Development Director

REIGATE GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Alderman Henry Smith founded Reigate Grammar School in

1675. For over 345 years, young people have been educated

on the same site, in the heart of Reigate, an historic market

town in the east of Surrey at the foothills of the North Downs

in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

RGS is a leading HMC independent co-educational day school.

It is a highly successful, happy and exciting school, which aims

to provide a broad and balanced education to boys and girls

that will prepare them for the modern world. The school song,

To Be a Pilgrim, reminds our students that they are on a journey

of noble purpose, to have an impact and to make the world a

better place. We aim to educate the whole child and offer a

broad range of experiences for all. We are an inclusive school

and, built upon the vision of our founder, are committed to

social mobility and the provision of bursaries through wider

access and a supportive Reigatian community.

“Happy Kids Great Results” Good Schools Guide 2019

Reigate Grammar School caters for over 1050 students aged

11 to 18. Another 600 students are educated at Reigate St

Mary’s Preparatory and Choir School and Chinthurst School,

RGS’s junior and nursery schools – both recently shortlisted

for UK Independent Prep School of the Year. RGS offers the

very best academic education with equal prominence placed

on the arts, sport and a rich extra-curricular programme. RGS

has a distinctive educational philosophy and a strong ethos of

pastoral care underpinning a well-rounded education. The

House system has some clearly defined aims: for everyone to

feel part of a team; to allow leadership to be nurtured; talent

to shine; confidence to surge; teamwork to flourish; and

competitive spirit to develop. In the school’s academic culture

of intellectual freedom, the structure of the curriculum means

that students receive a strong grounding in core subjects but

can elect to pursue any area of interest. In the elective

curriculum, one student may learn to trade stocks while

another deepens their understanding of French literature. It is

a challenging and balanced education, equipping students for

the opportunities and demands of their future lives and

allowing them to explore their personal passions.

The first line of the school’s most recent ISI report asserts that

‘the quality of the students’ achievements and learning is

exceptional’: the first co-ed day school to achieve this rare

accolade. RGS’ approach to teaching and learning melds expert

teaching knowledge with a modern, innovative approach to

pedagogy with a judicious use of technology. Inspirational and

personalised teaching and learning is at the centre of the vision

and requires expert teachers. The school is one of a small

number of world-class schools to have been a global pioneer in

High Performance Learning, focusing on the development of

global citizens, advanced performers and enterprising learners.

Outcomes at RGS are world-class with 86% of GCSE entries

graded at 9-7 in 2023. A Level results are equally impressive,

with over 95% of entries graded A* to B. 96% of our A Level

students went on to Oxbridge, Russell Group and other top

universities and medical schools. In 2019, RGS was named

Independent School of the Year for Wellbeing and Pastoral

Care at the TES Awards – the most important element of any

great education – and also received the award of School of the

Year for Community Outreach; in 2020 RGS was named Public

School of the Year 2020-2021 by Tatler, the school Oscars; in

2021 RGS was named School of the Year in the UK Social

Mobility Awards; and in 2023 RGS is a finalist in the

Independent School of the Year Awards for Contribution to

Social Mobility.

Shaun Fenton, Headmaster, acknowledged as one of the

outstanding educational leaders in this country, was

elected Chairman of HMC in 2018-2019 and most recently

awarded the OBE by Her Majesty the Queen for Services to

Education.