for girls and boys aged 11-18 3 Welcome We are a co-educational boarding and day school for girls and boys aged 11-18. Set in 40 acres in the rolling countryside, the school is situated in the heart of Mickleham Village, close to major road, rail and air links and only 40 minutes from central London. “Box Hill School has a long heritage of delivering first-class learning in a warm, supportive, holistic and nurturing atmosphere. For nearly sixty years we have proudly remained a truly independent school. A founder member of ‘Round Square’ alongside Gordonstoun in Scotland and Aiglon College in Switzerland, we promote international understanding, democracy, a care for the world around us, a sense of adventure, and the qualities of leadership and service. We see excellent academic results as an outcome of a focus on character and we are determined that all pupils should reach their maximum potential in all that they do.” Corydon Lowde, Headmaster Round Square Box Hill School is a founder member of Round Square, an international group of schools sharing the philosophy of Dr Kurt Hahn – to place academic work at the heart of the school while stressing the importance of all-round education as a preparation for life. He inspired a set of principles or IDEALS (Internationalism, Democracy, Environmental awareness, Adventure, Leadership and Service) that are embedded into the Box Hill way of life. Central to this is the spirit of ‘having a go’ whether academic work, performing on stage, scaling a climbing wall or taking part in expeditions at home or abroad, all are aimed at unlocking potential in pupils. Membership of Round Square gives pupils unparalleled opportunities for travel and adventure and we have a number of on-going overseas aid projects in which they can participate. Box Hill pupils have the opportunity to go on exchanges to other Round Square schools around the world. For up to date information please visit our website www.boxhillschool.com 4 Something for everyone... We strive to develop well-rounded young people, capable of communicating with confidence in an adult world. To this end activities focus on encouraging teamwork, expanding skills and interests, helping to engender an empathy with and interest in the outdoors, and providing opportunities in both team and individual sports and activities. Almost anything is possible. Our pupils have compulsory time set aside for activities and we have an impressive variety of options for them to choose from. Examples of weekly activities • 7-a-side • Circus skills • Knitting • Street dance football • Climbing • Lacrosse • String • Advanced • Cooking • Magic club ensemble knitting and • Corsetry and • Netball • Swimming crochet dressmaking • Outdoor • Table tennis • Archery • Cricket education • Tae Kwon Do • Athletics • Criminology • Photography • Tap dancing • Ballet • Cross country • Pilates • Tennis • Basketball • Debating club • Pioneering • Ultimate • Beginners • Embroidery • Rock band frisbee embroidery • Fashion • Rock climbing • Upcycling and and knitting • Fencing • Rocket club embellishing • Mountain • First aid • Rounders • Volleyball biking • Football • Rugby • Walking • Board games • Gardening • Sailing • Yoga • Boxercise • Golf • Shooting • Zumba • Canoeing • Hockey • Sign language • Card making • Horse riding • Squash Weekly activity times Tuesday 14:35 - Years 7 to 9, 15:35 - All year groups Wednesday PM - All year groups Thursday 15:35 - All year groups Expeditions At Box Hill School we are keen to ensure that when pupils leave they have learnt to take responsibility for themselves and others and to meet challenges head on. Expeditions are an integral part of the curriculum in the first three years, combining academic work with expedition skills. The school incorporates two expedition weeks (in the Autumn and Summer terms) into the academic calendar. 5 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme In 2012, Box Hill School celebrated 50 years association with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. The scheme itself goes from strength to strength, valued by universities and employers alike. Box Hill School is steeped in the history of the award scheme. Our founding headmaster, Roy McComish, was involved from the outset under the guidance of Dr Kurt Hahn. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh recalls a phone call from Dr Hahn in which he is reported to have said ‘I want you to give your patronage to my award scheme, my boy!’ Much like the school, the scheme has changed and adapted over the years as sections have been amended or replaced, but it is fundamentally as challenging and rewarding as it has always been. The scheme is more popular now than ever and no more so than at Box Hill School. At the end of Year 9 pupils undertake their Bronze Qualifying expedition for the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. Many pupils continue DofE into Years 10 and 11 when they take their Silver Award, then onto their Gold Award in the Sixth Form. These Awards demonstrate strength of character and provide great satisfaction to those participating. Box Hill School has been a licensed centre for the DofE Award scheme since 1962. This is a testament to the hard work of staff and the enthusiasm and numbers of pupils engaged in the Award at its various levels. It is clear that Box Hill School pupils today are committed to the Award, which exemplifies the values of the school itself in its challenges and success. For more information and photographs of recent and past expeditions visit www.boxhillschool.com 6 Pastoral Care Pastoral care is at the heart of everything we do at Box Hill School. It is central to every aspect of how the school operates and underpins the focus on encouraging all our pupils to be the best they can be. The responsibility is a shared one across all members of the pastoral team including House Parents, House Assistants, Tutors, School nurses and the school Counsellor, all of whom are dedicated to ensuring that our pupils are kept safe, well and happy at school. We want every pupil to feel part of our larger Box Hill family within a caring, nurturing environment designed to enable them to develop at their own pace whilst fully supported and encouraged to fulfil their potential. 7 Academic Excellence We regard each pupil as an individual, in every aspect of life at Box Hill School. A combination of attention, personalised learning, support, regular assessment and monitoring underpins Box Hill School’s academic tradition. We provide an exemplary education for pupils with a broad range of abilities from Oxbridge candidates, to those who have been labelled as “average” pupils. At Box Hill School no pupil is average; they all excel at something. We cater for the individual with small classes and tutorial assistance providing an ideal environment for all pupils to grow and flourish. At Box Hill School, we are very proud of our breadth of curriculum, our academic success in public examinations, and the excellence of our teaching. In Years 7-9, pupils study a comprehensive core curriculum of Mathematics, English and the sciences, which is overlaid with a broad range of opportunities and academic experiences. By Year 10, pupils are ready to embark upon public examinations at GCSE and IGCSE level, and in addition to principal subjects all are encouraged to study at least one humanity, a foreign language and a creative subject. 8 Sport Pupils can participate in a wide variety of sporting activities. Through our sports teams pupils are able to compete against other schools at football, hockey, rugby, netball, cricket, athletics, tennis, basketball and rounders. Pupils enjoy participating in team sports and take pride in representing the school. But team sports are not for everyone. We also have qualified coaches to instruct pupils in other sports such as archery, racquet sports, conquering the climbing wall, completing the low and high ropes or abseiling safely from some of the highest tree platforms. Tae Kwon Do, golf, canoeing, sailing and horse riding are available by arrangement. 9 Performing Arts and Music Year after year Box Hill School pupils consistently produce a high standard of Art and performance based award-winning work. Art is available at Key Stage 3, GCSE, IB and A Level, and is a popular subject with many pupils gaining excellent examination grades and acceptance into major Art schools including St Martin’s, Chelsea and Surrey Institute of Art and Design. Fashion and Textiles also provides pupils with fantastic opportunities to be creative. Strong emphasis is placed on developing observational drawing skills and use of different media to express ideas. Fashion and Textiles can be studied as an option at GCSE and in the Sixth Form as part of the Visual Arts Programme for IB and at A Level. Drama and speech lessons leading to London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) qualifications are available by arrangement. For our Drama and Music pupils we continue to invest in providing state of the art facilities to showcase their efforts, including a new drama studio and a purpose built Music School. Each year the Drama Department creates and performs two full stage productions. These are always a challenge for pupils and staff alike, but the results are inspiring. Our musicians are an integral part of performances and contribute significantly to the success of productions. Music pupils also shine as individuals at musical soirées, Rock Nights, overseas choir tours and by representing the school in several of the local music festivals and competitions where they excel.