The Lifestyle Jan - Feb 2023

There is something
about Rendcomb
College
The guest speaker from NASA to the assembled
online crowd for Founders Day couldn’t quite put
his finger on it. An Old Rendcombian, now the
imaging lead for the Mars Curiosity Rovers, Doug
Ellison is bright eyed, slightly mischievous and
incredibly engaging as a speaker...
The crowd were enthralled by his tale of how he ended up at
NASA from his time as a schoolboy at the college and were eager
to hear about his time at the school and beyond.
“Educational establishments are broadly the same” he said. “A
collection of buildings, housing teachers, pupils and staff with
the sole purpose of educating young people in readiness for their
journey into the big wide world outside.
“Having said that, no two schools are alike. They all have their
individual quirks and personalities, partly down to their setting,
partly down to the staff and partly down to the overall “feel” of
the school. Although it is impossible to say what it is, whenever
I visit, it is very clear that there is something about Rendcomb
College.”
The staff and pupils at Rendcomb College couldn’t agree more,
and they are not the only ones.
The recent inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate
rated the school as Excellent, both in pupil development and
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achievement. The school also celebrated their best ever GCSE
results this year, but does that really tell the whole picture?
The Good Schools Guide picked up on the atmosphere at
Rendcomb as well, stating “An idyllic school which expects to
keep its youngsters until the end of their school-days and where
they can grow into themselves, learn and experience wonderful
things. Rendcomb makes sure that those teenage years are
about more than grades, grades, grades, yet still manages to get
its students successfully to the next stage of their education”.
Whilst we certainly agree with both these appraisals, they still do
not quite encompass everything about Rendcomb College. So
what is this “something” then?
Well, if you want to find out, we would highly recommend
attending one of their Open Mornings. From the enchanting
Cotswold setting, to the welcoming staff and super pupils, we
think you will agree there is something about Rendcomb College.
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