Reigate Grammar School

Reigate Grammar School
Address
Reigate Road Reigate , Surrey , RH2 0QS England
Coordinates	51°14′15″N 0°11′44″W / 51.2373973°N 0.1955290°W / 51.2373973; -0.1955290
Information
Type	Private day school Grammar school
Established	1675; 349 years ago (1675)
Founder	Henry Smith
Department for Education URN	125422 Tables
Headmaster	Shaun Fenton[1]
Staff	120~
Gender	Mixed
Age range	11–18
Enrolment	1,463 (2021)[2]
Capacity	1,480[2]
Houses	Williamson Cranston Bird Hodgson
Colour(s)	Blue and white
School hymn	'To Be a Pilgrim'
Alumni	Old Reigatians
School Fees	£21,595 per year
Website	www.reigategrammar.org

Reigate Grammar School is a 2–18^[2] co-educational private day school in Reigate, Surrey, England. It was established in 1675 by Henry Smith.

The school was founded as a free school for poor boys in 1675 by Alderman Henry Smith with Jon Williamson, the vicar of Reigate, as master. It remained in the hands of the church until 1862 when a board of governors was appointed.^{[citation needed]} Under the Education Act of 1944 it became a voluntary aided grammar school, providing access on the basis of academic ability as measured by the 11-Plus examination. In 1976, it converted to its current fee-paying independent status; pupils already studying there continued to not pay fees.^[3] At the same time the sixth form was opened up to girls. In 1993, the school became fully co-educational. In 2003, the school merged with a local prep school St. Mary's School.^[4] This is now called Reigate St Mary's Prep and Choir School and serves as the junior school, taking children from three to eleven, most of whom then proceed to the senior school.

As in most schools in England, there are three terms in the academic year.

• The Michaelmas Term from early September to mid-December. This is the normal term for new students to be admitted into the school
• The Lent Term from early January to a time a week or two before Easter falls that year
• The Trinity Term from mid-late April to early July, during which time students sit most public exams

There are four houses at Reigate Grammar School:

Each pupil is assigned to one of the four houses upon joining the school, and a pupil's house is shown by the house PE top and by an optional house badge. Any subsequent family members joining the school are usually put into the same house. There are inter-house competitions throughout the year (including rugby, hockey, netball, and chess) points awarded in each event throughout the year are added up, and the house with most points is awarded the House Cup at the end of the Lent Term. The counting of points begins again at the beginning of the Trinity Term.

The school's livery colour is dark blue.

Reigate Grammar School officially opened Reigate Grammar School Vietnam in April 2022,^[5] being the first UK independent school in the country.^[6] The school came to be following a joint venture and merger of the former International School of Vietnam, with the latter rebranding between 2020 and 2022. The school consists of a Preparatory school for Pre-K up to Year 6, a secondary school for Years 7 to 11, and its Sixth form, for years 12 to 13. Reigate Grammar School Vietnam is an IB world school and as such offers the PYP, the MYP, and the Diploma Program. The school is a Cambridge-accredited testing centre and as such a range of IGCSE programs are available.

Sixth-form students have the option of studying Cambridge International A-levels or the IBDP, with both programmes currently being taught on the main campus at Hoàng Mai. A planned separate campus is in the works exclusively for Sixth-form students undertaking A-levels in Hoàn Kiếm.

Reigate Grammar School has three international schools already open in China (Nanjing, Shenzhen, and Zhangjiagang), and one in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), with partnerships with schools in Morocco and China.^[7]

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The school site is split into two locations separated by the churchyard. On the "Broadfield" site, named so because of the playing field dubbed "Broadfield" behind the old science block, there are several old and new buildings. Until recently, Broadfield house, an old Reigate home, was where History, Economics, Business studies, Politics and other subjects were taught. It is now used for Drama. Opposite Broadfield house is the Cornwallis building, which is another old Reigate home.

Offsite, the school owns the playing fields at "Hartswood" nearby Woodhatch, where most home matches in most sports are played. Nearby is Reigate Saint Mary's church where every student goes once a week in place of assembly. The nearby Reigate St Mary's Preparatory School is owned by the RGS Foundation, which also operates Reigate Grammar.^[8]

Shaun Fenton, son of Alvin Stardust^[9] is the headmaster at Reigate Grammar school and executive headmaster of Reigate Grammar School Vietnam. He was previously headmaster at Pate's Grammar School and Sir John Lawes School. He is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

Patrick Glennon is the current headmaster of Reigate Grammar School Vietnam^[10]

In 2013 the school offered to give financial support to struggling local independent girls' school Dunottar School in Reigate, and in return Reigate Grammar School would help manage Dunottar. Then in late 2013 it was announced that Dunottar would be closed due to dwindling pupil numbers and poor finances. This caused uproar from the current Dunottar parents, who instead developed a plan to manage the school themselves. As a result the Reigate Grammar School relationship was not progressed and the parents had Dunottar school sign a 10-year contract with United Learning after negotiations.^[11]

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reigate Grammar School.

• Official website