Sunningdale School A GSG School
- Sunningdale School
Dry Arch Road
Sunningdale
Ascot
Berkshire
SL5 9PY - Head: Mr T Dawson
- T 01344 620159
- F 01344 873304
- E admissions@sunningdaleschool.co.uk
- W www.sunningdaleschool.co.uk
- An independent school for boys aged from 7 to 13.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Windsor and Maidenhead
- Pupils: 110
- Religion: Church of England/Christian
- Fees: Day £24,105; Boarding £30,840 pa
- Open days: 4 May 2024 , 18 May 2024
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
Tellingly, teachers hail boys by their nicknames. They are their friends on the corridors but certainly have them on task in class. ‘They push you quite hard but they’re really kind,’ summarised one pupil. We observed lively lessons expertly managed by accomplished, energetic staff with classes of only seven to 14, and parents agree the teaching is of the first order. The tongue-and-groove dining room is painted (deliberately?) Eton blue, and as at Eton and Harrow, this place its own vocab – ‘going across’ means visiting the loo; the Tuppy is…
What the school says...
Sunningdale is a small school with a unique family atmosphere which means the boys feel happy and secure and as a result are able to achieve their full potential. Our aim is to find each boy's strengths and give him the opportunity to shine in different areas of school life. Our academic record speaks for itself, with scholarships won on a regular basis. The structure of our forms means that boys move through the school at their own pace, challenged or supported where necessary. Three quarters of boys play at least one musical instrument; the chapel choir sings on Sundays and occasionally at Old Boys' weddings. There is a pipe band which plays on Sports Day and at other events. We produce a musical each year in which every boy takes part. The art department puts on a large annual exhibition and regularly wins awards at senior schools. We have a good reputation on the sports field and one of the benefits of being a small school is that almost all the boys get to represent the school in a team. This does wonders for their self confidence. Weekends are packed with activities to keep the boys stimulated and entertained. ...Read more
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Sports
Polo
Fencing
Shooting
What The Good Schools Guide says
Headmaster
Since 2005, Tom Dawson. Sunningdale may be a family heirloom but he could, one suspects, land a job anywhere. Educated here (naturally), then at Eton and Edinburgh (French and Spanish), he took himself off for a PGCE to Bristol to ‘check that I really wanted to do it’ before following the family profession. During a teaching post in a special measures school, he was rapidly hooked by ‘the magic of connecting and making a difference to the kids’ despite having to break up fist fights on day one. An enjoyable spell at Harrow preceded his return to the Dawson-owned Sunningdale where he undertook a range of roles under his father and uncle (identical twins who famously shared the headship) before taking the helm himself. Audible within minutes of anyone arriving, he is a tall...
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Special Education Needs
At Sunningdale we test all the boys' reading and spelling ability each September. If a boy requires extra help he has one to one tuition with our SENCO.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | |
| Aspergers | |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | Y |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | |
| Dysgraphia | |
| Dyslexia | |
| Dyspraxia | |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
Leavers' destinations
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherborne School | 2023 | 5 | ||
| Stowe School | 2023 | 4 | 1 | All Rounder Scholarship |
| Eton College | 2023 | 2 | 1 | Music Scholarship |
| Tonbridge School | 2023 | 2 | ||
| Harrow School | 2023 | 1 | 2 | Music Scholarship; Academic Scholarship |
| Holyport College | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Oundle School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Pangbourne College | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Radley College | 2023 | 1 | ||
| St Edward's Oxford | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Winchester College | 2023 | 1 |
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