Sunningdale School

Age: 7–13 years.

Sunningdale School – is a small preparatory boarding school for boys. The school successfully prepares for passing the Common Entrance entrance exam for admission to senior boarding schools. Many students continue their studies at the best schools in the UK, including Eton college, Harrow school, Radley college, Winchester college and Charterhouse school.

Sunningdale – This is a small school with a unique family atmosphere, which makes the boys feel happy and secure and, as a result, can reach their full potential. There are only 110 people studying at the school.

Being a smaller school than most has huge advantages. Boys get more chances to prove themselves. There is a wonderful welcoming atmosphere at Sunningdale and every boy feels valued. The classes are very small, so each student receives great attention and great support.

The school was the subject of a BBC documentary, Britain's Youngest Boarding School Pupils, first shown in September 2010.

Director (for 2024)

Tom Dawson, education – Graduate of Sunningdale School and Eton College; University of Edinburgh, degree in modern European languages; University of Bristol, postgraduate certificate with the right to conduct teaching.

Famous school graduates

• Prince Michael of Kent, the Queen's cousin and member of the royal family
• Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, formerly Britain's richest aristocrat
• Wacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, former Thai prince
• Chakriwat Vivacharawongse, former Thai prince
• Henry Blofeld, BBC cricket commentator
• Michael Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorn
• Sir Henry Cecil, horse racing trainer
• Guy Clarke, Lord Lieutenant
• John Crichton, Viscount Crichton, property consultant
• Henry Field, American anthropologist who documented the Marsh Arabs of Iraq
• Francis Fulford, Devon landowner, star of the reality show "The Bloody Fulfords"
• Bamber Gascoigne, British television presenter and writer
• Carey Harrison, writer and playwright
• Frederick Hervey, 8th Marquess of Bristol
• Bernard Heywood, Bishop of the Church of England
• Nick Hurd, Government Minister
• Lord Frederick Windsor, British royal and financial analyst
• William Kinghan, politician
• Humphrey Lyttelton, jazz musician and BBC radio presenter
• Ferdinand Mount, writer and prose writer
• Ian Ogilvy, actor
• Hugh van Cutsem, landowner, banker, businessman

Key factors

• This is a small school, and this is one of its main advantages: the teachers know each child well, and the director is fully involved in the boys' lives.
• Each boy is assigned a teacher who supervises the child, checks that he is participating in a variety of different activities, and monitors his progress.
• The purpose of the school – find the strengths of each boy and give him the opportunity to express himself in various areas of school life. Academic success speaks for itself: graduates regularly win scholarships to top UK high schools.
• The school builds education on the principle of a ladder. Boys progress according to their academic development, not simply because of their age. This means that boys who find it easier to learn get more workload and new developmental challenges, while boys who find learning more difficult get the time and support to develop at their own pace.
• One of the most important things a school does – it is about building academic confidence. The school encourages boys to be active in class and give an answer even if they are not sure it is correct. It is very important that boys take an active part in lessons, so they will enjoy and learn much more.
• The use of mobile phones is limited at school: students leave them with the teacher until they are needed.

Equipment

On TerryThe torii has an indoor heated swimming pool, a 7-hole golf course, and two indoor cricket nets. The gymnasium is used year round for basketball, indoor hockey, fencing, judo and air rifle shooting.

Program

Boys are taught by subject specialists. Excellent teaching is at the heart of everything Sunningdale School does. Outstanding subject knowledge is key, but this must be combined with a demonstrable passion for the subject and a desire to pass on the knowledge. In small classes, teachers spend time with each student. It is this attention to detail, combined with the positive relationships developed in the classroom, that produces excellent academic results.

Subjects studied at school:

• Classical civilizations: the culture and language of ancient Roman and ancient Greek society, with special emphasis on Latin and, where appropriate, ancient Greek). All boys, from the age of eight, study Latin.
• English
• Mathematics
• French
• Philosophy and religious studies
• History
• Geographies
• Natural sciences: biology, physics, chemistry

Information Technology at Sunningdale is taught as part of the core curriculum and not as a separate subject. They believe that the best way to master computer skills – this is practical work. Boys learn to work with text in English, history, geography and philosophy lessons. They learn to work with spreadsheets in math and science, and develop presentation skills in all subjects. For those who want to develop their IT skills further, there are programming clubs that include website creation.

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation in a residence on the school grounds.

On weekends, boys can expect a program no less active than on weekdays. There are lessons in the mornings, and  in the afternoons – sporting events. Saturday evening – it's either a "movie night" on the big screen in the school cinema, with popcorn or cake, summer pool parties, local sorority meetings for older boys, or Mission Impossible theme nights! It's easy to understand why so many boys choose to live in a boarding house!

Sunday – a day for fun! A full English breakfast starts the day, followed by a huge range of activities, from laser tag, fishing, mountain biking or climbing, to just hanging out with friends or playing games. It's important for boys to have some free time to just relax at the end of a busy week.

Sunningdale school prides itself on the very high quality of its food. Two full-time chefs prepare very tasty dishes. The school has a nutrition committee where the boys study the menu together with the chef and can make suggestions and changes. Both students and teachers eat together in the cafeteria. The boys sit at the table as they would at home, and a school staff member sits at each table. This is a great chance to chat and find out how their day was, and it also helps to keep an eye on the kids' table manners.

If your child has any dietary requirements, the school catering team can easily accommodate this.

Sport

Main sports – football, rugby and cricket. The advantage of studying in a small school is that almost all the boys represent the school in competitions at one level or another (local, regional, national). This feeling of inclusion is invaluable in building confidence, self-esteem and team spirit.

Besides the three main sports, boys can play sports such as tennis, squash, golf, table tennis, athletics and cross-country running. And also compete in these sports with other schools.

Other activities include horse riding, polo, water polo, chess, shooting, and on weekends – hiking and learning survival skills in the wild (bushcraft).

Additional activities

Design and technology are a key part of the school's curriculum. Boys get the opportunity to work with a wide range of materials and use many different processes. The guys use 3D printing and laser etching to bring their projects to life. The Department of Design and Technology works closely with the Department of Science, and the curriculum includes trips to the Design Museum and the Science Museum in London.

Each class has two art lessons per week, as well as the opportunity to attend art clubs in the evenings. The art department has an extensive library which children regularly turn to for project inspiration, as well as three pottery wheels and a kiln. Every boy has his ownA sketchbook in which he jots down ideas, plans projects, or practices techniques.

All boys who show interest and talent in the subject are encouraged to enter the High School Art Scholarship Competition.

Most boys play at least one instrument, and many – and on several. Some of the boys reach a very high level and may be preparing for scholarships to high schools. Others play for fun.

Singing – an important part of school life. There are two choirs: the chapel choir and the junior choir. A new hymn is sung in the chapel every Sunday and all the children perform in concerts and outside of school. Boys participate in musical groups and ensembles, be it a brass band, brass band or their own rock band, which is extremely popular with performers and listeners! Every year the school puts on a musical in which each boy plays a role.

Every boy at Sunningdale School gets the opportunity to perform on stage. There are many productions held throughout the year. Every November the school organizes a French drama evening where each boy sings or speaks French.

Boys have the opportunity to attend LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Drama) classes and then take the LAMDA exam itself. Boys who show special talent in the performing arts may qualify for a scholarship to high school.

School trips

In 1993, Sunningdale School bought a mansion in Normandy. It has been completely restored and now consists of a large house and about 3 hectares of land. The guys are leaving for a week, and their goal is – learn French in practice. Each day starts with a language lesson and then they go on various activities which include:

• Visit a local market
• Beaches and museums of the landing
• World War II cemeteries
• Local cities
• Local Farms and Small Businesses
• Lunch is usually a picnic between trips
• The day ends with another lesson before we head to the beach to relax before a more formal dinner where the boys are encouraged to speak as much French as possible.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the boys to practice their French in real life situations, and they treat it all as a bit of a holiday. They hardly realize that they are learning!

Cost, 2023-2024

£11,780 per semester.
There are 3 semesters in the academic year.

Included in price

• Training
• Accommodation and meals

Additional charge

• Deposit - £750
• Air travel
• Transfers to/from/airport
• Visa
• Educational company services
• Selection of a guardian, which is a mandatory requirement of a British school

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