WHAT? WHERE?

Set on a six-acre site in central Guildford, Tormead School is an all-through school for girls aged 4 to 18. Girls start at Tormead Prep, across the road, and the majority progress through to the vibrant Sixth Form.

It’s a school with a good community spirit and girls who are known to be friendly, down-to-earth and kind. Girls are prepared to travel for Tormead, coming from a 15 mile radius, although a fair chunk are from Guildford and the surrounding villages. From the prep, it’s a seamless transition into year 7 for pretty much all pupils, who are joined by girls from a range of Surrey preps and some state schools. There are five forms across each year group, with about 100 girls in each year level.

The main points of entry are reception, year 3, year 7 and the Sixth Form. In the prep there are informal assessments. Entry to the Senior School involves an activity day, 11+ entry assessments and an interview.

Tormead is a school that’s going from strength to strength. Academically ambitious, with excellent sport and a strong arts offering, there’s also an extensive extra-curricular programme. Tormead School has strong ties with RGS Guildford – both at prep and senior level – with shared learning and social opportunities.

The school was founded in 1905, and moved to the current site in 1915.

FACILITIES

A gymnast at Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey.

Tormead Senior School’s location on a six-acre site just 10-minutes’ walk from Guildford town centre means it’s compact. But facilities are not lacking – and there’s plenty here to wow.

The main school building – Tormead House – has been extensively added to over the decades. And what lies behind the handsome red-brick Victorian façade facing Cranley Road a is modern and contemporary school with bright light-filled classrooms. At the centre, you’ll find the Atrium, a stunning three-storey space which houses the dining hall plus cosy study pods, a large library (housing more than 17,000 books) and a multi-faith room.

There’s also a large assembly hall with seating for up to 500 people; DT classrooms (with specialist equipment including lathes, drills, sanders, rotary cutters, 3D printers and laser cutters), food tech kitchens and no less than 12 science labs.

The JCS Building is a hub for the school’s music, arts and drama and includes an impressive theatre space with retractable seating for 120, a drama studio, and music suite that includes eight music practice rooms.

The sports hall is a whopper with a big multi-games hall and a separate Olympic-standard sprung gymnasium, plus a fitness suite. Outside there’s a sports field, and netball and tennis courts. But the big news on the sporting front is the development of a new sports ground, the Urnfield, in partnership with Guildford County School. Opening in October 2024, it will provide a floodlit astro hockey pitch, two football pitches and a rugby pitch, a six-lane running track, two cricket squares plus cricket nets and a sports pavilion.

A new Sixth Form centre opened in September 2022 and includes a common room, café, lecture theatre and teaching spaces, dedicated study areas and social spaces.

Tucked away in the well-kept grounds there’s also a Wellbeing Centre.

SPORT

Netballers at Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey.

Sport is big at Tormead, as the development of the Urnfield Sports Ground will attest. The opening of these shiny new facilities brings a new buzz of excitement to the school. Take a closer look here, and you’ll see why. It’s less than a mile from the school, so as well as offering stunning new facilities it’s also hugely convenient. Girls are currently bussed to the Surrey Sports Park for hockey, cricket and football, plus swimming.

Tormead is increasingly known for hockey more than netball, and football is also growing fast. Cricket, too is big. The new Urnfield facilities will also open the way for rugby to develop more.

Rowing was introduced only a few years ago thanks to a partnership with the Weybridge Ladies Rowing Club and is growing in popularity. The school is building up its own fleet of boats, which the girls take great delight in naming.

And of course, Tormead is known for its gymnastics, evident during my visit with girls backflipping their way across that lovely full-size fully-sprung gym floor.

Competitive fixtures are played in a wide variety of sports taking in the usuals like hockey, netball, cricket, gymnastics, cross country and tennis, but also including sports like aquathlon, badminton, cheerleading and skiing.

The ethos here is sport for all, with the aim of instilling a love of sport in all pupils, not just the top fliers. So there’s plenty of opportunity to try out different sports both within the curriculum and an extensive co-curricular programme.

That said, there’s provision for those with talent in the Talented Performer Programme which tailors a strength and conditioning programme to their individual needs, and provides advice on nutrition, rest and sports psychology.

THE ARTS

Drama students at Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey.

Take a seat, we could be here sometime! As a school with a solid all-rounder offering, the performing arts at Tormead are also strong and the focus is to make it fun and accessible, and involve pupils at all levels.

Let’s start with music, which is a biggie with more than half of all girls learning an instrument and a team of 22 visiting music teachers. There’s an endangered instrument scheme which offers 10 fully-funded places to learn an instrument like the bassoon, double bass, French horn, oboe, trombone and viola.

As you’d expect there’s a swag of bands, orchestras and ensembles, plus opportunities to perform within the school and at venues including Winchester, Southwark and Portsmouth cathedrals.

The fabulous facilities are crying out for regular performances, and it’s true – it happens. At least two productions are staged by each year group every year, but Tormead thesps also venture beyond the school to venues like Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. As well as being on the curriculum from year 7 to GCSE (and at A level), there are plenty of extra curricular clubs including LAMDA.

Art and textiles is taught in years 7 and 8, and art becomes optional from year 9 up. Art and design are offered at GCSE and A level.

LITTLIES

Girls at Tormead Prep in Guildford, Surrey.

Tormead Prep School is across the road on it’s own self-contained site. You can read our review here.

ACADEMICS

Girls at Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey.

Since David Boyd joined in 2020, academics have taken a hike northwards. Girls at Tormead expect to work hard and are ambitious for academic success. Pupils are set for maths from year 7, and choose two out of three languages (French, Spanish and German) in year 7, 8 and 9, and also learn Latin. Greek is offered at GCSE and A level.

An Apple Distinguished School, Apple technology has been at the heart of Tormead’s digital strategy for the best part of 10 years. In 2021 the school was reaccredited with Distinguished School Status.

An enrichment programme offers pupils the chance to attend a university-style lecture each week led by staff and Sixth Form students. Covering topics such as the holocaust, women in STEM, and women’s poetry – it’s hugely popular.

2023 saw excellent results, with 90 per cent achieving A*-B at A level. At GCSE, 69 per cent of pupils achieved grades 9-7. Tormead girls went on to a range of universities including Cambridge, Durham, Imperial College London, the LMA, St Andrews, LSE, Exeter, Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Nottingham, UCL, the Royal Veterinary College, and York among others.

SIXTH FORM

The Sixth Form centre at Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey.

The new Sixth Form centre opened in September 2022 with a café, social spaces, quieter study spaces and a collaborative study room. Sixth Form classrooms are nearby including The Lounge, an informal classroom with (you guessed it) lounge chairs fitted with desks, plus there’s a lecture theatre. It aims to offer a seamless transition between secondary school study and university education.

More than 23 subjects are offered at A level – the most popular in 2023 were maths and the three sciences.

All lower sixth form pupils volunteer at local organisations in the community as part of their weekly timetable. There are also regular networking events, often involving old Tormeadians.

PASTORAL CARE

Pupils at Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey.

Strong pastoral roots underpin Tormead’s ethos and this has long been one of the school’s greatest strengths. The focus is on strong relationships – between pupils, staff and parents. The school stands out for its close, caring community. Form tutors and heads of year will be the first port of call for pupils if issues are brewing. There are also two counsellors, pastoral support officers and the school nurse. And there’s a formal tracking system that keeps tabs on all pupils’ wellbeing.

Empowering the girls is a biggie. Girls are given a voice through a wide range of student councils covering things like food, technology and the environment.

A wellbeing centre is positioned away from the main teaching blocks and houses counsellors, pastoral support officers and school nurse. Pupils are entitled to six hours of free counselling, after which time there’s a fee. Workshops are also held here addressing things like stress management.

THE HEAD

David Boyd, head at Tormead School with Head of Prep, Nicki Fry. — David Boyd, head at Tormead School with the head of prep, Nicki Fry.

David Boyd arrived at Tormead School in 2020, coming from a four-year stint at Latymer Upper School in London where he was deputy head pastoral. Before Latymer, he spent two years at an international school in Hong Kong, and before that was at Abingdon School in Oxon for 11 years. He grew up in Belfast and went to university at Oxford, Cambridge and UCL.

Tormead’s 11th head – and the first ever male – he says you can’t change the fundamental DNA of a school, and nor would he want to – he’s here to build on what Tormead already offers, and add value. He’s all about equality, and has an open door policy.

David is married with two children – his daughter attends the Prep – and he lives at Ash Green, between Guildford and Farnham.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Pupils from Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey on a school trip.

Breakfast club runs from 7.45am to 8.20am in the dining hall, with options ranging from croissants and hot chocolate to avocado on toast. After school, there’s late stay until 6pm.

The co-curricular programme at Tormead is extensive. It’s an important part of the school’s aim to offer a holistic and rounded education that develops the whole pupil. As well as day and residential trips, pupils can do the Duke of Edinburgh award and also take part in volunteering programmes. The list of co-curricular clubs and activities is vast. It includes an art scholars club to Muslim prayer, genetics society, engineering clubs, chess and yoga.

ISI REPORT

Tormead’s most recent ISI inspection was in September 2023. You can read the report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

The use of mobile phones is not permitted during the school day for pupils in years 7 to 11. Phones are allowed in limited circumstances for pupils in the Sixth Form.

TRANSPORT

Tormead operates a dedicated coach service with eight transport routes. They cover Camberley, Cobham, Cranleigh, Esher, Ewhurst, Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere, Peaslake, Surbiton, Walton, Woking and the villages surrounding Guildford.

FEES

2023-24: Reasonable compared to other local options. Termly fees are £6,325 for girls. School lunches are an additional £355 per term.

WORD ON THE GROUND

An art student at Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey.

Families are attracted to the excellent balance between academics and pastoral care. The extra curricular offering was praised for giving girls a well-rounded school experience. And one parent said it’s a kind school where girls are really cared for pastorally, as well as challenged academically. Another said she loved the strong community spirit. The school’s recent investment in facilities is also praised.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Pupils at Tormead School in Guildford, Surrey.

Good for: Those looking for an all-rounder school that will prepare girls for the future. Academically it’s robust but music, art, drama and sport are all individual success stories here. Rounded and grounded girls who are keen to get involved and work hard will do well.

Not for: It has a city-centre school edge to it, so may not suit those looking for a quieter environment. If you’re after rolling acres, Tormead’s main campus doesn’t offer this. Although there are the new playing fields just down the road.

Dare to disagree? There are open mornings on Sat 28 Sept and Fri 11 Oct. A Sixth Form open evening will be held on Thurs 19 Sept. Book here.

Tormead School, Cranley Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2JD. Tel: 01483 796091

Tormead Senior School, Guildford

You may also like