The School - Origins

This school is a rarity in that it is one of only half a dozen maintained schools in the country, which is a real boarding school - in the sense that boarders are not outnumbered by day pupils, and there are lessons on Saturday mornings. We have much longer holidays: 7 weeks in Summer, 3 for Christmas, 3 at Easter and half-term holidays of two weeks in October-November and a mere week (including two weekends) for the other terms!

We are also unique as a UK state school in two respects

1. By teaching pupils from the age of 7 to the age of 16 we span Key Stages 2, 3 and 4, which means that we fit none of the standard DCSF classifications for schools, but offer great opportunities for cross-phase teaching and a real sense of community. As from September 2010, when our Sixth Form opens, we will be the only 7-18 state school in England!
   
   
2. According to the Royal Alexandra and Albert School Act, 1949, the objects of the Charity Corporation - the school is Voluntarily Aided - are to maintain a "school for boys and girls who are without one or both parents or whose special circumstances make it desirable that they should go to a boarding school". The Charity Corporation, together with other educational charities, finances around fifty five boarders whose home situation means that education in a boarding school is desirable. We hope to increase this number of Foundationer places over the next few years.

Working Conditions

Most teaching staff live in accommodation within the School grounds that is provided free of rent and, in some cases also free of Council Tax, Water Rates and even heating and lighting costs. These benefits are tax-free. All staff are entitled to free lunches in School and resident staff are welcome to take other meals.

Teachers usually have up to 20% PPA but they do cover for absent colleagues. A significant number of teaching staff help with sports teams and all contribute to the Activities programme that runs from 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm. Primary Classes rarely exceed 26 (though Year 4 does sometimes reach 31) and Secondary Classes generally never exceed 30 with bottom sets in English, Maths and Science below 20. Many GCSE Option Groups are below 20 - though some such classes reach 25.

The teaching staff are among the most supportive, dedicated and selfless that I have ever met - and they also know how to have a good time and take advantage of the long holidays !

The School - current position

• We had an outstandingly successful Ofsted inspection in June 2008 in which we were judged grade 1 - outstanding - in every single category and sub-category. In addition the text of the report was hugely positive - please access the full text of the report via our website.
• Our results have improved year-on-year - as explained below.
• We consistently achieve tremendous Contextual Value Added - as explained below.
• Our pupil numbers have grown significantly - as explained below
• Our boarding houses have all been refurbished and are now being extended - as explained below.
• We became a Sports College in September 2005 - as explained below
• We are opening our own Sixth Form - as explained below.
• We have plans for major development - as explained below.
  

Our results have improved year-on-year

A comparison of GCSE results over the last four years by percentage of the cohort:

We expect the 5 GCSEs at C+ Including English and Maths percentage to rise very slightly in 2010 and more significantly in 2011.

We consistently achieve tremendous Contextual Value Added

For Contextual Value Added Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4 we have always been in the top ten percent of schools in England, and in three of the last four years we have been in the top 5% of schools in England and the top School in Surrey

Our pupil numbers have grown significantly

With over 400 boarders and numbers rising, there are very few independent or state schools with a greater number of boarders and we are the second largest state boarding school in the UK. When our expansion is complete we shall be around 950 on roll.

Our non-boarding places are very heavily oversubscribed - for September 2009 we had 2.5 applications per place for Year 3 and 6 applications per place for Year 7.

Our boarding houses have all been refurbished and are now being extended

Ground floor extensions, providing extra recreational space and an ICT room with 27 workstations, to Albert and Elizabeth Houses were completed in Summer 2007 and formally opened by the Duchess of Gloucester, President of the School, that Autumn. A similar extension to Gloucester House opened in October 2008.

During 2009-10 we are building two further ground floor extensions on Alexandra and Kent Houses as well as two-storey extensions which will each contain 21 study bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms for Sixth Form boarders as well as a two-bedroom staff flat.

Sports College

We became a Sports College in September 2005, thanks to sponsorship from HSBS Trust and from our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen ! The effect has been considerable, not just within PE and Sport but across the school - with science involved as a second subject. Initiatives to reform our Commendations system, to promote healthy lifestyles and to support Year 11 with revision strategies are having a beneficial whole school effect.

Many Departments have been involved in successful initiatives financed with Sports College money and our own Primary Department benefits considerably as the DCSF classifies it as a "feeder school"!

Following the June 2008 Ofsted inspection we have been re-designated as a Sports College and also designated as a High Performing Specialist School (HPSS) and we have just take on a Second Specialism of Maths and Computing together with becoming a Lead School for Gifted and Talented pupils.

We have been given permission to open our own Sixth Form

Obtaining permission to open a new Sixth Form was a long, complex process but we have now obtained official approval from Surrey. The initial target is 45 pupils in the Lower Sixth and 45 in the Upper Sixth, studying a variety of courses including a few at level 2 and perhaps at level 1.

We have classroom capacity for this and by September 2010 will have converted a small former boarding house into a Sixth Form Centre.

Most helpfully the DCSF has already given us a grant of £2.4 million to build 42 single and double study bedrooms for Sixth Form boarders.

We have plans for major development

This is a terrible understatement! Two Science laboratories were totally refurbished during the Summer of 2008. A new teaching block with two new Science Laboratories, two new general purpose classrooms and a large Dance Studio opened in June 2009. A floodlit Astroturf pitch for hockey, three floodlit netball courts and a tartan athletics facility were also completed this Summer. A second Art classroom was also created and the Junior and Secondary Libraries moved into new premises.

More grass pitches and a Tennis Centre are planned. Five boarding houses will have ground floor extensions by September 2010 and we need to build such extensions for the remaining two boarding houses which will not yet have been extended. There are plans to level a large area near the Chapel in order to create more grass pitches.

During 2009-10 we will refurbish an annexe to Gatton Hall in order to create 12 bed-sitters with en-suite facilities for staff and create a Sixth Form Centre. There are plans to build a Fitness Centre and an "outdoor gymnasium" as well as a Trim Trail.................

Boarding Structure

We have a co-educational Primary House - Rank-Weston - with a capacity of 60+ beds.

Albert and Elizabeth are Lower Secondary (Years 7 and 8) houses for 48 boys and girls respectively.

Edinburgh, Gloucester and Kent are Upper Secondary (Years 9-11) boys' houses for 48 pupils each. Alexandra and Cornwall are Upper Secondary girls' houses for 48 pupils each. From September 2010 Kent and Alexandra will also have 21 en-suite study bedrooms for Sixth Form boarders.

Gatton Hall accommodates up to 45 Sixth Form students.

Children of staff

We currently have 25 staff children on roll. All staff who work here, regardless of their status, are entitled to a significant discount on the fees for boarding or day boarding.

Further questions?

Please have a look around the rest of our website if you have not already done so. It is constantly being updated and improved, but it does give an indication of what sort of school we are.

There is also the facility to download an application form, fill it in and submit as an e-mail attachment - you may/should be interested to know that all teachers appointed in the last five years applied electronically!