Taking stock of 6 top British private schools in swimming, why can they become the cradles of Olympians?

Sports is an important part of the whole-person education of private schools in the UK, and swimming is one of the popular sports. In recent years, as swimmers have achieved various outstanding performances in the Olympics, it has also attracted much attention from the public. Today, Niu Niu will introduce to you 6 British private schools with top swimming skills. The school introduced in this article comes from The Good School Guide, which is one of the most authoritative and influential private school evaluation reference tools in the UK.

1.Mount Kelly

Mount Kelly

Mount Kelly(Kelly Hills High School) is a top three school in the UK swimming program. It has about 180 elite swimmers aged 9 to 18, and is divided into eight different echelons. They train in the 50-meter Olympic standard swimming pool and compete in domestic and foreign competitions all year round. In the 2023 British Summer Championship, the school won excellent results of 17 gold, 20 silver and 9 bronze. Over the past 50 years, more than 100 international swimmers have been trained. The school provides swimming scholarships for students starting from Y7, and each elite athlete is equipped with an exclusive coach.

The school is located between Exeter and Plymouth, adjacent to Dartmoor National Park. The academics here not only maintain a 100% A-Level exam pass rate, but also many students have successfully entered top universities such as Russell Group University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, St Andrews University and Loughborough University after graduation. More importantly, the school’s excellent location makes the extracurricular activities very famous, and most students will participate in at least one of the following: CCF, Duke of Edinburgh Award, Devizis to Westminster Canoe Marathon or Ten Peaks Challenge.

Mount Kelly is particularly famous for its world-class swimming training facilities and elite training programs that are fully integrated into the school system. The school has trained players to participate in the last five Olympic and Paralympic Games. The women's football team also has a remarkable record. As a partner school for Chelsea Football Club, the team won both the U18 Women's Cup National Finals in the 2025 ISFA (British Private School Football Association) and the 2024 Chelsea Foundation Cup.

2.Millfield School

Millfield School is known for its outstanding sports results. In the swimming program, the school has the iconic 50-meter Olympic pool, with its cutting-edge facilities and coaching team dedicated to cultivating future national champions. Since its establishment, 30 Olympic swimmers have been born, including Duncan Goodhue, Mark Foster, and 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist James Guy. The six-person full-time coaching team provides systematic training every Saturday, and also set up multi-level training channels and holiday training camps. Scholarships are offered for both Y9 and Y12 grades.

Millfield School is located on 240 acres of countryside in Somerset and enrolls students aged 13 to 18. The school has been rated as the Best Sports School by School Sports Magazine for ten consecutive years and was awarded the title of "Best Co-educational Private School of the Year" in 2024. Millfield School offers a wide range of disciplines, sports and activities, and is equipped with first-class facilities to support, including Olympic-specific swimming pools, equestrian centers, indoor golf and cricket centers, 350-seat concert halls, theaters, art galleries and science centers. The school has one of the largest high school departments in Europe, and welcomes 150 freshmen to enter the lower high school department every year. The Advancement Department provides students with professional guidance on diversified development paths, especially in Oxford Cambridge application, North American college application and other admission options. The number of students applying to American universities continues to grow, and every year students receive admissions from Ivy League schools, Stanford University, Russell Group University, Oxford Cambridge and other top overseas universities. "Want to know what the top private schools in the UK usually learn? Send private messages to receive a detailed list of UK private school courses for free"

3.Repton School

Repton School (Lepton High School) cooperated with the England Swimming Association to launch a unique swimming program in 2019. The facilities include six 25-meter swimming pools, and athletes train for six days a week under the guidance of five coaches and swimming directors. In addition to current student Eva O'Caro, who was selected as the 2024 Olympic team, his recent record includes record-breaking medals in the UK Interscholastic Championship and fourth place in the National Finals of the Arena League Cup. Scholarships are available in both 13+ and 16+ stages.

Repton School is located in the heart of central England. The school provides a pure boarding experience, with nearly 70% of students living on campus, and a seamless integration of day students and boarding students is achieved through the college system. Boarders can participate in activities carefully organized by the school on weekends, making full use of the school’s first-class facilities that are open almost 24/7, including art studios, music classrooms, science and technology laboratories, theaters and sports venues. The school also organizes off-campus trips regularly to ensure that students enjoy a balanced and fulfilling weekend time.

In addition, the school also adheres to forward-looking educational philosophy and is fully prepared for students' lives after leaving school. The High School Department’s Future Leadership Program helps students develop essential skills in the workplace through public speaking courses, career planning guidance and leadership training.

4.Plymouth College

Plymouth College students achieved remarkable results in international swimming competitions. Leaded by former Olympic athlete Roberto Pavoni, the school operates an internationally-class high-performance swimming program, equipped with a team of all-round pastoral care, physical trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists and mentors.. Students can use the renovated 25-meter swimming pool on campus and the 50-meter swimming pool at Plymouth Life Center. Parents praised the "unparalleled warm support from teachers, students, coaches and dormitory management teams" to make high-intensity training practical.

There are 117 national swimmers since 2000, including 2024 Olympians Honey Osling, Laura Stephens, silver medalist Ben Proud, and two British modern pentathlon players Miles Piletch and Crenza Bryson. In addition, Plymouth College provides an outstanding academic curriculum system, while firmly believing that the colorful and expanding courses are of great value. The students here thrive in a vibrant environment and will encounter various development opportunities in different fields such as sports, outdoor education, music, drama and art.

5.Talbot Heath School

Talbot Heath School was founded in 1886. In 2019, the school jointly established the Elite Swimming Academy with the Poole Swimming Club, bringing together outstanding swimming seedlings from around the world to receive top-level training in high-quality education. The calibration steadily trains national and international champions, and the U13 team won the World Intercollegiate Championship in 2022. The constant temperature 25-meter swimming pool is equipped with a starting table and anti-wave lane rope. The head coach is in concert with the exclusive physical coach. The school provides swimming scholarships for students starting from Y7. The school is committed to cultivating students to become benevolent leaders, thoughtful explorers and courageous individuals. The school firmly believes that education should not only allow young people to cope with current challenges, but also give them the ability to shape the future. When students graduate from school, they are not only scholars with great achievements, but also citizens of the world who are loving and ready to make meaningful contributions to the world.

6.Whitgift School

Whitgift School, as a strong British sports school, has become the certification body of the England Swimming Association since 2022. The eight-lane 25-meter swimming pool on campus is equipped with a depth adjustment and anti-reflow side system, covering the full echelon training from beginners to national players. Elite players train for 14 hours a week and can participate in the ESSA team championship, the World Inter-School Swimming Championship, the ESSA individual competition and the National Arena League. The first British U17 100-meter breaststroke champion was born in 2023. Outstanding alumni include Joe Joan, a two-time Olympic modern pentathlon player (Golden medal at Tokyo Olympics).

Whitgift School is proud of this friendly, harmonious, and compatible school. The students and teachers here can not only study and work on the beautiful campus, but also enjoy first-class hardware facilities and pursue higher goals in all fields. Whitgift School students come from diverse backgrounds, with a wide range of interests, but their outstanding talents and aggressive spirit of hard work closely connect them. The most important thing is that the students here are positive, good at speaking, confident and calm, but not lose their humility.