| Established | 1945 |
|---|---|
| Type | Preparatory and pre-preparatory school |
| Headteacher | Stephanie Bell MA (Oxon.)[1] |
| Location | Aldershot Road Guildford Surrey England |
| Ages | 3–7 (boys), 3 to 11 (girls) |
| Website | www.rydeshill.com |
Rydes Hill Preparatory School is an Independent, co-educational, Roman Catholic, Preparatory school and Nursery in Guildford, Surrey, England. The school welcomes all denominations and caters for girls aged 3–11 years and boys aged 3–7 years.
Contents |
Rydes Hill was founded in September 1945 by Sister Patricia of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph,[2] a Roman Catholic religious order, on a three and a half acre site in Aldershot Road, Guildford, Surrey, where it remains.[3]
Before becoming a school, the main building was a private house called Rydes Hill House, and before that The Clock House. It was built in the 18th century and has Victorian extensions. In the mid 19th century, the house was the residence of William Edmund Elkins, of the Elkins Brewery family, four times mayor of Guildford.
The present School Library, formerly the billiard room, has an eighteen-panel frieze painted by the Victorian artists Talbot Hughes and Sir Herbert Hughes-Stanton which tells the story of Joan of Arc. The Dining Room is in the Jacobean style, with oak-panelling, and between 1945 and 1964 it served as a Roman Catholic chapel for the parish.
The house has a clock tower which is called 'Little Ben' by the children[4] and is surrounded by mature trees.[3]
In 1989, the ownership of the school was transferred to a charitable trust managed by a Board of Governors.
The school's senior choir traditionally performs at the annual Wintershall real-life nativity as part of a choir of angels. Additionally, Rydes Hill has become well known for its musical productions which, in the past have included No, No, Noah (1993); The Bell That Cried (1994); The Wind In The Willows (1996); Alice In Wonderland (1997); The Pirates of Penzance (1998); The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1999). The children in year two receive group violin lessons and the children in year three are introduced to the flute, cornet and clarinet. Older children are encouraged to compose their own music and enter competitions.
The age range is from 3-7 for boys and from 3-11 for girls. There are twelve full-time and twenty-five part-time staff; the Headmistress is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS).[1]
Admission to the school is by informal assessment, interview, and report from the child's previous school where appropriate.[1]
The school teaches all the usual subjects of the National Curriculum, and children are prepared for the Common Entrance Examination and successfully placed in leading senior schools.[5] There is also provision for teaching ballet, Performing Arts, Speech & Drama, Pianoforte, Clarinet, Violin and Flute.[6] Each form has a teacher, while Physical Education, Music, French and Science are taught by specialist teachers.
The school has a large hall with a stage, which is used for assemblies, school plays, gymnastics, and ballet.[3] As well as classrooms, which all have interactive whiteboards[7], there is a library, a modern science laboratory, an information technology suite, and rooms for music teaching and music practice.[3]
In the school's grounds, there are two all-weather tennis or netball courts, an adventure playground, and grassed play areas.[3]
The Friends organize fundraising and social events in support the school. Each year group has two parent representatives on the Friends Committee. In 2007, a Summer Ball was held.[4]
The Friends have created a millennium garden, restored the clock tower, bought a minibus and play equipment, and paid for theatre companies to visit the school.[4]
|
||||||||||||||