Oundle School

School Profile

'We believe we are a leading school because we are the third largest boarding school in the UK attracting pupils from over 130 different Prep Schools from all over the UK and from 20 different countries.We have an excellent academic track record- 33 of our pupils have just won places at Oxbridge.'

Oundle School is situated in the quintessentially English market town from which it takes its name, about 90 km north of London. Its buildings, dating from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries, are dispersed throughout the town, so that the town itself, with a population of about 6,000 people, is to a large extent the School's campus.

The School's history dates back to 1556 when Sir William Laxton, Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers' and Lord Mayor of London, endowed and re-founded the original Oundle Grammar School, of which he was a former pupil.

Oundle was put firmly on the map of leading English public schools with the arrival of its most famous Headmaster, F.W. Sanderson, in 1892. In the space of thirty years he more than quadrupled the size of the School and created Oundle's reputation as one of the great science and engineering schools - a reputation which has lasted up to the present day. In 1990, convinced of the benefits of co-education the School admitted girls for the first time: they now constitute 40 percent of the pupils.

Boarding and Pastoral Care

Oundle is now the third largest independent boarding and day school in England, with 840 boarders and 240 day pupils. The boarders come from all over the United Kingdom with 140 different prep schools currently represented. About 10% come from overseas with 22 different countries having pupils at Oundle at the moment.. Each pupil is a member of a boarding or day house. The House system is at the heart of life at Oundle. It is in the community of the House that most pupils find the confidence and sense of purpose that lead to fulfilment in the larger community of the School.All meals are taken in the houses. Oundle has thirteen senior boarding houses - eight for boys and five for girls. Each houses about sixty pupils.There is also a small mixed Junior Boarding House ( The Berrystead ) which houses the 40 boarders who enter at 11.All boarders are full boarders-there is no weekly boarding and exeats are very limited..Each pupil has his or her own tutor who helps the Housemaster/Housemistress monitor academic progress and general well-being.

Academic and Extra-Curricular Activities

Oundle has a well-earned reputation for academic, musical and sporting excellence.In 2008 89% of grades at A Level were As and Bs and 82 % of grades at GCSE were A and A*.In January 2009 ,33 pupils gained places at Oxbridge.Twenty three subjects are available for study in the Sixth Form including French, German, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin Chinese.There is a huge range of extra-curricular activities available, ranging from cookery to law.. Sport has always been an integral feature of life at Oundle. The major sports for boys are rugby, cricket, soccer, hockey and rowing. For girls the main sports are hockey, netball, rounders, rowing and tennis.

The main entry point for boarders is at 13+ ( although there is also a small intake at 11+ and 16+).Conditional offers are made two years before entry to those who are registered.It is necessary to register about three to four years in advance of entry to avoid waiting lists. A wide variety of Scholarships and Bursaries are available.

School Criteria

Independent private co-educational day/boarding school in Northamptonshire, England. 11 to 18, 1093+ pupils

ISN Rankings

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School Address

Oundle School
The Great Hall, New Street, Oundle
Peterborough
Northamptonshire
PE8 4GH
England

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