Founded 1843. Incorporated by Royal Charter.
The College is fully co-educational and full boarding. There are 1,015 boys and girls in the 16 Houses and the usual age of entry is either 13 or 16.
Registration. For entry to the College at 13+ registrations are accepted from four years before entry. The College assesses the majority of applicants in the January of Year 6 and offers are made for approximately 75% of places. There is a second entry point in the January of Year 7 when approximately 20% of places will be offered. The final 5% of places will be offered in Year 8. All applicants to the College must meet our entry criteria and take either the Academic Scholarship or the Common Entrance examination. Children whose schools do not prepare them for Common Entrance will have alternative arrangements and parents should contact the Admissions Department directly. The 13+ Scholarship examinations take place in March prior to entry in September. Sixth Form entry and Scholarship examination is in the November before entry. Registrations for entry at 16+ must be made before the 1st of October in the year before entry.
Bursaries. Bursaries of up to 100% of the fees are available for candidates for both 13+ and 16+ entry and the College offers a limited number of bursaries for the children of Clergy. Uniform and other costs can also be included dependent on need. All bursaries, including those for Clergy places, are awarded on a means-tested basis and applications must be submitted by the 1st July of the academic year in which the child takes their entry assessment. Places for candidates requiring a bursary grant are awarded via our standard assessment procedures according to our Bursary Policy, which is available on the website.
Scholarships. There are up to 8 Academic Scholarships at 13+ and a further 22 Awards in Music, Art, Design Technology, Drama and Sport. Up to 20 awards are made at Sixth Form entry.
A Scholarship Prospectus and copies of past papers may be obtained from the Admissions Office. Applications and enquiries about entries and scholarships should be addressed to The Director of Admissions, tel: 01672 892300; email: admissions@marlboroughcollege.org. Academic. The College’s curriculum follows and extends the National Curriculum to allow for a proper combination of breadth and specialisation. It is designed to stimulate, challenge and support all pupils and to ensure that they maximise their potential. There is a clear focus placed upon success in public examinations, where standards are very high, but the College prioritises pupil success at higher education and in their subsequent careers.
Almost all pupils go on to study at university either in the United Kingdom (approximately 80% annually to Russell Group universities) or, increasingly, overseas with destinations ranging from Europe to North America and beyond.
In the Lower School a wide-ranging curriculum is followed. Central to this is “Form”, an innovative and unique humanities course which embraces English, History and Religious Studies. It gives pupils a sense of the history, the evolution of human culture and our place within it. It aims to develop the skills and habits of mind that will lead to success at the College and beyond – wide reading, critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation of ideas, the confidence to have a go and voice their opinions. Choices are made at the end of the Shell (Year 9) leading to 10 or 11 GCSEs and IGCSEs. In the Sixth Form, pupils choose from over 30 A Levels, as well as having the option to take an Extended Project (in which the College is a large and successful centre) and further language options, including Arabic and Hebrew.
The curriculum is supported by an enormous range of academic extension and enrichment activities through societies, lectures, theatre trips, museum and gallery visits, debates, poetry readings, conferences, and concerts, creating a full co-curriculum which recognises that qualifications alone do not produce an educated person.
Careers. Nearly all pupils who come to Marlborough go on into the Sixth Form and virtually all proceed to degree courses. The well-resourced Futures Department is located at the heart of the College and assists Housemasters and Housemistresses in advising boys and girls and their parents about Sixth Form subject selection, higher education options, gap year projects, work experience and careers. Each year, a good number of pupils take up Oxbridge and medical places, and around 10% move on to universities overseas. The College is an ACT testing centre (for those considering North American universities).
Sports and Activities. Sports facilities are outstanding. There are two first class floodlit AstroTurf pitches, acres of sports pitches, allowing for at least 20 simultaneous games in the field sports, a newly re-laid athletics track, a sports hall, an 8-lane 25m swimming pool with hydraulic floor, 24 tennis courts, six fives courts, four squash courts, two rackets courts and nine netball courts. The main sports for boys are rugby, hockey, cricket, athletics, tennis and football, and for girls, hockey, netball, cricket, tennis, lacrosse and athletics. Alternative sports include aerobics, badminton, basketball, clay pigeon shooting, dance, fencing, fishing, fives, golf, jiu jitsu, rackets, riding, rugby sevens, shooting, squash, swimming, water polo, watt biking and yoga. There are regular fixtures in many of these sports and several run sports tours and pre-season trips. Tours have included boys’ and girls’ cricket to South Africa, netball to Barbados, lacrosse to the USA, rugby to France and hockey to the Netherlands and Spain (both boys’ and girls’). The shooting team enters both the Schools’ Cup and the Imperial Cup at Bisley each year.
An Outdoor Activities Department offers the Gold and Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, canoeing, climbing, kayaking and mountain biking. The annual Devizes to Westminster kayak race has become a feature of the Lent Term for up to 10 Upper School crews. The school has its own indoor climbing wall and there is a weekly Climbing Club. There are numerous OA activities each Sunday in term-time in House groups and more adventurous trips further afield in the school holidays. Recent trips have been to the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, Nepal, Peru and Iceland. The Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Training, Practice and Assessed Expeditions take place in school holidays and half-terms.
The College’s Combined Cadet Force is thriving. It is compulsory for part of Year 10 and optional thereafter. It provides excellent leadership training and there is a strong record of College pupils winning Sixth Form Army Scholarships. All year groups take part in Field Days or CCF Camps both in the UK and abroad; the Upper School cadets have visited the US Navy Seals in California on four recent occasions.
Outreach and Partnerships.The College also offers a comprehensive Outreach Programme in the local community. The mantra “with privilege comes responsibility” is the underlying philosophy. Many of the pupils are involved with local primary schools, Riding for the Disabled and local environmental projects, amongst others. The College has a partnership with Swindon Academy which involves College staff and pupils providing academic support. Swindon Academy Year 7 and Year 8 pupils visit the College weekly and also attend some themed residential weekends at the College. In the Summer Term, the Lower Sixth pupils help to run a Primary Club for local 4–7 year olds.
Recently the College has started to provide Maths mentoring to pupils in Slough and Swindon, using the Colet Mentoring platform. In addition, pupils use TWIN science kits to capture the interest of talented local primary school children in STEM subjects. EdClub, an online mentoring scheme with children in Kenya, was founded at the College and pupils in the Hundred and Lower Sixth are in contact with their mentees on a weekly basis.
Trips and Societies. The College has a large array of thriving academic and intellectual societies which complement and support the academic programme, attracting impressive speakers each term from across a broad section of disciplines. There is a programme of Day Trips in term time and, usually, Study Trips in the holidays, which support and enrich the academic curriculum. Recent examples include Geography to China, Iceland and Tenerife, History of Art to Italy, Politics to Bosnia, Classics to Greece, English to Ireland, and Physics to CERN and Florida. The Modern Languages Department runs a series of exchanges and trips to language schools in the target country.
Music. Marlborough nurtures every level of musical talent through inspired coaching within a dynamic and energetic environment. Access to a diverse range of solo, chamber, ensemble, band, choral and orchestral mediums provide invaluable experience to perform. We regularly gain excellent academic results both for GCSE Music, A level Music and Music Technology. A high percentage of pupils go on to study Music at conservatoire or university and we celebrate Oxbridge entrance success and choral scholarship awards most years. Approximately 55% of our pupils have music lessons, and highlights of the music calendar include a Music Scholars' Gala Concert at the Royal Academy, our annual collaboration with the Southbank Sinfonia and our whole-school events such as the House Harmony and the House Shout. We have a world-class concert facility in the Memorial Hall, our magnificent Chapel for choral concerts and two additional theatre spaces, plus informal recital areas.
Drama. Drama at Marlborough is all about collaboration, creative debate, experimentation and excellence. With many productions every year, diversity of style is at the heart of what we offer; from contemporary productions of classical tragedy to musicals and farcical comedy. Independent productions give the opportunity for pupils to write, direct and produce, working alongside visiting practitioners and influenced by the wide range of touring productions that visit our three well-equipped theatres. Trips to the theatre are enjoyed frequently being within visiting distance of London, Bristol, Oxford and Stratford. Drama is offered as an option in the Shell (Year 9) and then is a popular choice at both GCSE and A Level.
Fine Art and Photography. Art at Marlborough has been respected nationally and internationally across the last half century for the delivery of visual excellence. Our success lies in the fact that Art staff believe in every pupil’s individuality and potential to fully realise their artistic ambitions. Pupils are able to steer their creative journey through an exploration or 2 & 3D processes including sculpture, ceramics, textiles, drawing, printmaking, painting and film, along with digital and traditional darkroom photography.
The Art School is a happening place with a plethora of activities: visiting artists, exhibitions and trips. We have forged strong and lasting links with the British Museum, the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in London, Verso Art Charity, Preshute Primary School, Aberystwyth University St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, and Eames Fine Art.
Our Art department has an exceptional track record in preparing pupils for first choice destinations in higher education. Over the past two years we have placed 28 pupils on a range of leading foundation and degree courses all over the world.
Opened in 2005, our purpose-built Art School houses five open-plan studios for painting, drawing, relief and intaglio printmaking, screen printing, a photography darkroom and studio; lecture room and a computer suite and a well-resourced Art library. Two buildings adjacent to the Art School accommodate the ceramics and sculpture studios as well as a ‘large scale drawing’ studio. A particular bonus for our Upper Sixth Art pupils is that they are each given their own individual studio work-station. We also have a dedicated gallery and archive space in ‘The Mount Gallery’.
Design and Technology. The Design Department recently located to the Beko Innovation Centre and consists of a large multi-disciplinary design studio with integrated digital design tools. The main studio offers a flexible space for large-scale prototyping and focused design education, as well as a base for engineering, computer science, entrepreneurship and other disciplines, to engage with the space. We also have a separate workshop area with our new CNC machine and an array of more manufacturing-focused equipment. The department has invested in 3D-printing equipment which is used across all year groups and by wider members of the Marlborough community and this is housed in our Design Study; a space intended for sixth form to engage in independent design practice which also houses our design library. We also have outbuildings which accommodate our wood preparation equipment, spray booth, metalworking and heat treatment areas.
Fees per term (2023-2024). £15,665.
The Marlburian Club. www.marlburianclub.org.
Charitable Status. Marlborough College is a Registered Charity, number 309486 incorporated by Royal Charter to provide education.
Governors & Staff:
Visitor: The Most Revd The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury
Council:
President: The Rt Revd The Lord Bishop of Salisbury
Mrs P Cameron Watt, MA Hons (Acting Chair)
M Birkin, BA
J P W Coleman, LLB
P Denton, MSc, ACA
Mrs T Freeman, BA
The Revd S Gray, BA, MA, PGCE
K Kabwe
T D Martin-Jenkins, MA, MBA
Ms R King, MA
R Perrins, BSc, FCA
Mrs S Reeves, MA, MPhil
International Council:
Y A M Tunku Ali Redhauddin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, BA, MC/MPA
Master: L J Moelwyn-Hughes, MA, MEd
Second Master: S M Wessels, BSc
Bursar: A Hart, BA
Deputy Head (Academic): D T Clark, MTheol
Deputy Head (Pastoral): E C Nightingale, MA
Deputy Head (Co-Curriculum): J R B Scragg, MA
Director of Admissions: J J Lyon Taylor, BSc
Director of Safeguarding: Mrs C Kane, BA, MSc
Assistant Head (Teaching & Learning): Mrs B E A Nightingale, BA
Assistant Head (Inspection): T C M Lauze, BA, MBA
Head of Boarding: Mrs J A Hodgson, BSc, MA
Assistant Staff:
* Head of Department
† Housemasters/Housemistresses
Miss A L Adderley, BA (†New Court)
B R Allen, MA
M W Alleyne (*Cricket)
N M Allott, BSc
D I Andrew, MA, MSci (*Economics & Business)
A J Arkwright, BA (*Instrumental Studies)
D R Armitage, MA (†B House)
Miss S H Bingham, BA
J M Birchall, BSc
T A Birkill, BSc (*Biology)
M B Blossom, MA
Ms V R Brown, MA
Mrs R L T Bruce, BA
A A Burke, MA
M P L Bush, BA
M Butterfield, MA (Organist)
J P Carroll, BEd (*Upper Sixth)
S C Clayton, BA
M Conlen, BSc
Mrs H A M Cox, BSc (†Elmhurst)
J R Cox, BA
Ms M A D’Angelo, BA (*Spanish)
Miss J Darby, BA, GMus
R G De Rosa, BSc (*Geography)
A H de Trafford, MA (†Turner House)
Miss V G M Delalleau, BA
S J Dennis, MBE, MSc
T J Dolan, MSc (*Computer Science)
Dr G A Doyle, MSc, PhD, DIC, CChem, MRSC (*Science)
P T Dukes, FGSM, ARAM (*Artistic Director)
J J Duplock, MA
S Earwicker, MPhil
O P Elton, BA (*Mathematics)
M A Eysele, BSc
Dr S D Flatres, MSci, PhD
C A Fraser, MA
Mrs J L Fruci, BA (†Morris)
Miss O Gallagher, BSc
W H Gibbs, BSc
B W Giles, MA
T P Gilmour (*Rugby)
N O P Gordon, MA (*English, Form)
Miss L S Gray, BSc
Mrs H Green, MSc (*SENDCO)
P E D Green, MA
Miss O F Grimley, BSc
C L Harrison, BSc (†Summerfield)
S R Hawthorn, BSc (†Preshute)
Mrs E R Hayes, MA (*French)
Mrs K Heaton, MA (*Politics)
J Hodgson, BSc (*PSHEE)
Mrs K Holder, MA (*Chemistry)
Mrs R F Horton, MA (*Director of Sport)
Miss K J Hvass, BA
Miss J C Isitt, BA
G James, BSc (*Astronomy, Director of the Blackett Observatory)
Dr R J Justice, MA, DPhil
D Kenworthy, BA, MFA (*Drama)
Mrs K J Kiggell, MA (†Dancy House)
T A Kiggell, MA
G D M Lane, BSc (†C3)
J T W Lane, BA
Miss A C Langdale, MSc (*Futures)
Ms Q Li, MA (*Mandarin Chinese)
Mrs D L Lilley, MA
J F Lloyd, MPhil (*Classics)
Mrs J L Luker, BSc (*Psychology)
G I Macmillan, BA (†Cotton House)
D J Madden, BEng (*Design and Technology)
Mrs H J C Marvin, BSc (*Lacrosse †Ivy House)
T G R Marvin, MA
Mrs J McClean, BA
Dr F S McKeown, BA, PhD (*History of Art)
M McNally, BSc
G J McSkimming, BSc (†Barton Hill)
A O J Meehan-Staines, BA (Choirmaster)
Mrs H L Meehan-Staines, BSc (*Director of Digital Learning)
B H Miller, BSc
W J Molyneux, BA
J J L Moore, MA
N J L Moore, MA
P N Morley-Fletcher, MA (*Italian)
C A F Moule, MA (*History, Academic Scholarship & Leadership Programme)
Mrs E J P Moule, MA
J N Newman, BSc
P J Newman, BA
P J O’Sullivan, BA
A G Oxburgh, BA (*Oxbridge)
J H Parnham, MA
Mrs E J Penrose, MA
G R Playfair, MA (†C2)
J M Quinn, BA
Miss T C Rainer, MA (*German)
M S Ramage (*Hockey)
Dr L J Richards, BSc, PhD
Dr D G Roberts, MSc, PhD
Dr E Ryder, BSc, PhD
Mrs M C Sandall, BA
R A Sandall, BCom, BA
Mrs R Scott, MA
M J Sharrad, BSc (*PE)
C S Smith, BEng, MSc
Mrs E C Smith, BA
K G A Smith, BA
Dr J P Swift, BSc, PhD (†C1)
I R Thorp, MMath, PhD
H L R Tilney, BA (†Littlefield)
R Tong (*Outdoor Activities)
Miss C Toomer, GGSM (*Academic Music)
E F J Twohig, MA, MFA (*Art)
Mrs S K Walker MSc (†Mill Mead)
C J Wheatland, MPhys (*Physics)
R D Willmett, BA (*Lower Sixth)
Mrs A T Woodford, BA (*Modern Languages)
Miss B L Woods, MSc (*Religious Studies)
J Wright, BSc
Senior Chaplain: The Revd T W G Novis, BA, Mdiv
Medical Officer: Dr A Collings, MB, BS, DCH
Librarian: J E Burton, BA
Master’s Assistant: Mrs G Milne