Project 24 by Oundle School and Laxton Junior School

P R O J E C T 24

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE 2022-2026

INTRODUCTION

s we emerge from a period of global uncertainty and continued strain on both people and establishments, we are proud to publish our vision for securing the long-term security and success of our School for all our pupils, from the four-year-old joining Reception at Laxton Junior School to the eighteen-year-old preparing for life beyond Oundle. We place the highest value on giving our pupils every possible opportunity to flourish. Fundamental to this commitment is the quality of our care, including the physical and pastoral structures that make it possible. Project 24 celebrates our profound belief in co-education and in guiding our children’s development. Project 24 also embraces our core identity as a boarding school and our long-held belief that a full boarding ethos offers the best environment within which to realise our ambitions for all our pupils, giving us the scope and the time to offer unparalleled opportunity that simply is not possible otherwise, from the youngest to the oldest, boarders and day pupils alike. This is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in those things that matter most to us and to assure the long-term security of the School we want to be.

Sarah Kerr-Dineen Head

“OUNDLE SCHOOL HAS LONG BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE VERY BEST OF MODERN INDEPENDENT EDUCATION, ESPECIALLY BOARDING EDUCATION.” 2

REMAINING TRUE T O W H AT W E VA L U E We understand that children develop at different rates and stages, with different needs along the way: outstanding teaching, pastoral care and resources are therefore vital.

We understand that children and teenagers value intensely their friendships and being with their friends: boarding gives a unique context in which to grow up happily and securely.

We understand that the 18-year-old leaver cannot be the end-point of any school’s vision: we must support each child to develop the authentic confidence with which to continue to learn and to contribute to society throughout adult life.

We understand the deep satisfaction of academic study and the life of the mind: of reading and discovering, debating and challenging, thinking and reflecting.

We understand the irreplaceable contribution of school life beyond the taught curriculum to a child’s growth and self-belief: our boarding ethos gives all our pupils the breathing space truly to value opportunity.

PROJECT 24

STRENGTHENING OUR COMMITMENT TO BOA R DI NG As we approach thirty-five years of co-education, a new, purposebuilt girls’ boarding House will be constructed in the centre of Oundle.

s a co-educational school with boarding at its heart, it is fitting that girls’ boarding should take its place in the very centre of the town alongside the historic boys’ town Houses. The new boarding House will be constructed on the corner of Drummingwell Lane and Milton Road, the site of the town’s former primary school which was purchased by Oundle School in 2019. The current New House community will move into the purpose-built House and will have the opportunity to shape its design and construction over the coming years. The new building will be a stunning addition to the existing girls’ Houses and will be both designed and constructed with sustainability in mind, contributing towards our carbon zero goal. The current New House and its gardens will be retained to benefit the whole School boarding community in the years ahead.

OU R I DENTIT Y AS A SCHOOL IS DEFINED BY OU R FU LL BOARDING ETHOS AND THE OPPORT UNITIES TH AT THIS OFFER S OU R PUPILS.” Sarah Kerr-Dineen Head

We are introducing a long-term ambitious rolling programme of refurbishment across the whole boarding estate.

e are one of the largest boarding schools in the UK and one of the very few schools to offer an authentic full boarding ethos. We must continue to invest in the physical fabric of what makes Oundle special and, while the appeal of our boarding ethos is far greater than infrastructure alone, our boarding accommodation must remain fit for purpose in the 21st century. In building a new boarding House in the heart of Oundle, we have a unique opportunity to retain the existing New House as temporary accommodation, thereby enabling an ambitious rolling programme of refurbishment across the whole boarding estate, House by House.

PROJECT 24

E N H A NC I NG OU R BOA R DI NG A N D D A Y P R O V I S I O N A T 1 1+ We have developed a graduated approach to boarding at 11+ in order to provide a stepping stone to full boarding at 13+, whilst creating more space in our junior day House.

e recognise that while many children at this age love full boarding, others need a little more time to adjust. From September 2023, we will be supplementing full boarding at 11+ with weekly boarding at both 11+ and 12+, alongside an additional 3 day model for at 11+, thus providing a springboard to full boarding at 13+. Supporting this development is a new Head of Junior Boarding Adventures who will lead an extended programme of boarding activities. In our junior day House, additional indoor space now complements the extensive outdoor grounds. This accommodates the increased demand for day places and enables a greater external intake at 11 to join our Laxton Junior School pupils, thereby creating a refreshed social dynamic across the year group.

We have created a more distinctive and tailored Oundle experience for our youngest pupils, combining the best of specialist teaching and resources with a new skills-based enrichment programme. In our experience, a six-day week with lessons on Saturdays is exhausting rather than enriching for many eleven-year-olds. All academic lessons for First and Second Formers (Year 7 and 8) now take place on Monday to Friday, taught by specialist senior school subject teachers. Saturday mornings are devoted to Omnia, a skills-based programme unique to Oundle, which is based on academic enrichment and developing character traits.

MODERNISING OUR OFFER F O R D A Y C H I L D R E N 4 - 18

Laxton House has been remodelled into two discrete senior co-educational day Houses for pupils aged 13 to 18.

ith imaginative thinking and building works extending into currently underused space within its grounds, Laxton has been configured into two discrete co-educational Houses, each with its own Hsm, Tutors and Matron as well as shared administrative support. This will ensure that our senior day pupils will benefit from more of the sense of home and nurture provided to both our boarders and our Scott House pupils. All day pupils will remain at the heart of the School site and in the centre of town. The two Houses, Laxton and Sadler will operate as single entities from 2023, with all building work to be completed by September 2024.

In September 2022 we opened a new and innovative Reception space at Laxton Junior School, placing play at its heart. The new environment is bright, spacious and flexible, facilitating a continuous provision of connected indoor and outdoor areas.

September 2022 also saw the upgrading of Science and Art facilities at Laxton Junior School to support innovative STEAM education. A significant upgrade to the Science Room saw the creation of a new Science and Engineering Laboratory while the Art Room was remodelled into an Art and Design Studio. The complementing appointment of a Science and Engineering Lead ensures continuous development of these spaces and the opportuntiies they provide.

BOTH LA XTON J U NIOR SCHOOL PROJECTS WERE M ADE POSSI BLE BY A GENEROUS LEGAC Y FROM FOR MER HEAD, SUE THOM AS.

PROJECT 24

OUR COMMITMENT TO RESPONSIBLE FINANCING We have never been more mindful of the challenges of the current financial climate and the impact upon affordability for our parents.

ll developments will be funded through a restructure of our current borrowing and a reframing of our reserves policy, together with targeted fund-raising, legacy funding and curation of our assets. No further borrowing will be undertaken. The Governors have approved the financial modelling and will, as ever, maintain diligent and expert oversight of the project. This approach has served us well since we first embarked on the historic building of Kirkeby and Wyatt towards the end of the last century, through creation of the iconic SciTec in the first decade of this century and, over the most recent decade, development of sector-leading sports facilities.

“THESE DEVELOPMENTS ARE TRUE TO WHAT WE VALUE AND TO OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, NOT JUST FOR THIS YEAR OR NEXT BUT FOR DECADES TO COME.” PROJECT 24