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OUR PHILOSOPHY

WELCOME

THIS IS A SCHOOL WITH SERIOUS AMBITION THAT THINKS DEEPLY ABOUT PUPIL EXPERIENCE.”

It is a privilege to lead Oundle School.

From my first visit, I was struck by Oundle’s scale and ambition, but also by something more subtle and enduring. What stands out is not performance or polish, but purpose and thoughtfulness. There is a strong sense of authenticity and a quiet confidence that feels entirely unforced.

Oundle has an energy that comes from a profound sense of interconnection and a culture of decency, curiosity and care. Most striking of all are the pupils. They are grounded, kind and intellectually alive. They explore ideas fearlessly and care deeply about not just about what they do but how they do it.

This is a school with a real sense of possibility. If a pupil wants to do something, it feels achievable and our full boarding model is central to this. Ambition

is not crammed into the corners of the week, but instead built into the rhythm of daily life. Within that rhythm there is space – physical, emotional, intellectual and creative – for pupils to think deeply and to grow independently. Central to all of this is a staff community of extraordinary commitment and expertise.

Oundle doesn’t sit behind gates but is woven into the beautiful market town from which it takes its name. Living alongside this broader community gives pupils a sense of who they are in relation to society: they are actively encouraged to look up and out into the wider world.

Education is about so much more than outcomes. Young people should feel known, supported and challenged, not just so they can succeed but so that they can find their own particular path and contribute positively to the world. Great schools are places of possibility and when they work well, as Oundle does, they are deeply joyful places too.

Dominic Oliver Head of Oundle School

OUR VALUES

the heart of the School’s Strategic Plan lie the five things we value most:

PUPILS STAFF

COMMUNITIES OPPORTUNITIES QUALITY

Pupils are at the heart of what we value and central to every decision made. We value the staff who contribute to the lives of our pupils in whatever capacity. We value the opportunities that the School makes available both to pupils and to staff, as well as the various communities of which we form part, not least former pupils and parents. We also recognise the value of seeking the highest quality in all that we do.

These values not only underpin every development and initiative but serve to ensure an unwavering focus on delivering a distinctive and outstanding education that prepares children for their adult lives.

OUR VISION

PUPIL WELFARE AND CONDUCT

ACADEMIC STUDY ADMISSIONS

PASTORAL CARE

THE CO-CURRICULUM

THE WIDER SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH

The education we provide aims to develop in our pupils the skills, attitudes and habits of mind that will sustain them throughout a long life, enabling them to flourish both at School and beyond. This vision informs every element of Oundle School’s leadership and practice.

Our criteria for success are not limited to what happens at School: we wish to support the intellectual, spiritual, physical, emotional and social growth of our pupils, so that they become happy, balanced contributors to society. We have a responsibility to ensure that every single member of the School community takes both individual and collective action towards environmental sustainability. We encourage aspiration and abhor arrogance, nurturing open minds, authentic self-belief and a sense of service.

We believe that boarding offers the best environment within which to realise these educational ambitions, with day pupils involved fully in the breadth offered by such an education.

We also believe in the intrinsic value of partnership and outreach to the various communities of which we form part.

THE SCHOOL’S AIM TO DEVELOP PUPILS INTO GLOBAL CONTRIBUTORS WHO UNDERSTAND THEIR PLACE IN THE WORLD IS VERY SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED.”

Independent Schools Inspectorate Report, June 2021

PUPIL WELFARE AND CONDUCT

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO BE AUTHENTIC. OUNDLE IS A SCHOOL WHERE YOU CAN BE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO BE. ”

Faisal, Prefect

Promoting and safeguarding our pupils’ welfare is essential as we seek to empower them to thrive and to flourish, finding personal fulfilment through the various strands of their lives at School.

We seek to support the development of resilience and self-esteem through their participation in a varied programme of enriching activities, celebrating diversity and encouraging individualism. We place great emphasis on the Oundle Code, which confirms our aspirations for a School characterised by strong values of mutual respect, wholehearted engagement, understated courtesy, considerate behaviour, and above all a cohesiveness which is inclusive of the Oundle town community, to which the School owes so much, living as it does at its heart.

WHAT MAKES OUNDLE SCHOOL SPECIAL IS ITS CLOSE CONNECTION WITH THE TOWN — TOGETHER, WE’RE ONE COMMUNITY. ”

Ryan, Head of School

Listening to our pupils and responding to their views enables our relationship to be open and trusting, and the pupils to become their own people in a school which looks beyond the boundaries of its own world.

We want Oundelians to be confident, well rounded, fundamentally decent human beings: all aspects of our programme are underpinned by this ethos.

An annual pupil survey and a pupil forum run entirely by the Heads of School ensures that pupil voice is heard and valued.

ACADEMIC STUDY

Oundle has long shown itself to be open to innovation and change, combining a strong and traditional educational model with new disciplines, techniques and facilities.

The School’s ability and willingness to develop its delivery of an academic curriculum has been the defining measure of its success. The firm academic foundation that the School has built allows us to adopt and develop new approaches in pedagogy and technology. We aim to promote scholarship and research, and, in time, to position the School as a global leader of education.

Our pupil-centred curriculum nurtures Oundelians’ natural curiosity and ability, affording them the necessary time, resources and expertise to ensure each and every pupil is immersed in creative and productive work across its breadth. Academic excellence is acknowledged, pursued and rewarded at every opportunity, be that in the classroom, in our thriving academic societies or in intellectual endeavours beyond the confines of the School. Our curriculum is further supported by, and continually enhanced through, our inspirational teaching staff, investment in modern classrooms and technologies, the refinement of agile academic structures and the creation of unique learning opportunities for our communities both within and beyond Oundle.

This approach instils a love of scholarship – a Life of Learning – in all our pupils and staff, helping forge an intellectually curious community that collectively seeks to understand better, and ultimately improve, the complex world we inhabit.

8 timetabled languages

29 A Level options

GCSE/IGCSE subject options

40+ academic societies

PASTORAL CARE

We recognise that the journey through adolescence is seldom straightforward. An important part of our educational responsibility is therefore to enable our pupils to celebrate their growing maturity, as well as to come to terms with personal challenge.

We want every pupil at Oundle to know that they are cared for. They should feel that they are listened to and that we are all working together with their parents or guardians towards a common goal, which is for them to thrive. All staff have a role to play in the pastoral care of the pupils.

The House system lies at the heart of our pastoral care. The Housemaster or Housemistress (Hsm) oversees the whole House and, along with the Deputy Hsm, Matron and Tutor team, ensures that the pupils have a supportive and nurturing environment in which to grow up. A vertical Tutor system within each House enables the Tutors to know their tutees well, to operate meaningfully as the principal point of contact for parents and school staff, and to enable their charges to

navigate a successful path through their time at Oundle, both Tutor and tutee being supported and guided by the Hsm. The third element of the tripod of care for each pupil is, of course, their parents or guardians; prompt and open communication is therefore highly prized.

An important part of Oundle’s vision for the pastoral care of children is the Learning for Life programme. This aims to provide pupils with the resources and opportunity to have informed discussions about the issues which concern them as they grow towards adulthood. Information is shared with parents through the programme to enable them to support their children throughout adolescence. The direct and regular involvement of the Chaplaincy, the Health Centre and the Emotional Wellbeing team in pastoral decisions signals the breadth of care provided.

We believe that pastorally, a School is only as big as its smallest unit of care. At Oundle, every pupil is part of a House-based Tutor group which usually consists of around eight to ten tutees.

OUNDLE TAUGHT ME TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO AND ALWAYS BE INQUISITIVE.”

Sophie McGregor Old Oundelian 2009

THE CO-CURRICULUM

The co-curriculum is at the heart of Oundle: its breadth and quality are distinctive characteristics of the School, complementing and enriching our outstanding academic education. By providing creative opportunities, competitive activities and the chance to serve, the cocurriculum develops the sense of belonging, identity and purpose fundamental to an individual’s lifelong happiness, fulfilment and wellbeing.

Activity outside the classroom is central to a child’s Oundle experience because it enhances their progress in it. It offers invaluable opportunities to develop their character and equips them with the skills required for life and their future careers. Happy, healthy children learn more effectively. Drama, Music and Sport provide opportunities for pupils to challenge themselves and develop qualities such as self-discipline, self-esteem and confidence, which are crucial to their wellbeing. Cadets, the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Electives allow them to develop practical and personal skills, while our Community Action programme provides the chance for pupils to serve others.

400+

pupils are actively engaged in CCF on a weekly basis, the largest School CCF in the country.

80+ annual residential trips.

200+ annual day trips.

40+ non-academic societies and clubs.

300+

pupils regularly volunteer as part of Community Action.

We provide three development strands:

3 LEADERSHIP AND ADVENTURE SERVICE CREATIVITY AND CULTURE

The comprehensive involvement of our staff in delivering the co-curriculum powerfully enhances our pastoral care and our pupils’ academic progress. Activities on the stage, mountainside, sports pitch or in the music school are fundamentally different from the classroom, with shared experiences fostering the trust vital to pastoral care. These deeper relationships also improve the classroom environment, fostering a love of learning and teaching among pupils and staff.

Oundelians do: they are deeply involved in the co-curriculum and they achieve excellent academic results. The two are mutually reinforcing and define a distinctive Oundle education.

PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH

We are committed to making a social impact beyond our own School and our own pupils as well as learning from our peers across the educational community. In addition we want to ensure that the community in which all our pupils grow up is diverse and socially representative. Our partnerships and outreach programme promotes these twin aims.

Oundle seeks to provide its pupils with a balanced view of the world around them, to which we hope they will become the global contributors of the future. We offer our pupils opportunities to meet people from backgrounds different to their own and to be challenged by others of similar ability and interest, through collaboration with a wide range of schools, universities and other organisations. We promote innovative links and breadth of ideas in order to enable our pupils to act with a confidence that comes from understanding.

In addition, we seek to make the transformative potential of an Oundle education available to children whose family situation would put this out of reach. We set aside up to 10% of our income each year to provide bursaries, ranging from 10% to 100%+. We have for many years enjoyed a close relationship with Royal SpringBoard to enable access for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who have in turn enriched the School they have joined.

OUR KEY PARTNERSHIPS

We are proud to partner with Imperial College London and to employ two Imperial College London Outreach Fellows who teach Science both at Oundle and at our partner schools.

We are the East Midlands Outreach Hub for Swansea University Engineering, with termly visits by students and faculty to share ideas and advise on pupils’ projects in our Patrick Engineering Centre.

We are a founding member of the OPEN Learning Partnership which aims to increase opportunity, raise aspirations and allow the sharing of best practice between local schools. This network provides over 10,000 young people with enriching opportunities annually.

We are one of 9 UK hubs for Modern Languages subject specific teacher training across state and independent schools through SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training).

We have a unique formal partnership with the Royal College of Music, hosting termly Masterclasses led by RCM Professors and concerts held at the RCM every 2 years.

BEING FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE RECEIVED AN OUNDLE EDUCATION MEANS THAT YOU’RE LEFT WITH THAT INQUISITIVE, COMPASSIONATE AND UNIQUE NATURE FOREVER.”

Mirabel Agyemang, Old Oundelian 2024

ADMISSIONS

We aim to be consistently considered as the boarding school of choice with outstanding day provision for able, curious children who relish opportunity. Our focus in Admissions is on ensuring that the balance of our pupil roll remains true to what we value, enabling us to be nimble whilst retaining our distinctive ethos as a School.

We work in partnership with each of our prospective families and feeder schools to ensure that Oundle is the right school for the right child. Conducting ourselves with openness and integrity matters greatly to both Admissions and the School.

Much of Oundle’s success has been built upon a broad intake of pupils keen to make the most of the extensive educational opportunities available to them. These opportunities and the graduated fostering of independence are greatly enhanced by both our boarding ethos and our location within a small, thriving market town. Oundle is academically selective but it is no hot house.

We welcome bright, sparky children who are keen to get involved and make their mark. There is no typical Oundelian, with quiet creative souls just as likely to find their tribe as sporty, gregarious individuals. Entry Scholarships provide the support for nurturing specific talent and those developing or revealing potential later in their Oundle career also have the opportunity to join these programmes.

For many families aspiring to send their children to a full boarding school, financial help with paying fees will be required. The willingness of Oundle and its communities to provide financial support through means-tested bursaries is instrumental to ensuring that access to the School remains wide.

35+

pupil nationalities

1160

120+

UK feeder schools

pupils aged 11 to 18

840 boarders

320 day pupils

OUNDLE HAS TAUGHT ME INDISPENSABLE LESSONS OF TEAMSMANSHIP, DILIGENCE, AND THE REWARDS OF HARD WORK.”

Sophie Watts, Old Oundelian 2025

THE WIDER SCHOOL

The role of the Bursarial team is to support the vision of both Oundle School and Laxton Junior School. The pupils and their education guide all decisions. We aim to provide a world-class, inspiring environment in which the highest standard of education is delivered, instilling confidence in the School’s community by ensuring value for money and respect for the charitable funds we manage. We make the most of the freedom we have as an independent school. We seek to ensure that the School’s resources are directed in the most efficient and focused way, through thorough planning and coordinated activity.

Part of our strategy is to manage and develop our financial resources to support the education of children from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible.

The Bursary is responsive to the needs of the School, integrated within the School’s planning processes and coordinated in response. We work together to forge a resilient School, able to navigate successfully the contemporary environment for independent schools and to plan thoughtfully for the future. We aim to be an employer of choice, sought out by the talent that can bring the School’s vision to life.

The Worshipful Company of Grocers

Oundle has its origin in a grammar school founded in 1556 by Sir William Laxton, who was Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers eight times between 1536 and 1552 and Lord Mayor of London in 1544.

The Grocers' Company is one of the oldest Livery Companies of the City of London and ranks second in the order of precedence. Under the terms of the will of Sir William Laxton, the Grocers' Company gives generously to charity when its means allow and continues to demonstrate its support for the School through the provision of bursaries and grants. The School's Governing Body consists of seventeen members, including eight Governors nominated by the Court of the Grocers' Company.