Sunningdale School
| Sunningdale School is a family run boys' preparatory school of 100 pupils. Founded in 1874 it stands in 25 acres of mature gardens and grounds. The school is excellently situated just 45 minutes from London, 20 minutes from Heathrow and 15 minutes from the M3, M4 and M25 Motorways. |
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Sunningdale's aim is to provide a happy and supportive environment in which boys can prosper both as individuals and as members of the school community. We also aim to prepare boys both academically and socially for life at public school. Our record at Common Entrance is outstanding and boys from Sunningdale have gained 10 scholarships to public schools in the last three years. |
| The school has its own chapel. It also has a house in Normandy to which each boy goes for a week three times during his time at Sunningdale. |
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The school is non-selective and boys may enter in any of the three terms.
We structure our forms in a unique way, operating a form of ladder system. This means that boys for whom learning is easier are stretched and challenged and boys who find it a little more difficult are given the time and support to develop at their own pace.
In their last two years, the boys are given a full set of Common Entrance or Scholarship papers so that by the time they sit the real thing they know exactly what to expect. |
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| Each subject is taught by two specialist teachers. Every boy learns Latin, English, Maths, French, History, Geography, Science, Religious Studies, ICT, Art, DT and Music. Many boys also study Greek. There is a qualified learning support department. |
| The majority of boys go on to Eton, Harrow and Stowe but there are boys from Sunningdale at many of the leading public schools. The results at Common Entrance are extremely good and in the last three years 10 scholarships have been won. |
| Three quarters of the boys learn at least one musical instrument and as well as the Director of Music there are 9 visiting music teachers. There is an orchestra, string, woodwind and brass groups and even a pipe band with six boys currently playing the bagpipes. There is ample time for practice. |
There is an annual musical production involving the whole school. There is also an instrumental recital in the summer. Groups of boys also perform at various times throughout the year. The school has a good record in public music examinations..
There is an eighteen strong choir which sings in chapel on Sundays. They also perform away from school at weddings and choral concerts and entertain the residents at a local retirement home with carols. |
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The custom built Art room has facilities for boys to work in a wide range of media including pottery and sculpture. There is an annual Art exhibition and a flourishing Art club. The Art department also works in conjunction with many other academic departments on cross-curricular projects.
The boys regularly put on dramatic productions in the theatre and this term we are looking forward to a whole school production of Bugsy Malone, splurge guns and all!
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Boys have an opportunity to play a wide variety of games. The major sports are football, rugby and cricket in the Michaelmas, Lent and Summer terms respectively.
The advantage of being in a small school is that almost all the boys get to represent the school at some level. This sense of inclusion is invaluable in building confidence and self esteem.
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| Boys also play tennis, squash, Eton fives, basketball, indoor hockey, golf and table tennis against other schools. Fives has been played at Sunningdale since at least 1892 as the photograph below shows. They also compete in athletics, cross-country, fencing, judo and air rifle shooting. |
There is a heated indoor swimming pool which means that the boys can swim all year round. The sports hall has recently been refurbished and provides the boys with facilities for many indoor activities. It includes two full-length cricket nets and an air rifle range. There is also a 7 hole golf course in the grounds.
Boys can also ride and do clay pigeon shooting and in their last term they do an Outward Bound course on Dartmoor. |
| Indoor activities include chess, model railway, cooking, bridge, snooker, Scottish dancing, drama, model making and board games. |
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School should be an extension of the family, not a break from it.
One of the main advantages of Sunningdale is that it is small. This gives us the opportunity to get to know the boys very well. We are able to pick up on worries and celebrate achievement very quickly. The headmaster is totally involved in the life of the boys, doing a full teaching programme and coaching games every day.
Mrs Dawson oversees the matron's and catering departments. There is a fully qualified head matron, a deputy matron and two assistant matrons who all live on the boarding side of the school. The boys sleep in dormitories until they get to the top end of the school when they move into their own individual 'cubicles'. There is a plethora of teddy bears!
Weekly boarding is now available to boys in their first two years. The purpose of this is to ease boys into the idea of full boarding. |
| Each form has its own tutor and they all attend weekly tutor meetings to discuss a range of topics. |
The boys have two long week-ends either side of an 8 day half term and may also have two other Sundays away from school. The week-ends are full of activities to engage the boys.
Parents are warmly encouraged to attend matches, recitals, plays and other school activities. |
"You have all managed to get the best out of our son" (Parent)
"We just have to pinch ourselves to believe how happy they are" (Parent)
"You have given him an education in every good sense of the word" (Parent)
"We found the boys engaging and so courteous" (Visiting Preacher)
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"Anyone who comes to see you could not help sensing the happy, friendly and positive atmosphere" (Visiting Headmaster)
"There was a definite expectation of respect and friendliness and an absence of tension" (Social Services)
"Relaxed, cheerful but also orderly and well mannered" (Daily Telegraph Good Schools' Guide)
You can also visit our entries on:
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| Follow this link to see a map of where the school is. |
From London:
Take the M4 out of London.
Get on to the M25, direction Heathrow.
Come off at exit 13, Staines.
Go straight over the roundabout as if going back on to the motorway but get in the left hand lane and follow the signs to the A30, Egham.
At the next roundabout take the 2nd exit signposted Egham, A30.
Go straight over the next roundabout.
Continue straight on for quite a while until you get into Sunningdale
Go over the level crossing and take the next right after Waitrose. There is a BMW garage on the corner.
Go down this road until you get to a bend at the end. Turn right into Dry Arch Road.
The school is on the left before the railway arch. |
From the M3:
Leave the M3 at Junction 3.
Take the A322 towards Bracknell.
Go straight over the lights and just after the underpass turn left on to the A30.
Turn left at the T-junction.
Go straight over the roundabout and carry on, past 2 garages and 3 garden centres until you get into Sunningdale.
Just before a BMW garage on the left turn left. If you pass Waitrose you have gone too far.
Go down this road until you get to a bend at the end. Turn right into Dry Arch Road.
The school is on the left before the railway arch. |
From the M4 (The West):
Leave the M4 at Junction 10.
Take the A329(M) towards Bracknell.
Go straight over the 1st roundabout and straight over the 2nd.
At the third roundabout turn right following signs to Bagshot, the A322.
Go straight over the next roundabout and carry on and on through lights and over a further 2 roundabouts.
Just after passing under the A30 turn left.
Turn right at the roundabout and carry on, past 2 garages and 3 garden centres until you get into Sunningdale.
Just before a BMW garage on the left turn left. If you pass Waitrose you have gone too far.
Go down this road until you get to a bend at the end. Turn right into Dry Arch Road.
The school is on the left before the railway arch. | |
