Oakham School A GSG School

Curricula

International Baccalaureate: diploma - the diploma is the familiar A-level equivalent.

Cambridge Pre-U - an alternative to A levels, with all exams at the end of the two-year course.

Sports

Polo

Shooting

Sailing

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2019, Henry Price, previously head of Wellington School in Somerset. After a degree in classics from Oxford, he began teaching at Sydney Grammar, Australia, returning to England for a post at Sherborne. Thirteen years at Rugby followed where he was head of classics, a housemaster and immersed in extracurricular activities. Is revelling in the return to full school life, with the worst of the pandemic over, particularly being among the pupils, ‘It’s the casual encounters as well as the organised events.’ The task he had set himself, of learning every pupil’s name, ‘was on hold, but I am making headway’. Parents are pleased he is about for ‘the casual encounter when I am dropping off in the morning, and he knows my name’. Another mentioned his ability to ‘relate as a fellow parent’.

In conversation he listens carefully and gets to the point without a lot of flannel. The depth of his concern for his pupils is evident: ‘What they learn in their time here, the knowledge, the skills and the values, should set them on course for their future lives.’ His priorities as head are ‘to make clear the sense of direction, to inspire and to set standards. I particularly want to encourage leadership among the staff.’

He is proud of Oakham celebrating 50 years as a genuinely co-ed school and thinks strong local roots contribute to its identity. ‘As a day and boarding school, we have a mix of pupils from nearby, nationally and overseas but the sense of place that Oakham gives is significant. We are part of the town and feel it.’ With a fifty/fifty split of boarders and day pupils, he rejects the idea that Oakham isn’t a ‘proper’ boarding school: ‘Three hundred in chapel on a Sunday morning feels like a boarding school.’ In understanding teenagers and their peccadilloes, he is definitely of the mind that justice should be tempered with mercy: ‘They must be allowed to learn from their mistakes. My job is to find the balance between the individual and the needs of the whole group. There is a happy medium. ’

Continues to teach his own subjects (Latin and Greek) at A level, though very aware that this does not bear comparison with the slog of a full timetable: ‘It keeps to the heart of the fact that I am a teacher.’ Married to Mary, who works part time at the school in admissions ; they have four children, three at the school and the fourth to join shortly. He tries to keep a level of fitness going, practises yoga and enjoys reading – William Boyd, Matt Haig and Owen Eastwood all recommended. Out of term they escape to their house on Anglesey where his mother’s family have their roots.

Entrance

At age 10 and 11 around 90 pupils join from over 30 different prep and primary schools – assessments in maths, English and underlying ability plus an interview. For entry at 13+ and 14+, when another 60 join, there is a pre-test interview and either the Common Entrance (55 or above) or school assessments in maths, English and science. Another 60 or so join in the sixth form; they need to be on target for a minimum of four 6s and three 4s at GCSE, including the subjects they wish to study. Some A levels require higher grades (eg maths). Satisfactory personal and academic references from previous school also required. All candidates sit CAT4 and are interviewed (on Skype, initially, for overseas entrants). Scholarship exams are held in February for entrance at 10,11 and 13+ and in November for 16+.

Exit

Around 15 per cent leave after GCSEs. Around 60 per cent of sixth form leavers to Russell Group universities. The most popular destination in 2023 was Exeter, followed by Newcastle, Oxford Brookes, Birmingham, Nottingham Trent and Durham. A good clutch each year to specialist music, art and drama colleges. Three to Oxbridge in 2023 and six medics. Significant numbers head off abroad – most recently to IE University in Madrid, Maastricht and EHL in Lausanne, among other destinations in Europe, the US and Canada. School employs a Yale fellow who oversees preparation of candidates for US universities. Oakham has a reputation (several parents spoke of it) for the excellent guidance offered for higher education, apprenticeships and careers.

Latest results

In 2023, 49 per cent 9-7 at I/GCSE; 38 per cent A*/A at A level (68 per cent A*-B). Average point score of 35 at IB. In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 52 per cent 9-7 at I/GCSE; 38 per cent A*/A at A level (64 per cent A*-B).

Teaching and learning

Working hard is seen as natural by pupils – ‘It’s what you do here’ – and a parent commented, ‘It seems to be accepted and normal to do your best but it’s not pushy.’ Setting for maths and languages begins in the lower school, in year 9 for sciences and in year 10 for English. Triple and double science offered and a wide range of languages including French, Spanish, German, Latin and Greek, with good numbers taking them, not just a handful. Clearly some excellent language teaching as results are among the best across the curriculum – including Latin where over 90 per cent got A*/A in2021. Now in its twentieth year, the IB Diploma is taken by around a third of sixth formers and the Middle Years Programme has been introduced for 11 to 13-year-olds, ‘to encourage critical, creative and reflective thinkers’. Virtues of the IB Diploma draw a mixed response, at least from the parents we spoke to. ‘Doing six subjects is quite a feat,’ said one and another mentioned ‘problems with coursework and not enough feedback in some areas – we all complained, then things improved.’ ‘It was a new one on me as I did A levels but I like the fact that they continue to study widely, for longer.’ Art and design, biology, physics, maths and further maths all popular choices at A level. Two subjects – business studies and sports science – are available as BTECs as well as A levels.

The senior academic mentor is responsible for the programme of seminars and talks designed to give extra intellectual stretch for scholars and those with their sights set on Oxbridge. The Scholars’ Society events are not exclusively for those with awards but also those who have shown a clear interest or are put forward by staff.

The Smallbone Library (named, as are many buildings at Oakham, after a former head or beloved member of staff) is impressive, both in size and in purpose. Displays and exhibitions in the foyer include those celebrating LGBT Pride week and National Poetry week, alongside a massive banner declaring, ‘Welcome back, the books have missed you,’ and a model tree, intended to help create a calming, cosy atmosphere in an otherwise rather large, anonymous space. There is the thrill of going through actual turnstiles and realising there are thirty thousand books and journals to choose from (Sally Rooney currently the most borrowed) and most remarkable of all, seven full-time librarians. All pupils have a library lesson up to form 3 (year 9) and the library is open for borrowing books, reading or working in throughout the day to 9pm.We saw lots of pupils reading and talking downstairs, but the reference library upstairs, intended for silent study, was all but deserted. It was late morning and the librarian assured us that it is a valued space for quiet working.

Learning support and SEN

On the top floor, in lovely light premises, an experienced team work with small groups and individuals providing support in any particular subject a pupil has difficulty with. Mild dyslexia and dyscalculia crop up, but ‘anxiety, especially over studying techniques and exams’, is also common. Mostly small-group work, some withdrawal for individual help (extra charge) and in-class support.

The arts and extracurricular

Music and drama run through the life of Oakham with many opportunities to learn and perform. Drama is taught at every stage and is a popular GCSE choice. Several major productions are staged in the impressive Queen Elizabeth Theatre each year – some of which are performed by a particular section of the school, two are for drama scholars and one is an all-out school performance (recently, Singin’ in the Rain). The theatre has a thrust stage (think World Snooker Championships at the Crucible) and raked seating creates a really authentic atmosphere. The head of drama is herself a trained former professional so, in addition to directing plays, she is well placed to give wise counsel and coach those intent on an acting career (several pupils have entered specialist drama schools, one this year to RADA, and some have gone on to illustrious careers, Miles Jupp being one). ‘Taking part in a production is a big commitment, rehearsals after school and all day Sunday, but it gives them a chance to experience the real thing.’ Great understanding of pupils’ other commitments: ‘We can negotiate with other disciplines where necessary – my advice is to keep all options open as long as possible.’

The musical life of the school is impressive – and not just for the numbers who study an individual instrument and perform at concerts, but for the opportunities it offers the wider school and the town of Oakham to participate and share the enjoyment. The well-established and well-attended series of (free) weekly lunchtime recitals in the town’s All Saints’ Church gives the musicians a chance to get solo performance experience in front of a mixed audience of school friends, parents and townspeople. We heard a virtuoso cello performance of Bach and Prokofiev, but woodwind, piano and brass all get a turn. ‘They are encouraged so much from listening and watching each other perform,’ said a parent. Other concerts and informal recitals take place throughout the year. Around three hundred pupils sing in the various choirs.

Impressive numbers of top marks for art and DT at GCSE and there are specialist teachers for all the different disciplines such as sculpture and textiles. Teaching is in the Jerwood School of Design and the Richard Bull Centre, a series of workshops converted from what was the town’s prison. The Wheelhouse Gallery displays art by pupils and visiting artists. Larger-than-life installations in the quadrangles and courtyards include a giant metal spider’s web. Art a very popular A level choice and a few go on to study it and related subjects, such as architecture and fashion design, at specialist colleges each year.

The service and action programme offers a chance to learn leadership and teamwork. Pupils choose from DofE, CCF (army and RAF branches) and voluntary action (conservation work, visiting). Lower school do scaled-down ‘fun’ versions of all these options to give them a chance to choose for themselves in form 4. Substantial sums are raised for charity through the many fundraising endeavours each year (an average of fifty).

Sport

Top-notch facilities and training and coaching programmes, often run by ex-international and former club players. All the team sports are played to a high standard, teams regularly reaching national finals – both girls and boys. As a parent commented, ‘The school can field several really decent sides in all the main sports so great opportunities and not just for a select few.’ The 40 acres of grass pitches, two floodlit all-weather pitches, multi-purpose sports hall, squash and fives court, plus a swimming pool and gym, provide scope to offer 30 different sports with an increasing emphasis on general health and fitness as much as winning, though the competitive edge is definitely still there. Our tour guide seemed pleased as punch that his rugby side had, only that week, almost beaten a school considered by many to be the best. The Leicester Tigers train and coach here and two recent leavers currently play for them. The cricket square is also used by the county side. Sport really is for all, whether playing or watching friends. Many school buildings surround the green expanses of the various pitches and spectating comes naturally. Maximum use is made of Rutland Water, which is close at hand, for sailing and canoeing.

Boarders

Overall, roughly half the school boards, a proportion on a weekly basis, but as the school day can extend into the evening and there is Saturday school and sports, ‘The term is really full on for everyone, whether boarding or day,’ a parent commented. One ‘leave-out’ weekend each half term. For the lower school, pupils are in one of the four day houses, with Hodges, the boarding house, close by. ‘Transitional boarding’ is offered at this stage, offering packages from two to five nights. In the middle school (13-17) boarding houses are ranged around an area referred to as ‘Donkey’ (Doncaster Close) – a place of some social interest, one gathers, since according to pupils, ‘Everything happens there!’

Full and flexi boarding options are available; two houses (boys and girls) are for flexi boarders and four for full boarders. Houses are comfortable, some more recently decorated and upgraded than others but all have their turn. Mostly three-bedded dorms with study bedrooms for lower sixth, spacious rooms with the usual bed/desk/cupboard combo for each pupil. Bathrooms and loos all in good nick. Downstairs attractive, open-plan spaces (used for registration, as well as relaxing) filled with comfy sofas, piano, table football and TV. On the walls we saw a Cath Kidston material map of the world showing the different countries girls in a house hailed from, photographic displays and information about upcoming social events, safari suppers, film nights, weekend outings. Upstairs corridor floors carpeted in that practical, dark brown colour that makes you feel you have lost your feet. Family atmosphere is nurtured with older pupils acting as mentors and prefects and housemasters and mistresses live in attached accommodation. Smell of home-baked cake coming from the kitchen.

Upper sixth (in Oakham speak, the seventh form) have separate quarters in houses within Chapel Close – part of the older school buildings off the market square. ‘We try to make it a bit of a stepping stone to independence,’ so pupils can choose where to work, whether in the library, their rooms, or common house areas (all well furnished and comfortable) and, if full boarders, have their own rooms. A full-sized kitchen that is properly equipped means pupils can attempt more than toast and takeaways (popular as those continue to be). We visited at break time and found everyone devouring a scrummy looking apple cake as well as the usual fruit.

Meals are all eaten in the Barraclough, a cafeteria in a large hall with a stage. Food is cooked on site and is wholesome, though ‘We have favourite and less favourite menus!’ When pupils have lunchtime activities and come late to lunch, choice can dwindle.

Sensible rules about screen time and use of mobiles. Wifi is turned off at 10pm in the main boarding houses and bed times are kept to – and they certainly need their sleep.

Ethos and heritage

Hard to imagine a more charming town to wander in, with its castle and cobbled market place, the school just beside it. Oakham, the county town of Rutland, is home to the Cottesmore hunt and a foodie’s paradise with hostelries such as the Whipper-In and shops selling mouthwatering selections of local meats and cheeses (endless temptation for pupils and lucky parents when they visit). Rutland Water and the A1 are both a short drive away.

In 1584, Archdeacon Robert Johnston founded Oakham and its twin school at Uppingham as grammar schools to teach the boys of the towns Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The respective schools’ fortunes and sizes waxed and waned over the years. Oakham currently has around a thousand pupils, with an equal number of boys and girls. Girls were admitted in 1971 and they recently celebrated 50 years of coeducation. As late as the end of the 19th century, the original school house was still Oakham’s only teaching premises. The seventh form and administration are now based in the old buildings beside the memorial chapel.

The main site consists of a series of buildings for teaching and boarding set around beautifully kept green spaces, notably Doncaster Close (Donkey). No outstanding architecture but sensible buildings, well looked after and all within easy walking distance of each other. Arresting design and decoration of subject areas such as a UN-style room with long oval table for debates, an exact replica of the door to 10 Downing St, blown up photographs of events such as the D-Day landings cover the walls, not to mention life-size cut-out models of various key politicians.

Lower school pupils move around less than the middle school, and the seventh form premises are seen as a privileged destination, somewhere to aspire to. The parish church, All Saints’, with its churchyard and alleyways, is a useful reference point as one meanders across roads and around corners. ‘We do feel a part of the town,’ said our sixth form guides – and it is a feeling returned, if the excellent attendance by the general public at school recitals and concerts is anything to go by. The school is one of the major employers in Oakham.

Straightforward uniform of black crested blazers, white shirts and ties (boys only) and black and white kilts for the girls. ‘We got out of wearing uniforms in the lockdowns but it feels normal to be back in them.’ The seventh form wear the so-called business suit, which (surprisingly to us) is regarded as a privilege. Staff, incidentally, are noticeably well-dressed.

Former pupils include a multiplicity of sporting stars – Stuart Broad, Tom Fell, Lewis Moody, Hamish Watson, Kathryn Lane, Emily Nagel – actors and performers such as Miles Jupp, Matthew Macfadyen and Katie Mitchell (director), and those who have excelled in the fields of law and justice, Lord Clark and Lord Cope.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Parents speak highly of the pastoral care: ‘They seem to be switched on; one email is all it takes and they are straight on the case.’ Everyone spoke of the excellent communication between home and school and the feeling that no issues are too small to be mentioned. ‘Trust is so important. What can appear to be trifles, perhaps a friendship problem, may lead us to offer the right support before things get really unhappy,’ said a housemistress. The house system itself, with older pupils acting as ‘buddies’ and matrons trained in youth mental health, mean pupils all know several people they can turn to. Pupils remain with the same tutor throughout each phase of the school.

The recent campaign on social media, Everyone’s Invited, has been welcomed by the school for bringing such issues as sexuality, gender identity and consensual sex to the fore, although, ‘It was not really needed as we already have the Matthews Society – an open forum set up twelve years ago for forms 6 and 7 (years 12 and 13) to discuss feminism, in particular, and now these other matters.’ Pupils are alert and confident enough to challenge inappropriate language among their peers and the language staff commonly use with pupils has also been under review. ‘It has all helped amplify the message we would have given anyway.’

Minor misdemeanours are dealt with by tutors and house staff but there are few discipline problems – perhaps because the pupils are fully occupied – ‘sometimes to the point of exhaustion!’ said a parent. ‘They definitely need the holidays.’ Suspension rarely used, perhaps for the occasional overstepping of the mark with drink or drugs, but ‘Accepting and understanding punishment is part of education and learning from the mistakes they are making and the risks they are running,’ says the headmaster.

Pupils and parents

Solidly middle class; many parents drawn from professional or business backgrounds. Lots of staff offspring attend the school, as do the head’s children. With 50 per cent day pupils (and indeed, many boarders from the locality), the school reflects its position in Middle England. School transport is laid on for six different routes bringing pupils in from places such as Stamford, Leicester and Balderton. Difficult to imagine more down-to-earth, unaffected pupils. ‘They make friendships for life here,’ said a parent. ‘They have a network that seems to transcend even university.’ Perhaps not the place for un-sporty, determined nonconformists but the school embraces such a wide range of interests and tastes that few are unsuited.

Money matters

A wide variety of scholarships offered at 11+ and 13+ and in the sixth form with means-tested bursaries available on an individual basis. Ten per cent discount for Forces families.

The last word

A genuinely co-ed, forward-thinking, well-run school that benefits from its historic roots and close local connections with the town. Taking a hint from the school motto, ‘Et quasi cursores vitai lampada tradunt’ (‘And, like runners, they pass on the torch of life’), this is a place best suited to those who want to be involved and active all day long, on the sports field and off.

Special Education Needs

Parents are asked to inform the school at the initial enquiry stage if their child has any learning difficulties. Early submission of any relevant paperwork will enable consideration to be given to the likely needs of the child. The school might be able to offer Learning Support to students who have a specific learning difficulty. If however, it is clear that a prospective candidate requires a higher level of support than can be provided, then it is important that this is discussed openly. Learning Support may be offered to students in the form of group support in lieu of a second language in Forms 1, 2 and 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) or by in class support. Students on the Learning Support register, requiring a higher level of support, may be taught in pairs or as individuals. Students in Forms 4 (Year 10) and above, who are on the Learning Support register, may be offered individual support. There may be a need for some students with specific difficulties to request special access arrangements in external examinations. If this is the case, the school will require an Educational Psychologist’s assessment which specifies what is recommended. If an assessment needs renewing, this should be carried out in the summer at the end of Form 3 (Yr 9) and the paperwork submitted to the school so that any recommendations are in place at the start of the GCSE courses. This is an examination board requirement. Extra time only recommendations will suffice until the student leaves school. Any other than a time concession requires an update to be carried out after GCSE in preparation for Upper School IB or A Level courses. 09-09

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