Frensham Heights A GSG School
- Frensham Heights
Rowledge
Farnham
Surrey
GU10 4EA - Head: Andrew Fisher - Interim Head
- T 01252 792561
- F 01252 794335
- E [email protected]
- W www.frensham.org/
- An independent school for boys and girls aged from 3 to 18.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Surrey
- Pupils: 500; sixth formers: 80
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Fees: Day £8,565 - £24,255; Boarding £27,180 - £37,845 pa
- Open days: Friday 2 February 2024, Tuesday 27 February 2024, Friday 11 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..
It would be disingenuous to suggest Frensham is anything other than selective, but they are more interested in you fitting in with the school’s broad-minded ethos than helping them soar to league-table-topping prominence. Arguably, the most impressively led art department in the country, offering oodles of GCSEs and A levels (eight in total). Art school vibe – and it looks like one too, with the students relishing every inch. No uniform and teachers called by first names. Reasonable expectations and modelling of good behaviour substitute rules, all accompanied by heaps of personal responsibility. Even extends to...
What the school says...
Frensham Heights is a progressive day and boarding school - refreshingly different since 1925 - founded by three women passionate about offering an alternative style of education with the child at its heart. A school and a community based on mutual respect, tolerance and generosity of spirit which strives to educate the whole child – mind, body and spirit. And so it has been ever since.
Frensham offers something truly different to the formal, hierarchical instructional-style of teaching found in most traditional state and private schools. Instead children take an active part in their education – championing independent thought, exploration and student voice. Students have more freedom here, but with that comes more responsibility and more opportunity to mature and grow into well-balanced young adults. In its inspection of the school in January 2022, ISI found both the quality of students’ academic achievements and their personal development to be excellent. The report commented that "students respect their teachers and peers as equals without the need for hierarchical structures" and ‘develop outstanding levels of self-knowledge, confidence, self-discipline and resilience’ - attributes which are immeasurable but invaluable.
Creativity underpins everything we do, not just in the performing and visual arts, but it also sits at the heart of our academics. We strive for creativity of thought in every pursuit – to look at things differently, to consider a different approach - this forms one of our core values - developing a strong practice of creative thinking is imperative for life after Frensham.
Frensham is a school for families looking for something different, more modern and more reflective of real life. There is an energy about the school which is hard to describe. It's a feeling of happiness and lightness, a sense of freedom. It comes from all the children being comfortable in their own skins, their own clothes. With no prefects or head boys and girls, everyone is on a level playing field. They can be who they are. And it comes from our foundation of exceptional pastoral care which thrives on the genuine relationships which develop between all members of the community. ...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.
What The Good Schools Guide says
Interim Head
Since 2023, Andrew Fisher, interim head. Previously head of Frensham Heights from 2004 to 2019, he has returned to take the helm until the future head, Ben McCarey (current head at Holyport College), takes up his appointment in 2024.
Head of junior school since 2022 is Nick Oram-Tooley. Previously taught at the junior school for 11 years.
Entrance
Entry into nursery in term of third birthday (16 places) or the following year to reception – assessment done by informal observation during a visit. Years 1-6 take one or two more – roughly two apply for each place. Candidates spend a day with peer group during which they are assessed in reading, spelling and maths. ‘We look for those who are curious, good at communicating with their peers, respectful and all-rounders.’
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
Frensham Heights provides group lessons from Year 1 for those considered to have mild learning difficulties. These lessons not only offer support, but enable the teacher to monitor individual progress. From Year 7, the school uses diagnostic tests to assess the learning needs of all students. This then influences how lessons are planned and how those with learning needs are managed. Frensham Heights does not have a Special Needs Unit. Our provision is managed by a Director of Support for Learning and a Head of Support for Learning (Junior School). They work with a team of peripatetic specialist teachers who also provide support on a one-to-one basis. Where this is required, it is charged separately. Support teachers and tutors attend a number of continuing professional development courses annually to ensure that they are fully conversant with current theories and strategies in order to support students.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | |
| Aspergers | |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | Y |
| Dysgraphia | Y |
| Dyslexia | Y |
| Dyspraxia | Y |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | Y |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | Y |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | Y |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | Y |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | Y |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
Who came from where
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amesbury | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Barfield School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Edgeborough School | 2023 | |||
| Notting Hill Preparatory School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Thomas's Fulham | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Twyford School | 2023 | 1 |
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