Basic Information & Location
Box Hill School is an independent co-educational boarding and day school situated in the village of Mickleham near Dorking, Surrey, England. The school has approximately 425 pupils aged 11–18.
Box Hill School is a founder member of the Round Square Association of Schools and therefore it follows the educational philosophy of Kurt Hahn and lives by his ‘IDEALS’ which the school applies every day in the classroom and through its vast range of afternoon activities and bi-annual expeditions. The school gives the pupils opportunities to carry out service projects in South Africa and offer exchanges with other schools. The school’s dedicated Round Square committee ensures the ideals are pupil led and embedded in the school ethos and everyday life.
Academic Development
Box Hill treats every pupil as an individual, in every aspect of life. A combination of close attention, personalised learning, support, regular assessment and monitoring underpins the school’s academic tradition.
The academic curriculum at Box Hill School is carefully planned to ensure that a breadth and balance of subjects are studied throughout the lower and middle school. Courses are constructed to suit the aspirations, abilities and interests of all the students. This focus on choice and flexibility is continued in the school’s Sixth Form provision.
The curriculum is structured to allow all subjects a variety of learning slots dispersed across a two-week cycle. The school has an International Study Centre (ISC) which runs separate programmes of study for EAL students (English as an additional language), to deliver EAL and prepare students for transfer into mainstream programmes where appropriate.
Pastoral Care & Boarding
Box Hill prides itself on the quality of its pastoral care and the attention to the wellbeing of all the students. It is at the heart of everything the school does at Box Hill School.
When a pupil starts at the school, they are assigned a Tutor and for boarders a Houseparent and a Tutor. A personal tutor is a member of the teaching staff who supports their academic and pastoral development. There is a mix of ages within each tutor group which helps to promote friendship, support and responsibility. All residential Houseparents are supported by Assistant Houseparents and are there for pupils during their time at the school to help them settle, provide guidance and to listen.
Changing schools can be both exciting and daunting in equal measure. The prospect of meeting new people, facing new challenges and being presented with new opportunities is exhilarating, but there are bound to be some nerves, apprehensions and uncertainty. The school understands the difficulties that such a transition can present to young adults and its experienced Pastoral team will always be on hand to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible.
Boarding at Box Hill School provides a welcoming and warm ‘home from home’ experience for all its students, ensuring that the happiness and welfare of each individual is paramount. The school offers boarding on a full, weekly or flexi basis to suit the varying needs of students and their families.
Extra-curricular & Personal Development
Box Hill constantly strives to produce well-rounded young people, capable of communicating with confidence in an adult world. With this in mind, the school provides its pupils with a wide range of co-curricular options to develop their interests, increase their confidence and provide them with a wide variety of life skills.
All pupils participate in adventures and community service projects which can, and often do, take them halfway around the world. Students are not just taking part in adventures, they are learning about themselves – their strengths, how to overcome their fears, how to motivate and help others.
Additionally, the school organises Round Square exchanges where Year 7 and 8 pupils travel to European destinations and Year 9+ pupils spend up to 8 weeks in South Africa, Australia, America, Canada, India or Peru, studying and working at one of its sister schools.
