| Reading School | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Reading School | |
| Address | |
 | |
Erleigh Road ,, RG1 5LW United Kingdom | |
| Coordinates | 51°26′54″N0°57′18″W / 51.44833°N 0.95500°W /51.44833; -0.95500 |
| Information | |
| Type | |
| Motto | Floreat Redingensis (Latin: May Reading [School] flourish) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | previouslyChurch of England |
| Established | 1125; 900 years ago (1125) 1486 (refounding) |
| Founder | Henry VII |
| Department for Education URN | 136449Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headmaster | Chris Evans |
| Gender | Boys |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1,104 |
| Houses |
|
| Colour(s) | Navy Blue, Silver |
| Publication | Floreat Redingensis |
| Alumni | Old Redingensians |
| Boarding houses |
|
| CEO | Ashley Robson |
| Website | www |
Reading School is astategrammar school for boys withacademy status in theEnglish town ofReading, the county ofBerkshire. It traces its history back to the school ofReading Abbey and is, thus, one of the oldest schools in England, although it closed for a few years in the 1860s. It is astate boarding school. There are no tuition fees for day pupils, and boarders only pay for food and lodging. Reading is one of the best state schools in the UK according to the GCSE and A-level tables and has consistently ranked in the top ten.[1][2]
Reading School was founded as part ofReading Abbey. The date of the Abbey's charter, 29 March 1125, is taken as the foundation date, despite the closure of the school in the 1860s.[3] This date makes it the 10th oldest school inEngland, although there are hints that there may have been a school running in Reading before this.[4]
In 1486, the school was refounded as a "Free Grammar School" ("free" here meaning teaching the free, or liberal, arts, not that no fees were paid) byHenry VII on the urging of the thenAbbot, John Thorne. From at least this time, the School was housed in the formerHospitium of St John. The main building of the hospitium still exists, but the refectory, which once housed the schoolroom, was demolished in 1785 andReading Town Hall now stands on the site.[5][6]
After thedissolution of Reading Abbey in 1539, the school fell under the control of thecorporation of Reading, its status being confirmed byLetters Patent issued byHenry VIII in 1541. This was reconfirmed in theroyal charter granted to the Corporation of Reading byElizabeth I in 1560, which made the corporation liable for the salary of the headmaster and gave them the power of appointing him.
There were interruptions to schooling in 1665, whenParliament, forced out ofLondon by theGreat Plague, took over the schoolhouse. TheEnglish Civil War also interrupted, with the school being used as a garrison by royalist forces. The school prospered at the start of the nineteenth century; in 1830, whenRichard Valpy retired from the post of headmaster, there were 120 pupils.[7] By 1866 disagreements between the town and school and problems with the lease on the school buildings had led to falling numbers. The school closed in the 1860s.[3]
| Reading School Act 1867 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for the better Regulation of the Grammar School and John Kendricke's Loan Charity, Reading. |
| Citation | 30 & 31 Vict. c. 5 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 12 August 1867 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The school re-opened, however, with theReading School Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 5) setting out its administration and funding. The foundation stone for new buildings in Erleigh Road, designed byAlfred Waterhouse (who also designed theNatural History Museum, London), was laid by thePrince of WalesEdward VII in 1870, and in 1871 the school moved in.[3] In 1915 Kendrick Boys' School (founded in 1875 from the legacy ofJohn Kendrick), which had a large endowment but poor facilities, was taken over by Reading, which was poorly funded but had excellent facilities – this caused considerable controversy at the time but was ultimately seen as successful.[citation needed]
TheEducation Act 1944 saw the abolition of fees (apart from boarding charges), with the cost of education now being met by the local authority. The 1960s saw the rise ofcomprehensive education in England and Wales, but Reading was exempted in 1973 (along with the girls' grammar school in Reading,Kendrick) after a petition of over 30,000 local people (a third of the voters of Reading) was handed to the government.[citation needed]
On 6 July 2007 Reading School was officially designated as the landing site for the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance when it needs to transport patients to the nearby Royal Berkshire Hospital. Previously, seriously injured or ill patients from the Reading area had to be flown either to Wexham Park Hospital nearSlough, or to the John Radcliffe Hospital inOxford for treatment. The new arrangement means that the school field can now be used for emergency touchdowns. Patients are transported by land ambulance from the school to the hospital's accident and emergency department across the road.[8] While this arrangement was only made official in 2007, the school field had been unofficially used on several occasions by theThames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance in previous years.
The school became anacademy in 2012.[9]
In 2020, the school was found to have discriminated against avisually-impaired child by not making adjustments to enable him to take theeleven-plus entrance examination.[10]
The current school site consists of a main block (with two wings), a Science block, the Page building, the John Kendrick building, South House, Music School (formerly known as Junior School) and a chapel. The main school building, the chapel, South House and the building to the east of South House have all been designated as Grade II listed buildings by English Heritage.[11][12][13][14]
The chapel is where the school'sChristmas,Remembrance andEaster services take place, and every student attends once a week. The chapel has four groups of pews, facing towards the central aisle. Above the entrance is theorgan, and at the far end is the altar and vestry.
Plans have been developed for improved sports and science facilities as part of the "1125 campaign". Work on improving science facilities began in 2015 and was completed in Spring 2017 as stated above. Work on the new sports facilities has begun, with a new fitness suite made on the location of the old squash courts next to chapel, and refurbishments on the gym and changing rooms completed.[15] Work to refurbish the Physics block began in 2022, finishing with an official reopening in early 2023.
The school established a subsidiary in 2018 to participate in its cooperation with Lunhua Education andLujiazui Corporation to establishinternational schools with "fusion" curricula called Suzhou Reading School in China.[16][17] The first school, located on plot 2 in the town of Xushuguan inSuzhou New District, was planned to have a site area of 35,100 and construction area of 50,772 m2.[18] However, according to a report fromPhoenix New Media, after completing construction in 2021, Reading School lost its license to operate there after failing itsenvironmental assessment due to heavysoil pollution. The plot was reclassified as industrial land by the municipal Natural Resources and Planning Bureau in 2023.[19]
Reading School hold the boys' KS4 National Badminton Championship for the 2023/24 season.[20][21] They also hold the U16 Boys' VICTOR School Sport Magazine National Badminton Championship for the 2023/24 season.[22]
| Name | Year of birth | Year of death | Notable achievements |
|---|---|---|---|
| SirThomas White | 1492 | 1567 | Founder ofSt John's College, Oxford andLord Mayor of London in 1553 |
| SirFrancis Moore | 1559 | 1621 | MP for Reading |
| John Blagrave | c.1561 | 1611 | Mathematician |
| William Laud | 1573 | 1645 | Chancellor of theUniversity of Oxford 1629–1645,Archbishop of Canterbury, 1633–1645, beheaded in 1645 during theCivil War |
| John Kendrick | 1573 | 1624 | Elizabethan/Jacobean merchant and philanthropist |
| Daniel Blagrave | 1603 | 1668 | MP for Reading, Regicide (signatory of the death warrant ofCharles I in 1649). Escaped to exile inAachen at theRestoration in 1660 |
| SirConstantine Phipps | 1656 | 1723 | Lord Chancellor of Ireland (1710–1714) |
| Henry Vansittart | 1732 | 1770 | Governor of Bengal (1759–1764) |
| Francis Annesley | 1734 | 1812 | MP for Reading (1774–1806), First Master ofDowning College, Cambridge |
| Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth[23] | 1757 | 1844 | MP,Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1801–1804),[24]Chancellor of the Exchequer (1801–1804),Lord President of the Council (1805, 1806–1807, 1812),Home Secretary (1812–1822) |
| Henry Bright | 1784 | 1869 | MP for Bristol (1820–1830) |
| Thomas Noon Talfourd | 1795 | 1854 | MP for Reading (1835–1841, 1847–49), Judge and writer |
| AdmiralSir Charles ElliotKCB | 1801 | 1875 | BritishRoyal Navy officer, diplomat and colonial administrator. Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China (1836–41), firstAdministrator of Hong Kong (1841),Governor of Bermuda (1846–54),Governor of Trinidad (1854–56), andGovernor of Saint Helena (1863–70). |
| Horace William Wheelwright | 1815 | 1865 | Lawyer, hunter, naturalist and writer |
| SirAlexander Tilloch Galt | 1817 | 1893 | Politician and a father of theCanadian Confederation,Member of the Canadian Parliament (1867–72),Inspector General of Canada,Canadian Minister of Finance (1867),Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1880–83). Founder of theAlberta Railway and Coal Company and founding president of The Guarantee Company of North America. |
| CaptainHastings Harington | 1832 | 1861 | Awarded theVictoria Cross as a lieutenant with the Bengal Artillery for conspicuous gallantry in the relief ofLucknow, 1857; died atAgra having achieved the rank ofcaptain. |
| Joseph Wells | 1855 | 1929 | Warden ofWadham College, Oxford 1913–1927, Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Oxford 1923–1926 |
| Robert Hedley | 1857 | 1884 | English soldier and footballer, who captained theRoyal Engineers team in the1878 FA Cup Final. He was a centre-forward and was called up to theEngland squad against Scotland in 1878 and 1879. |
| GeneralSir Havelock HudsonGCB, KCIE | 1862 | 1944 | British Indian Army officer, commanded8th Infantry Division during World War I. Member of theCouncil of India. |
| Lionel CrippsCMG | 1863 | 1950 | First Speaker of theParliament of Southern Rhodesia |
| SirHugh Percy Allen | 1869 | 1946 | Director of theRoyal College of Music, Professor of Music in theUniversity of Oxford |
| Herbert Leader HawkinsFRS (elected 1937) | 1887 | 1968 | President of the Palaeontological Society, professor ofpalaeontology,University of Reading, authority onsea urchins |
| Major-GeneralCharles Fullbrook-LeggattCBE, DSO, MC | 1889 | 1972 | British army officer who served in both World Wars. Commanded the61st Infantry Division |
| William Costin | 1893 | 1970 | President ofSt John's College, Oxford, Proctor ofOxford University. |
| Major GeneralDavid Tennant CowanCB, CBE, DSO & Bar, MC | 1896 | 1983 | British Army Officer in World War I and World War II. Led the17th Indian Infantry Division during theBurma campaign. |
| Dom Christopher ButlerO.S.B | 1902 | 1986 | A Benedictine Monk ofDownside Abbey, Languages Scholar, Historian, Scripture Scholar, Theologian, Catholic Priest, Abbot of Downside, Abbot Primate of theEnglish Benedictine Congregation,Auxiliary Bishop in theArchdiocese of Westminster, and the most prominent English reformer at theSecond Vatican Council. |
| Arthur NegusOBE | 1903 | 1985 | Broadcaster andantiques expert |
| Malcolm Fewtrell | 1909 | 2005 | DetectiveChief Superintendent who led the initial investigation into theGreat Train Robbery in 1963. |
| Norman GashCBE | 1912 | 2009 | Vice-Principal of theUniversity of St Andrews (1967–1971). Historian, professor of modern history, who wrote a two-volume biography ofSir Robert Peel. |
| John Boulting | 1913 | 1985 | Film director and producer known for a popular series of satirical comedies in the 1950s and 1960s along with his brother,Roy Boulting. |
| Roy Boulting | 1913 | 2001 | Film director and producer known for a popular series of satirical comedies in the 1950s and 1960s along with his brother,John Boulting. |
| Horace Edgar "Tom" Dollery | 1914 | 1987 | England national cricketer andWarwickshire county cricket captain. |
| Basil Lam | 1914 | 1984 | Early Music scholar, harpsichordist, Head of Classical Music forBBC |
| John Minton | 1917 | 1957 | Artist, lecturer and teacher |
| George William SeriesFRS | 1920 | 1995 | Physicist, notable for his work on the optical spectroscopy of hydrogen atoms; Professor of Physics, Reading University (1968–1982) |
| SirClifford Charles ButlerFRS | 1922 | 1999 | Physicist, best known as the co-discoverer ofhyperons andmesons, Vice-Chancellor ofLoughborough University (1975–1985) |
| SirDouglas LoweGCB, DFC, AFC | 1922 | 2018 | Pilot,Air Chief Marshal in theRoyal Air Force |
| J. L. Ackrill | 1921 | 2007 | Professor of Classics at theUniversity of Oxford. Philosopher and classicist, specialising inAncient Greek philosophy. |
| SirRichard Body | 1927 | 2018 | MP (1955–1959, 1966–2001), President of theAnti-Common Market League |
| Lord Roper of Thorney Island | 1935 | 2016 | MP for Farnworth (1970–1983),House of Lords Chief Whip, Liberal Democrats (2001–2005). |
| SirClive Sinclair | 1940 | 2021 | Entrepreneur and inventor. |
| Nigel David "Sharkey" WardDSC, AFC | 1943 | 2024 | FormerRoyal Navy officer andfighter pilot who commanded801 Naval Air Squadron during the 1982Falklands War. |
| Lord McKenzie of Luton | 1946 | 2021 | Member of the House of Lords (2004–2021). |
AnOFSTED report[when?] concluded that "examination results place the school in the top five per cent nationally", "Pupils' attitudes to learning are outstanding" and "The school goes to exceptional lengths to broaden and enrich the education of all pupils". The 2005Key Stage 3 results were both the best in the country for value-added and for the average points score of each student.[29]
In the 2004 school league tables for England (including fee-paying schools), it came eighth for GCSE-level results (average 602.5 points), 106th for A-level results (average 409.3 points) and 170th for value-added between ages 11 and 16 (score of 1037.7 compared with a baseline of 1000).[citation needed] It has recently[when?] become aDFESspecialist school for theHumanities, specialising inEnglish,[citation needed]Geography andClassics – the first school to specialise in Classics – despite entry being selected by Mathematics and verbal and non-verbal logic ability.
In 2005 the school was awarded theSportsmark gold award for a four-year period. In the same year Reading was one of just 35 schools nationally to be made aMicrosoft Partner School.[30]
In 2007, the school was identified by theSutton Trust as one of only 20 state schools among the 100 schools in the UK responsible for a third of admissions toOxford andCambridge Universities over the five preceding years. 16.0% of pupils went to Oxbridge and a 62.1% in total went to universities identified by the Sutton Trust as "top universities".[31]In July 2011, the school was further identified by theSutton Trust as the third highest state school, and among the top 30 schools in the country, for proportion of higher education applicants accepted atOxford andCambridge Universities. The report found that 16.7% of pupils were accepted toOxbridge and 81.5% were accepted to the highly selectiveSutton Trust 30 universities over the previous three years.[32]
Reading School was given the "State School of the Year" award byThe Sunday Times newspaper in 2010 and 2019, in recognition of the school's academic achievements and community orientated ethos.[33]
| Subject | Taught atKS3 | Taught atKS4 | Taught atSixth Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient History Classical Civilisation | No | Yes | Yes |
| Art | Compulsory | Yes | Yes |
| Biology | Compulsory | Compulsory | Yes |
| Chemistry | Compulsory | Compulsory | Yes |
| Computer Science | Compulsory | Yes | Yes |
| Drama Theatre Studies | Compulsory | Yes | Yes |
| Economics | No | Yes | Yes |
| Electronics | No | Yes | No |
| English | Compulsory | Compulsory (GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature) | Literature only |
| French | Compulsory in Year 7[1] | Yes[2] | Yes |
| Geography | Compulsory | Yes | Yes |
| German | Compulsory in Year 7[1] | Yes[2] | Yes |
| History | Compulsory | Yes | Yes |
| Latin | Compulsory[2] | Yes[2] | Yes |
| Mandarin Chinese | Yes[1] | Yes | No |
| Mathematics[3] | Compulsory | Compulsory | Yes (A-Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics offered) |
| Music | Compulsory | Yes | Yes |
| Philosophy Religious Studies | Compulsory (as Religious Studies) | Compulsory[4] | No |
| Physical Education | Compulsory | Yes[5] | Yes[5] |
| Physics | Compulsory | Compulsory | Yes |
| PSHE[6] | Compulsory | Compulsory | Compulsory |
| Spanish | Compulsory in Year 7[1] | Yes[2] | Yes |
| Floreat (Student Leadership)[6] | Compulsory | Compulsory | No |
1.^^^^ French, German, Spanish and Latin are compulsory in Year 7, while Mandarin can be chosen to replace a language except Latin. In Year 8 students must take 2 modern languages and Latin.
2.^^^^ At least one ancient or modern language must be taken for theGCSEs.
3.^ Additional Maths is taken by the top four sets at the same time as their GCSEs. Further Maths is optional at A Level, with some students being able to take it in one block with Maths.
4.^ The top half of the year take an externally-assessedAS-level Philosophy exam at the end of Year 11. Those who score a B or higher can either opt-out of the subject, continue onto the A2 or redo the exam the following year. Those who didn't score a B or higher can redo the exam the following year.
5.^^ In thesixth form, P.E. can optionally be taken as an examinedA-Level. Those that do not do this must still take part in games weekly, though this is not examined or graded in any way, or must take part in Community Service during Games lessons. In Years 10 and 11, certain students are given the option of taking the GCSE as an additional subject. All students must complete Games lessons.
Reading Grammar School, which had fallen on bad times and had been closed in the 1860s, was revived and reopened in 1871 in an impressive new building in Erleigh Road, of which Alfred Waterhouse was the architect. The Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone in 1870
the lofty refectory of the former abbey hospitium, the ground floor of which had been used since about 1486 as the schoolroom of Reading School
In 1785-6 the old hall was taken down
By the time he retired in 1830 he had increased the number of pupils at the school to 120
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