She went to school at [[St. George's School, Harpenden]] where she became [[Head Girl]].
Her university education was at [[Somerville College]], [[Oxford]]. (Somerville at that time was a women's college, known in [[Oxford]] as "the [[bluestocking]] college".) There she read [[Greats]] (the Oxford term for traditional courses in the humanities, with emphasis on the ancient classics of Greece and Rome, including philosophy).
Her time at University is remembered by the formerThe drug smuggler [[Howard Marks]] in his autobiography ''[[Mr. Nice]]''. Marks,was a student at [[Balliol College, Oxford]],at the timewhile Frances was at Somerville,. In his autobiography ''[[Mr. Nice]]'' he describes her then as "vivacious". HeThe recountsbook tellingcontains heran aboutanecdote hisof firstMarks dropping acid trip,for asthe itfirst wastime happening,before whilevisiting heFrances was visitingin her rooms. andWhile they sat listening to [[The Rolling Stones]], Marks described to her the trip he was experiencing.