Seaford College
Encyclopedia
Seaford College is an independent co-educational boarding
and day-school located at East Lavington
, south of Petworth
, West Sussex
, England
. The College was founded in 1884, and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The college sits in the Lavington Park, in nearly 400 acres (1.6 km²) in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
in the shadow of the South Downs
. All of the land is owned by a charitable trust and the site is run by the Board of Governors who are the trustees.
on the East Sussex
coast, in 1884 by Colonel Frederick Walter Savage, who also served as headmaster from 1884 until 1920. In 1940, the College was disrupted by a government order requisitioning all boarding school premises in Seaford
and giving only six weeks in which to find a safe home elsewhere. The College was evacuated to Worthing
for the duration of World War II
, and once peace had resumed, the new Headmaster Canon Charles Johnson began to look for a more suitable site, the College having outgrown its original premises in Seaford
. In 1946 the decision was made to buy the estate at Lavington Park and the school moved to its current location. As of the academic year 2008/09 Senior School day
fees are approximately £15,000 per year, with Senior School boarding
fees approximately £20,000, though a number of bursaries
and scholarship
s are available.
The main features of the school are:
With its staff for helping students with learning difficulties, Seaford College has facilities for Learning Support especially for children with dyslexia.
In the 2010 GCSE results 87.5% of the school's pupils achieved five or more passes at grades A* to C, with 73 per cent of pupils achieving five or more passes at the higher grades including English and maths.
The campus is very compact. School Administration is based in "Mansion", the main school building. Mansion serves as a dining room and the girls' boarding house as well. The Mansion has a wealth of historic connections dating from Elizabethan times.
Johnson Hall (named after Canon Johnson who was headmaster of the college) is the boarding house for boys aged 13 – 17.
Heden Hall and Heden Court (both named after Mr Heden who taught at the college) are the boarding houses for boys and girls, respectively, in their final year at Seaford College.
Wilberforce House is the junior school and boarding house for pupils aged 7 – 13.
The new Maths and Science department was officially opened in May 2005. It is located in the heart of the campus and provides advanced and up-to-date facilities for scientific demonstration.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and day-school located at East Lavington
East Lavington
East Lavington is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located six kilometres south of Petworth, west of the A285 road....
, south of Petworth
Petworth
Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, 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 College was founded in 1884, and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The college sits in the Lavington Park, in nearly 400 acres (1.6 km²) in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
in the shadow of the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
. All of the land is owned by a charitable trust and the site is run by the Board of Governors who are the trustees.
History
The College was founded at Corsica Hall, SeafordSeaford, East Sussex
Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....
on the East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
coast, in 1884 by Colonel Frederick Walter Savage, who also served as headmaster from 1884 until 1920. In 1940, the College was disrupted by a government order requisitioning all boarding school premises in Seaford
Seaford, East Sussex
Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....
and giving only six weeks in which to find a safe home elsewhere. The College was evacuated to Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
for the duration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and once peace had resumed, the new Headmaster Canon Charles Johnson began to look for a more suitable site, the College having outgrown its original premises in Seaford
Seaford, East Sussex
Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....
. In 1946 the decision was made to buy the estate at Lavington Park and the school moved to its current location. As of the academic year 2008/09 Senior School day
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
fees are approximately £15,000 per year, with Senior School boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
fees approximately £20,000, though a number of bursaries
Bursary
A bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The...
and scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s are available.
School features
- Co-educational for the last ten years with 136 girls at all ages in the school.
- Small class sizes: 4 small 15 average, 25 maximum.
- Staff : Pupil ratio is 1:9.
- Non-selective intake but examination results are high: 40% A and B grades at A level for the last four years.
- Specialising in choral music, art & design, and sport.
With its staff for helping students with learning difficulties, Seaford College has facilities for Learning Support especially for children with dyslexia.
In the 2010 GCSE results 87.5% of the school's pupils achieved five or more passes at grades A* to C, with 73 per cent of pupils achieving five or more passes at the higher grades including English and maths.
Campus
Johnson Hall (named after Canon Johnson who was headmaster of the college) is the boarding house for boys aged 13 – 17.
Heden Hall and Heden Court (both named after Mr Heden who taught at the college) are the boarding houses for boys and girls, respectively, in their final year at Seaford College.
Wilberforce House is the junior school and boarding house for pupils aged 7 – 13.
The new Maths and Science department was officially opened in May 2005. It is located in the heart of the campus and provides advanced and up-to-date facilities for scientific demonstration.
Sports
The college has extensive sporting facilities, including an international-standard irrigated all-weather hockey pitch, a 9-hole golf course, swimming pool, large sports hall, squash and tennis courts and extensive grounds for a whole range of competitive sports. The former Scotland rugby player Bill Cuthbertson teaches rugby at the school.Houses
The senior school is divided into 2 houses: Manor, which has a light blue colour, and College, which has a navy blue colour. The junior school exists as a single house called Wilberforce, which itself is divided into two houses called Springfield and Norwood that correspond with the senior houses.Notable Old Seafordians
Former students of Seaford College are referred to as Old Seafordians. See also :Category:Old Seafordians.- Sir Louis Blom-CooperLouis Blom-CooperSir Louis Jacques Blom-Cooper QC FKC is an author and UK lawyer specialising in public law and administrative law.-Education:...
QCQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, judge and lawyer - Anthony BuckeridgeAnthony BuckeridgeAnthony Malcolm Buckeridge OBE was an English author, best known for his Jennings and Rex Milligan series of children's books...
OBE, children's author - Ahmed ChalabiAhmed ChalabiAhmed Abdel Hadi Chalabi is an Iraqi politician. He was interim oil minister in Iraq in April-May 2005 and December-January 2006 and deputy prime minister from May 2005 until May 2006. Chalabi failed to win a seat in parliament in the December 2005 elections, and when the new Iraqi cabinet was...
, former Prime Minister of Iraq - Lance DossorLance DossorLance Dossor was a British-born concert pianist and teacher who emigrated to Australia.He was born Harry Lancelot Dossor in Weston-super-Mare, United Kingdom, the third child of a jeweller who was also a distinguished amateur tenor.He was educated at Seaford College and marticulated at the...
, pianist - Val GuestVal GuestVal Guest was a British film director, best known for his science-fiction films for Hammer Film Productions in the 1950s, but who also enjoyed a long, varied and active career in the film industry from the early 1930s up until the early 1980s.-Early life and career:He was born Valmond Maurice...
, film director - Matthew RoseMatthew Rose (bass)Matthew Rose is an English operatic bass.-Biography:Matthew Rose studied at Seaford College and the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia...
, opera singer - Toby StephensToby StephensToby Stephens is an English stage, television and film actor who has appeared in films in both Hollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for playing megavillain Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day , Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre and Philip...
, actor
Headmasters of Seaford
- Colonel Frederick Walter Savage (1884–1920)
- L.S.A Cowan (1920–1928)
- The Revd J.S. Macnutt (1928–1931)
- The Revd William Talbot Hindley (1931–1935)
- W. Leslie Land (1935–1944)
- The Revd Charles Johnson (1944–1990)
- Charles Hannaford (1990–1996)
- Toby Mullins (1997–to present)
External links
- Seaford College website
- Old Seafordians website
- Ofsted
- The Daily Telegraph 27 March 2010 "Top public schools 'fail' new inspections" Seaford College listed "fail" in article.