Frensham Heights School
Encyclopedia
Frensham Heights School is an independent school
located in Surrey
, United Kingdom, run by the registered charity, Frensham Heights Educational Trust Ltd. It was founded in 1925 and formed as part of the movement for progressive education. From the start it took boarding and day pupils and was fully co-educational, which was then unusual.
and Isabel King. It became firmly established under the headmastership of Paul Roberts (1929–1949) and was recognised as efficient by the Ministry of Education in 1935.
It currently has students ranging from the ages of 3 to 18 years.
Based in a mock-Tudor mansion and its estate, built by the brewer Charrington in 1902, the school is located on a hill several miles away from the small town of Farnham
but is actually located in the village of Frensham
. Its grounds run into the village of Rowledge
which is located just next to Frensham.
The school's ethos revolves around the idea of mutual respect between teachers and pupils and as such, staff are referred to by their first name by pupils. The idea of individuality is also encouraged so that an individual's talents and personality are developed. Because of the belief in the importance of the individual, Frensham Heights has a very active Sixth Form Committee and School Council which play an active part in the running of the school.
While Houses do exist (Ensor, Douglas, Nevill and King) alongside termly sporting events, there is little competition between the Houses for House Points and prizes. The school encourages fair and just competitions so therefore has a sports day. Instead of a means to encourage competition and as a divisive force, the role of Houses at Frensham is to act as a socialising force once a term as each year group (7-8, 9-10, 11-13) plays a variety of House matches in a sport (football, basketball, netball or hockey). In the summer term
there is a 'Sports day' in which the houses compete against each other. Aside from these events, however, houses have little impact on school life.
Socially, the school is involved in many projects including an active School Council and much charity fund raising, currently for the Liberty Foundation in Belize. The school also plans to send a team of pupils to Belize in July 2008 to work with the Liberty Foundation. The school is also involved in World Challenge
, every two years sending a group to a country to participate both in adventure and charity work. In the summer of 2009, the expedition will be to India
, while previous destination have included Tanzania
, Chile
and Costa Rica
and numerous other countries. Money for each expedition is raised by the students themselves and have, in recent years, included the raising of money through ice cream sales during the summer term and organising school discos, most of which being the 'Spring Fling'.
The ECAs available vary from year to year and from term to term (the latter due to variations in weather) and as such, new ECAs may be introduced. For instance, at the start of the 2006/2007 Academic year, a Mandarin ECA was begun which may continue to GCSE level. 2005/2006 saw the introduction of GCSE Archaeology
as an ECA but due to the examination being discontinued, from the commencement of the 2006/7 academic year this no longer took place.
Between year 7 and year 11, there are two sessions of sport each week, while only one for the sixth form. From year 11 upwards, students can choose which sport to do each term with options being basketball, football, table tennis, hockey and golf, as well as swimming, tennis and rounders during the summer. Prior to year 11, students partake in sports including rugby, basketball, hockey and football and athletics, rounders and swimming in the summer term but have no choice in which the activity occurs.
Outdoor ed typically involves team-building activities in the woods including activities such as climbing 'Jacob's Ladder' and a high ropes challenge near the Sports Hall. The school runs regular Outdoor Education trips to places such as a climbing trip to Dartmoor and to Harrison's Rocks in Kent. The school also runs the Duke of Edinburgh award at all levels.
The school has recently introduced weekly Forest Schools
sessions for all pupils in the First School; Nursery to Year Three.
Frensham has a solid year 11 Rugby team as well, last year being undefeated in all of the matches.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
located in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, United Kingdom, run by the registered charity, Frensham Heights Educational Trust Ltd. It was founded in 1925 and formed as part of the movement for progressive education. From the start it took boarding and day pupils and was fully co-educational, which was then unusual.
Foundation and location
The school was founded by Edith Douglas-Hamilton and established under joint headmistresses, Beatrice EnsorBeatrice Ensor
Beatrice Ensor was a theosophical educationist, pedagogue, co-founder of the New Education Fellowship and editor of the journal Education for the New Era....
and Isabel King. It became firmly established under the headmastership of Paul Roberts (1929–1949) and was recognised as efficient by the Ministry of Education in 1935.
It currently has students ranging from the ages of 3 to 18 years.
Based in a mock-Tudor mansion and its estate, built by the brewer Charrington in 1902, the school is located on a hill several miles away from the small town of Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
but is actually located in the village of Frensham
Frensham
Frensham is a village in Surrey, England, beside the A287, south west of Guildford. Neighbouring villages include Millbridge, Shortfield Common, Dockenfield, Spreakley, Batt's Corner and Rushmoor. Frensham lies on the River Wey. Farnham is the nearest main town and it is to the north. The...
. Its grounds run into the village of Rowledge
Rowledge
Rowledge is a village in England, situated on the Surrey–Hampshire border. It lies south of the A31 running between Farnham and Alton. Neighbouring villages include Wrecclesham, Spreakley and Frensham...
which is located just next to Frensham.
The headmaster
The current headmaster is Andrew Fisher who replaced the previous headmaster Peter de Voil in 2004. Prior to becoming headmaster of Frensham Heights, Andrew Fisher was deputy headmaster at Wrekin College in Shropshire. He is known for his interest in making Frensham Heights more sports orientated, and during one end-of-year speech, the teachers hired two actors dressed as kangaroos to "kidnap" him.Notable alumni
Ex-pupils (Old Frenshamians) include- Sir Claus Moser, came to the school as a refugee from Germany
- Jon PertweeJon PertweeJohn Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
, comedian and Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
actor - Nick MasonNick MasonNicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
, drummer, Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially... - Crispin Mills, musician
- Hattie MorahanHattie MorahanHarriet Jane Morahan is an award-winning English television, film, and stage actress.-Background:Hattie Morahan is the youngest daughter of television and film director Christopher Morahan and actress Anna Carteret...
, actress - Tobias MenziesTobias MenziesTobias Menzies is an English stage, television, and film actor, best known for his role as Brutus in the 2005/2007 TV series Rome.-Early years:...
, actor - Carl NgCarl NgCarl Ng is a Hong Kong actor and model. He is the son of Richard Ng.- Early life :The third of four children, Ng was born in Hong Kong and is of mixed ethnicity. His father is comedy actor Richard Ng, while his mother, a British woman, worked as a hair stylist for Bruce Lee in the 1970s...
, actor - Jamie GloverJamie GloverJamie Glover is an English actor, known for portraying Andrew Treneman in Waterloo Road.-Background:Born and raised in Barnes, London, Glover is the son of actors Julian Glover and Isla Blair...
, actor - Jim SturgessJim SturgessJames Anthony "Jim" Sturgess is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His breakthrough role was appearing as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe .-Early life:...
, actor - Charlotte HoughCharlotte HoughCharlotte Hough was the British author of a detective novel and over thirty illustrated children's books. In the 1980s she was convicted of attempted murder, and sentenced to nine months imprisonment, for assisting a suicide....
(née Woodyadd), author and illustrator - Richard HoughRichard HoughRichard Alexander Hough was a British author and historian specializing in maritime history.-Personal life:Hough married the author Charlotte Woodyadd, who he had met when they were pupils at Frensham Heights School, and they had five children including the author Deborah Moggach.-Literary...
, author and historian - Rufus HoundRufus HoundRufus Hound is a British comedian and presenter. He is also the winner of 2010 "Let's Dance for Comic Relief".-Career:...
, comedian - Bill PertweeBill PertweeWilliam Desmond Anthony Pertwee MBE is a British comedy actor. He is best known for playing the part of antagonist ARP Warden Hodges in the popular sitcom Dad's Army.-Early and personal life:...
, actor - Domino HarveyDomino HarveyDomino Harvey was an English bounty hunter, notable within that field for being female and from a privileged background. Though there is speculation as to whether she really was a model, there are in fact photographs which show her involved in what would appear to be modeling-related work...
, bounty hunter - Travis OliverTravis Oliver-Biography:He was born in Belgium, but grew up near Farnham, Surrey, where he attended Frensham Heights School, at the same time as fellow actors Hattie Morahan, Tobias Menzies and Jim Sturgess...
, actor - Clive GillinsonClive GillinsonSir Clive Gillinson, CBE is a British cellist and arts administrator. He is best known for his long tenure as the Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra and his current position as Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall....
, executive & artistic director, Carnegie Hall - Wolfgang HildesheimerWolfgang HildesheimerWolfgang Hildesheimer was a German author who incorporated the Theatre of the Absurd. He originally trained as an artist, before turning to writing.-Biography:...
, author and painter - Sir Thomas LeggThomas LeggSir Thomas Stuart Legg, KCB, QC , is a senior former British civil servant, who was Permanent Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, United Kingdom, 1989-1998.-Biography:...
, civil servant
Ethos
Frensham Heights is often seen as a liberal school. For example there are no mandatory school uniforms (unlike many other schools) and the dress code is broad. The school's motto, We are all members one of another, was adopted by Paul Roberts who was headmaster of Frensham Heights from 1928 to 1949.The school's ethos revolves around the idea of mutual respect between teachers and pupils and as such, staff are referred to by their first name by pupils. The idea of individuality is also encouraged so that an individual's talents and personality are developed. Because of the belief in the importance of the individual, Frensham Heights has a very active Sixth Form Committee and School Council which play an active part in the running of the school.
While Houses do exist (Ensor, Douglas, Nevill and King) alongside termly sporting events, there is little competition between the Houses for House Points and prizes. The school encourages fair and just competitions so therefore has a sports day. Instead of a means to encourage competition and as a divisive force, the role of Houses at Frensham is to act as a socialising force once a term as each year group (7-8, 9-10, 11-13) plays a variety of House matches in a sport (football, basketball, netball or hockey). In the summer term
Summer term
Summer term is the name of the summer academic term at many British schools and universities and elsewhere in the world.In the UK, 'Summer term' runs from the Easter holiday until the end of the academic year in June or July, and thus corresponds to the Easter term at Cambridge University, and...
there is a 'Sports day' in which the houses compete against each other. Aside from these events, however, houses have little impact on school life.
Projects
Frensham Heights is the site of many projects. Over recent years this has seen the construction of the award-winning highly equipped Performing Arts Centre (PAC) which is the venue for drama and dance performances as well as school notices and the 'Morning Talk' on Monday afternoons when a speaker talks about a particular topic. The school now has a new Music School and a new sixth form centre. As well as numerous studies for both day and boarder pupils, this new sixth form centre will also act as a boarding house for sixth form boarders.Socially, the school is involved in many projects including an active School Council and much charity fund raising, currently for the Liberty Foundation in Belize. The school also plans to send a team of pupils to Belize in July 2008 to work with the Liberty Foundation. The school is also involved in World Challenge
World Challenge
World Challenge is British worldwide expeditionary branch of Thomson Holidays with businesses in the UK, Asia Pacific, The United States and the Middle East, founded in 1987...
, every two years sending a group to a country to participate both in adventure and charity work. In the summer of 2009, the expedition will be to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, while previous destination have included Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and numerous other countries. Money for each expedition is raised by the students themselves and have, in recent years, included the raising of money through ice cream sales during the summer term and organising school discos, most of which being the 'Spring Fling'.
Facilities
The school now has a fully functioning music centre including the Sixth Form Centre. The Performing Arts Centre is the Frensham venue for drama activities, with external theatre companies sometimes performing there. The school also has a Photography Suite, Sports Hall, Dance Studio and 'Outdoor Education' facilities. It also has a new sixth form centre for both day and boarding students, it is slightly separated from the rest of the school in order for the school to compete with other colleges.Extracurricular activities
Extracurricular activities (ECAs) are a large part of Frensham life and all students from year 7 to year 13 are required to take part in at least some ECAs each week. For years 7-11, the minimum number of ECAs per week is three while in sixth form, the minimum is only two. There is a wide variety of extracurricular activities run both at lunchtime and after school and occur every day (including Saturday mornings when things like Saturday Photography and a Ballistics ECA take place.). Examples of ECAs include swimming (in the summer term), five-a-side football, photography, chess, card games and many others. Individual teams and music, dance or drama groups also have ECAs running outside of lesson times which often occur after school (such as Cantamus and the wood wind group).The ECAs available vary from year to year and from term to term (the latter due to variations in weather) and as such, new ECAs may be introduced. For instance, at the start of the 2006/2007 Academic year, a Mandarin ECA was begun which may continue to GCSE level. 2005/2006 saw the introduction of GCSE Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
as an ECA but due to the examination being discontinued, from the commencement of the 2006/7 academic year this no longer took place.
Sport
Despite being a somewhat small school, Frensham Heights hosts several sports teams in various fields of sport and played at all age ranges. These include common sports such as Rugby, football, hockey, basketball, netball and cricket. Taking part in sport each week is compulsory until year 13 when students can opt to use the time usually allocated to sport for extra revision and study, although this is only allowed if a student attends a sport ECA.Between year 7 and year 11, there are two sessions of sport each week, while only one for the sixth form. From year 11 upwards, students can choose which sport to do each term with options being basketball, football, table tennis, hockey and golf, as well as swimming, tennis and rounders during the summer. Prior to year 11, students partake in sports including rugby, basketball, hockey and football and athletics, rounders and swimming in the summer term but have no choice in which the activity occurs.
Outdoor education
As a subsidiary to sport, outdoor education (or simply 'outdoor-ed') is compulsory for all students between year 7 and year 11. Different from sport in that it does not stress athletic qualities, instead it encourages teamwork, co-operation, individual courage and leadership, ideals which reflect the school's ethos.Outdoor ed typically involves team-building activities in the woods including activities such as climbing 'Jacob's Ladder' and a high ropes challenge near the Sports Hall. The school runs regular Outdoor Education trips to places such as a climbing trip to Dartmoor and to Harrison's Rocks in Kent. The school also runs the Duke of Edinburgh award at all levels.
The school has recently introduced weekly Forest Schools
Forest Schools
Forest schools are a type of outdoor education in which children visit forests/woodlands, learning personal, social and technical skills...
sessions for all pupils in the First School; Nursery to Year Three.
Frensham has a solid year 11 Rugby team as well, last year being undefeated in all of the matches.