Wealden Times | WT217 | March 2020 | Good Living supplement inside

Reigate Grammar, Surrey
Education
“At Reigate Grammar School, a good education is about so much
more than a list of exam grades. Headmaster Shaun Fenton says:
‘The emphasis we place on the arts, sport and multiple adventurous
activities provides the heartbeat of the school.’ Indeed, the review
of Reigate Grammar School (RGS) by The Good Schools Guide
2019 observed that ‘extracurricular leaves no stone unturned,
with clubs and activities getting a brochure of their own’.
Music is at the heart of life at RGS. Throughout the autumn term,
musicians took part in over 30 events including concerts, church services,
ensemble arrangements, a cathedral tour and numerous individual
performances. Many students also took the Associated Board of the
Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams just before Christmas.
In sport, the girls’ teams have had notable successes, with the U13 girls’
hockey team through to Finals Day at the Independent Schools Hockey
Cup (ISHC) for the third year in a row, and netball going from strength
to strength with the U15 girls reaching the final at national level too.
December 2019 saw the hotly anticipated production of Les
Misérables, performed in-the-round in front of an appreciative audience.
Throughout a week of sell-out performances, the play went from
strength to strength, with brilliant orchestral playing, live fire, explosions,
fights, weddings, battles, and, of course, superb singing throughout.
A host of activities on the Charity and Community Engagement
front – much of it overseen by the Sixth Form Charity Committee
– has involved all age groups, including the Head and Deputy
Head, who both dressed as Pudsey Bear and acted as goalkeepers,
contributing towards almost £1,000 raised for Children in
Need. Local charities Loveworks and Live at Home, as well as
national charities Lepra and Macmillan, have benefitted from
fundraising and volunteering efforts from students and staff.”
reigategrammar.org
Hilden Oaks, Kent
“At Hilden Oaks Prep, dedicated teaching staff are able to
ensure individual focus is given to each child to help them
reach their full potential, be it academic, sporting, creative
or musical. Children joining Marlborough the school at any House stage,
even mid-term, are made to feel at home very quickly as
they are in small classes, in a small and friendly school.
There are many extra-curricular clubs and activities
on offer during morning break, lunch-time and after
school including a wide range of musical, creative
and sporting activities. These clubs vary each term
and our children are encouraged to sign up for as
many or as few as they wish. Many of the clubs are
run by our own teaching staff, and we also bring
in specialists from outside to allow our children to
enjoy as wide a range of clubs as much as possible.
Children from Form 1 to Form 6 who are keen to
advance their sporting skills are encouraged to take part in
extra-curricular clubs. These include badminton, fencing,
POP lacrosse, netball, golf, hockey, cross country, cricket,
athletics, private tennis coaching, tag rugby, and bike skills.
Unlike many schools, Hilden Oaks offers wrap-around
care from 7.45am to 6.30pm,
50 weeks of the year. This
also includes a wide range
of extra-curricular activities
and clubs, which support
and enhance the curriculum,
thus ensuring that by the
time pupils reach Year 6,
they are ready for the next
stage of their academic life.
The latest report by the Independent Schools
Inspectorate for Hilden Oaks, from December 2017,
states: ‘Pre-Prep and Prep pupils make significant
progress and attain very highly, particularly in
English, mathematics, science and PE.’
Hilden Oaks is immensely proud of its academic
success, with most pupils moving on to the secondary
school of their choice, including the excellent local
grammar and independent senior schools.”
hildenoaks.co.uk