Here come the girls! St Columba’s College in St Albans is moving to co-education and welcoming girls into the school for the first time next year.

From January, the college will be introducing girls into Reception, and from September 2021 they will welcome girls into Lower Prep (Year 1 and Year 2) and the Lower Sixth.

This will give local families the opportunity to provide their children with a consistent education from Prep through to Sixth Form, as St Columba’s College will become the only co-ed school for ages four to 18 in the centre of St Albans.

Headmaster David Buxton said St Columba’s community is guided by its core values of courage, courtesy and compassion and believes strongly in making a positive contribution to the local community. This was continued during lockdown, when St Columba’s donated PPE to the NHS and provided donations to local food banks and homeless charities.

The school also delivered a successful remote learning programme with strong academic and pastoral support for pupils to maintain their progress.

Welcoming the move into co-education, Mr Buxton said: “Following a great deal of research, investigation and deliberation over recent years, including a survey of our current parents, we have decided that introducing co-education to St Columba’s College is the right thing to do.

“It will fully prepare our students for life beyond St Columba’s College. Such a change is consistent with what is happening in many of our fellow Brothers of the Sacred Heart schools around the world.”

Application deadlines for September 2021 entry to St Columba’s College are: Friday 27 November for 11+ and 13+; 14 December for Sixth Form. Applications for the Prep School are accepted throughout the year.

Founded in 1939 the college has been under the care of The Brothers of the Sacred Heart since 1955, when they came from New England in the US to establish St Columba’s as a unique school within a worldwide community. 

To find out more about admissions, contact registrar Hilary Causer on 01727 892040 or admissions@stcolumbascollege.org.

For more information about co-education, please visit the dedicated webpage at https://www.stcolumbascollege.org/coeducation.