At first, I did not understand the benefits of my daughter attending Saturday School, but now I appreciate the extra opportunities it has given my daughter and it is all included in the fees! It makes RHS good value compared to other schools we looked at and my daughter is thriving. 
RHS Parent

At RHS we provide our families with the best value package possible, offering pupils in years 9 to 13 a six-day week to allow more time for all the enrichment, co-curricular activities and sporting fixtures they love and thrive on.
 

RHS is one of the many well-known traditional boarding and day schools in the UK that make Saturdays more of a structured day, not only to provide education for our boarding pupils, but also to benefit our day pupils. All other independent secondary schools and many prep schools play Saturday sport on a weekly basis and expect pupils to attend these fixtures at the weekends, so RHS is not hugely different to this. 

By formalising Saturday School within our timetable, from year 9, we can also run the morning school buses to help parents with the school run. Our busy working parents often comment on how they use these Saturday mornings as valuable time to get some personal tasks done before coming to school to watch their children in matches, and to get to know and socialise with fellow parents and staff. The rest of the weekend is then free to have quality time with their children. All our Year 9 pupils have the time to complete their homework within the school day, supervised by a member of staff, so home time can then be family time.

In total, there are approximately 21-25 Saturdays per year where pupils are expected to attend Saturday School, with leave out weekends each term where school ends on a Friday, leaving many free weekends to enjoy as a family. Saturdays also finish earlier than other school days. If a child doesn't have a fixture they are able to leave at 3.30pm.

Years 7 and 8 will not take part in formal Saturday lessons, but an engaging sports and co-curricular programme will be provided for our boarders (optional for day pupils unless they are selected for a sports fixture).

What do we do on Saturdays?

• Pupils in years 9 to 13 have 3 lessons in the morning followed by a delicious RHS lunch.
• In the afternoon, pupils either take part in a games lesson or a sports match. Most pupils have fixtures but some choose from our varied sports programme which includes kickboxing, badminton and couch to 5k.
• Pupils taking part in a games lesson can leave at approximately 3.30pm. Those playing in a match can leave once the game is finished (this can be a little later for away fixtures).
• Parents are welcome and encouraged to support their children in matches.

What do we do with the extra time provided by a 6 day timetable?

• Pupils have time to complete homework supervised by a member of staff during the school day. Year 9 can expect to finish all of their homework at school.
• We run a large range of co-curricular clubs within the school week.
• A full CCF programme incorporating Royal Navy, Army, RAF and Royal Marines sections takes place on Friday afternoons.
• Our Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme runs onsite, supporting pupils to achieve all Awards up to Gold level. Pupils in Year 9 have dedicated curriculum time to undertake the Bronze Award.
• Academic stretch and challenge activities, as well as some learning support, take place outside of lessons.
• Networking events, guest speakers, LinkedIn sessions and careers advice.
• Tutor meetings in small groups to support our pupils' academic achievement and wellbeing.
• Compass – our added curriculum time to teach our pupils life skills, including digital and computer literacy and PSHE.
• Many sporting competitions, fixtures and events within the school day.
• Boarders will enjoy additional fun activities on Saturday evenings; day pupils are often invited to key evening events.

RHS offers great value to parents by providing pupils with both academic and co-curricular breadth over a six-day week.
 

Our parents appreciate that pupils have time to complete their homework and attend all their clubs at school, meaning that home time can then be downtime and family time.  Saturdays have a distinctive feel as many parents come and support fixtures. The recurring message from pupils is that they are busy but that they value the broad range of opportunities and activities on offer.
Irfan Latif, Headmaster

It is far better for my son to be learning and enjoying all the activities with his friends at RHS on a Saturday than be on his Xbox all day! 
RHS Parent

I really enjoy being with my friends at school on Saturdays and making the most of all the fun opportunities available - I often get bored at home.
Year 9 Pupil

It can be quite tiring as it is a long week, but we have exeats and long holidays when we can relax and recharge. We also get breaks to relax in House during the school day. It is definitely worth coming to school on Saturdays as we have more time to take advantage of everything on offer and I know it is making me a more rounded person and allowing me to fill my personal CV ready for my university applications.
Year 12 Pupil