Hewitt Students Attend Oxford’s Global Tutorial Programme 

Hewitt’s Venturer Program offers opportunities for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade to engage in cultural exchanges, language immersion, community service, and global travel. Through The Venturer Program, Hewitt girls develop into independent thinkers who are capable of making meaningful contributions locally and globally. 

This summer, The Venturer Program brought members of our community to the United Kingdom for a travel experience rooted in research, history, and sustainability.  

Our trip began in Oxford, where upper school students, Director of Sustainability Tim Clare, and I spent the day exploring. We especially enjoyed a walking tour that highlighted the city’s literary landmarks and taught us about how Oxford inspired the work of authors like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. 

The students then settled into their dorms at St. Hilda’s College at the University of Oxford for The Global Tutorial Programme. Over the next five days, they joined high schoolers from across the globe to examine the pressing and complex issue of sustainability through Oxford-style tutorials, academic workshops, small-group seminars, and insightful site visits. Much like Hewitt’s own signature Extended Inquiry Program, The Global Tutorial Programme offered students an impactful learning experience focused on independent research and personalized feedback. By the end of the five days, students had enhanced their critical writing and thinking skills and used their research to complete an academic essay. 

While our students were hard at work at Oxford, I had the opportunity to engage in a few meaningful research and learning experiences of my own. I spent a deeply moving day in Barford — the birthplace of Hewitt’s founder — touring Caroline Hewitt’s childhood home and primary school. I also visited Winchester College, an independent boarding school founded in 1382, to learn about their rich history and academic program from Director of Admissions Emma Macey and Head of School Elizabeth Stone. Tim Clare joined me for a tour of Fordham College’s London campus, and to host a gathering of Hewitt alumnae living and working in the U.K.

Hewitt’s summer visit to England ended back at the University of Oxford, where Tim and I had the honor of joining David Palfreyman, the director of the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies, for a lunchtime discussion about how methodologies like Hewitt’s Extended Inquiry Program and the Oxford Tutorial help students develop academic resilience and responsibility in the face of the increasing presence of AI. 

Before heading home, Tim and I had the distinct pleasure of observing Hewitt students in class with Oxford Professor Joshua Hickford. Listening to our students engage in the tutorial method was truly enlightening. As they spoke confidently about their thesis statements and research and applied their work to real-world problems, I was reminded of how international travel opportunities and Hewitt’s robust academic program come together to help our students reach their goals for college, career, and lifelong learning.