| Established | 1890 |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent school Co-educational Day and boarding school |
| Religion | Quaker |
| The Head | Alex McGrath BA PGCE |
| Deputy Heads | Nigel Williams and Eddie Falshaw |
| Founders | Dame Elizabeth and George Cadbury |
| Location | Shinfield Road Reading Berkshire RG2 7ED England |
| Staff | 100 (approx.) |
| Students | 500 |
| Gender | Male/female |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | 5 (4 Senior, 1 Junior) |
| Colours | Blue, Gold, Brown |
| Publication | The Park |
| Former pupils | Old Leightonians |
| Campus | 60-acre (240,000 m2) parkland campus |
| Website | www.leightonpark.com |
Leighton Park School is a co-educational Quaker independent school for both day and boarding pupils. It is situated in the large town of Reading in Berkshire, in South East England. The school was founded in 1890, following the closure of Grove House School, also a Quaker establishment.
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The school is based in a parkland estate setting just south of the town centre of Reading, adjacent to the Whiteknights Park campus of the University of Reading. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. From 2009, the school has offered the International Baccalaureate qualification. In January 2011, John Dunston stepped down as Headmaster after over a decade in the post. He was succeeded by Alex McGrath, former deputy head of Trent College.
The latest edition of The Good Schools Guide describes Leighton Park as "one of the most distinctive schools we'd visited and we came away with a renewed sense of hope for the future. More schools would do well to adopt the LP model — it has integrity and honesty at heart".[1] In December 2010, following inspection, the ISI wrote "The excellent personal development of the pupils is a strength of the school."[2]
The School House and Attached Laboratories at Leighton Park School are Grade II listed buildings.[3]
The teaching of young people has always been a priority for Quakers; from the late seventeenth century onwards, many were involved in establishing schools for their own children and others in need. In this light, Leighton Park was opened in 1890 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), as a public school for boys, with the specific aim of preparing academically able boys to enter university, to think for themselves and to develop self-reliance.
The school was founded after Grove House School, also a Quaker school, closed in 1877. Grove School had educated notable personalities such as Lord Lister, Alfred Waterhouse and Thomas Hodgkin.
Nicknamed 'the Quaker Eton', Leighton Park has sent a high proportion of its pupils to Oxford or Cambridge.[4] To this day it retains academic prestige, being described as a school that possesses "outstanding teaching, facilities and excellent academic results [that] give it the qualities that parents seek in a school" recently by ISBI schools.[5]
Leighton Park grew from 4 boys in 1890 to 103 in the 1920s. By 1970 the school had 300 pupils, and in 1975 girls were admitted to the sixth form. In 1993 the school became fully coeducational.[6] Today the school is home to 500 pupils drawn from over twenty different countries.[7]
In 2004, 'Oakview', the new central-dining facility was introduced instead of traditional in-house dining. The facility was officially opened by Sir Steve Redgrave.
Currently at 500 pupils, the development plans on the school's website state it plans to increase the school roll to a maximum of 510 in the near future.[8]
Leighton Park, due to its Quaker faith, has marked customs and traditions which differ from those in Anglican schools. Some of these traditions are:
There are five houses at Leighton Park; four senior and one junior; with an average of 100 pupils in each senior house and approximately 90 pupils in the junior house. The first house established is named 'Grove', after Grove School, which Leighton Park has historical links with. The junior house, 'Fryer', houses pupils aged 11–13. All houses are mixed sex, and they all have facilities for day and boarding pupils.
| House | Type of House | Housemaster |
|---|---|---|
| School | Senior | Simon Cain |
| Field | Senior | Mark Simmons |
| Grove | Senior | Geoff Harnett |
| Reckitt | Senior | Julian Berrow |
| Fryer | Junior | Nicky Williams |
The school has a floodlit astroturf sports pitch and 22 tennis courts, along with four main sports fields.[9] The school's sporting strengths lie in cricket and rugby for boys; hockey and netball for girls. Many other sports are catered for including football, athletics, tennis and swimming. The school awards scholarships for talented and capable sportsmen and women.
The school hosts an annual cross-country competition: the race is over 2.5km long. There is also a house 'Road Relay' race where 12 pupils, teams of four from each senior house, race to complete one lap of the kilometre-long road track. The results of the road relay count towards the annual House Cup, awarded at the end of each academic year. There are also other regular house sport competitions: rugby, football, athletics, hockey, tennis and swimming.
In April 2011, student Charlotte Turner (Year 10) qualified for the UK National County Cross-Country Championships.[10]
The school recently hosted a Super Six Rugby Sevens Tournament, a spin-off of the 'Super Six' rugby XV cup competition that the school founded and takes part in with five other schools. It has won the cup on several occasions. The school also participates in the Daily Mail Cup rugby competition.
The current Head of Music is Rosemary Scales. At Leighton Park many instruments are taught, with opportunities being given to all students should they wish to learn. The school also has a fully equipped specialist recording studio. Leighton Park gives scholarships for dedicated and talented musicians.
Most notably, Leighton Park is known for its annual House Music competition. The competition involves many students - from House 'Big Group' (where songs such as Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and Shania Twain's 'Man! I feel like a woman!' have been performed), to solo artists (Laura Marling competed live in 2007, but lost out in her category of "Original Song"). The house music competition's final standings award points to Houses, which go towards the annual House Cup.
The school offers Music GCSE and A-Level.
There is one main theatre outside of the drama department at Leighton Park, Main Hall, where the annual School Play, and other plays, take place. There is usually one main School Play per academic year. The School Play usually takes place in the Spring Term and has a high reputation. It is normally fully booked every night.
Most recently, the school has put on Grease, Much Ado About Nothing as well as several other well known dramatic pieces.
The drama department is headed by Geraint Thomas, and supplemented by several other teachers. The school offers GCSE drama as well as A-level Theatre Studies.
Being a Quaker community, Leighton Park understands the importance of maintaining equality within the school community. Nevertheless, the school has a host of punishments for disobeying school rules.
Leighton Park has featured in the press most recently in light of the BBC Politics Show, which was hosted at Leighton Park in December 2010.[11]
In April 2005, Quaker-based Sunday Worship was broadcast live from Leighton Park on BBC Radio 4. Heard by an estimated 1.75 million listeners, the sequence of readings, music, ministry and silence "reflected the essence of Quaker values to the wider world."[12]
Leighton Park also featured in the press in 2005 for the introduction of a music workshop by ex-child soldier turned musician, Ben Okafor.[13]
The school is mentioned in the play and film, The History Boys, by Alan Bennett. The headmaster mentions schools he would like to emulate regarding high pupil entry to Oxford; among them is Leighton Park — 'or is that an open prison?', he adds.
It has been alleged that headteachers of other schools in Reading encouraged their pupils to say they were from Leighton Park if challenged by the police or the public, as they were to be regarded as notorious.
Old Leightonians include Oscar award-winning film director Sir David Lean; Conservative Party politician Tony Baldry; former Labour party leader Michael Foot; actor Jim Broadbent; Labour party politician Quentin Davies; former UK ambassador to the United Nations Lord Caradon; Jamiroquai bassist Stuart Zender; former GCHQ director Sir John Adye; painter and founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts Sir Roland Penrose; missionary Ian Stillman; singer/songwriter Laura Marling.
| Year | Head Boy | House | Head Girl | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998/1999 | Chris Stubbs | Grove | Nicola Gibberd | Reckitt |
| 1999/2000 | Carl Jani | Field | Zoe de Turberville | Reckitt |
| 2000/2001 | James Dalby | Field | Lily Jablenska | Grove |
| 2001/2002 | Chris Allinson | School | Emma Hudson | School |
| 2002/2003 | Mike Driver | School | Lizzie Scotney | Grove |
| 2003/2004 | Alexander Dresner | Field | Liggy Griffiths | School |
| 2004/2005 | Tom MacAndrew | School | Sam Brown | Grove |
| 2005/2006 | Jonathan Beale | Field | Benjy Avro | Reckitt |
| 2006/2007 | Alexander Walton | Field | Clara Bennett | Reckitt |
| 2007/2008 | Jack Stubbs | School | Hannah Dodds | Grove |
| 2008/2009 | James Barratt | Field | Ellen Green | Grove |
| 2009/2010 | Phil Dunster | Field | Emma Lucas | Reckitt |
| 2010/2011 | Duncan Di Biase | Field | Naomi Alderson | Grove |
| 2011/2012 | Theodore Masters-Waage | Grove | Alexandra Cheng | Grove |