Sir Thomas Rich’s Autumn Open Days

Making the decision about which school is right for your child can be tricky, fortunately we have many of the best secondary schools in the UK located right here in Gloucestershire, and one of the very best in the county has to be Sir Thomas Rich’s School in Longlevens. Established in 1666 - and with an excellent reputation for both academic excellence and sporting tradition - the school admits 150 boys to Year 7 every September, with around 400 young men and women in the Sixth Form.

“We pride ourselves on the supportive, open nature of the school,” says Headmaster, Matthew Morgan. “There may be a perception among parents and boys that a selective grammar school will be strict with lots of stiff and formal traditions, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Everyone who visits us comments on the calm and friendly atmosphere of the school, and how much the students enjoy their lessons and extracurricular activities.”

Jamie Payne, Head of Year 7, continues: “We take the time to get to know every one of our pupils well, and that process starts at the end of Year 6 when every boy coming into Year 7 is visited in their primary school by a teacher from Sir Thomas Rich’s. We put in a bespoke package for students so that on their first day in September, they can all say that yes, they do know some boys from their form and their form tutor. Starting secondary school is a much more comfortable experience for them because of all the work we do before and in the summer holidays to ease the transition.”

The school’s induction programme continues with a week-long residential in Stratford-upon-avon in mid-september, designed to help the Year 7 pupils to forge bonds with their new classmates and teachers. “The trip means the boys get to form really strong relationships with their peers,” Mr Payne confirms. “We also visit the YMCA Lakeside Centre for a week in February every year, which is a fantastic opportunity for the boys to try lots of different outdoor activities, including kayaking, abseiling and orienteering. Even the students who don’t expect to enjoy some of the more physical activities like mountain climbing end up admitting it was one of the best experiences of their lives!”

The school is well known for its wide range of extracurricular activities and high number of educational visits. “We’re famous for rugby of course,” says Mr Morgan, “but we’re also strong in basketball, football, badminton, athletics, cricket and swimming. We have our own heated pool, which was completely refurbished recently, as was our fitness centre.

“Plus it’s very much our aim to encourage students’ passions and help them to discover new ones. We cater for a wide range of non-sporting interests with clubs for chess, debating, Warhammer, drama and a number of music groups from choirs to the orchestra and jazz and brass bands. Our popular ski trip is back this year - so popular in fact that we’re having to run two trips - and there are language trips to France and Germany, Biology and Geography fieldtrips, regular visits to the theatre and several overseas sports tours. There really is an activity for every pupil at Sir Thomas Rich’s.”

If you would like to find out more about

Sir Thomas Rich’s, the school is holding two open days on 19 and 20 October, with an evening session on 20 October. The open days offer a great opportunity for prospective pupils from any year group and their parents to visit the school in person and hear from current students, the Headmaster and Key Stage 3 staff about transition from Year 6, pastoral care, the curriculum and the wide range of extracurricular opportunities on offer.

Pre-booking is essential - see www.strschool.co.uk for all the latest details and to register.

360° Virtual Tour: https://virtualtourcompany.co.uk/sirthomasrichs