Cothill House
Dum Spiro Spero
Founded in 1870 in the Oxfordshire countryside near Abingdon, Cothill House is a nurturing and characterful boarding school with a strong family feel, its values rooted in kindness, humour, teamwork, curiosity, and respect. Every pupil spends a term at the school's own château in southwest France, a long and distinctive tradition. Cothill joined the Radley Schools Group in 2025 and began welcoming girls the same year, becoming co-educational as the lower years move up.
Key Facts
Location : Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Type : Co-educational (phased from September 2025), boarding and day
Age Range : 8 to 13
Pupil Numbers : Approx. 250 pupils
Founded : 1870
Motto : Dum Spiro Spero ("While I Breathe, I Hope")
Academic Profile
Cothill is an academically selective school that prepares pupils thoroughly for Common Entrance and senior school scholarships, with the most popular destinations including Eton, Radley, Harrow, Winchester, and Oundle. Scholarships are regularly achieved across academic, music, art, and all-round categories.
Co-Curricular Life
The term spent at the school's own Château de Sauveterre in southwest France gives every pupil a genuine immersion in French language and culture, living and learning in French for a full term. It is a long and much-loved Cothill tradition, and a defining part of the school's character. Alongside it, sport, music, and the arts all have a strong presence, within a deliberately outdoor and active approach to school life on Cothill's Oxfordshire grounds.
Admissions Essentials
Cothill's main entry points are at Years 3, 4, 5, and 7, and early registration is welcomed. The admissions process centres on an assessment comprising an interview alongside English comprehension and mathematics papers, together with a reference from the child's current school. Scholarships and senior school preparation are a central part of school life in the upper years.
In Essence
For a child who will thrive in a warm and traditional boarding school with a real family feel, Cothill draws out confidence, curiosity, and character, and readies them for the country's leading senior schools.