Gresham's School

Mission statement

“To educate the whole person for life.”

Academics

Academic life at Gresham’s aims to be stimulating, exciting and fulfilling. The school expects every pupil to work hard and maintain the highest standards in approaching their academic work. At every level, Gresham's offers a curriculum which is versatile and enriching and equips pupils with the knowledge, skills and curiosity to learn wherever their interests take them.

The Dyson Building opened at Gresham’s in September 2021. Sir James Dyson, a former pupil at the school, enabled the innovative new centre for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education. The building of a dedicated centre for STEAM subjects disrupts the established narrative that young people must choose between science and the arts at an early stage of their life. By teaching the subjects side by side, pupils can begin to see how the knowledge gained from one discipline can be used in a creative way in another. New STEAM activities and projects have included; designing and making a satellite tracking system, electronics, Lego and VEX robotics, 3D printing, as well as building and racing an electric car. Various departments work together on projects across the school e.g., the Computing and Drama departments created a self-playing piano for a production of Phantom of the Opera.

In 2023, Old Greshamians will be heading to Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter, Edinburgh, Goldsmiths, KCL, Leeds, Loughborough, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton, UCL, Warwick and York; as well as specialist institutions such as the Royal Agricultural College, The Courtauld Institute of Art, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA); as well as degree apprenticeships, Oxford University (2) and a sport scholarship in the USA.

Activities & sports

Gresham’s offers pupils an all-round education with extensive opportunities in sports, drama and music. The on-campus facilities at Gresham’s School are excellent – they have their dedicated Auden Theatre and Britten Music Building. Gresham’s is an All-Steinway school so music pupils can be sure that they will have access to world-class facilities.

Gresham’s is also a strong sporting school. It was shortlisted for Sporting Achievement in the Independent Schools of the Year 2021 awards. The main sports are hockey, netball, cricket, rugby, swimming and shooting (with many more such as sailing, football and equestrian). Gresham’s also has a Woodland Activity Centre with an assault course, high and low ropes course, climbing wall and zip wire.

Pupils develop life-long skills through membership of the Combined Cadet Force and can participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award from Bronze to Gold Level.

International student community

Approximately 20% of the student population at Gresham’s Senior School come from 29 overseas countries. English is a second language for approximately 90 pupils at the school, and around half of these students receive additional support in the form of English as an Additional Language (EAL) classes.

Boarding life

Almost 60% of the student population at Gresham’s School are boarders. There are seven boarding houses (4 for boys and 3 for girls), each of which welcomes pupils in to their home away from home. Gresham’s has lessons on 6 days of the week (Saturdays included) and offers a variety of activities and trips for boarding students to participate in on a Sunday. For example, students get the chance to go paintballing, mountain biking, and on trips to the beach, to Cambridge and to London.

Typically, pupils that join in Year 9 will share a small dormitory, slightly older pupils will share study bedrooms and the majority of Sixth Formers are given their own room with a desk.