Royal Russell School

From 2000

Since the 1970s new and better facilities have been built, numbers of girls have increased and the academic record has been good. The school has enjoyed Royal Patronage from its early days and the Queen has visited the school on four occasions as of 2013. Her first visit was in 1950 as Princess Elizabeth; in 1963 she opened Cambridge House and the Practical Block: she joined the celebrations of 125 years in 1979 and the sesquicentenary in 2003.

The school is now independent of The Warehousemen, Clerks and Drapers Livery companies and operates as a charity under the direction of its own Board of Governors. Extensive changes have taken place in recent years and today there is an IAPS Junior School and HMC Senior School on the one hundred acre estate.

In 2003 the school held celebrations to mark its sesquicentennial year, being commemorated by Queen Elizabeth II visiting the school to open the library and Sixth Form Centre. In 2010 Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex visited the school, officially opening the Performing Arts Centre.

School information

In 1924 the school moved to its present site two miles (3 km) south-east of Croydon in a 100-acre (0.40 km²) wooded estate. Its buildings include a fine chapel and modern facilities. The school is affiliated to the Church of England, and the approach to daily life is founded on Christian principles, but pupils of all faiths are admitted.

Academic

The most recent ISI report assessed the school in 10 specific areas on a 3-point scale: unsatisfactory, satisfactory and good. In certain circumstances if the lead inspector decides that the standard exceeds those set nationally then an 'excellent' grading can be given. The inspection lasted a full school week (5 days), and in 5 of the 10 categories tested Royal Russell School achieved an 'excellent' grading, and in all others the school was 'Good'- often with comments relating to 'outstanding features'.

Royal Russell's Boarding provision was inspected too, as part of a 3-year cycle by Ofsted in which inspectors spent 3 days reviewing the Boarding provision. The inspectors were very impressed by all that is done for the schools boarding community and thus obtained a 'Good' classification in each of the 6 categories inspected. The Ofsted report can be found on the Royal Russell School site or here.

GCSE is taught from years 10 and 11, though it is possible to study maths a year early, starting in year 9 and completing the course in year 10. Required GCSE subjects include Triple Science (or Double Award Science), English Language, English Literature, Maths, and a language, (French, Spanish or English as a Foreign Language). GCSE choices include: French, Spanish, Geography, History, Business Studies, Drama, Art, Music, Design Technology, Food Technology, Philosophy and Ethics, Physical Education, and ICT. There are a choice of 19 subjects at GCSE including the compulsory subjects. Students undertake the required 5 subjects (if studying Triple Award Science this equates to 6), plus 4 of their choice.

The sixth form at Royal Russell follows the A level Course. Sixth formers are able to undertake 4 AS levels (occasionally 5 if the timetable allows for this) during their first year. Some carry on with 4 A2's, but many carry on in upper sixth with 3 of these as A Levels, or 3 A2's picking up another AS. There are 23 subjects available. 34% of sixth form students take science A-levels; 25% arts/humanities; 41% both.

School structure

The school is based on a house system having two boarding houses for boys (Oxford and Cambridge), whilst there is one boarding house for girls (Queens). There are three day houses for boys (Keable, Madden and St Andrews), and three day houses for girls (Buchanan, Reade, and Hollenden). Each house has its own Head of House and House Sports Captain. The school elects prefects each year, and has a Head Boy, Head Girl, and a Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl, along with a Girls' Head of Sports and Boys' Head of Sports as the senior prefects of the school. Each house has its own prefects that help aid the school during day-to-day running and school functions.

Each year the school's boys' houses compete in sports competitions in the annual house football (outdoor and indoor), hockey, basketball, badminton, table tennis, tennis, cricket, sports day activities and the cross country event. The girls' houses participate in many of the same activities with the odd exception in a few of the sports listed earlier as they participate in competitions in netball as well, amongst others. The house points are added up at the end of the year and are announced on Royal Russell Day, where the house shields and trophies are awarded.

Every week the senior school holds an assembly, which is split into one for the juniors and another for the seniors. All students attend a weekly chapel service which is split up depending on the student's house membership.

School headmasters

New Cross

Russell Hill, Purley

Ballards Estate

Royal Russell School, Ballards Estate (Co-educational)

School terms

All terms have a half-term holiday.

Visits and open areas

In 2003 Tim Henman opened the school's new sports hall, including two gymnasiums and multiple locker rooms. The Senior School library was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, along with the sixth form centre. Michael Morpurgo opened the Junior School library. Prince Edward in 2010 officially opened the Performing Arts Centre. In 2014 David Weir opened the new all-weather sports pitches. Other notable visitors include Sir Trevor McDonald, Brian Moses and Jeremy Strong.

Extra-curricular activities

The school teaches music, drama and art. The Drama department have their own drama studios and a purpose-built theatre. It regularly holds school plays. Old Russellians have participated in events such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The music department have facilities including a recording studio and numerous practice rooms. The school choir and Barbershop both actively participate far abroad. There are facilities for sports and games, including a large sports hall, gymnasium, indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, and floodlit pitches. Other facilities include a prep library, senior library and sixth form study centre and sixth form cafe. There is a plentiful range of clubs and societies. Full use is made of the estate. The school arranges cultural visits, expeditions abroad such as the annual ski trip to the Rocky Mountains, various language department trips, expeditions to the Himalayas and Peru, and the various geography department trips. In 2008 the school held a trip for students allowing them to go to Kenya to help Magnet High School for a month. Royal Russell School had been helping to donate money to Magnet High School over the past years forming a strong relationship with the Kenyan school.

RRS MUN

The school is greatly involved in the Model United Nations (MUN) encouraging students from year 9 onwards to join. The School's MUN holds regular meetings and debates at least once a week on numerous current global issues. The school holds an annual four-day international MUN conference in October, and was the first school in Britain to host one, first holding a Model United Nations conference in 1981. It attracts schools from as far away as Japan and California with up to 500 delegates attending. The School's MUN participates in the largest conference in the world, The Hague international Model United Nations conference every year and is affiliated to them. The schools MUN attends conferences at St Andrews College MUN (Dublin), Haileybury MUN (Hertfordshire), The Hague MUN (Hague-THIMUN), City of London school MUN, Haberdasher Aske Boys school MUN (London) and Reigate MUN (Reigate) to name a few.

Royal Russell CCF

The school has a contingent of the Combined Cadet Force with a large Army section (affiliated to the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry) and a small RAF section. The CCF serves in teaching cadets the art of leadership, as well as an extensive variety of other skills and qualifications in first aid and radio using, of which the contingent has a signals arm. Formal qualifications include the BTEC Diploma in Public Services run via the Cadet Vocational Qualifications Organisation (CVQO). Cadets are able to attend the Nesscliff or Frimley cadet leadership courses, Blandford Signals courses and the Basic Infantry training course to name a few. The Royal Russell CCF contingent is also in partnership with a local school allowing their students to join the contingent. The corps has three camps a year: an Autumn, January, and Summer camp, with a weekend exercise in April called Wild Bush, involving three days of outside manoeuvres. In the summer of 2010 the contingent went to Germany and spent time with the British Army there and the German Armoured corps. In 2010 the corps was rebadged under the Royal Yeomanry cap badge. The schools CCF contingent parades once a week on Monday evenings.

Alumni

Notable Old Russellians include: