The Royal Hospital School (usually shortened as "RHS" and historically nicknamed "The Cradle of the Navy") is a British co-educational fee-charging boarding and day school with naval traditions. The school admits pupils from age 11 to 18 (Years 7 to 13) through Common Entrance or the school's own exam. The school is regulated by Acts of Parliament.
The school is located in the village of Holbrook, near Ipswich, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. The school's campus is of Queen Anne style and set in countryside overlooking the River Stour, Suffolk on the Shotley Peninsula in an area known as Constable Country.
The Royal Hospital School was established by a royal charter in 1712. It was originally located at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich. The school moved in 1933 to East Anglia.
The school is the only United Kingdom independent boarding school to have ever been continuously granted the Queen's Banner and it flies its own Admiralty-approved Royal Hospital School Blue Ensign. It is one of only two UK schools whose students have the privilege of wearing Royal Navy uniforms, the other being Pangbourne College in Berkshire.
The school is affiliated to the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC).
Bernard de Neumann notes the school's significance and impact in British history: "Just as, according to the Duke of Wellington, the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, it may justifiably be claimed, that the establishment of... the British Empire, was charted and plotted in the classroom of... the Royal Hospital School."
Overview
Seafaring traditions are important and integral elements of school life, and Royal Navy uniforms (sailor suits) are issued to all pupils and used for ceremonial and formal events. The school is owned by the Crown naval charity, Greenwich Hospital and as a result provides a number of means-tested bursaries for families with a seafaring background.
Leadership development is another distinctive feature of the Royal Hospital School derived from the naval background. Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines Combined Cadet Force along with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme are the most popular extracurricular activities at the Royal Hospital School. The Combined Cadet Force also includes a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Section. HMS Illustrious is affiliated with the Royal Navy CCF. The Army Section is affiliated with Army Air Corps.
The Royal Hospital School has a partnership with America's second-oldest institution of higher education and "sister institution," The College of William and Mary in Virginia.
The Royal Hospital School is a boarding and day school with weekly boarding, three-night boarding, and 'flexi' or ad hoc boarding options.
Pupils
There are a little over 750 pupils at the school; of those, 330 are day pupils and 420 board on a full-time, weekly or 3-night basis. It is one of the largest boarding schools in East Anglia.
Boys and girls entering the school in year 7 (11+ years) join a Junior House, Blake, for one year. This provides a period of settling in and bridge from primary to senior school.
There are three boys' (Collingwood, Hawke and St Vincent) and three girls' (Anson, Hood and Howe) senior boarding houses, two co-educational day houses (Raleigh and Drake) and a boys' flexi-boarding and day house (Cornwallis).
In the final year (Year 13) boys and girls join Nelson House where more independent living provides a steppingstone to university or other life beyond school.
There are around 100 international students from about 30 countries. The school has specialist staff for international students and provides English as an Additional Language.
Academics
The school uses the National Curriculum Key Stages 3 (Years 7–9), 4 (Years 10–11), and 5 (Years 12–13), and provides a large choice of subjects for study. These include English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, German, physics, chemistry, biology, Latin, geography, history, mathematics, design technology, art, music, music technology, computing, physical education, media studies, business studies, psychology, sociology, drama and theatre, art history, government and politics, textiles, enterprise and entrepreneurship and religious studies.