About
Reading School is an amazing place to study, to work and to live, and I’m delighted to welcome you to our website. Thank you for visiting.
Our School was founded in 1125, and through its 900-year history, we have provided world-leading education to tens of thousands of young men. With this rich heritage and depth of tradition, it should be no surprise that our academic reputation is second to none. Our Year 13 students are consistently awarded A* to B grades in more than 90% of their A-Level entries, and those sitting GCSEs regularly achieve the very top grades in more than 85% of their courses.
This is not what matters to us most though. We consider these outcomes a necessary, but insufficient measure of a student’s education. Education is much more than grades, and learning is much more than retaining information. Education is the business of hope. It sustains society, nurtures culture, inspires innovation and enables the best in humanity.
Education matters, because people matter.
Our priority, then, is always to put people first. Our focus will always be character. Our mission will always be social impact. Our efforts will always be rooted in relationships.
We are certain that in all its tomorrows the world will need more than individuals who achieved outstanding examination results in their youth. We will always need leaders who are compassionate, thinkers who are generous, public servants who are wise, colleagues who are courageous and friends who are steadfast.
At Reading School, in all we do, we therefore seek to nurture curiosity, inspire service and build character. We promote honesty and community as well as excellence and leadership. We encourage our students to find resilience at the bottom of the ruck, humility on the podium, delight when encountering difference, patience when practice is tough and integrity when no-one is watching.
We are as dedicated to helping our students to find fulfilment and happiness as we are to guiding them toward achieving their academic potential. We don’t always get it right, but we’re committed to never stop trying.
Regrettably, we have space for just 150 students in each year group, 80 students in our boarding community, and 360 students in the Sixth Form. We compensate for this limited capacity through our unlimited appetite to make a difference to and through those entrusted to our care.
I hope to welcome you to Reading School someday, whether as a student, a visitor, a parent or a partner. In the meantime, I hope you’ll find information in these pages to inform, inspire and encourage you.
Chris Evans
Headmaster
