Royal Grammar School Guildford, Royal Grammar School in Guilford

• Location: Guilford, England,
• Founded in: 1509,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of education: boys only.

Royal Grammar School, Guildford (RGS) is one of the leading day schools for boys in Surrey. It conducts teaching according to the national English programs for students from 3 to 18 years old.

For more than 500 years of its existence, the school has achieved national recognition by ranking agencies, a trusting attitude from local families. The educational institution opened its doors in 1509-1512 thanks to the will of Robert Buckingham, who wanted to establish a free school in Guilford. Qualified teaching staff, pastoral care, focus on modern teaching and an individual attitude to each student have made RGS Guildford one of the best places in the country to obtain a school education.

Students of all ages are provided with comprehensive support based on personal abilities, goals, talents. Teachers organize additional classes in subjects, individual lectures or classes in small groups to analyze complex topics, deepen the knowledge of those who would like to study in-depth a scientific subject. Staff of the administrative departments provide support, concerning a psychological state, career development, opportunities to expand creative and sports boundaries. A supportive environment has been created at the school so that each student gets the maximum benefit from the learning process, extracurricular development.

A balanced class schedule is complemented by a variety of electives, sports sections, and creative clubs. One of the important aspects of RGS Guildford's activities is to provide the best conditions for the individual and comprehensive development of the child, so a lot of time is allocated for extracurricular activities.

Being on ranking lists, reviews from agencies and families confirm the high quality of programs, teaching activities and a variety of extracurricular opportunities for development. Over the past decades, the institution has also distinguished itself by the fact that its graduates enter leading universities in the UK, the USA and other countries.

The pastoral care of RGS Guildford staff has earned many awards: teachers, administrative staff provide comprehensive support to each student, helping to realize his talents, cope with difficulties, and adapt to the academic system. The main support falls on Sixth Form students, as they will have to choose a university and the admission process. Each high school student is in a group of 12-15 students under the guidance of a mentor. As students take on increasing responsibility for their own development, the mentor plays an important role in supporting, advising and ensuring that each student makes the most of all opportunities. Students are provided with advice and support at every stage to ensure that their future choices reflect their talents and ambitions, whether they continue their studies at the university of their choice, try to take a job right away, or choose a professional apprenticeship path.

The annual Careers Convention, which features more than 80 professions and companies, including many alumni, and a program of careers workshops that take place throughout the year provide additional opportunities. The biweekly Careers and Higher Education Bulletin offers advice on applying to universities and opportunities to develop your own interests.

At RGS Guilford, preschool, elementary, middle and high school programs are taught. During the holidays, students are offered thematic camps.

RGS Guildford does not provide accommodation services.

On weekdays, the dining room offers a varied menu for early breakfast, lunches and snacks between classes. Students participating in the after-school care club visit the cafeteria in small groups to enjoy fruits, granola, hot drinks, and healthy desserts. During lunch, all students can choose their favorite dish from a wide list, including both meat and fish, as well as vegetarian options, soups, salads, sandwiches and much more.

The main areas of extracurricular development at RGS Guildford stipulate theatrical art, music, design and technology, sports; All of these areas are also included in class curricula in order to diversify students' horizons, balance the academic load and give them the opportunity to choose their favorite direction for extracurricular study.

All campus events, whether it is a Christmas ball or a charity event, are not complete without the participation of musical groups: students can realize their talents as part of an orchestra, one of the choirs, in groups of various orientations, and can perform solo. Theatrical performances are also frequent events on campus, in which not only theater groups take part, but also students who are in love with editing, creating costumes and scenery, lighting and sound engineering. Theatrical performances are most often organized outside of large-scale events, but they can also be part of a festive program. Art at school is available to children of all ages: in preparatory groups, students are just learning to sculpt and draw, and older students reveal their talent not only in specialized studios, but also at exhibitions of works.

Sport is an important part of student activities at RGS Guildford. From lunchtime workouts to after-school activities, there are plenty of opportunities to try a new sport, make time for your favorite physical activity, and maintain an active lifestyle. Thanks to professional specialists, qualified coaches, students achieve excellent results in district, national and international competitions. Some of the popular sports are:

• Badminton
• Rugby
• Athletics
• Soccer
• Tennis
• Hockey
• Cricket
• Basketball
• Fencing
• Golf
• Swimming
• Cross-country running,
• Table tennis
• Yachting.

Themed clubs are small communities of hobbies. Students come together to discuss their favorite hobbies, share ideas, practice and improve their skills in a circle of like-minded people. The list of thematic clubs includes:

• Ceramics
• Christian Union,
• Classical civilizations,
• Computer Science,
• Creative writing,
• Debate
• Ecology
• Learning French,
• Horticulture
• Historical Journal,
• Lego Club,
• Photography
• Esports, computer games,
• Philosophy
• Robotics.

The school has a well-thought-out system of Houses, which provides additional pastoral support: upon admission, students are assigned to the teams of the Houses in order to jointly create a supportive atmosphere, learn teamwork, and gain important skills. High school students and supervisors act as mentors for the youngest students, allowing everyone to gain leadership qualities and develop empathy.

During the year, students participate in many trips, visit theaters, sights, which enriches their learning. From Year Three onwards, all pupils will be travelling around the UK during Activity Week, which takes place in June. Recent travels have included stays in Sussex, Dorset, Ironbridge. High school students have the opportunity to visit France and visit a honey farm, chocolate and confectionery factories, World War I battlefields in Belgium as part of the historical program.

• More than 515 years of educational activity with the preservation of tradition and a focus on modern teaching methods,
• One of the UK's leading schools for final exams,
• An "Excellent" rating on all indicators from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in 2022,
• "It's hard to find the kind of quality education that is offered here." – A spokesperson for The Good Schools Guide
• Cooperation with local, national and international educational institutions for joint events, knowledge sharing, academic trips,
• Scholarship awards in many aspects of student life, including sports, arts, charity,
• The curricula are focused on students gaining applied skills, interdisciplinary knowledge and the pleasure of learning what they are truly interested in.

RGS Guildford has a large academic campus in Guildford, Surrey. There are more than ten buildings with annexes, each of which provides separate studying for students of different ages: from preparatory groups to graduating classes. The open area of the campus is also vast, including sports infrastructure, safe areas for the youngest students to play, walking paths with benches, and meadows for recreation.

Each building has lecture halls with age-appropriate equipment: games and handicraft kits have been prepared for children, and older students can use interactive whiteboards, video and audio equipment. The equipment of the buildings focused on teaching primary, middle and high school includes:

• Large assembly hall for events,
• Meeting rooms, seminar rooms,
• Lecture classrooms for both small groups and collective classes,
• Scientific laboratories with materials for project work, experiments, research,
• Computer labs with PCs, printing equipment, programs for design, computer science,
• Studios of performing, fine arts,
• Concert Hall,
• Prayer room,
• Specialized facilities for electives,
• Exam preparation classes,
• Dining room.

Sports infrastructure includes:

• Multifunctional gyms for children of different ages,
• Playing fields for cricket, football, basketball, tennis and other areas.

Also in the open area there is a scientific garden, in which plants are cared for by both staff and pupils of all departments: part of the classes focused on life skills, knowledge of the environment, biology, and gardening are held here.

The RGS Guildford academic calendar consists of the following trimesters:

• Autumn: September-December,
• Spring: January-March,
• Summer: April-July.

School days run from Monday to Friday, starting at 8:45 a.m. and ending at 4:00 p.m., although many students take part in a wide range of extracurricular activities that are conducted before, during, and after class. The day consists of eight 40-minute periods + morning and lunch breaks to visit the cafeteria. Most sporting events are held on Saturdays.

For younger students, an additional pre- and post-class care service is available - Breakfast Club, from 7:30 to 16:45. Thanks to the cooperation with Sports4Kids, children can also take advantage of the opportunity to stay on campus until 18:30.

Rest is provided on weekends, days of national and international holidays, seasonal vacations. 

List of additional costs may include:

• Registration fee, deposit,
• Nutrition
• Individual lessons in music, sports, academic subjects,
• Some extracurricular activities, trips and excursions,
• Personal learning materials, some textbooks,
• Childcare club before and after class,
• External exams,
• School uniform,
• Personal expenses.

Before admission, families of applicants can visit the campus on Open Days or on individual field trips. The admission procedure consists of several stages:

• Filling out the registration form, providing documents,
• Payment of the registration fee,
• Passing an interview, entrance tests,
• Receiving an official invitation to enroll,
• Making a deposit, which is part of the ready price, to book a seat in the class,
• Arrival at campus and start of classes.

According to statistics, RGS Guildford receives about 400 applications from more than 130 different schools - students take entrance exams to get one of 150 places in the class. The school does not have quotas, since it treats each student individually, based on his previous merits. This year, about 45% of first-grade students joined the institution from a public primary school, while the remainder came from preparatory and independent schools.

Students at RGS Guildford continue their academic journeys at top institutions of higher education, including Cambridge, Oxford, Russell Group and Ivy League universities, as well as leading medical schools. Some of the most popular courses are natural sciences, business, finance, economics, engineering, medicine, dentistry.

RGS Guildford accepts students aged 3, 4, 7, 11 and 16, however, places may become available at any time, so the admissions committee reviews all incoming applications. Before applying, staff recommend visiting the school's campus or contacting them online to get answers to your questions, communicate with teachers, and study the academic plan. When the decision on admission is made, the applicant's parents must provide:

• Personal documents of the child: identity card, health insurance, visa or residence permit,
• Academic certificates from the previous place of study, report cards,
• A letter of recommendation from a teacher or principal from a previous institution,
• Individual achievements (if any).

When entering the preschool or primary department, the candidate does not need to confirm his academic data - the level of knowledge will be checked at the entrance exams. Entrance tests await applicants of other ages, including English language testing.

Scholarships are awarded to students who have special achievements in the fields of education, music, sports, and theater arts. Payments are available to students from 11 to 18 years old, cover part of the cost of the annual program or other expenses, and can be extended if excellent results are maintained.

In rare cases, the school offers financial support to families facing difficulties with paying for studies: tuition fees will be reduced and meals will be covered by RGS Guildford.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision