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Reviewed

Dolphin School

Independent school · Reading, RG10 0FR
  • Primary/prep
  • Co-ed
  • Ages 3-13
  • From £15,966 pa
  • 235 pupils
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All schools say that they treat every child as an individual, but this school actually does it, producing cheerful, humane, confident, mature and thoughtful children with a life-long love of learning ahead of them. Exuberant yet disciplined; quirky but oddly classical; alternative but non-woo. The sort of unique school people move house to be near. ‘If schools got stars for children’s engagement and happiness,’ said a parent, ‘they’d be off the scale.’

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Unlike other websites, schools can't pay to be included in The Good Schools Guide. This means our review of this school is independent, critical and fair, and written with parents' best interests at heart.

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Overview & data

Pupil numbers
235 ·
Religion
None
Fees
£15,966 - £21,870 pa
Local authority
Wokingham Borough Council

Headteacher

Head

Mr Adam Hurst

Since 2019, Adam Hurst (40s). Educated at Kelly College; read English literature at Reading. Began his teaching career at Shiplake College in 2004. He moved on to Caldicott Prep where he was head of sport, then became housemaster of the junior boa

Entrance

Now welcomes any child who can ‘access the curriculum’. Tiddlers may begin at the nursery from ‘rising 3’. Pupils entering the school from age 5 upwards are assessed during a day of tests, including maths and English. Unusually, children can start

Exit

Pupils move on at 11 or 13 to an enormous range of senior schools — comps (loads to nearby and well-regarded Piggott Academy), state grammars, independents, boarding schools, single sex, you name it. ’We lose a lot at the end of year 6, sometimes

Latest results

There are no results to show for this school. Find out more.

Learning support & SEN

0 %
Students with a SEN EHCP
28 %
Students with SEN support

Pupils

235
Number of pupils

Money matters

Fee information
£15,966 - £21,870 pa

Our view

Dolphin’s American founder Ophelia Follett came to the UK in 1968 for a PhD programme at King’s College London. Two years later she was magicking-up this alternative (then Montessori) school with 25 tots aged 2-4 in the gardener’s shed in the grou

The last word

All schools say that they treat every child as an individual, but this school actually does it, producing cheerful, humane, confident, mature and thoughtful children with a life-long love of learning ahead of them. Exuberant yet disciplined; quirk

Inspection reports

What the school says

Dolphin School offers a 'hands-on' approach to learning, high academic standards and a unique field and walking trip programme both at home and abroad which takes education beyond the classroom and brings it to life.

Contact the school

Address

Waltham Road
Hurst
Reading
Berkshire
RG10 0FR
Get directions

Telephone: 0118 934 1277

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.dolphinschool.com

Local authority: Wokingham Borough Council

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School data & information Dolphin School Waltham Road, Hurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG10 0FR
235 Pupil numbers

We do not receive results data for this school. Find out more.

Entry and exit data

We do not have entry or exit data for pupils at this school. Find out more

SEN overview

Dolphin School is a mainstream school. The school may provide support for students with special educational needs as detailed below. If you require more information on conditions the school can support, we encourage you to contact the school directly.

SEN statement

Provided by the school and not part of our review

At Dolphin there is an Individual Needs Co Ordinator who helps to identify any children who may need support or, in the case of the most able, extension material. The curriculum at Dolphin is challenging and consequently the majority of children are of average ability or above. We do not have a learning support unit, but some children do have weekly one-to-one lessons with qualified support staff where necessary, the cost of which is in addition to the termly fees.

09-09

0 %
Students with a SEN EHCP UK mainstream school avg. 3%
28 %
Students with SEN support UK mainstream school avg. 14%

SEN conditons supported

Schools report the conditions they might be able to support. Please note, this may not be a complete list. Find out more.

Conditions (Might cover/be referred to as) Provision
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Social skills Yes
HI - Hearing Impairment Yes
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty Learning needs
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment Sensory processing Yes
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic, Tics, Tourettes Yes
PD - Physical Disability Yes
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health Anxiety, Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health Yes
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication Selective mutism Yes
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty Complex needs
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Auditory processing, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting Yes
VI - Visual Impairment Special facilities for Visually Impaired Yes
Our data explained
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