Uppingham is a boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 13–18. There are around 850 pupils in the School, of which some 375 are in the Sixth Form.
From September 2024, Uppingham will be opening a 13+ co-educational Day House. For children who live locally to the School, being a day pupil at Uppingham offers the perfect blend of a truly expansive and holistic education with the flexibility of going home each evening.
Uppingham School’s foundation dates from 1584, the year in which Archdeacon Robert Johnson, a local puritan rector, obtained a grant by Letters Patent from Queen Elizabeth I to found a free grammar school for the male children of poor parents. In 1853, this small local school was transformed into one of the foremost public schools of its time by the remarkable educational thinker and headmaster, Edward Thring. His pioneering pastoral ideas and belief in the values of an all-round education shaped the School then and continue to define it now. Small, family-like boarding houses that offer children individual space, an all-round education that caters for a broad range of pupils, and inspiring surroundings in which children are happy and learn better – all of these lie at the heart of Uppingham’s identity.
Uppingham is a school of Christian foundation, and the whole School meets in the Chapel five days a week. Pupils forge a deep affection for Chapel – with hymn-singing a particularly distinctive feature – always enthusiastic and joyful. Uppingham welcomes all faiths, and while many Uppinghamians would not claim any kind of Christian faith, we believe that the traditions and stability represented by Chapel offer value and relevance to all.
Situation. Uppingham is a small market town set in the beautiful Rutland countryside. It is about 100 miles north of London, roughly equidistant from the M1 and A1/M11, and midway between Leicester and Peterborough on the A47. The A14 link road makes connections with the Midlands and East Anglia easier and faster. It is served by Kettering, Oakham, Corby, Peterborough and Leicester train stations, and by London (Stansted, Luton, Heathrow), Birmingham and East Midlands airports.
The buildings. At the heart of the School are the impressive buildings of the main quadrangle: the Victorian School Room and Chapel designed by the architect of the Law Courts in the Strand, George Edmund Street, the Library housed in a beautiful building dating from 1592, the Memorial Hall and the fine classroom blocks where the Humanities are based. The three Music Schools on this campus reflect the vitality of a musical tradition dating back to 1855. Edward Thring appointed the first Director of Music in any English public school. Nearby are the central Buttery, the Language Centre and the Sixth Form Centre.
At the western end of the town lies the Western Quad, the School’s inspiring architectural vision of a space that unites Arts, Sciences, Theatre and Sport. The Science Centre contains 17 laboratories (including an environmental studies lab, outdoor classroom and project room), a lecture theatre, library, offices and meeting rooms. The Leonardo Centre, for Art, Design and Technology, and Textiles, looks across an open space studded with contemporary sculpture, and to the east sits the 300-seat Theatre with adjoining Drama Studio, workshops and Theatre Studies classrooms. To the north, overlooking an expanse of playing fields, lies the Sports Centre with a contemporary design that complements the central quad, which houses state-of-the-art sporting facilities, a swimming pool and a fitness suite.
Academic matters. While the School is noted for its strong commitment to all-round education, the depth of its pastoral care and wealth of facilities, academic study is the priority. Pupils move around the School campus during the working day, and the 55-minute lessons encourage detailed and developed learning.
Until GCSE, specialisation is minimal and pupils are taught in sets for most subjects. Most take a minimum of nine GCSE/IGCSE subjects. Members of the Sixth Form study three subjects alongside a parallel curriculum enriched by lectures and a variety of extracurricular activities. Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ) are also offered.
Each pupil’s progress is monitored by a Tutor and the Housemaster or Housemistress – there are regular reviews of academic progress, in addition to pastoral reports.
At all stages of a pupil’s career the Housemaster/Housemistress and Tutor are in regular contact with parents. Parent–teacher meetings take place annually for all year groups, and additional discussions are held regarding GCSE and A Level options and higher education.
The School’s expansive Higher Education and Careers programme, overseen by professional advisers and staff, ensures that pupils know the full range of opportunities available to them after they complete their secondary education. Parents and pupils may call on the School’s Higher Education and Careers advisers alongside additional professional services. Visiting speakers from universities and careers are featured throughout the year, and the School offers advice on GAP year planning.
Beyond the curriculum. As part of the School’s enrichment programme, Uppinghamians get involved in an extensive range of additional pastimes and hobbies, based on the values of Be Inspired, Thrive, Make An Impact. The UPP&Out programme runs on Friday afternoons, and is central to developing courageous, curious, compassionate, adaptable and passionate young people. UPP&Out activities include Combined Cadet Forces (CCF), the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Community Service, specialised Scholars Programmes and UppSkill – where pupils have the opportunity to learn new skills and challenge themselves.
Music. Uppingham has always had a very distinguished reputation for music, being the first school to include music on its curriculum for all pupils. More than 50% of pupils learn an instrument, and a busy programme of weekly public recitals, house and year group concerts, and performances in the UK and abroad offer pupils of all abilities regular chances to perform. Pupils receive conservatoire-style tuition at the school for a faculty comprised of nine full-time staff and more than 45 visiting music teachers, including current professors at the Royal College of Music, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire of Music.
Uppingham is home to three music schools, with The Paul David Music School offering an inspirational centre for learning and rehearsal, with cutting-edge music technology suites. The School has an outstanding Chapel Choir, accomplished orchestras and national prize-winning chamber groups, a slick and polished Jazz Orchestra, and a thriving Alternative Music Society promoting rock concerts.
Sports and games. Uppingham has a strong tradition of sporting excellence, and pupils have gained county and national honours in a variety of sports. Sports on offer include rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis and athletics plus squash, badminton, swimming, football, sailing and dance.
Sport is for everyone at Uppingham, with all pupils encouraged to try their best and achieve to their fullest potential. We are driven by values, and not results, creating an environment where all pupils can achieve success and enjoyment at whatever level they wish to participate.
Talented athletes and sports scholars are offered a high level of coaching from experienced coaches and professionals in all major sports, often going on to represent club, academy, county, regional or national teams.
The Sports Centre includes a sports hall, six-lane 25 m swimming pool, fitness studio, gym, squash courts and dance studios. There are more than 65 acres of playing fields, three Astroturf surfaces (one floodlit), tennis, netball and fives courts, a shooting range and climbing wall.
The Leonardo Centre. The striking design of the Art, Design and Technology Centre allows the broad range of creative activities taking place to interact and stimulate each other. The Centre houses a fine art and printing space (with 3D printing), studios for design (including CAD design), textiles, ceramics, sculpture, photography and workshops primarily for wood, metal and plastic, and teaching rooms. The Warwick Metcalfe Gallery displays the work of pupils, staff and visiting artists.
Drama. Uppingham Theatre is a flourishing professionally equipped 300-seat theatre, with a stylish adjoining Drama complex with an 80-seat ‘black box’ studio, workshops, classrooms and offices. Major school productions open to all pupils are staged annually, including the recent original production of Manderley, based on Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Audiences are often struck by what many describe as ‘West End-standard performance’ in Uppingham Theatre. The programme also features Junior and Senior plays and joint boarding-house productions, and pupils are an integral part of the running of the theatre. Drama and Theatre is taught at GCSE and A Level.
Boarding and pastoral. There are fifteen boarding houses dotted around the town and School estate: nine for boys, one for Sixth Form girls and five for 13–18-year-old girls. Houses are small, most being home to around 50 children, 45 in the case of the Sixth Form girls’ house. All pupils eat their meals in their own house dining room and are joined at lunch by teaching and non-teaching staff.
Much of the non-teaching life of the School is organised around the houses and they inspire strong loyalties. In addition to excursions and social events, there is a long-standing tradition of inter-house competitions (House Challenge, singing, debating and sports), house concerts, and some ambitious drama productions.
Pupils are supported by a wide-ranging pastoral network. The Housemasters and Housemistresses are resident, and lead a team of at least five tutors, including a Deputy Housemaster/Housemistress. Assigned to particular pupils, tutors help to monitor academic progress and social development. Each house is supported by experienced matrons providing medical support and supporting the pastoral care of the pupils. Any pupil may use the services of a professional psychologist or the School’s qualified counsellor. The School’s Medical Centre is open 24 hours a day in term time, with qualified medical staff in attendance.
When our new Day House opens in September 2024, day pupils within the Day House will experience the same exceptional pastoral support that is offered within our boarding houses.
Technological environment. Uppingham provides outstanding technology facilities for pupils in both academic and boarding areas. Resources include the online Encyclopedia Britannica and JSTOR, an online collection of over 1,000 academic journals and one of the most trusted sources of academic content.
In the classroom, academic departments have the tools to ensure that IT complements teaching and learning.
Admission. Most pupils are admitted to Uppingham in the September following their thirteenth birthday. Prospective pupils and their parents usually visit the School three years prior to entry. If not already registered, prospective pupils should be registered then. Two years before entry, all registered pupils complete pre-tests, with interviews at Uppingham. All applications should be supported by a satisfactory reference from the current school. The Headmaster offers conditional places to successful candidates after this process has concluded. Parents then complete and return an acceptance form together with an entrance deposit. Receipt of the entrance deposit guarantees a place in the School subject to the pupil qualifying for admission with tests in Year 8, often Common Entrance. In completing the acceptance form parents also confirm that Uppingham is their first choice of school. Full details are available on the School’s website.
To continue into the Sixth Form the minimum grade requirement is three 7s and three 6s at GCSE. It is recommended that pupils have at least 7 at GCSE in the subject they wish to continue at A Level. In some subjects (Mathematics, the Sciences and MFL) an 8 or 9 grade is required (full details are available on the School’s website).
There are a limited number of places available for entry into the Sixth Form. Pupils may register an interest in Sixth Form entry to Uppingham at any time and formal registration should be completed by the end of September, eleven months prior to entry. The test, interview and offer procedures take place in October and November ten months before entry. Admission at this level is dependent on tests and interviews at Uppingham, and then achieving at least three 7s and three 6s at GCSE (or equivalent), excluding short course GCSEs.
Details about admissions can be found on the school website or may be obtained from the Admissions Department.
Scholarships and bursaries. At 13+, Academic, Art, DT and Textiles, Drama, Music, Sport and Thring (Leadership) scholarships are available. Scholarship exams are held in the February/March preceding entry; the deadline for applications is typically in mid-January.
At 16+, Academic, Art, DT and Textiles, Drama, Sport and Music scholarships are awarded in the November preceding entry. The deadline for applications is typically the end of September.
At Uppingham, a candidate may only hold one scholarship award at any one time so that they can specialise in their area of talent. Candidates are not permitted to sit scholarships in more than two disciplines.
Where a family’s financial means leaves them unable to afford a place at Uppingham, they may be eligible to receive support via a means-tested bursary. All candidates seeking a bursary should be registered with the School and need to fulfil the same entrance criteria as described above.
Details of all scholarships and bursaries may be found on the school website or obtained from the Admissions Department.
Fees per term (2023-2024). Boarding: £15.174; Day (in a boarding house): £9,858. There is a scheme for paying fees in advance.
For the 2024–2025 academic year, the fees per term for day pupils joining the Day House (opening in September 2024) will be £9,790. The 2024–2025 fees for boarding and day (in a boarding house) will be confirmed in April 2024.
Former pupils. The Uppingham Association was founded in 1911 to maintain the link between OUs and the School. All pupils may become life members when they leave and a database of their names, addresses, school and career details is maintained at the School by the OU Administrator. In addition to a range of OU events that are organised each year for members, a magazine is published annually, which contains news about OUs and activities at the School, and all members are encouraged to make full use of the OU Website.
Charitable status. Uppingham School is a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. Company Number 8013826. Registered Charity Number 1147280. Registered Office: High Street West, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9QD.
Governors & Staff:
The Governing Body:
Chair: B M Matthews, MBE, BSc, FRSA [OU]
Vice-Chairs:
R J S Tice, BSc [OU]
K J Budge, MA, PGCE Oxon
The Very Revd Christopher Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough
Dr S Furness, PhD, LL, Lord Lieutenant of Rutland
C E V Colacicchi, MA Oxon
M Fairfax
J D R Fothergill, MA Oxon, MBA [OU]
K J Gaine, MA Oxon
S A Humphrey, LLB Hons
C P M King, MA
Dr N R Kotecha, OBE, DL, PhD, FRSC, CChem
R N J S Price [OU]
Professor J Scott
A E Timpson, CBE, MP [OU]
A W Y To, BSc, MRICS, MHKIS
D L C Wallis, BA Hons Oxon [OU]
L J Womack, BA Hons [OU]
[OU] Old Uppinghamian
Bursar/Finance Director, Clerk to the Trustees: S C Taylor, MA, ACA
Headmaster: Dr R J Maloney, MTheol St Andrews, MA, PhD King’s College London
Senior Deputy Head: K M Wilding, BA
Deputy Head Academic: B Cooper, MA
Registrar: C S Bostock, MA, MSc
Chaplain: The Revd Dr J B J Saunders, BA, PhD
Assistant Head: Co-Curricular: Dr Kyi Muller, BSc, PhD
Assistant Head: Teaching and Learning: M J Melville-Coman, BSc, MCCT
Assistant Head: Pastoral Care: R H Kay, BA, MA
Assistant Head: Safeguarding: C L Senogles, BSc, MSc
Assistant Head: Sixth Form: R J O'Donoghue, MA
Assistant Head: Data/Academic Management: P J Nicholls, BSc
Assistant Staff:
* Head of Faculty/Department
† Housemaster/mistress
Art, Design & Technology:
*C P Simmons, BSc
*M E Boyce, BA, MA (Textiles)
*H J Harrison, BA (DT)
*A R Reid, BA (Art)
S N Jarvis, BA, MA
J Luckhurst, BA
†K Wells, BA
A G Zanetti, BA
Biology:
*H E Holroyd, BSc
Y L Guy, BSc
Dr K Muller, BSc, PhD
Dr C L Pemberton, BSc, PhD
A Rajput-Buckland, MA
H J Robinson, BSc
Chemistry:
*R A King, BSc (*Science)
Dr A J Dawes, MChem, MA, PhD
Y L Guy, BSc
A Kowhan, BSc
Dr N L Singleton, BSc, PhD
Classics:
*D W J Addis, BA, MA
S W Clark, BA, MA
S G Dewhurst, BA
D J H Draper, MA Oxon
Dr D C Oliver, PhD, MSc
†G S Tetlow, MA
Computer Science:
*S E L Webster, BSc
Drama and Theatre:
*S A Barker-Doherty, BA (Director of Theatre)
†J Holroyd, BA
Economics & Business:
*G D Hook, BSc
N J King, BA
T G MacCarthy, BA
S Raguseelan, BSc
G L Watt, BSc
English:
*Miss N Abdul-Karim, MA, MPhil
N G Fletcher, BA, MA
C S Greenlaw, BA
V L Kinmond, BA, MA
M B Sherwin, BA
K L Tetlow, BA
T R Tolond, BA, MA
Geography:
*T P Davies, BSc
†C C Breakwell, BSc, MSc
†T Hollyer, BA
†A N Huxter, BSc, MSc
S J Kowhan, BA
R J O’Donoghue, MA
K M Wilding, BA
History:
*B M Kirkby, MA
†J S Birch, MA
R B Fitzsimmons, BA
I C Neilson, MA
J A Reddy, BA
History of Art:
*D S R Kirk, BA
Dr E E Wilce, BA, MA, PhD
Learning Support & EAL:
*Z Jenkins, BSc (Learning Support and SENCO)
*A Rawlins, BEd (EAL)
J A Wilding, BSc
Mathematics:
* J W Partridge, MA (Acting Head)
L J Allen, BSc, MBCS
S J Bradley, BEng
P Gomm, BSc
†K F Hanrahan, MSc
C L Halliday, BSc
M J Melville-Coman, BSc
A S M Moosajee, BSc
E O’Brien, BSc
P J Nicholls, BSc
†A D Parker, BSc
J W Partridge, MA
L K Whiteside, BSc
H M Whittle, BSc
Modern Languages:
*A J Dowsett (Languages, German)
*A Gadd BA, MA, MSc (Spanish)
* Z J R Hunter, BA (Acting Head of French)
*Z B Zeng, BA, MA (Mandarin)
M A B Davies, BA
A M O Fritschy-Haramburu
†H M Johnstone, BA
I Miller
K M Turney
R M B Wilkinson, MA
Music:
*A J Kennedy, MA, PGDip (Director of Music, Voice)
*T Moore, BA (Academic Music)
*A P Webster, GGSM, ARCM, PDOT (Instrumental Music, Clarinet)
*M P Ćwiżewicz, MEng, ACGI, PGDip (Strings)
*D A Revels, BA Oxon, MA Oxon (Singing)
*W F J Smith, BMus, PGCE (Jazz, Pop and Tech)
S A Smith, BA, PPRNCM
J Stevens, GGSM, MA
Philosophy and Religious Studies:
*S L Colbourne, BA
B Cooper, MA
†R C Hegarty, MA
Dr R J Maloney, MTheol, MA, PhD
The Revd Canon Dr J B J Saunders, BA, PhD
†P M Shacklady, BA
Physical Education & Sport:
*N Gandy (Director of Sport)
*J M Baker, BSc (Deputy Director of Sport, Coach Development, Hockey)
*C A R Esson, BSc (Deputy Director of Sport, Participation)
*R G M Surtees (Deputy Director of Sport, Performance, Racquets)
*K J Borthwick, BSc, MSc (Athletic Development)
*H N Costello, BA, MA (Physical Education)
*H E V Joseph (Netball)
*I R Smith (Rugby)
*R M L Taylor, BA (Cricket)
†D J Bartley, BSc
†C C Breakwell, BSc, MSc
T Jarvis, BSc
A C Welch, BEd
†J R Welch, Bed
N L Williams, BSc
Physics:
*E L Ellis, BA
Dr D D Boyce, PhD, MPhys, CTeach, CPhys, CMath, CSci, CSciTeach, FinstP, FCCT, FIMA, ML, RCI, CWI, CWIA, CL, PSI
M E Dalzell, BSc
G S Wright, BSc
Politics:
*H J Barnes, MA
†T Makhzangi, BA
T P Prior, BA, MA
Wellbeing:
*R K G Hannigan, BA
†T C Hollyer, BA
R H Kay, BA, MA
Houses and Housemasters/mistresses:
Brooklands: James Holroyd
Constables: Katherine Hanrahan
Fairfield: Jo Welch
Farleigh: James Birch
Fircroft: Tom Hollyer
Highfield: Richard Hegarty
Johnson’s: Alex Parker
The Lodge: Helen Johnstone
Lorne House: Andrew Huxter
Meadhurst: Patrick Shacklady
New House: Christina Breakwell
Samworths’: Kitty Wells
School House: Simon Tetlow
West Bank: David Bartley
West Deyne: Toby Makhzangi