WHAT? WHERE?

Reigate Grammar School is an academically outstanding day school for boys and girls aged 11-18. It’s situated on the A25 between Reigate and Redhill. The school has a reputation for its academic success – most leavers going on to Oxbridge or Russell Group universities – but pastoral care is the foundation of everything here.

It’s all about building relationships: relationships between pupils and their families, teachers, heads of year, the wider school staff and importantly, relationships between pupils.

The original school building – demolished and rebuilt in 1862 – is the architectural centrepiece, with a cluster of purpose-built buildings arranged across an adjoining site separated only by a churchyard. It’s a large site – considering it is half a kilometre from Reigate town centre – which creates a university campus vibe.

The school has a long history. It was established in 1675 as a free school for poor boys with connections to the church of St Mary’s. The connection with the church remained for many years – with many of the headmasters also being vicars of the church. It was reformed as a grammar school in the 1860s and in 1976 became a fee-paying independent school. The same year, girls were admitted to the Sixth Form, and by 1993 the school was fully co-ed.

Reigate Grammar has more than 1,000 pupils with an even mix of girls and boys. Most live in the Reigate and Redhill area, but pupils also travel from Guildford, Horsham and East Grinstead.

FACILITIES

Pupils running at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

As well as the main campus, there’s also RGS Hartwood, a 32-acre site which is home to the sports fields. It’s about two miles from the town centre. Here you’ll find two floodlit all-weather astroturf pitches for hockey, grass pitches for rugby, cricket and football, and a pavilion. Netball and tennis courts and a sports hall are on the town centre site, along with a multi-use games area.

Plans are also afoot to build a state-of-the-art sports centre. Watch this space for that.

In terms of buildings, there’s everything you’d expect here from a top independent senior school, including the a new Dining Hall, Sixth Form Centre, Library and university-style Learning Resource Centre, Drama and Music School and a 25m indoor swimming pool. A new building containing classrooms and science laboratories opened 10 years ago.

SPORT

Girls playing hockey at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

Like most things at Reigate Grammar School, sport is taken seriously, and the school does well at it. But this is not a school that pushes the popular ‘sport-for-all’ approach where all pupils play on a team regardless of skill. The school is more concerned with finding the sport that suits each child – be that rugby, sailing or ultimate frisbee. And, it’s not just about producing young people who are good at sport, but also those who are good sports. There’s a big emphasis on sporting values – rather than simply winning.

THE ARTS

A girl plays the violin at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

Music and drama are big, as are the visual arts which is particularly evident in the displays of pupils’ art shown throughout the school. The music programme, as you’d expect, offers individual tuition for any musical instrument. The school has an orchestra, string ensemble, swing band, six choirs, two concert bands, wind ensembles, guitar group, percussion ensemble, brass ensemble, rock bands and chamber groups.

The RGS Godfrey Searle Choir, is made up of choristers aged 7-15 years from both Reigate Grammar School and the junior school, Reigate St Mary’s Preparatory and Choir School.

Eight drama productions are staged throughout the year, and all pupils are encouraged to get involved – whether that be on stage or behind the scenes.

ACADEMICS

A boy at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

The results speak for themselves. In 2022, at A Level 95% of pupils achieved A*-B and 79% achieved A*-A. 96% received Russell Group, Top 10, Oxbridge or Medical School offers. Impressive!

At GCSE in 2022, pupils did well too, with 79% of all grades at 9 or 8 (A*); and over 90% achieving grades 9 -7 (A*-A). The extended three-year GCSE programme is seen as a kinder and more relevant arrangement that takes the pressure off and means there’s no last-minute cramming for exams. It runs in conjunction with an extensive elective programme that allows pupils to study additional subjects in six-week modules, the aim of which is to turn out students who are genuinely well-educated, and not just well qualified.

PASTORAL CARE

Pupils at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

Reigate Grammar is a school that puts pastoral care and pupils’ wellbeing at the centre of everything. The school has been recognised with a national award for its outstanding wellbeing programme which focuses on raising awareness of the importance of mental health and for providing pupils with the emotional resources to get on in the modern world.

Nurturing starts from the outset with each Year 7 pupil assigned a Sixth Form mentor to help support them throughout that first year, but it is a relationship that frequently extends beyond that in the formation of lifelong friendships. In Year 7, no homework is assigned for the first six weeks to allow the newcomers a chance to find their place, join new clubs and establish new friendships and relationships.

A new wellbeing centre has also been created at the school with a dedicated snug tucked away on the top floor, kitted out with cosy soft furnishings, offering a quiet place for those who need it.

THE HEAD

Shaun Fenton, head master at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

Shaun Fenton has been the headmaster at Reigate Grammar School for nine years and he’s passionate about the wellbeing of his charges. He comes to the role, he says, firstly as a dad, and says he aims to build the school around the child creating a community and family and where children feel they can belong rather than a place where they simply fit in. He wants the students to be happy and feel valued and known. One size doesn’t fit all, he says.

Harking back to the dad reference, his own two children and two step children are all educated at RGS and Reigate St Mary’s, the junior school. His office is centrally positioned with doors and windows that look out onto the playground.

His approach is progressive, but without losing sight of the traditional values that underpin the school’s ethos. He wants his pupils to have choices, and to build an environment for then that allows them to be successful in whatever way works for them. He’s working hard to prepare RGS pupils to be global citizens, establishing an international RGS school community through RGS schools in Vietnam, China, Morocco and the Middle East, with more to come.

CO-CURRICULAR

Pupils perform on stage at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

There’s a huge programme of co-curricular activities with more than 100 clubs ranging from the traditional art, music and sporting clubs to things like meteorology, skiing, judo, Minecraft through and classics. The school says that if a pupil is interested in trying something and there’s not a club already, they’ll create one. A new student-led newspaper called The Castle has recently been launched.

The Combined Cadet Force is a popular co-curricular offering as is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.

ISI REPORT

The most recent report was in May 2023 which found the school to be Excellent across all areas. It also noted the school excellence at supporting pupils’ achievement in and beyond the classroom and supporting their personal development. Read the full report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

sport at reigate grammar school in Surrey

Mobile phones are permitted. Lower school students are not allowed to use them throughout the day, apart from a 10-minute window at lunchtime. Phones are permitted in the upper school, and there are programmes to educate pupils on the proper use of technology.

TRANSPORT

The majority of pupils live in the local area of Reigate, Redhill and the surrounding villages. There are 11 bus routes which take in Guildford, Horsham, Dorking, Oxted, East Grinstead, Banstead, Epsom, Caterham and Tadworth.

FEES

Termly fees for the 2023-24 academic year are £7,510 for Years 7-8 and £7,665 for Years 9-13. Scholarships are offered for academics, music and sports. And there are headmaster’s scholarships for a range of disciplines including drama, art and chess.

There’s also a generous bursary programme. More than £2 million is donated each year to fee remission through fundraising and benefactors.

WORD ON THE GROUND

pupils at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

The outstanding pastoral support and excellent academics are the big winners for parents who say pupils are happy and relaxed. The co-curricular offering is also commended by parents.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Pupils at Reigate Grammar School in Surrey

Good for: Parents who value pastoral care and a sense of community as highly as they do the academic results.

Not for: Those who are looking for an academic hothouse, massive rural acreage and boarding.

Dare to disagree? Dare to disagree? Working open mornings and virtual live Q&A events are held throughout the year. There are working open mornings on Wed 31 Jan, Tues 5 Mar, Thur 2 May, Wed 15 May, Mon 17 Jun and Tues 18 Jun.

Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, RH2 0QS. Tel: 01737 222231 reigategrammar.org

Reigate Grammar School, Reigate

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