertfordshire
Every term tells its own story, and Autumn 2025 has been rich with learning, laughter, growth and celebration. Here are a few curriculum highlights from across the school:
❤️ Our Reception girls have had a fabulous first term, embracing full-time school life with enthusiasm and growing independence. They have worked hard on their reading, number skills and handwriting, and ended the term by forming the Nativity scene at the Christmas Service.
💙 Form I have made a super start to their KS1 learning. A wide variety of topics have been enjoyed, including fairy tales, families and homes, animals, castles and colour, alongside a visit to Hertfordshire Zoo and the girls` families visiting the FI classroom to look at the lovely displays and work.
🤍 The first term of learning in Form II has been full of imagination and discovery. From superheroes, sidekicks and adventurous vocabulary to Florence Nightingale, Victorian deportment lessons and afternoon tea, the girls have loved exploring storytelling and history in ways that are engaging, creative and collaborative.
❤️ In their first term of KS2, Form III have loved learning about different cultures and festivals, piecing together the story of Rama and Sita from various tellings of the tale, and performing their own version of the poem `Carnival` by Valerie Bloom.
💙 Form IV have thrived on creative and active learning, with their Egypt topic being a real highlight. The girls explored the continent of Africa and the specific geography of Egypt, before travelling back in time to discover life under Pharaoh Akhenaten, complete with a workshop in costume.
🤍 Ask any Form V girl for her highlight and the answer will be: Nursery buddies. This kindness and companionship has further woven throughout the term, from singing beautifully at the Harpenden Peace Service to making collaborative stop-motion animations.
❤️ Form VI have risen to the challenge of being top of the school, embracing their roles of responsibility with determination and leadership. They have undertaken senior school entrance exams with courage and confidence, whilst also enjoying a rich programme of sporting, musical and co-curricular activities.
Once upon a time, in Form I, our girls stepped into the world of fairy tales, exploring much-loved traditional stories alongside inventive new twists. Dressed as their favourite characters they read, wrote, imagined and even performed their own fairy tale, bringing storytelling to life with imagination and creativity.
A magical happy ever after for language and learning. ✨
#sthildasharpenden #englishlesson #fairytales #bringinglearningtolife #learningisfun #KS1 #prepschool #girlseducation #independenteducation #harpenden #harpendenparents
