Radley College was founded by the Reverend William Sewell, Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, to provide an independent school education on the principles of the Church of England. It was opened on 9 June 1847 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1890. It stands in a park of some 800 acres.
General arrangements. There are 770 boys in the school, all of whom board. On admission, boys enter one of the 11 houses known as Socials. All are close together within the grounds. All meals are served in Hall on a cafeteria system. There is a daily Chapel Service for all boys.
Admission. The 13+ admissions process is held when boys are in Year 6. Boys are assessed using the ISEB Common Pre-Test, a current school report and an interview with the Warden or Senior Master at Radley. Those who have registered early on the Radley List (generally before a boy is 3 years old) will go through this process in the Michaelmas Term of Year 6 with offers being made in March of Year 6. Those who have not registered early go through the same pre-test assessment and are interviewed in the Lent Term of Year 6 with offers being made in March of Year 6. This process is called Open Entry. Offers will be unconditional, but boys are required to sit either 13+ Scholarship or Common Entrance (or Maths and English exams for those abroad) and Radley reserves the right to refuse entry in exceptional circumstances.
Places are also available for Sixth Form entry and, occasionally, in Year 10 (Removes): details are available on our website.
Scholarships and bursaries. Academic, Music, Sport, Drama and Art Awards (Scholarships and Exhibitions) are all available every year. Radley launched a new award, the Innovation Scholarship, for September 2024. All awards may be supplemented by a means-tested bursary. Details are available on our website or from Admissions: admissions@radley.org.uk. Further means-tested bursaries (11+ Funded Places) of up to 115% of the fees are available for boys who would otherwise be unable to afford to come to Radley and applicants are assessed in Year 6. Academic: Around 10 Academic Awards are offered annually.
Music: On average five Instrumental Scholarships and several Exhibitions are offered annually with free tuition.
Sport: At least five sport awards are offered annually.
Drama: Around two awards will be offered annually.
Art: Around two awards will be offered annually.
Innovation: Up to five awards annually.
Work. In the Shells, Removes and Fifth Form a broad curriculum is followed. There is some choice at GCSE with boys generally taking nine or ten subjects.
In the Sixth Form a boy can specialise in a combination of Classics, French, Spanish, German, Theatre Studies, English, History, Religious Studies, Geography, Geology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Economics, Politics, Economics and Business, Music, Art or Design, leading to A level qualifications. An AS in Art is also available, being part of a Sixth Form Curriculum Extension Programme, which also includes the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), a mini-MBA and an International Relations Course.
Futures. Radley Futures is our comprehensive careers programme which runs through all years and is designed to prepare students for higher education and work. This includes writing CVs, psychometric testing and profiling, UCAS and international university application support and interview practice. All students can access professional advice and gain exposure to a wide variety of careers through talks, visits and work experience. In the Sixth Form, boys are given the opportunity to join our business networking platforms where they can interact with Old Radleians and Radley parents, developing their early networking skills and starting to build a lifelong network before they leave.
Games. In the Michaelmas Term rugby is the major school sport. In the Lent Term the ‘wet-bobs’ row and the ‘dry-bobs’ play hockey (the major sport) and football. In the Summer Term cricket and rowing are the major sports alongside athletics and tennis. There are also numerous minor sports which involve boys in competition with other schools. The playing fields are close to the main buildings.
The College has its own boathouse, and the use of a stretch of the River Thames between Sandford and Abingdon. The VIIIs compete in regattas and Head of the River races.
There are three all-weather hockey pitches, an athletics track, five squash courts, a Real Tennis court, a rackets court, two covered Fives courts, 20 hard tennis courts and a 9-hole golf course. There is a large, well-equipped gymnasium and an indoor, heated swimming pool attached to a multi-purpose sports hall and a Strength and Conditioning Centre situated near a state-of-the-art rowing tank.
CCF and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. All boys, in their fourth term, join the Radley College Contingent, Combined Cadet Force (Army, Navy and Air sections). They work for the Proficiency examination, which takes three terms. When they have passed Proficiency and done a week’s Corps Camp in the holidays they either stay on in a special section for further training or join one of the many Partnership Projects on offer. There is a thriving Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.
Fees per term (2023-2024). £16,025. There is available a system of insurance against loss of fees caused by illness, accident, or infection. Particulars can be obtained from the Bursar.
Charitable status. St Peter’s College, Radley is a Registered Charity, number 309243. It exists for the purpose of the education of youth in general knowledge and literature and particularly and especially in the doctrines and principles of the Church of England.
Governors & Staff:
Visitor: The Rt Revd The Lord Bishop of Oxford
Council:
Chairman: D C S Smellie, MA
Vice-Chairman: G A Kaye, BSc
M Breen
J C Bridcut, MA
T M Durie, BA, ACA, FSI
Revd Dr S Hampton
N J Henderson, MA, FRCS
Sir J Holmes
R N L Huntingford
E J Martineau, FRGS
H J R Morris
C H Palmer
D J Pluck, FCA
M J W Rushton, MA
S J B Shaw
C M A Sweetnam
R H Warner, MA, ACA
H J R Willis, MA
Warden: J S Moule, MA
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Sub Warden: B J Holden, MA, BTech
Sub Warden (Designate): N Murphy, MA
Deputy Heads:
H Crump, LLB, BA
J Porter, MA
R D Shaw, MA
Directors:
E Anderson, BA
S Langdale, BA
Under Master:
T R G Ryder, BA, MFA
Teaching Staff:
P Asbury, BA
O Astley, BA Hons
S Barlass, BA
R Beattie, BA
C M Bedford, BA, PhD
A C Bibby, BA
M C F Brown, BA
V K Buse, BA
I K Campbell, BA
M M Carter
R Catmull
O W Choroba, MPhil, PhD
L J Clogher
G C Dalrymple, MA, MSc
S H Dalrymple, BA
T J Deasy, BA, MA
J de Ritter, BA
E Ellis
P M Fernandez, MA
J A Gaunt
J E Gearing, BA
†S R Giddens, BSc, MSc, PhD (C Social)
M G D Glendon-Doyle, BA (K Social)
R J Grice, BA
†A M H Hakimi, BSc, MPhil (L Social)
M C Hart, BA
A J Hibbs, MPhys
M P Hills, MMath
E O Holt, BA
T Horacek
†R E P Hughes, BSc (A Social)
M Hurley, BA
K C Ison, BA
M R Jewell, BA
R Johnson, BSc
†W A Jolly, BSci (E Social)
†G R King, BA (G Social)
B T Knowles, BA
Dr P J Langman, BSc
T C Lawson, BA
Dr M Lebedeva, MSc
C D Lloyd, BSc
C R Mason, MMath Hons
S Matthews
†C P McKegney (D Social)
R K McMahon, MA, MPhil, DPhil
P J Miron, BSc, DPhil
K A Mosedale, MA, MSc
A F C Nash, BA
M G Noone, MA
A C N Norman, MSc
†T C H Norton, MA (F Social)
A P Pancrazi, Lycee
S J Perkins, BSc
Dr C Ploix, DPhil
D J Pullen, BSc
O J Purslow
C Robinson, BA
Dr D I Robinson, MEng
L P Robinson, BA
D W S Roques, MA
M I Rumbold, BA
L Ryan, BSc
D Scott, BA
†C E Scott-Malden, BA, MA (B Social)
J A S Sheldrake
E Simpkins
J M Sparks, BSc
W Swain, BA
F E Taylor, BA
S W Townsend
R Tufnell, BA
A A Vaan, BSc
M E Walker, BA, MA, PhD
A Wiles, BA
†K W S Willis-Stovold, BSc (J Social)
O D Wills, MEng
B L Wilson, BA Hons
J A D Wilson, MChem
†N Wood (H Social)
G Wiseman, BA
R D Woodling, MChem
Dr D Zimmer, MChem
Chaplain: The Revd Dr RAH Evans
Librarian: Ms A Stead
Music:
Precentor: S J Gladstone, MA
T M Morris, MA, DPhil, FRCO
S-L Naylor, MA
There are 36 peripatetic music staff.
Bursar and Secretary: A Ashton, MA, ACIB
Development Director: E Anderson, BA
Director of Admissions: S Langdale, BA