Rydes Hill Preparatory School
Encyclopedia
Rydes Hill Preparatory School is an Independent, co-educational, Roman Catholic, Preparatory school
and Nursery in Guildford
, Surrey
, England
. The school welcomes all denominations and caters for girls aged 3–11 years and boys aged 3–7 years.
, on a three and a half acre site in Aldershot Road, Guildford
, Surrey
, where it remains.
Before becoming a school, the main building was a private house called Rydes Hill House, and before that The Clock House. It was built in the 18th century and has Victorian extensions. In the mid 19th century, the house was the residence of William Edmund Elkins, of the Elkins Brewery family, four times mayor of Guildford.
The present School Library, formerly the billiard room, has an eighteen-panel frieze painted by the Victorian artists Talbot Hughes
and Sir Herbert Hughes-Stanton which tells the story of Joan of Arc
. The Dining Room is in the Jacobean
style, with oak-panelling, and between 1945 and 1964 it served as a Roman Catholic chapel for the parish.
The house has a clock tower which is called 'Little Ben' by the children and is surrounded by mature trees.
In 1989, the ownership of the school was transferred to a charitable trust managed by a Board of Governors.
(1996); Alice In Wonderland (1997); The Pirates of Penzance
(1998); The Pied Piper of Hamelin
(1999). The children in year two receive group violin lessons and the children in year three are introduced to the flute, cornet and clarinet. Older children are encouraged to compose their own music and enter competitions.
.
Admission to the school is by informal assessment, interview, and report from the child's previous school where appropriate.
, Performing Arts
, Speech & Drama, Pianoforte, Clarinet
, Violin
and Flute
. Each form has a teacher, while Physical Education
, Music
, French
and Science
are taught by specialist teachers.
, gymnastics
, and ballet. As well as classrooms, which all have interactive whiteboards, there is a library
, a modern science laboratory
, an information technology
suite, and rooms for music teaching and music practice.
In the school's grounds, there are two all-weather tennis or netball courts, an adventure playground, and grassed play areas.
The Friends have created a millennium garden, restored the clock tower, bought a minibus and play equipment, and paid for theatre companies to visit the school.
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
and Nursery in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The school welcomes all denominations and caters for girls aged 3–11 years and boys aged 3–7 years.
History
Rydes Hill was founded in September 1945 by Sister Patricia of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, a Roman Catholic religious orderRoman Catholic religious order
Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular ; monastics ; mendicants Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular (canons and canonesses regular...
, on a three and a half acre site in Aldershot Road, Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, 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...
, where it remains.
Before becoming a school, the main building was a private house called Rydes Hill House, and before that The Clock House. It was built in the 18th century and has Victorian extensions. In the mid 19th century, the house was the residence of William Edmund Elkins, of the Elkins Brewery family, four times mayor of Guildford.
The present School Library, formerly the billiard room, has an eighteen-panel frieze painted by the Victorian artists Talbot Hughes
Talbot Hughes
Talbot Hughes was a British painter , a collector of historical costumes and miniature portraits, and writer on fine art and costume design...
and Sir Herbert Hughes-Stanton which tells the story of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
. The Dining Room is in the Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
style, with oak-panelling, and between 1945 and 1964 it served as a Roman Catholic chapel for the parish.
The house has a clock tower which is called 'Little Ben' by the children and is surrounded by mature trees.
In 1989, the ownership of the school was transferred to a charitable trust managed by a Board of Governors.
Headmistresses of Rydes Hill
- Sister Patricia (1945 to 1984)
- Sister Mary Gerald (1984 to 1989)
- Miss Bernadette May (1989 to 1995)
- Mrs Joan Lenahan BABachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(1995 to 2006) - Mrs Stephanie Bell MAMaster of Arts (Oxbridge)In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
(Oxon.) (from 2006 to date)
Music
The school's senior choir traditionally performs at the annual Wintershall real-life nativity as part of a choir of angels. Additionally, Rydes Hill has become well known for its musical productions which, in the past have included No, No, Noah (1993); The Bell That Cried (1994); The Wind In The WillowsThe Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
(1996); Alice In Wonderland (1997); The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
(1998); The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the subject of a legend concerning the departure or death of a great many children from the town of Hamelin , Lower Saxony, Germany, in the Middle Ages. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in pied clothing, leading the children away from the town never...
(1999). The children in year two receive group violin lessons and the children in year three are introduced to the flute, cornet and clarinet. Older children are encouraged to compose their own music and enter competitions.
Children and staff
The age range is from 3-7 for boys and from 3-11 for girls. There are twelve full-time and twenty-five part-time staff; the Headmistress is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS)Independent Association of Preparatory Schools
The Independent Association of Preparatory Schools is a professional association for headteachers of independent preparatory schools in the UK and worldwide. The association is based in Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England...
.
Admission to the school is by informal assessment, interview, and report from the child's previous school where appropriate.
Curriculum
The school teaches all the usual subjects of the National Curriculum, and children are prepared for the Common Entrance Examination and successfully placed in leading senior schools. There is also provision for teaching balletBallet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, Performing Arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
, Speech & Drama, Pianoforte, Clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, Violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and Flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
. Each form has a teacher, while Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
are taught by specialist teachers.
Facilities
The school has a large hall with a stage, which is used for assemblies, school playsDrama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, and ballet. As well as classrooms, which all have interactive whiteboards, there is a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, a modern science laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
, an information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
suite, and rooms for music teaching and music practice.
In the school's grounds, there are two all-weather tennis or netball courts, an adventure playground, and grassed play areas.
The Friends of Rydes Hill
The Friends organize fundraising and social events in support the school. Each year group has two parent representatives on the Friends Committee. In 2007, a Summer Ball was held.The Friends have created a millennium garden, restored the clock tower, bought a minibus and play equipment, and paid for theatre companies to visit the school.