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Durham School, Durham

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Durham School details

Address:

Durham School
Durham, County Durham DH1 4SZ

Telephone:

0191 3864783

Fax:

0191 383 1025

Email:

d.woodlands@ durhamschool.co.uk

Website:

www.durhamschool.co.uk

Authority:

Durham

Gender of entry:

Mixed

Age range:

2-18

Number of students:

556

Affiliation:

IAPS, HMC

Gender of sixth form:

Mixed

Last inspection:

October 2003. Read the full inspection report.

General information

Headteacher: Neil Kern, appointed in 1997.

Background: Durham School was founded more than 700 years ago and moved to its current site within earshot of the cathedral bells in 1844. It has a work hard, play hard ethos. Significant changes took place in September when Bow, Durham School's prep school, became coeducational and began transferring pupils to the senior school at 11 instead of 13. Academic standards and expectations are high. Pupils normally study 10 GCSE subjects and three A-levels. Last year 99% of pupils went on to university, including four to Oxbridge. The broad curriculum covers subjects from drama and Latin to Spanish and ICT, while sixth-form options include combined English literature and language, media studies and theatre studies. Sport, music and drama are big fixtures on the calendar at Durham. Pupils excel at a range of sports from cricket and rowing to rugby. For the second time in six years the 1st XV reached the final of the U18 Cup competition at Twickenham and spent part of the summer on tour in Australia. In 2007, the annual house music competition will be held at Sage in Gateshead. Pupils can take advantage of a range of extracurricular activities and last year took part in a World Challenge expedition to Argentina.Weekly boarding for girls and boys in years 7 and 8 was reintroduced in September after massive improvements were made to the boarding facilities. In the past year the swimming pool and theatre have been completely refurbished and the fitness and rowing rooms have been opened.

Alumni: Granville Sharp, founder, society for abolition of slave trade; Sir Robert Owen, High Court judge; Mike Weston, captain, England and British Lions.

Higher education: 99% (2 Oxford 2 Cambridge).

Special needs: The school has a well-resourced learning support department including a unit offering support for dyslexia. There is also support for Asperger's syndrome and moderate learning difficulties, plus ADHD.

Inspection: October 2003: This is a school that has many strengths that far outweigh the few weaknesses. Pupils achieve good standards in relation to their abilities. Behaviour is good. Teaching and non-teaching staff are hard-working and fully committed to the education and care of the pupils. Teaching is good across all year groups. The school provides very well for pupils' personal development and pastoral care is good. Relationships among pupils and between them and the staff are of a high order. The shortcomings, of which the school is aware, are the unsatisfactory library and ICT provision.

Feeder schools: Bow, Durham; The Chorister School, Durham; Newcastle Prep; Shincliffe C of E Primary; St Margaret's C of E Primary.

Boys' age range: 11 to 18.

Girls' age range: 11 to 18.

Percentage admitted according to academic ability: 100.

Average class size (seniors; 11-16): 20.

Average class size (sixth form): 12.

Durham School Statistics

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