Blundell's School A GSG School

Other features

All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

Sports

Equestrian centre or equestrian team - school has own equestrian centre or an equestrian team.

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2018, Bart Wielenga BCom BEd, former deputy. Born in Holland but brought up and educated in South Africa with degrees in economics and HR, Mr Wielenga was all set for a career in management consulting until, as he laughingly admits, he was ‘conned into teaching’ during his postgrad gap year. Spells at Michaelhouse in Kwa Zulu Natal and at Wellington College as head of economics and housemaster preceded his arrival at Blundell’s in 2012 – ‘I have never minded the idea of a doing a long apprenticeship,’ he muses – where he has turned his unflinching gaze on process in the school.

‘Results are the product of good process, especially as we are not particularly academically selective,’ he states firmly, adding that academic and pastoral aims must be coherent. His near miss as a management consultant became evident as we delved further, with the culling of some sacred cows and much emphasis placed on how Blundell’s can ‘do things better – it’s not enough just to be normal. I want it to be distinctive.’ Initiatives to startle Blundell’s out of any Devon torpor include efforts to take on teachers with overseas experience (from Singapore, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi for example) and to ‘recruit well, but recruit young’. The pandemic saw the school as well prepared as it could be to tackle the many challenges it necessitated: ‘I am thankful that we installed a whole new communication platform just before it started,’ said Mr Wielenga, still visibly relieved, ‘and we have learnt a lot about how and when children work, as well as giving them an incredible opportunity to try out new things and take ownership of their own learning.’

He has gone down well with parents, who like his calmness (not least during the pandemic), his down-to-earth approach coupled with, in the words of one father, ‘his inspired vision for education’. Time away from work entails a lot of time outdoors with his beach-loving sporty family (two sons both at the school); longer trips back to South Africa and its game reserves when time permits. Holiday reading? Classy historical fiction such as CJ Sansom, Robert Harris and Bernard Cornwell.

The prep school has been headed by Andy Southgate BA Ed since 2011. Raised in Maidstone, but ventured westwards for his degree in physical education and history at St Luke’s Exeter, after which he spent the first 13 years of his career at Moulsford Prep, ending up as deputy head. Our last review described him as ‘impossibly youthful’ and despite now having two teenage children in the senior school, this description is still fair; his live performances (antics on occasion!) during lockdown became legendary. His aim has been to ‘build a culture of aspiration tempered with warmth and kindness’ and parents have been fulsome in their praise of the latter. Both he and Laura Clifford, head of pre-prep are approachable and visible – popular too, judging by the enthusiastic greeting they received from children during our tour.

Entrance

The prep school will take all comers, only turning away children ‘who would not thrive in this environment’. Transition to the senior school is generally seamless (existing pupils do entrance exams only for scholarship purposes, to the dismay of at least one dad), with any doubtful runners being identified by about year 4 to give parents the chance to look for alternatives. Children from elsewhere sit the school’s own entrance tests for entry to year 7; Common Entrance at 13+ or entry tests in maths and English for those whose previous schools don’t cater for it. At sixth form, the minimum requirement is five GCSEs at a grade 5 or above, though in practice this tends to be much higher for external candidates especially, plus interview. For most A level choices, 6s are required, 7s for sciences and maths.

Exit

Very few leave the prep school for other senior destinations, although a handful depart to do CE for traditional public schools elsewhere. Senior school leavers pursue a variety of courses up and down the land. Half to Russell Group. Cardiff, Reading, Bristol, Durham, Edinburgh, Bath, Exeter, Southampton, Loughborough and Birmingham most popular. Four to Oxbridge in 2023, and two medics. Some students head off overseas to study – recently to University of Nevada and Wake Forest University, both in USA (the latter with a hockey scholarship).

Latest results

In 2023, 54 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 49 per cent A*/A at A level (79 per cent A*-B). In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 56 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 40 per cent A*/A at A level (68 per cent A*-B).

Teaching and learning

A Blundell’s education is about so much more than exams and results, which are very much regarded as a passport to the next stage, rather than an end in themselves. As such, pastoral care and the development of character (taught as a discrete lesson by the head) go hand in hand with academic life. Nine GCSEs are now the norm, with school feeling that students could be doing something more profitable or interesting than that 10th GCSE. Twenty-one subjects on offer with Mandarin, Italian and Greek by arrangement. At A level, the choice expands to 27 which includes ethics and philosophy, and film studies.

While online learning seemed to employ huge amounts of technical wizardry, the teaching we witnessed in school looked traditional, with some studious younger pupils head down in a junior maths challenge and others being taught the subtleties of French phonetics, listening to the difference between ‘poisson’ and ‘poison’ - crucial. Academic scholars are stretched with a specifically designed programme, but anyone can sign up for the Phoenix Society ‘for the intellectually curious’. One parent described the teaching as ‘rigorous, lively and consistent’ - high quality across the board.

Lockdown has provided an unexpected opportunity to see how young people learn and the notion of periods of deep and intense work carrying on until a task is done is gaining momentum. Another forthright parent also reckoned the school had benefitted from a ‘good shake-up' from Covid, but that academic focus still needs about 10 per cent more input.

Worth noting though that even the younger children are taught not just the three Rs, fact and figure, but - just as importantly - how to learn. In the pre-prep, learning is thematic - the topic of mini-beasts looked at obvious things like habitat but also shapes and indeed butterfly cakes. Much use is made of the generous outdoor space, including the school’s version of forest school, Wild Wonders - not just for fun, but as a genuine adjunct to learning in the classroom, eg reading tepees. The outdoorsiness for which Blundell’s is famed starts early! Specialist teachers from the prep school complete the offering with French, music and games.

Learning support and SEN

At entry to the pre-prep, any difficulties in speech are language are identified straight away, often by class teachers, and according to the SENCo, dyscalculia is on the rise. Interventions are put in place early, but the staff are conscious of developmental variations. Although most special needs are well catered for (school enjoys good relationships with the county SENCo), accommodating profound difficulties such as severe autism are beyond the school’s capability. We heard praise for the way the pre-prep school handles a child who is ‘not easy’ in the words of his mother; another said they had ‘worked miracles’ on her son. About 10 per cent of senior school students receive support in English, maths, study skills or executive function. Any potential access needs for public exams are looked at in year 10.

The arts and extracurricular

The Ondaatje Hall, named for the generous OB and philanthropist who endowed it, is used mostly for drama, and on the day we visited, the scene of an A level devised piece on the rituals of going out, something close to sixth formers’ hearts post-pandemic, we imagine. The range of speech and drama exams taken, plus the opportunity to take part in three whole-school plays per year (one musical), several house plays and a play reading group all place drama centre stage at Blundell’s. Three students have been offered places at competitive drama schools in the past year.

New music school with tip-top recording equipment provide a home for the orchestra, several choirs and numerous ensembles for all of the 21 instruments taught. A handful of Blundell’s musicians head off to conservatoires and choral scholarships most years. A collaboration with the London Chamber Orchestra since 2016 resulted in interval music played by a Blundell’s quartet as part of an online concert being streamed around the world. In the prep and pre-prep, children are encouraged to perform informally as well as more formal plays and concerts.

The art school is a beautiful space, where our eye was particularly drawn by the exciting textile work and imaginative use made of ancient bath tubs by senior artists. At A level, art is split into fine art and photography – very strong here, perhaps because students are routinely taught how to use cameras, rather than ever-present smartphones. Senior school students lay on activities such as gargoyle-making in the art school for prep school children – much enjoyed by all. DT has its own spacious premises (Popham Centre), whose excellent provision includes computer-aided graphic design and manufacturing capability and whose shelves bear impeccable wooden labels hand carved by the head of department.

Simply masses on offer; the school takes full advantage of its superb position on the edge of Dartmoor for DofE, CCF and all manner of roughy-toughy character-building stuff. There may be an unfair advantage having the setting for Ten Tors on the doorstep, but that’s no help for the Devizes to Westminster canoe race. Senior clubs range from the strenuous (canoeing, sailing) to the gentle (knitting for charity) via the offbeat: a Doctor Who appreciation society. In the prep school, some clubs extend timetabled learning, such as art and drama, others like yoga are unrelated; take-up is high. They run until 5.30pm and the prep and pre-prep is proud of its wraparound care. In past years, trips have gone as far as Morocco and Peru; younger children start closer to home with Exmoor Zoo and Plymouth Aquarium.

Sport

A resolutely sporty school with acres of pitches, both grass and Astro, equally at the disposal of the prep and pre-prep, who have four games sessions a week. Conventional offering for everyone below year 10, which takes in tennis, athletics and swimming in the just-about-heated outdoor pool in the summer term. Some plucky swimmers were braving it on the changeable day of our visit. Year-round swimming for the whole school takes place in the public pool in Tiverton; an indoor pool has been on the wish list for some years and planning permission has been submitted. Girls’ cricket is on the up. Sports philosophy is one of making the experience enjoyable for all – but winning also matters, with plenty of success at county level and some at national, such as girls’ hockey and boys’ rugby sevens. It is no surprise that the school can boast quite a roll call of notable cricketers (Dom Bess, Hugh Morris) and rugby players (Matt Kvesic, Jack Maunder). Less mainstream sports also feature and enjoy success - at the time of writing, the equestrian team had just qualified for the area eventing at Hickstead.

What Blundell’s is truly famous for though is the Russell, a gruelling, muddy cross-country race of about seven miles over neighbouring farmlands and the aptly named Heartbreak Hill (access granted for the occasion by local landowners). Serious training precedes this keenly anticipated, hotly contested feat of endurance (everyone runs it for their house) bearing the name of the celebrated parson who first bred the even more famous terrier. If that doesn’t build character, we don’t know what does.

Boarders

About two-thirds of the senior school board, a mix of full, weekly and flexi - no boarding before that. Some parents lament that, at just 22 per cent, there are not more full boarders; we sense that the proportion increases at sixth form. The school’s seven houses scattered across the grounds comprise both day students and boarders and are grouped according to age. School House accommodates both girls and boys in their first two years; the middle houses are single sex, then sixth formers move into co-ed Westlake for their final year to prepare them for mixed halls or university colleges.

Accommodation is comfortable rather than plush, except for Westlake which is probably better than much first-year university provision. Houses vary in style and character but all were clean, light and homely, with well-equipped kitchens for after hours snacks. ‘My daughter would rather board,’ sighed one mother.

Ethos and heritage

A rare example of a school which still bears the name of its founder, Peter Blundell, a wealthy cloth merchant whose will provided for the endowment of ‘schooling for 150 protestant grammar scholars’ in the early 1600s. Over 200 years later, the school moved to its present handsome Victorian buildings of warm reddish stone arranged round an immaculate green, complete with a beautiful chapel which inevitably can no longer house the whole school, either side of Blundell’s Road (now crossed safely with a light-controlled crossing). Some supposedly temporary PE buildings are still there and some parts could definitely use a lick of paint. The prep, pre-prep and nursery sited just a few hundred yards down the road in light airy red-brick buildings designed for the purpose have their own outdoor space - and masses of it, including a mud kitchen and den area for ‘feral play’. Each classroom has an external door with tiny pairs of wellies lined up in readiness. Inevitably, Blundell’s started life as a boys’ school and even today the balance of the sexes is still slightly skewed in their favour.

Certain rather wonderful traditions persist, such as Latin Prayer – what other schools might call assembly, where news, notices and the occasional pep talk from the head are given out. ‘I don’t like Latin and I don’t like praying, but I do like this!’ one mother declared. ‘It’s an old school adapting to modern times very well.’

Day-to-day uniform in the senior school is one hangover from a past age: rather charming with its brown tweed jackets for lower years (dubbed something far too rude for the pages of this review) and outrageously striped blazers for those sixth formers who have gained their colours, awarded for achievements way beyond the sports field. Students we spoke to (from the tiniest up) were proud to wear uniform – no obvious longing for torn jeans and hoodies permissible in some sixth forms. Uniform from the nursery onwards is purple, the best item being the all-over waterproof suits for outdoor play for the littlest ones.

Mr Wielenga is very keen that Blundell’s looks out to the wider world from its small Devon town and its student body is diverse for a school of its size and location. We heard praise for how well the school accepts students arriving from overseas and judging by the tears we saw from a sixth former from south Asia who was about to move on to Westlake, we have to agree.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Right at the top of the school’s priorities, pastoral care extends to the whole family, with one father telling us movingly of the support not just his young children had received during an exceptionally difficult time, but also himself. A couple more expressed gratitude for the warm and thoughtful welcome their children – refugees from other schools – had received. Students reckon there is always someone to talk to when things go wrong, and we were impressed by the obvious kindliness and professionalism of the full-time medical centre. Relations between girls and boys seem genuinely respectful and although many of the challenges of teenage life seemed outside the experience of the youngsters we met, the prevailing climate seems very much one of openness and acceptance. As the head thoughtfully remarked, ‘We look at the things that unite us, not divide us and see each other as people first. I’m not keen on identity politics here.’ International students have their own hub, where they can drop in for a friendly chat and advice.

The need for discipline does not seem to rear its head too often and is based on the principle of natural justice - ‘consensus,’ as one father put it. ‘I have complete confidence in the school to deal with misdemeanours without glossing over them or blowing them out of proportion.’ another prep school dad told us. The school appears to impose boundaries consistently and does not shrink from expulsion in rare cases.

Pupils and parents

Crisply categorised by the school into types, comprising local families ‘who have lived around the area for ever’ (some Blundell’s dynasties), those seeking the good life from London or the south east and a diverse overseas contingent. A range of parental occupations support a Blundell’s education, but a marked lack of pretension and bling unite a genuine community - ‘an absolute lifesaver,’ as one mother told us. Students we met were thoughtful, polite and well aware of their good fortune at being there. Equally that they are in a bubble, which must surely burst once they leave.

Money matters

Usual array of scholarships awarded, and in case of exceptional need, foundation bursaries can be given up to 100 per cent of fees. Lower rates for families living within 10 miles of the school, plus special terms for boarders whose parents are in the armed forces. Minor gripes about the cost of all that monogrammed uniform, but there is a second-hand shop.

The last word

No longer ‘the school for people who will never leave Devon’, Blundell’s is fast becoming the school of choice for parents who consider that the way it turns their children into thoughtful (and fit!) young people is as important as straight As. A place where they get outside and get on with it with a lack of pretension which is great to see.

Special Education Needs

There are about 150 pupils in the school with special needs of one sort or another, so we are very much aware that some children need special help and there is close liaison between the English department and other subject teachers. SpLD. pupils are tested informally in the Learning Support Department and given help by a highly experienced Learning Support teacher, or her assistant. This support usually takes place once or twice a week, by withdrawal. As it is a specialist individual requirement, there has to be a termly charge. Learning support staff report regularly on the progress of the, 80 or so, students they currently see. Work is centred on discovering what the individual's problem is and concentrating on it. Poor spelling is covered by repetitive work on basic rules, indifferent vocabulary by extension and slow reading by improvement of skills. Pupils are given support in subject areas where they are having problems. A great effort is made to spark imaginative writing. Dyslexics are encouraged to devise strategies to overcome difficulties of spelling and organising work. For some this may include the use of special filters or glasses as well as the use of techniques such as mind mapping or visualisation. Dyslexic diagnostic tests (Aston, Digit Span, etc.) at a simple level are given and referral made, where necessary, for full testing to enable students to claim extra time allowance in public examinations. Official testing is usually done by Dr Hornby from St. Luke’s, Exeter. Her certification is accepted by exam boards and tests are usually carried out in the Autumn. About twenty-five pupils are tested each year. In 2002 for the first time, the Boards agreed to accept just one certification for the student’s entire secondary career. (In Further Education, such certification often entitles students to IT equipment discounts.) There are no standard textbooks, as worksheets are prepared individually. However Hornsby's "Alpha to Omega", Butterworth's "Using the Oxford Dictionary" and The Sunday Times "Word Power" are helpful. Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Syndrome: it is very difficult to pinpoint or label problems as every child is different, but at Blundell’s we aim to ensure sympathetic treatment, individual support and a positive approach, focussing on the learning difference with its positives rather than any negative associations connected with a learning disability. It is not unusual for dyslexic pupils, with the full extra time allowance in exams, to gain the highest grades in both GCSE and A level examination. Above all, our students are taught to think of themselves as Blundellians, not as Dyslexics, developing confidence and expertise in as many areas as possible.

Who came from where