RGS Prospectus

R e i g at E G R A M M A R S C H O O L

One of the leading co-educational independent schools in the country, Reigate Grammar School offers a first class education for boys and girls aged 11 to 18

reigategrammar.org

HEADMASTER’S WELCOME Our commitment to every RGS family is that we will know your child, we will believe in your child and will help them reach their full potential.

Each child has his or her own unique blend of talents, skills, aspirations and abilities. Appreciating and developing these qualities on the journey from childhood to young adulthood is a privilege and a responsibility that we take seriously.

Students will flourish in our care, their self-esteem will grow and they will become a success story for themselves, their family and their school. But we will not forget that, behind their confident smile, they are still your daughter or son and that they will need our support and dedication each and every day.

Sometimes people ask what ‘type’ of child makes a successful Reigatian. There are all sorts of Reigatians, but no stereotypes.

Students are actively encouraged to pursue their own interests, whether intellectual, social, spiritual or physical, within and beyond the curriculum. We don’t start with ‘types’, we only focus on knowing your child and all the children in our care.

They will be supported through the challenges of teenage years, just as much as they will progress triumphantly through the successes of life over seven years at RGS. This is a school based upon relationships, not rules for rules’ sake. We value a positive, comfortable climate of mutual respect, affirmation and intellectual freedom. Life at RGS is challenging, fun, exciting, hard-working, fast-paced and incredibly satisfying.

What unites our talented common room of teachers is an optimism and a belief in our young people. We believe in our young people so that they can achieve more than they dreamed possible, and they will do so, again and again!

I am honoured to be the Headmaster here and I look forward to welcoming you and your family to Reigate Grammar School.

Shaun Fenton

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REIGATIANS: A CARING COMMUNITY WHERE CHILDREN CAN BE THEIR BEST AND DO THEIR BEST

Safe, secure amongst friends, looked after by adults and aware that older children are on their side.

Until your child knows that we care, they will not care what we know.

The children here often comment that RGS is like a big family. The support and pastoral care we give begins even before a Reigatian’s first day at school when we visit them in their junior school. Support continues as new students get to know their buddy; meet their Sixth Form mentor each week throughout their first year and as they join in the fun of being a part of their School House.

Care and support continues as our Reigatians reach the top of the school and train to be mentors themselves.

Students relish the chance to give back and encourage younger students in a virtuous circle of support that underpins our community.

The journey through the teenage years will bring success, achievement and personal fulfilment. We will be there to share those successes but equally, and more importantly, we will be there to guide and support through any difficulties and challenges.

Safe in the knowledge that we care, Reigatians make great progress, explore talents that they didn’t know they had and achieve more than they ever thought possible.

If children are happy then they are able to flourish both in and out of the classroom.

 In my experience the pastoral care supplied by RGS is second to none.

It starts right at the beginning of the application process, continuing as pupils transfer from junior school and is integral to life at RGS. RGS Parent

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REIGATIANS: ARCHITECTS OF THEIR OWN LEARNING

 At RGS, teachers are always available and positive, encouraging the independent learning which has nurtured my strengths, generated confidence, and provided the expert guidance that has led me to fulfilling my ambition to study English Literature at Cambridge.

Recent Upper Sixth Form Leaver

Reigatians develop a passion for learning and nurture a spirit of enquiry and creativity in order to become increasingly independent and successful.

The school is built around each child. Our students make guided choices about their learning pathways and we tailor the curriculum around their needs.

There are no ‘blocks’ or ‘columns’ when it comes to subject choices and options, only children and their aspirations and academic passions.

We have an outstanding academic culture and the main purpose of the innovative RGS curriculum is to offer a challenging and balanced education, equipping pupils for the opportunities and demands of their future lives.

Reigatians fly, unrestrained by national expectations, through a curriculum that is not defined by examination boards. Our decisions about the curriculum set us apart. In an RGS classroom teachers are focused on developing a passion for learning and they have the time to do so as the RGS curriculum gives students three years to focus upon GCSE level study. Carving out this room for more learning is a far cry from most schools with crowded Key Stage Four curriculum models, who fight daily to avoid the pressures of mere exam preparation.

A technologically fluent but relationship-focused learning environment is typical of an RGS classroom buzzing with intellectual freedom and using the best blend of modern and traditional methods to inspire young historians, geographers, mathematicians and scientists. RGS teachers are experts in and passionate about their subjects, and they venture well beyond the assessed syllabus. We wish to inspire our pupils and to respond to their questioning and curiosity.

Electives Forensic science, first aid, Japanese, meteorology, share trading, knitting, sculpture and tap dancing are just some examples of our unique electives programme, that means students at RGS study subjects which they could never have contemplated elsewhere. Our children are well prepared for a life worth living.

A Reigatian will become confident, will try new things at the right time for them, both within and beyond the classroom. There will always be a friend or teacher to help them go further or, importantly, to catch them if they stumble.

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REIGATIANS: AS MANY WAYS TO ACHIEVE AS THERE ARE CHILDREN

Achievement matters and RGS regularly sends high numbers to Oxbridge, Medical School and Russell Group universities. Top exam results secure life chances.

Reigatians also achieve beyond the classroom in sporting, artistic and cultural arenas. Achievement matters, but there needs to be as many ways to achieve as there are children in the school. The art displayed around the school is as likely to be from a future lawyer as it is from a student soon to start at Art School. Our students know a school that recognises the value of good manners, of being a true friend and doing the right thing. No one gets lost in the crowd.

Achievement and enjoyment at school are the launch pad for a sustainably happy and successful adult life.

There is so much more to a great education than exam results and, so, we blend the academic work with the many other important things that open children’s eyes to a world of wonder and aspiration. Whether scuba diving in Belize, trekking in Morocco, playing cricket in Dubai or performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, our students have their eyes lifted to the horizon as they make life-time friends and secure life-long memories.

Those moments form us and set us up for a life well-lived. Securing those childhood moments for our students is an important achievement. Achievement matters.

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REIGATIANS: EXTRA CURRICULAR THE HEARTBEAT OF THE SCHOOL

School days should be great fun and develop a child’s personal character: time spent with friends full of laughter and full of wonder.

On the playing fields or on stage, walking in the mountains of Snowdonia or visiting vulnerable members of the local community, campaigning for a political cause or acting as Assistant Stage Manager for the school production, there are so many ways to learn about yourself, to learn about others and to make the most of your school days.

The extra-curricular programmes are the heartbeat of the school and there is something here for every child.

Lego robots, Textiles club, 3D printing in Design, creating explosions in Pyrotechnics club, programming our digital lighting desk, Cooking club, pre-school swimming, using the fitness room or at training orchestra – every day, a plethora of clubs, trips and activities see students engaged and having fun.

 Our daughter has been given countless opportunities to take part in so many enriching activities at RGS to which she otherwise would not have had access – she is thriving in every sense of the word.

RGS Parent

The House system allows leadership to be nurtured, talent to shine, confidence to surge, teamwork to flourish and a competitive spirit to develop. Most importantly, everyone can feel part of the team. This enhances our ethos and our family atmosphere. Sports Day, House Music, Bake-off or House University Challenge are all fun and exciting and enhance important personal and community values.

Smiling and laughing, students’ aspirations evolve, their skills develop and their hopes for the future become clarified. As our young people experience the plethora of opportunities around us, they develop personal character that will set them up for a sustainably happy and successful adult life. They surprise their families and themselves, even though their teachers always just knew that they could do it!

The School believes that education is as much about building character and relationships as it is about gaining knowledge and aims to broaden the opportunities of each and every pupil through an exceptional array of opportunities and facilities in music, theatre and sport as well as dozens of clubs and societies.

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REIGATIANS: GOOD SPORTS Our commitment to sport enables all students to maximise their ability, their progress and their enjoyment of sport.

Whether a student is an elite athlete, simply loves their sport or engages for all the physical and mental benefits sport and good health bring, they benefit from a combination of professional coaches for each major sport, strength and conditioning programmes, nutritional advice and physiotherapy support for injury prevention and recovery.

Our hockey, rugby, football and netball squads enjoy a busy calendar of fixtures, tours and tournaments throughout the winter months, as do the summer sports of cricket, tennis, athletics and rounders. Sport plays an important part in the School House system with a full programme of inter-house sports competitions and challenges.

32 acres of sports grounds at RGS Hartswood include a hockey centre with two flood lit all-weather pitches, rugby, cricket and football pitches and a pavilion with changing facilities.

Additional sports facilities, including a 25 metre indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, weights and conditioning room, sports hall, netball and tennis courts, cricket pitch and winter sport grass pitches are situated at the main school site.

Our sports development programme helps students to develop the habit of a winner, but not at all costs. Sporting values are important for life beyond school and the House system means that every single boy and girl can feel part of the team.

Sport can be for everyone but not everyone will love the same sports. RGS is a highly personalised environment and our students take part in a huge range of sporting activities. From trampolining to horse riding; from badminton to shooting; from rugby to biathlon; from dance to hockey; from cricket to netball; from climbing to swimming and from football to golf – children and sport thrive at RGS.

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REIGATIANS: PERFORMING GREATS We are renowned for our excellence in drama with students regularly gaining national accolades for their creativity, professionalism and quality of performance.

Drama and theatre are vital to the life of RGS: we believe it enriches, challenges and entertains us and gives our students the opportunity to understand themselves, question their own and other’s worlds.

RGS Drama has a national reputation for excellence and for the very best dramatic education. Numerous drama productions run each year ranging from Shakespearian highbrow to self-penned small ensemble pieces to classic pantomime farce. In the studio or on the stage, at a festival or on tour and at local schools, the opportunities to develop talent and be a part of the company are numerous.

Whether designing the set, props and costumes, or running the lighting, everyone is valued every bit as much as the star of the curtain call. Students are introduced to as wide a range of dramatic styles and periods as possible, both in school and through frequent visits to national theatres.

Old Reigatians repeatedly tell us that some of their favourite memories of school involve waiting in the wings in just too much make up, the smell of the stage lights warming up and the rousing applause of the final night of a run.

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REIGATIANS: CREATIVE BY DESIGN Artists flourish and many Reigatians discover a talent that thrives here. Creativity in areas of art and design are an integral part of life at RGS. For the talented, for the enthused or for those who simply want to have a go, artists of all kinds will flourish here.

Our artists regularly win national competitions and the walls of the School are covered with hundreds of pieces of their artwork.

The Art & Design department is a centre of creativity and realisation. It is a place of inspiration and a creative sanctuary for many an absorbed young artist – wrestling with traditional techniques in oils, with photography (film or digital), with ceramics, use of metals, wood and plastic or with 3D printing, at the forefront of a new generation of creativity and design.

Art results are consistently high at all levels and our leavers gain places at some of the country’s top art schools including Central Saint Martins and Chelsea School of Art.

 I will always be grateful to RGS for giving me the opportunity and freedom to explore my passion. I was fortunate to have some inspirational teachers who provided me with wonderful support and encouragement. I have much to be thankful for and am fortunate to have received such an excellent education.

Old Reigatian

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REIGATIANS: MUSICAL TALENTS

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Music helps the soul to soar and the heart to beat along. Music infuses our ethos and is an integral part of each school day, whether it be performances in assembly, a significant community event or one of the plentiful concerts that fill the calendar.

The hard work, talent and dedication of our musicians, supported by their teachers, shines whether at a recital at St Paul’s Cathedral, at our annual Dorking Halls Concert, at a rock ballad performance in the Music School or as part of the Chamber Orchestra performing at an overseas tour. The emphasis is on diversity and versatility with every pupil encouraged to develop their musical potential.

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REIGATIANS: EXPLORERS AND ADVENTURERS

Leadership, teamwork, resilience and problem solving are honed in our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme which regularly sees RGS students awarded more Gold awards than any other school in the country. This option is taken up by the majority of pupils. Challenging experiences of DofE hiking, canoeing and cycling expeditions provide adventures that build unique personal qualities and gel teams with stories and memories that stay with you forever.

Learn to fly-solo, captain your own power boat, take the wheel of a Landrover, become expert in logistics and state-of-the art satellite communications. You could become part of a 100 years of tradition in the RGS CCF cadets who fly, sail, climb, learn mountain rescue and more!

From South Africa to Iceland, France to Dubai, Surrey to Snowdonia, Belize to New York – learning beyond the classroom, as we prepare today’s children to be global citizens, is really important. A love of learning ignited in the classroom is nurtured in an enriched curriculum experience. From history trips to the battlefields of the First World War; classics trips to Greece and biology trips to the tropics, pupils learn, grow and develop lifelong memories.

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REIGATIANS: SIXTH FORM LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING

 My education at RGS has provided me with the skills to pursue my ambitions and an environment where questions and challenges are always welcome.

Old Reigatian

We believe in our young people so that they can achieve more than they dreamed possible, and they do so, again and again, whilst at school and beyond. Reigatians grow into mature adults with a secure moral compass, prepared and ready for a happy and successful adult life. Reigatians are effective professionals in their chosen field but are not lost to the work-day grind. They are good partners, parents, friends and neighbours with a fulfilled life inside and outside of their careers.

Our young adults, on the cusp of university and life beyond school epitomise all that is best about RGS, whether leading in the House System, within the school community supporting and spearheading events for younger students or

in the wider community. The hallmark of our Sixth Form is much more than just academic excellence.

We offer a remarkable breadth of training and opportunity for student leadership.

Guidance and support for options, careers and university progression is crucial and starts lower down the school, building up to concentrated support in the Sixth Form. Our Careers Department comprises a team of well-qualified and experienced professionals backed by the phenomenal support of a vast body of Old Reigatians. This network of Reigatians forms a living library of advice and practical help of people working across a huge range of industries and disciplines, united by their readiness to help younger Reigatians.

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ONCE A REIGATIAN, ALWAYS A REIGATIAN Students enjoy a lifelong relationship with their school and camaraderie with fellow Reigatians does not diminish once school days end. The rich programme of events established by the RGS Foundation brings Reigatians (pupils and parents) across the generations together for socialising, networking and the support of a common cause.

This pro-active, mutually supportive Reigatian community is exceptional and offers more and more opportunities to engage each year.

All good schools have an alumni community, but few maximise network benefits as effectively as the RGS Foundation, particularly through the RGS Professionals network. Whether in Devon or Scotland; London or New York; Singapore or Hong Kong; Surrey or Sydney – there is already a Reigatian network in place, established and ready to help students on their journey through adulthood beyond school – RGS is a school for life.

 Reflecting upon my journey, what I learnt at RGS is very much central to giving me the confidence and skills necessary to pursue the ventures I am involved in today.

Old Reigatian

INVITATION

RGS Sydney Gathering

Tuesday 27th November

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INVITATION

RGS New York City Gathering

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Thursday 23rd October

Venue: The Penn Club Manhattan, 30 West 44th Street Time: from 6pm

 The friends, memories and experiences we have had here will shape our future, preparing us for whatever path we may follow. We will always have RGS in common and will never forget it. It is part of us, and the people at this school have made all of that possible.

RGS Student

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Reigate Road Reigate Surrey RH2 0QS 01737 222231 info@reigategrammar.org

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