| Established | 1924 |
|---|---|
| Headmaster | Mr David Craggs |
| Location | Higham Kent ME3 7PA England |
| Local authority | Kent |
| DfE number | 886/6007 |
| Students | 370 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 3–16 |
| Houses | Haig,Wellington,Beatty |
| Publication | BBC News,Heart.com,BBC Radio kent |
| Website | www.gadshill.org |
Gad's Hill School in Kent, England was formerly Gads Hill Place, the country home of Charles Dickens. It became an independent, private day school in 1924.
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Gad’s Hill School has many traditions. Year 11 pupils sign the lead on the roof which has many names from years past. This tradition began when there were plays and dances in the grounds and the pupils would come and write their names to commemorate the occasion.[1]
The evening before the Christmas holidays, the pupils and their families visit Rochester Cathedral to attend the annual Carol Concert. During this concert chosen pupils read the lesson of the Bible, the choir sings traditional carols and a chosen pupil is honoured to sing the first stanza of ‘Once in royal David’s city.’[2]
On the last day of the winter term the whole school has an annual cross country run. The younger students run around the rugby fields a few times. Juniors run a 2.5 km and the seniors run a 3.5 km.
In June 2008, the school was shown in the Channel 4 TV docudrama Dickens' Secret Lover,[3] presented by actor Charles Dance, on Dickens' alleged affair with the actress Ellen Ternan during the last 13 years of his life. Charles Dickens died in what is now the school's dining room. Cedric Charles Dickens, the author's great-grandson, was a governor of the school until his death in 2006. Marion Dickens, the author's great great granddaughter, is a former pupil of the school and is a member of the Board of Governors.[4]
On August 28, 2002 Lorna Hurrell, a teacher at Gad's Hill School who was fighting a second bout of cancer, was dismissed from the school after she was unable to return to work full time. In 2003 an employment tribunal found the school had acted unfairly and had discriminated against her on grounds of a disability. She was awarded £17,400 in compensation. Headmaster David Craggs stated in an interview after the hearing that he felt the amount awarded to Mrs Hurrell vindicated the school's actions, because she and her union, the NUT, had claimed £100,000 in damages.[5][6]