Ripley Court School
Coordinates: 51°17′56″N 0°29′24″W / 51.299°N 0.490°W
| Ripley Court School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Ripley, Surrey, England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent Preparatory School |
| Established | 1893 |
| Headmaster | Andrew Gough |
| Pupils | 250 |
| Colour(s) | Black and Green |
| Website | http://www.ripleycourt.co.uk/ |
Ripley Court School is a Preparatory School located in the village of Ripley, Surrey, in south east England. It admits boys and girls from the ages of 3 to 13.
It is divided into three age-groups: the nursery, "Little Court" which caters for ages 4–7, and the remaining school from 8-13.
Children are split into one of four houses: Apaches (Red), Arapahos (Blue), Comanches (Green), or Mohicans (Yellow). Regular house events take place, in which every child is encouraged to participate.
The class sizes are relatively small, as is the teacher:pupil ratio.
Recent leavers have passed their Common Entrance Examination into their desired schools or achieved scholarships to top local schools such as RGS Guildford and St. John's School, Leatherhead.
The school is highly competitive not just academically, but also in sports and music, as demonstrated by the choir's recent victory (March 2010) in the prestigious Godalming Music festival at Charterhouse School.[1]
The school has expansive tree-lined grounds and its own sporting facilities. It also has a rare example of an original ha-ha.
Ripley Court School was founded in 1893 in the buildings of Ripley Court, a Queen Anne gentleman's farm house and one-time coaching inn built in 1730.[2]
Although the Grade II listed 19th-century house is still fully functioning, most of the strains of school life are taken by other, newer buildings, such as the new dining hall complex which was completed in 2007. Other notable buildings include the gym, the swimming pool and the Grade I listed barn, which is currently used as a drama studio.
Thomas Merton was a pupil at Ripley Court in 1928/1929.[3]
In 1987 the Eric Clapton Cricket XI played the Bunbury Cricket Club at Ripley Court School.[4] The proceeds of the match between these celebrity-studded sides went to charity. In 2003 there was another charity match between the two sides at the same venue. It marked Clapton's "retirement" from cricket.[5]
