Oundle School
schools outside of london
Oundle School and the market town it resides in are beautiful. The school’s goal is to create individuals, who contribute to the community and society. Furthermore, they look to support the students not just academically but spiritually and emotionally. The school believes education is not just about exams and offer quality education in non-examined courses, as well as providing top class education in the more traditional subjects.
School information
Oundle School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in Northamptonshire. The school accommodates 1100 students and is the third largest boarding school in England. The school has strong exam results with A*/A grades averaging around 85% over the past five years for GCSE and at A-Level/Pre-U, 58% of grades were A*/A.
All students are expected to participate at least three times a week in sport. If your child has talent, then Oundle will certainly support and help them achieve their potential with the aid of a range of coaches. The sports facilities at Oundle are excellent, with numerous playing fields, two sports halls, a fitness suite and squash courts. Rowing can be done on the nearby River Nene, while sailing takes place in the nearby lake.
The school is also no slouch in the arts department and offers an extensive programme. There are a number of bands, choirs, ensembles and orchestras that your child can join for music and over half of the students take individual instrument lessons. There are around twenty plays performed at the Stahl theatre each year and these include external touring companies, as well as school productions.
admissions
Although there are places offered in other years, most students enter Oundle School at 11+, 13+ and 16+.
Over fifty students enter Oundle at 11+ and join the junior boarding house or the Scott House for day students. Candidates sit written exams in January during Year 6 and are tested on English, maths, science and cognitive ability. Candidates must also attend an interview.
The vast majority of students enter the school at 13+. Candidates coming from prep school sit the Common Entrance exams, while those who are not at prep school sit Oundle’s own entrance tests. The exams will be in English, maths, science and usually a modern language. Those who do well in these papers may also be invited to sit the scholarship exams in May.
Entry at 16+ is based on the student’s grades in the subjects they wish to study but in reality, they need to have strong grades across the board. They then have to sit a General Paper and a paper in two of their chosen subjects before attending an interview.