Mount Kelly A GSG School
- Mount Kelly
Parkwood Road
Tavistock
Devon
PL19 0HZ - Head: Mr Guy Ayling
- T 01822 813193
- F 01822 612050
- E admissions@mountkelly.com
- W www.mountkelly.com
- A mainstream independent school for pupils aged from 13 to 18 with a linked junior school
- Read about the best schools in Devon
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Devon
- Pupils: 384; sixth formers: 179
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day: £21,690 pa; Boarding: £36,270 - £38,790 pa (last updated on 12/08/2024)
- Open days: Sixth Form Open Day: October; College Open Day: September
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- Linked schools: Mount Kelly Prep
What The Good Schools Guide says..
‘They are really nice kids, very decent, grounded and generous-spirited,’ says the head. ‘I say to them: “You are going into a tough world but if you work hard and dig in and use one hand on the ladder to help other people up you will be fine.” They give me hope for the future. They are very well-mannered and polite but there’s a steeliness too. When there’s a job to be done, whether it’s thrashing across Dartmoor in the driving rain or swimming in a gala, they can do both...’
What the school says...
Mount Kelly, set on the edge of Dartmoor National Park between Exeter and Plymouth, combines academic excellence with an outstanding range of learning opportunities outside the classroom and exceptional pastoral care.
The school, for girls and boys aged between 4 and 18, offers both day and a full range of boarding provision. If you like the outdoors, have a sense of adventure and are keen to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, then Mount Kelly is the school for you.
Mount Kelly’s high standard of academic schooling includes a proven track record of 100 per cent A level pass rates, with students gaining places at Russell Group, Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, St Andrews and Loughborough universities.
Our spectacular location means that we are well known for our strong commitment to co-curricular activities and the majority of pupils are involved with at least one of the following: the Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh awards, the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon or the Ten Tors Challenge. We call it the Mount Kelly spirit – an attitude to life that develops here, one that allows pupils to really experience the life-defining educational experience that we promise.
Mount Kelly is especially well known for its world class coaching facility for swimming and an elite training programme which is fully integrated within the school. Mount Kelly has produced competitors at the last five Olympic and Paralympic games.
The Girls Performance Football team is also flying. Affiliated with Chelsea Football Club, it won the National Final of the ISFA U18 Girls’ Cup 2024 and the Chelsea Foundation Cup 2024.
The success of Mount Kelly swimmers and footballers creates a culture in which the level of commitment and dedication required to excel are not considered out of the ordinary but are qualities to which everyone can aspire.
Each pupil joins one of the school’s houses, serving as a boarder’s home from home and a day pupil’s working base. Boarders comprise approximately 50 per cent of the college’s pupils and are fully integrated with the day pupil body. Pupils enjoy small class sizes offering exceptional levels of individual focus. Each pupil is cared for by a housemaster or housemistress and assigned a dedicated tutor who oversees their academic, pastoral and co-curricular progress. This comprehensive tutoring system produces happy pupils who are confident, well-rounded and ambitious. ...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
Shooting
Sailing
What The Good Schools Guide says
Headmaster and Principal of Mount Kelly Foundation
Since 2019, Guy Ayling, previously head of Llandovery College in Carmarthenshire. Before that he spent 15 years at Sedbergh in Cumbria (becoming a housemaster and senior master). ‘I move between National Parks,’ he jokes.
Educated at Bilton Grange and Rugby, he read medieval history at St Andrews, captained the first XV and played for Scottish Universities. Both his parents were teachers and he was keen to follow suit. ‘I remember at prep school I saw my Latin teacher’s mark book beautifully laid out and I wanted to do that too,’ he says. ‘I was really inspired by my teachers at Rugby and I was keen to have the same kind of impact on pupils, to teach history and run around in shorts in the...
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
Y |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
Y |
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
Y |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
Y |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
Y |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
Who came from where
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Kelly Prep | 2024 | Majority to the senior school |
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