Vinehall School

Coordinates: 50°57′29″N 0°29′31″E / 50.958°N 0.492°E / 50.958; 0.492

Vinehall School

Motto	Pro Aliis Optimum Algere (Latin for to do our best for the benefit of others)
Established	1938
Type	Independent school
Religion	Christian (RC/Anglican)[1]
Headmaster	Richard Follett
Location	Robertsbridge East Sussex TN32 5JL England
Students	294 (approx.)[1]
Gender	Mixed
Ages	2–13
Houses	4
Former pupils	Vines
Website	www.vinehallschool.com

Vinehall School is a co-educational day and boarding school located near the town of Robertsbridge, East Sussex. It takes children from ages 2 to 13.^[2] The school was inspected by Ofsted in 2011 and given an overall quality rating of "outstanding".^[3] More recently, the school received a full inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in February 2012, achieving the highest possible grading in all areas.^[4]

History

Vinehall is a country house with a central building constructed in the late 1830s. When Lady Ashton died in 1938, the estate was sold and Vinehall started its life as a country preparatory school, opening with six local children.^[5]

During the Second World War, the school was evacuated to Killerton Park in Devon along with a local girls’ school. The school returned to Robertsbridge after the war and in 1946 was bought by Major Tom Stuart-Menteath. He ran the school until 1957, at which point it was handed down to his stepson, Richard Taylor, who installed an indoor heated swimming pool and founded much of the school's culture.^[5]

in 1977 Taylor handed the school over to his son-in-law David Chaplin, father of Tom Chaplin.^{[citation needed]} He remained until 2002. During his stewardship the school took ownership of the estate and a period of growth occurred and the purpose-built Pre-Prep was constructed, as was a theatre, sports hall and in 2000 the Millennium Library and classroom complex. In 2009 an astro turf was completed. In 2002 Chaplin handed over the school to Julie Robinson and she, in turn, was succeeded in January 2011 by Richard Follett.

Houses

Students at Vinehall are entered into one of four houses, Saxton, Paxton, Ashton or Rushton. Ashton was named after Lord Ashton, the original owner of Vinehall. Paxton is named after the Victorian architect who is believed to have designed the grounds. Rushton (red) was the name of the park located near Vinehall in the 19th century. The Saxton house was invented later in the 20th century to accommodate for the influx of students.

Members of the same family are automatically entered into the same house, to maintain a family environment. If a student's parents or relatives attended Vinehall, the student is entered into their previous house.

Notable alumni

• Tim Smit, founder of The Eden Project
• Tom Chaplin, Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Hughes - members of Keane
• Tom Avery - polar explorer

References

External links

• Site of former school members