Oundle School is a public school (English private boarding and day school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation by Sir William Laxton in 1556. The school's alumni – known as Old Oundelians – include renowned entrepreneurs, scientists, politicians, military figures and sportspeople.
Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, two day houses, a junior house and a junior day house. Together these accommodate more than 1100 pupils, generally between the ages of 11 and 18. It is the third-largest boarding school in England after Eton and Millfield.
The current Headmistress is Sarah Kerr-Dineen, who in 2015 became the first woman to lead the school.
The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Rugby Group.
In the 2023 A-Levels, the school saw 62.9% of its candidates score A*/A.
History
Sir William Laxton, who had been eight times Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers and was Lord Mayor of London in 1544, died in 1556, and in his will decreed the founding of a school for the local boys of Oundle, which was to be maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers. There had been a school on the site since at least 1485, at which Laxton himself was educated, and the school he estsblished was known as Laxton Grammar School.
The size and reputation of Laxton Grammar School rose gradually in the following centuries, and by the mid-nineteenth century many of the school's pupils were being sent to Oundle from around the country to receive their education. In 1876, the decision was made by the Grocers' Company to divide the school into Laxton Grammar School, which was to continue to educate boys from Oundle and its surrounding villages, in accordance with the will of the founder, and Oundle School, which was to be a public school, accepting the sons of gentlemen from further afield as boarders.
The rise of Oundle to prominence can largely be attributed to F. W. Sanderson, who was the school's headmaster from 1892 until his death in 1922. When Sanderson joined Oundle, he found a minor country boarding school; by the time of his death, it had become England's leading school for an education in the sciences and engineering. The success of Sanderson can be attributed to his educational ethos; he believed in teaching pupils what they wanted to learn, and as a result helped to introduce subjects such as the sciences, engineering, and to modern languages to the English public school curriculum.
A major development came about in 1990, when Oundle admitted girls for the first time.
In the year 2000, the decision was made by the school's governing body to re-unite Oundle School and Laxton School as a single educational establishment under the common name Oundle School, with Laxton House becoming the day house of the school.
Present day
Oundle has 835 boarders and 235 day pupils. It is the third largest independent boarding school in England, after Eton in Berkshire and Millfield in Somerset. The various school buildings, some of which date from the 15th century, are scattered around the market town, with the Cloisters acting as the nucleus of the school community.
The Good Schools Guide described the school as a "Popular, well oiled, well heeled co-educational boarding school which is riding high". Pupils obtain strong results at GCSE and A Level. In their 2013 A Levels pupils achieved 89.1% A* to B grades, with over 60% of grades either A* or A. In the year 2016, 28 pupils achieved 10 or more A* results in their GCSE examinations, with 89% of all results awarded being A* or A. Many pupils go on to study at Oxbridge; the overwhelming majority continue to Russell Group universities. In 2019, 48% of pupils scored A*-A for their A-Levels examination, whereas 79% scored A*-A for their GCSEs.
The school promotes the practice of Christian values and maintains links with the Church of England by celebrating the major events of the Christian calendar. All pupils who board are required to attend services in the school chapel three times a week: one midweek lunch time service, Friday hymn practice, and the Sunday service. Pupils of other faiths are free to worship according to their own beliefs but must still attend chapel with the rest of the school.