The school occupies a Victorian Mansion set in 80 acres of woodland in the beautiful Tweed Valley and enjoys excellent road and rail links with England and Scotland. Daily school bus services operate within a radius of 35 miles from the school.
Longridge Towers, refounded in 1983 under its founder and President, the late Lord Home of the Hirsel, has grown from 113 pupils to 337 pupils. It is probably unique in offering the close personal relationships between pupils, staff and parents which creates a genuine ‘family atmosphere’. The school has a reputation for turning out well-rounded and confident young people, the vast majority of whom continue their education at university.
Alongside the excellent academic results, the school offers many opportunities through its sporting and extracurricular enrichment activities. All of these combine to give all pupils the chance to participate and acquire a variety of skills.
Sport figures strongly in the life of the pupils and many gain representative honours at county and national level in a variety of sports, such as rugby, hockey, cross-country running, athletics, tennis and cricket. Art, Music and Drama are also very popular and successful activities.
Entry. The school caters for a wide spectrum of abilities among its pupils who are taught in small classes. Special provision is made for the needs of pupils with mild dyslexia and for the small proportion of pupils for whom English is their second language.
Assessments upon entry to the Senior School in Mathematics and English are diagnostic and have no fixed pass mark.
The school is divided into two departments, Junior and Senior, and caters for pupils throughout their school career, from 3 to 18 years. Pupils may enter at any age provided that a vacancy exists. Classes are small, with fewer than 20 pupils per teaching set, reducing to about half this in the Sixth Form.
Activities. Longridge Towers is a school where the development of the pupils outside the academic sphere is considered to be vital. Every afternoon there is an extensive Enrichment programme offering a wide range of activities including: archery, rocket making, football, computer construction, dance, drama, creative writing, wildlife and gardening, young engineers, science club, debating, along with many others. The major team games are rugby, hockey, tennis, cross-country running, athletics and cricket. Many senior pupils participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. The musical activities within the school are varied and numerous. There are five Choirs, two Orchestras and various instrumental groups. Almost a third of the pupils take private instrumental lessons and the taking of grade examinations is encouraged. Over half of the pupils also take LAMDA examinations. No visitor to the school could fail to be aware of the variety and excellence of the artwork on display which includes clay modelling and photography.
Public examinations. 16 subjects are offered at GCSE level, including Physics, Chemistry and Biology; 19, including Economics, Psychology, Sports Studies and Drama, are offered in the Sixth Form at A Level.
Boarding. The Boarding House and pastoral care are in the hands of resident non-teaching house parents. There is medical and dental care. Pupils have access to telephones and email and may send or receive fax messages using the facilities in the school office. Boarders may attend on a weekly or termly basis from age 8 years onwards. At weekends the boarders participate in a wide range of activities.
Scholarships and bursaries. Academic awards at various levels are available annually to pupils aged 9–14 and 16 (into Sixth Form). Music, Sports, Art and All-Rounder Scholarships are also available to pupils aged 11–14 and 16.
Bursaries are available to children of serving members of the Armed Forces.
Bursaries are also available to pupils; the value of these is determined after consideration of a statement of parental income.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Full Boarders: £10,450 (Junior), £9,840 (Senior). Weekly Boarders: £7,670 (Junior), £8,280 (Senior). Day pupils: Government-funded Nursery with charges for extra hours, £3,810 (Junior age 5–7), £4,850 (Junior age 7–11), £5,460 (Senior age 11–18).
Charitable status. Longridge Towers School is a Registered Charity, number 513534. It exists to provide an academic education for boys and girls.
Governors & Staff:
Board of Governors:
Chairman: Mr T M Bramald
Mrs P Derries
Mrs S Dunford
Mrs A Marshall
Mr P Evans
Mr E Roney
Dr J Watson
Headmaster: Mr J C E Lee, MA Hons, ACA, PGCE
Deputy Head: Mrs J Arnott, BSc, PGCE
Head of Junior Department: Mrs S Maddock, BEd
Deputy Head of Junior Department: Mrs S Bullen, BA, QTS, NASENCo
Senior Teachers:
Mrs C Barber, MEd, PGCE, NASENCo, PGCSpLD (SENDCo/Senior DSL/PSHE)
Dr N Dalrymple, PhD, MLitt, BA, PGCE (Director of Learning)
Mr A Skeen, BA, QTS (Pastoral, Economics, Games)
Teaching Staff:
Ms D Bryden, BEd (Junior Department)
Mr M Caddick, BA, PGCE (German)
Mrs C Cairns, BA Hons (Junior Department)
Miss A Coulson, PGCE (Junior Department)
Mr D Crowe, BA, PGCE (History)
Mr R Davie, BSc, PGCE (Mathematics, Computing, Head of Sixth Form)
Mr P Dodd, BEng, DIS, PGCE (Head of Maths)
Mrs S Douglas, BA (Junior Department)
Mrs A Gettins, BA (Librarian, English)
Mrs N Green, BA, PGCE (EFL)
Mr D Gunn, MA, PGCE, QTS (Humanities)
Dr D Hardy, MA, PhD, LRSM, QTS (Music)
Mrs H Humphreys, BA, PGCE, (Music)
Mrs K Hutton, BA (Drama)
Mr R Johnson, BA, MA, PGCE (English)
Mrs L Johnson, BA, MA, PGCE (English)
Mr C Johnston, BA (Geography)
Mr B Jones, BA, BEd (Art)
Mr D Massie, BEd (Head of Sport)
Mrs B Mayhew, BA, PGCE (French/Spanish)
Miss J McCalvey, BSc, PGCE (Science)
Mrs R Mole, BSc, PGCE (Junior Department)
Mr R Moscrop, BA, QTS (Junior Department)
Mrs S Murray, BA, PGCE (Junior Department)
Ms H Norbury, BA, PGCE (Junior Department)
Mrs L Peters, BEd (Girls Games, Sports Studies)
Mrs E Shaw, BA, PGCE (Girls Games, Sports Studies)
Mrs G Skeen, BSc, QTS (Junior Department)
Mrs M Smith, BSc, PGCE (PE, CDT)
Mrs S Ward, BSc, PGCE (Head of Science)
Mr A Westthorp, BEng, PGCE (CDT, Computing)
Mrs K Westthorp, MA, PGCE (French)
Mrs M Wood, BSc Hons, PGCE (Maths)
Mr R Woodrow, MEng, PGCE (Science)
Teaching Assistants:
Mrs K Czerwinska
Miss E Dixon
Mrs C Handley, BA, HLTA
Mrs D Johnston, FD Level 5
Mrs Z Jones
Miss K Redpath, HLTA
Mrs A Young, FDTA
Boarding Staff:
Mr G Hattle, Cert. of Prof. Practice (Senior House Parent)
Mrs E Crossan
Mrs A Ireland, BA, PGCE, Cert. of Prof Practice (Residential Senior House Parent)
Mr M Short, Cert. of Prof. Practice (House Parent)
Matron: Mrs M Hattle, RGN
Administration:
Director of Finance/Bursar: Mrs V Bryson, BA, Chartered Accountant
Bursar’s PA/HR Manager: Mrs J Sherratt
Finance Manager/Assistant Bursar: Mrs J Aitchison, BSc
Head’s PA: Mrs C Craze, BSc
PA to Head of Junior Dept: Mrs A Allis, BA
H&S Co-ordinator: Mrs S Fleming
IT Manager: Mr M McCarter
IT Technician: Mr J Gardner
Registrar/Marketing Manager: Mrs M Burns
Reception: Mrs R Flatman & Mrs L Eden
Science Technician: Mr K Toomey
Site Manager: Mr C Smith