Oundle School
Oundle, Northamptonshire, England
Oundle School
Oundle, Northamptonshire, England
Overview
Dating from 1556, Oundle School is a traditional English boarding school located in the market town of Oundle near Peterborough, itself just an hour from London by train. The challenges today’s pupils will face later in life require adaptability and emotional intelligence, as well as the best academic qualifications, and Oundle has long been associated with the very best of modern independent education. The School ensures pupils emerge as decent, open-minded adults with ambition to achieve.
At a glance
Academic
The Oundle curriculum is complex, flexible and carefully balanced to give good preparation for future careers. The School offers GCSE/iGCSE followed by A Level/Pre-U and all pupils are taught by subject specialists. Facilities include the Adamson Centre for Modern Languages and SciTec, which unites Science, Maths, DT & Engineering both philosophically and physically, enabling theory to flow smoothly into practice. On average over 60% of Pre-U/A Level students achieve A*/A equivalent.
Boarding
The 14 boarding houses, each with around 60 boarders, are at the heart of life at Oundle. Each house is led by a resident housemaster/mistress who is responsible for pastoral care, supported by a team of tutors and a resident matron who manages the domestic affairs of the house and helps to care for the health and welfare of pupils. All meals are taken in the house dining room, which fosters a strong sense of community, and the menus reflect the preferences of the pupils in each house.
Sports
Sport is highly valued at Oundle and the School competes in local, regional and national competitions across a wide range of sports. Sporting excellence and elite performance are encouraged and supported but all pupils have recreational as well as competitive opportunities. The already impressive facilities, which include 2 floodlit Astroturfs, a Tartan Athletics track, 2 boathouses, a swimming pool and 2 shooting ranges are to be enhanced through a Sports Development Plan announced in 2016.
Creative arts
The 264 seat Stahl Theatre is at the heart of Drama at Oundle, regularly hosting performances by pupils and touring professional theatre groups. Recent School productions have included Animal Farm and The History Boys. The Gascoigne building hosts instrumental music lessons for 700 pupils and a formal partnership with the Royal College of Music offers outstanding opportunities. Art is taught in 4 large, light and well equipped studios in the Cloisters with exhibitions held in the Yarrow Gallery.
Did you know?
- Alumni include Richard Dawkins, author of the Selfish Gene, and Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden.
- The School’s buildings date from the 17th century and are dispersed throughout the town, whose Market Charter was renewed as far back as the year 972 by King Edgar.
