The School, which has a long, pioneering tradition of adapting to the changing educational landscape, was founded in 1725 by merchant Sir William Perkins as a School for ’25 poor boys’. Eleven years later, girls were also admitted for ‘free education and clothing.’ In 1944, SWPS became one of the first voluntary-aided girls’ grammar schools in the country and by 1978 it had broken away from local authority control to become a fully independent educational foundation.
In celebrating the tercentenary, we continue to support our students to flourish in the context of the wider world, meet the demands for a first-class educational experience, and support our young people to leave equipped for a bright future.
We continue to champion the individual, encouraging every student so that they can embrace the challenges of a fast-moving world with curiosity, ambition, and generosity.
Project 300
Sir William Perkins started the school to give back to the local community of Chertsey. As part of Project 300, every member of the SWPS Community is to give at least three hours of their time to the local community. We aim to generate 1725 community hours as a school.
