Box Hill School

Box Hill School is a co-educational boarding and day school for girls and boys aged 11-18.

Set in 40 acres in the rolling Surrey countryside, the school is situated at the heart of Mickleham village, but close to major road, rail and air links and only 40 minutes from central London.

The ethos of the school is anchored firmly in the belief that all pupils should reach their maximum potential. They are encouraged, nurtured and challenged in all they do. We believe that a strong academic tradition, combined with outstanding pastoral guidance produces well-adjusted young people, ready to greet the world with energy, confidence and enthusiasm.

The School is led by the Headmaster, Mr Corydon Lowde, and governed by a board that brings a wealth of experience to support the school’s successful and forward thinking management. Box Hill School is committed to maintaining its distinctive ethos: preparing young people for life by facing it directly within a supportive but challenging environment. It is a school that dares to be different from the normal public school mould.

History

The school was founded in 1959 and since then, it has had only four Headmasters, including our current Head, Mr Lowde. This commitment to our school by its leaders shows how special and tight-knit our community is. This is something that is frequently commented on by visitors to our school, with recent comments from our Open Events including “Exciting, caring, nurturing”, “Caring, loving, healthy” and “A friendly school that brings out the best in its students”.

The main building, Dalewood House, was built in 1883 and has a magnificent mix of mock Tudor and Gothic styling. Fine wood panelling, hand painted tiles, fireplaces and beautifully crafted and themed stained glass windows are features throughout. Externally, the grounds and facilities reflect the growth and development of the school through the years. Our most recent new building, a state of the art Sixth Form Centre and teaching and learning space demonstrates our ambition to provide our pupils with a vibrant, progressive and creative environment in which to be educated.

Round Square

The school is a founder member of Round Square, an international group of schools sharing the philosophy of Dr Kurt Hahn – to place academic work at the heart of the school whilst emphasising the importance of an all-round education as preparation for life.

He inspired a set of principles or IDEALS (Internationalism, Democracy, Environmental awareness, Adventure, Leadership and Service) that are embedded into the Box Hill School way of life.

Central to this is the spirit of ‘having a go’ whether academic work, performing on stage, scaling a climbing wall or taking part in expeditions at home or abroad, all are aimed at unlocking potential in pupils.

Membership of Round Square gives pupils unparalleled opportunities for travel and adventure, and we have a number of on-going overseas aid projects in which they can participate and exchanges to other Round Square schools around the world.

The school community

The pupil body is rich in its diversity with a mix of Day and Boarding, UK and International pupils learning and studying alongside each other. There are 420 pupils with 30% from more than 35 countries. This international dimension is deeply embedded in the fabric of the school and provides the students with an exposure to global cultures and traditions which encourage open-mindedness and tolerance.

Other information

We offer both the International Baccalaureate (IB) and A Level programmes at Sixth Form and will support and guide each pupil in their decision-making as to which programme they are best suited to. Academic results are impressive given the non-selective nature of the school, achieved through small class sizes, close monitoring, passionate teaching and a strong work ethic.

In 2019, 81% of students achieved A*- C / 9-4 grades with a fifth of all grades A*- A / 9-7. At A Level students achieved a 76% pass rate at grades A*- C and for IB the average attainment grade is equivalent to 256 UCAS points, which equates to the points gained from 2A*s and 3 A grades at A Level.

There is a vibrant and varied programme of activities and trips for all to enjoy as we encourage our pupils to expand their horizons and gain new skills.