Royal Hospital School

Royal Hospital School was founded in 1712 in Greenwich, London. Royal Hospital – this is the former Royal School for the children of naval officers. It was founded by King William III initially for the orphans of dead sailors. In 1933 it moved to the stunning location where it remains today. The school grounds cover 80 hectares of Suffolk countryside, with stunning views of the river.

The school is conveniently located 45 minutes' drive from London Liverpool Street Station. Ipswich is a 15-minute taxi ride from the school, and students can travel into the city on Sundays.

The Independent School Inspectorate writes about Royal Hospital:

«Students are encouraged to strive for academic excellence and to support and preserve the school's unique and rich heritage. Royal Hospital encourages leadership, a sense of adventure and self-discovery. The school aims to develop creativity and imagination, and life here is based on mutual respect, trust and courtesy between staff and students. The school fosters a sense of responsibility for the environment. It encourages students to develop physical fitness, wellness and healthy competition."

Director (for 2024)

Simon Lockyer, Education – Cambridge university; University of Buckingham, Master's Degree in Education; Newcastle University, BSc Microbiology.

Famous school graduates

• Admiral Arthur Phillip, founder of Sydney, Australia, and governor of the first European colony on the continent (New South Wales)
• John Dean and Charles Dean, inventors of the diving helmet and discoverers of the wreck of the Mary Rose in 1839
• Malcolm Cooper, British marksman who won Olympic gold medals in Los Angeles and Seoul and broke 15 world records.
• Professor Bernard de Neumann, mathematician
• Ernest Joyce, Antarctic explorer, hero of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
• Sir Gilbert Carter, Governor of Africa and the Caribbean
• Captain Thomas Tizard, oceanographer
• Rhys Topley, athlete (cricket)
• Hannah Stodel, Paralympic athlete

Key factors

• The school emphasizes academic achievement while also focusing on extracurricular activities.
• Royal Hospital provides a safe environment in which young people can step outside their comfort zone, learn to take risks, develop self-confidence and self-awareness, initiative and teamwork.
• The school has a very strong sailing sport. More than 100 children are engaged in it, who specially come here from all over the world. Now there is a boy from Bermuda (he is number 2 in the world) and from Italy (number 9 in the world) studying at the school. The school has an Olympic level coach. The guys constantly participate in national competitions, and the strongest – in international. At recent national competitions, the school won 1st and 3rd places. 
• Royal Hospital is suitable for children who swim professionally at the national level, for example, for participants in All-Russian competitions, this is an ideal place.
• The school has a course for high school students in entrepreneurship. This is an ideal program for a student interested in business, deeper than the “business” subject, and replacing 2 A-levels subjects at once.

Equipment

The art department of the school occupies an entire building, consisting of several art studios, a ceramic studio, a textile workshop and an exhibition center, where the exhibition is often updated. High school students study on separate floors, each student has his own workplace. The atmosphere is very creative, like in a real artist's workshop.

The music school offers outstanding facilities: concert halls, rehearsal rooms, 15 specialized instrument rooms, music technology facilities including a fully equipped recording studio, a cathedral-sized chapel, a new practice organ and new Bechstein pianos.</p >

The school has 39 hectares of sports fields, an all-weather sports field, tennis and netball courts, squash courts, a gymnasium, a fitness center, a strength training room, a martial arts studio, a climbing wall, a large 34-meter indoor swimming pool . Not far from the school there are facilities for sailing and horse riding. It has its own 9 hole golf course with stunning views of the river. Students can use it for relaxation or take lessons from a visiting professionalin person.

Program

GCSE

Two-year program to obtain a certificate of general secondary education. 6 subjects are required to study, 4 subjects are studied electively.

A-level

Two-year program to prepare for entering the university. Students choose 4 or 5 subjects for in-depth study.

BTEC

An alternative to the A-level program: a pre-university training course with maximum emphasis on the development of practical skills and the application of theoretical knowledge in real life. You can obtain a BTEC qualification in the following specialties: sports, digital media, entrepreneurship.

Accommodation and accommodation

Accommodation in a residence in one of 11 houses. Pupils aged 11-12 live in rooms of 6 and 8 people. High school students live in single rooms with private facilities.  Each house has common rooms for relaxation and communication, a computer room, a kitchen, study areas, and board games. The school has good food in a very beautiful large canteen.

Sport

Sport at school is seen not only as physical activity and a contribution to health, but also as social interaction. The learning structure allows children of all abilities to develop their physical fitness, and more able children to reach their maximum potential

The purpose of the school – to inspire young people to take an interest in sports that will stay with them after leaving school. This positive approach creates an atmosphere of enthusiasm and healthy competition.

Main sports at school:
Boys: rugby and sailing, hockey, running, cricket, athletics, tennis.
Girls: hockey, sailing, netball, running, cricket, tennis, athletics .
These sports regularly compete and students represent the school locally and nationally.

You can also practice aerobics, badminton, basketball, rock climbing, football, horse riding, kayaking, squash, swimming, windsurfing, golf.

Additional activities

The Royal Hospital has 200 clubs and sections: you can choose classes based on your interests. Children begin to learn life skills from the first days of school by taking part in adventure training and team building activities. You can participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award and the Combined Cadet Force (CCF).

Royal Hospital – very musical school. There are over 400 private lessons every week, ranging from voice to bagpipes. Half of the students learn to play at least one musical instrument. Children have a choice of 19 different choirs and groups to join. There is a concert orchestra, a chamber choir, a ceremonial marching band, and numerous ensembles, including many rock and pop groups. Thanks to the school's unique maritime heritage and links with the British Royal Family, the orchestra and choir have performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall before international rugby matches, as well as at St Paul's Cathedral and St James's Palace.

Drama lessons are part of the junior school curriculum and theater is also offered as an academic subject at GCSE. Theater productions are often combined with the work of the music department, and every year the school puts on musicals, plays, and theater competitions. There are many opportunities behind the scenes to work with costumes, lighting and sets, and children regularly attend professional productions in local theaters and in London's West End.

Lessons in stage speech and theater are held for all enthusiastic children, students prepare for LAMDA, Trinity Guildhall and English Speaking Board exams. High school students can receive grades that count towards UCAS points (for admission to a British university).

Many children participate in dance sessions and work on choreography in school-wide musical productions. At school you can study ballet, classical, modern, traditional dances, Spanish and Scottish dances.

The school's art department is a center of creativity where students can experiment with genres and techniques, studying photography, textiles, ceramics, printmaking and sculpture,as well as drawing and painting. The school has bright and airy art and textile studios, with a private space for older students, a darkroom and a Photoshop class.

In the Design and Technology Department, students have access to well-equipped 3D workshops in wood, metal, textiles and plastics, and in well-equipped food technology classrooms they can learn about the intricacies of food design. There are control and electronics laboratories, as well as computer-aided design (CAD) tools.

Cost, 2023-2024

£11,392 - £14,505 per semester (depending on age).
In academic 3 semesters a year.

Included in price

• Training
• Accommodation and meals

Additional charge

• Registration fee - £100
• School Admission Fee - £1,750
• Deposit - £2,000
• Air travel
• Transfers to/from/airport
• Visa
• Educational company services
• Selection of a guardian, which is a mandatory requirement of a British school

Paradise Education London services and fees 

How to choose a school

Impressions of visiting the school

Natalia Shtrain
Founder of the company "Paradise"

Royal Hospital is not a hospital. This is a school founded by King William III in 1694 for the children of dead sailors, of which there were many in those days. English kings always established schools in large numbers, considering the education of the masses a matter of honor.

Royal Hospital is close to London, 45 minutes and you are here. As our parents love. Maybe you should come here too? On the bright green lawns outside the school in November, tiny white sailboats flutter in the wind. There are hundreds of them! They are like Lilliputian boats. Each one has a name written on it. The name of someone who fell in the battles of World War II. Graduate's name. The heart instantly drowns in the abyss of pain of so many losses. I would like to stand at attention and salute not only the heroes of the past, but also the contemporaries who perpetuated the memory.

In the solemn, echoing hall I quietly ask the secretary where the ladies' room is. Thank you. In response I hear a passionate: “Thank you very much!” and I see a smile from ear to ear. Oh, this English countryside! Here a person is showered with gratitude even for finding out the location of the toilet!

British schools are like people. All different. With and without manicure, elegant, with a “nose” and simple, a kind of shirt-guy. Cool and distant or warm, like a grandmother’s heart. There are business people, busy to the extreme, rushing towards their goal in full sail. There are slow and affectionate ones, soft and fluffy, like the cat Vaska.

Royal Hospital - like a good old warrior. Smiling, clear, strong, salted by the winds. Fearlessly leading the ship of life through reefs and storms. It is not surprising that the best sailing academy is here. Guys come from all over the world. Student from Bermuda - #2 in the world! Boy from Italy - #9 in the world!

Is your baby not a champion yet? No problem! The school has its own river, its own boats. And your forest to the load. All 13 year olds are given a week's sailing course. This is a contribution to the long science of self-confidence. There is a whole lot of sports, from golf to kickboxing, from basketball (strong!) to swimming (the school level is suitable even for participants in federal competitions). The pool is 34 meters long.

Royal Hospital School

The local student is a Swede, a reaper, and a trumpet player. Of the 770 athletes, 400 play musical instruments. In a huge separate building. They write music in the recording stage. The school choirs are so good that they sing in St Paul's Cathedral and North Dame.

Does yours sing, but with sportsmanship? Send it, RH will quickly recruit divers or rugby golfers into the orderly ranks. There is even a physical therapy room! Honey. block with 26 beds! Luxury on a Russian scale, however! The school's own dentist is the icing on the cake! Miracles, and that’s all!

Stunning art, ceramics, textiles and fashion. And also an in-depth course on entrepreneurship in high school! There are many applications for medicine. Strong geography. Pay attention to her! Oil field development is probably close to your heart.

The environment is an even more promising direction! Not to mention super fashionable sustainability!!! Google it. 350 children live in the school 24/7, foreigners are not offended that the locals abandoned them: the school is bustling even on weekends.

200 clubs and sections! Mandatory choice of 3 per week, children busy, gadgets forgotten. Rooms for 15 years + with amenities: this is a rarity, grab it! 16+ are guaranteed to be accommodated one at a time. Wow! We must take it.

Royal Hospital is a strict school. If you care about drugs, choose her with confidence. The rooms are combed by police dogs. For smoking a vape - a three-day expulsion with disgrace. Recently I caught a Russian. He promised there would be no 2nd attempt: expulsion without a refund does not impress him. The school believes: there is a right to make mistakes, but only once.

This is not a school, this is the whole world.