Radley College
schools outside of london
The school grounds are huge (800 acres) and includes a lake, a golf course and plenty farmland for your child to spend his formative years. The pupils and staff get along well and the atmosphere is friendly. The boys are expected to be disciplined, organised and take responsibility of their learning.
School information
Radley College is an independent boarding school for boys. It is located near Radley, Oxfordshire and was founded in 1847. The school achieve good academic results year in, year out. Last year, 68.4% of A-Level grades were A*/A and a 92.4% were A*/A/B. Refreshingly, boys are not discouraged from taking their chosen A-Levels on the back of a poor performance in GCSE, making the A-Level marks even more impressive.
The are several school productions on a year performed in the Radley College Theatre, which opened in 2005 to go alongside the Black Box studio, which is used for smaller productions. Half the boys have singing or individual lessons in their choice of instrument and the school calls upon and utilises a number of external specialists to help the teachers in the music department.
There are plenty of trips, which will give your son an amazing opportunity to see and experience cultures from all around the world. There is also a wide range of societies and clubs available outside of lessons.
Alongside the British school staple sports of rugby, football and cricket (all of which Radley can boast a good level of success at), the college offers a long list of less mainstream sports including rowing, tennis, golf and fencing.
admissions
There are around 140 boys admitted at 13+ and the process begins by registering your child well in advance. The deadline is in mid-June during Year 5. A report is required by the headteacher at your son’s current school. Your son needs to sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test, the results of these are also used by other senior schools. The test is a computerised test on English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. They are completed at your son’s school or another educational facility. Your son is also required to be interviewed by a member of staff from Radley. Boys who get an offer must sit the 13+ Common Entrance in English, maths and science in Year 8, which the school uses to put the boys into the appropriate sets.
The school offers funded places at 11+, 13+ and 16+ and various scholarships at 13+ entry. The school hosts an informal day for those who are looking to use the Funded Place Scheme, so be sure to check the dates that these are on, if this is a route you are looking to go down.