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Choosing a boarding school when your Catholic faith matters to you is a different process from simply choosing a good school. You are not just looking at results tables and facilities. You are asking whether this community will reinforce what your family believes, whether faith will be something your child lives, rather than something they leave at the school gate.
This guide is for families in Somerset, Dorset, Bath and the wider South West who are asking that question.
What makes a Catholic boarding school genuinely Catholic?
It is worth being precise about this, because schools use the language of Catholic ethos in different ways.
Some schools have a Catholic foundation, historically linked to a religious order, perhaps still with a chapel, but where the active expression of faith has faded. The Catholicism is in the architecture and the prospectus, not in the day-to-day life of the community.
Others have a living Catholic community: daily rhythms shaped by the liturgical year, voluntary and regular Mass attendance, a genuine understanding of service and responsibility rooted in Catholic social teaching, and a staff body who have chosen the school partly because of what it stands for.
The distinction matters if faith is non-negotiable for your family.
When you visit any school, the practical questions to ask are:
- Is there an active chaplain and a resident chapel life?
- What does the liturgical year look like, not on the website, but in practice?
- Are Mass and prayer voluntary, and if so, how attended?
- How does the school handle ethical questions in PSHE, Biology, and Religious Studies?
- Does the ethos shape how staff and pupils speak to one another, or is it decorative?
What Leweston is
Leweston is a co-educational Catholic boarding and day school in Sherborne, Dorset, for pupils aged 3 to 18. It was founded by the Religious of Christian Instruction 135 years ago and has maintained a Catholic community life throughout its history.
That community life is not a legacy feature. It shapes the school year, the way the community speaks about itself, and, in ways that are harder to describe until you have visited, the warmth of the relationships between pupils of different ages and staff who have often worked here for many years.
Leweston is small. The Senior School is around 350 pupils. The boarding community is intimate. If you are looking for a school where your child will be known, by name, by character, by what they are finding difficult this week, Leweston is more likely to offer that than a larger institution.
The co-curricular offer
For Catholic boarding families in the South West, the practical question of co-curricular provision is often as important as the academic one.
Leweston offers something genuinely unusual: Modern Pentathlon. Leweston is one of a small number of schools in England designated as a GB Modern Pentathlon Talent and Training Hub, meaning pupils who show aptitude can train at a national level within the school week. The five disciplines (swimming, fencing, equestrian show jumping, combined running and shooting) suit children who thrive on physical challenge and variety.
The Leweston Chedington Riding Academy is BHS Approved and nationally recognised. Equestrian is available to both boarding and day pupils and is integrated into the school timetable.
Music, drama, outdoor education, and a wide enrichment programme complete the picture. The school is small enough that every pupil can access everything, there is no queue for a solo slot in the choir or a part in the play.
Fees and financial support
Boarding at Leweston is priced accessibly relative to the sector. Full boarding, Leweston Full, starts from £9,446 in the Prep rising to £12,880 in Years 9 and above, at least £4,000 per year below comparable boarding schools in the South West.
For Catholic families for whom fees are a genuine barrier, the St Antony Community Award is a mission-driven fee reduction for boarders that reflects Leweston's commitment to Catholic families of faith. Named after the school's patron, St Antony of Padua, it is a statement of who we are and who we believe should be able to access a Catholic education.
If you are a practising Catholic family for whom faith matters but cost is a real consideration, we would genuinely encourage you to enquire. That is what the award is for.
Stability and confidence in the school's future
Leweston has recently joined the Catholic Schools Trust. The purpose is clear, and the direction of travel is towards a stronger school with a firmer foundation than it had under its previous governance structure. We can say, clearly, that Leweston is a school that is growing, investing, and building for the long term.
Experience Leweston — Thursday 19 June 2026
The best way to understand whether a school is the right fit is to come and be in it.
Experience Leweston on 19 June is an open activity afternoon for prospective families. Pupils try Outdoor Education, Modern Pentathlon, Music, and Equestrian. Parents meet staff and see the school and boarding community in action. It is simply an afternoon to find out whether Leweston feels right.
Places are limited. Booking is open now.
Call 01963 211015 or visit leweston.co.uk to book a visit or speak to the team.
Leweston School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in Sherborne, Dorset, for pupils aged 3 months to 18, offering Nursery, Pre-Prep, Prep, Senior and Sixth Form on a single campus.