WHAT? WHERE?

Box Hill School is a school for boys and girls aged 11 to 18 years. There are 420 pupils on the roll here, of which 130 are international and 150 board. Catering to a broad mix of academic abilities, Box Hill School has a reputation for nailing pastoral care. But don’t think this is to the detriment of academic success – far from it! Pupils do well here with the majority going on to their first choice of university.

It’s an interesting school that stands out from the traditional crowd thanks to a holistic approach to education that encourages sporting, artistic, creative and adventurous pursuits alongside academia.

There’s an emphasis at Box Hill School on fostering personal and emotional growth and the development of life skills, while creating truly global citizens who understand the wider world as well as their own place within it. There’s a strong international vibe and pupils embrace learning about other cultures, leaving Box Hill School with an open mindset and valuable skills for life.

Box Hill School is a founding member of Round Square, an international network of about 200 schools who share a passion for learning through experience and a commitment to personal development and responsibility. Based on the educational concepts of Kurt Hahn, Round Square member schools follow a set of IDEALS that promote internationalism, democracy, environment, adventure, leadership and service, and aims to open the minds of pupils and help them think more broadly.

The school’s tagline – Great minds don’t think alike – says it all really. The school fosters individuality and actively wants each pupil here to follow their own path.

FACILITIES

If your head is turned by a quintessential English boarding school with echoes of Hogwarts, you’ll love Box Hill School. Set on a bucolic 26 acres in Mickleham, near Dorking, the school’s centrepiece is Dalewood House, a former manor house built in 1883 in the Gothic revival and mock tudor style. It’s really something.

The school, though, is far younger – established in only 1959 by Roy McComish, a former house master and art master at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, where the late Prince Phillip and King Charles were educated. Gordonstoun was also a founding member of Round Square – and the two schools remain closely linked today.

The school has the usual array of knock-out facilities set out on an easily navigable campus. Good looking additions have been made over the years and marry well with surroundings. Most recently there’s been the addition of McComish Hall, an impressive performing arts space. A new sports hall opened in June 2018, with a huge multi-use space, a fitness studio and PE classrooms. And there’s also a Sixth Form Centre with a dedicated careers department.

There’s a separate music block with a six practice rooms, a recital room, a podcast suite, and a recording studio. Plus five well-equipped science labs, a dedicated languages ICT suite, drama and dance studios, a DT workshop, and textiles and arts rooms.

Outside, as well as grass and astro pitches and a roof-top netball / tennis court, there’s a high ropes course, caving tunnels, a zip wire and rock climbing walls.

There are six boarding houses – three each for girls and boys – which are dotted around the campus.

SPORT

The sporting programme at Box Hill School fits in with the school’s ethos for holistic learning. Pupils are very much encouraged to get involved with sport for fitness and wellbeing, as well as to develop skills like leadership, discipline and teamwork.

There’s a strong, inclusive sport-for-all vibe, but keen sporties should not be deterred as there’s a strong competitive element for those who seek it. Fixtures are played all year round against local schools in football, netball, rugby, hockey, basketball, cricket, rounders, athletics and tennis.

As well as Sport and PE lessons, there’s a large range of co-curricular sports on offer. Swimming is taught off-site at Dorking Leisure Centre, although there is a small open-air swimming pool on the campus, used during the summer months for recreation.

THE ARTS

Music, drama and the creative arts are strong at Box Hill School – and pupils are encouraged to get involved.

About 50 individual music lessons are taught each week by peripatetic teachers and just over 25 per cent of all pupils learning at least one instrument. Many study two, including violin, trumpet, piano, guitar, singing and drums.

Art as subject is popular, and this is seen in the striking student artwork on display throughout the school. It’s offered to IB and A-Level, alongside Fashion and Textiles.

Performing arts, too, is strong, with an emphasis on inclusivity. Two major school productions are staged each year. There’s a role for everyone, whether that be on stage, or with the wardrobe, staging, lighting or production teams.

ACADEMICS

While the academics at Box Hill School are solid, they’re not the be-all and end-all of everything, with a strong focus on getting the right balance between academics and co-curricular to achieve a well-rounded education. That said, children are supported well and pushed to achieve – and there are some exceptionally high achievers among the leavers. They’re encouraged to try new things and take risks, learning with a sense of curiosity and through experiences.

The school prides itself on getting the best out of all learners – regardless of ability – which harks back again to the school’s celebration of each child’s individuality.

As you’d expect from an international school, Box Hill School offers both A Levels and the International Baccalaureate (IB). In 2023, at A Level there was a 96% pass rate with 25% of grades A*-A, 46% A*-B and 69% A*-C. The 2023 IB pass rate was 95%, with an average of 32 points and a highest score of 41 points (45 points is the highest possible and the average score worldwide is typically around 29 points).

Sixth formers mostly go on to university and in recent years have accepted places at the universities of Exeter, Leeds Warwick, Cardiff, Bath, Bristol, York and Royal Holloway. Some have also gone international, at universities in the United States (New York), Australia, Germany.

At GCSE, just under 22% of pupils achieved grades 7-9, 62% achieved grades 5-9, and 81% achieved grades 4-9.

PASTORAL CARE

The school is known for its strong pastoral care offering – and with just cause. It’s embedded into the fabric of the school through its holistic approach to education that focuses as much on the emotional, social, spiritual and physical elements as the intellectual dimension.

Strong relationships are central to wellbeing with the child at the centre of everything. And because it’s a small school, every child is known at an individual level by teachers and staff. No-one slips under the radar.

Systems are also in place to track the wellbeing of each pupil to make sure they’re supported. In addition, there’s a peer mentoring system in which Sixth Form volunteers have counselling training and support younger pupils. SEN are well provided for at Box Hill School, too.

SIXTH FORM

The Sixth Form centre is a grown-up contemporary space with a dedicated study areas and a social common room. There’s also a careers department where pupils can go for specialist UCAS and careers advice.

BOARDING

Just over 150 children board at Box Hill School – which is about one-third of the school’s total number. Boarding can be flexi (two or three nights), weekly or full time. There are six boarding houses – three for girls and three for boys – each one overseen by dedicated residential house parents. Rooms are typically shared between two or three students. There is a larger dormitory for up to six pupils in the younger years.

While each boarding house is unique, they each have a homely social space and a kitchen. All meals, though, are eaten in the new school dining hall.

THE HEAD

Hayley Robinson, head teacher at Box Hill School in Surrey.

Hayley Robinson is the school’s first female head, appointed in April 2024 after a short spell as acting head. Before Box Hill School, Hayley was Deputy Head Pastoral at The Royal School in Haslemere and before that, Head of Personalised Learning and Academic Enrichment at Reigate Grammar. She’s a big advocate for holistic education, and sits firmly in the ‘happy children are successful’ camp saying that it’s the school’s duty to help children excel by nurturing their abilities and interests. “By prioritising their happiness and wellbeing, we establish the foundation for academic excellence, personal development and lifelong success.”

WRAP AROUND CARE

Co-curricular clubs run during the school timetable (8.15am – 4.30pm) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons with more than 50 different activities on offer. These range from archery and robotics to kickboxing, mountain biking and yoga.

ISI REPORT

The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) visited Box Hill School for a full inspection in May 2019. You can read the full report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Phones are not allowed for pupils in Years 7-11 who hand them in to form tutors at the start of each day. Sixth Formers are permitted to use their phones in the Sixth Form common room.

TRANSPORT

Of the day pupils at Box Hill School, most live within a 10 mile radius of the school. Mini-bus services operate from Dorking, Leatherhead, Reigate, Redhill, Epsom, Banstead, Sutton, Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames, Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, Woking and Cobham.

FEES – 2023/24

Day-pupil fees start at £7,040 per term for Years 7-8, £7,585 for Years 9-11 and £7,915 for Sixth Form.

In Years 7-8, flexi-boarding is £9,425 per term for three nights, £10,320 for weekly boarding and £11,715 for full boarding.

In Years 9-11, flexi-boarding is £10,153 per term for three nights, £11,116 for weekly boarding and £13,706 for full boarding.

At Sixth Form, flexi-boarding is £10,494 per term for three nights, £11,600 for weekly boarding and £14,290 for full boarding.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Parents are attracted to the school’s philosophy of developing the whole child. There’s also a strong emphasis academia as well as pastoral care. The small class sizes are seen as a plus, and the large campus and facilities are also a draw.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Those looking for a quintessential English boarding school, but one with a strong international flavour and world view where children will be side by side with a variety of languages and cultures. The high quality holistic teaching will also appeal to those seeking a well-rounded education.

Not for: Parents seeking a hard-nose results driven focus.

Dare to disagree? Go see the school yourself – there are open events on 6, 20 and 27 Feb and 9, 15 and 22 March.

Box Hill School, London Road, Mickleham, Dorking RH5 6EA. Tel: 01372 373382

Box Hill School, Mickleham

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