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  • Durham School
    Quarry Heads Lane
    Durham
    DH1 4SZ
  • Head: Mr Kieran McLaughlin
  • T 0191 7319270
  • F 01913 831025
  • E [email protected]
  • W www.dcsf.org.uk
  • A mainstream independent school for pupils aged from 11 to 18 with a linked junior school
  • Boarding: Yes
  • Local authority: Durham
  • Pupils: 477; sixth formers: 118
  • Religion: Church of England
  • Fees: Day £17,082 - £18,693; Boarding £30,987 - £42,330 pa

    Fees last updated: 17/06/2024

    Please note school fees are subject to VAT from January 2025. During this transition period, please contact school for full fee information.

  • Open days: October and March
  • Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
  • Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
  • ISI report: View the ISI report
  • Linked schools: Chorister School

What says..

School site is fabulous, a leafy oasis with the feel of an Oxbridge college in the centre of Durham. Drama and music are real strengths - large-scale productions are staged both in school and at the Sage, Gateshead. Pupils said, ‘There are lots of opportunities to perform.  One parent of a day pupil said, ‘We only live five minutes' walk away but my son wants to board because there is so much going on and it’s such fun’…

 

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What the school says...

Durham School and Chorister School together make up the Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation, founded on 600+ years of educational excellence.

The schools offer independent, 3-18, co-educational, day and boarding opportunities at the heart of the university city of Durham.

Academically driven, pastorally strong, values focussed and pupil-centric, our children and young adults thrive in an environment focused on developing confidence for life and respect for all. ...Read more

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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

Rowing

Shooting

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Kieran McLaughlin, head of Durham School since 2014 and principal of the newly formed Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation since 2021. This means he has oversight of the Chorister School prep and pre-prep, created from the amalgamation of Durham Cathedral School and Bow Durham School.

Happily drinking from a mug with the legend ‘I’m a headmaster, what’s your superpower?’ he seemed to us every inch the seasoned head with the experience and gravitas to take on a complex project bringing together three schools across three sites. He is clearly enjoying the challenge and the opportunities this has brought to develop the schools further. A no-nonsense northerner originally from Merseyside and with a physics degree from Jesus College, Cambridge, he’s a teaching head with his feet firmly in the school and well thought...

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Please note: Independent schools frequently offer IGCSEs or other qualifications alongside or as an alternative to GCSE. The DfE does not record performance data for these exams so independent school GCSE data is frequently misleading; parents should check the results with the schools.

Who came from where

Who goes where

Special Education Needs


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