The Royal Hospital School

Our Year 12 and 13 Spanish pupils had a fantastic day in London at the British Film Institute Spanish workshop on ‘La Casa de Bernarda Alba’.  

On Friday, Nelson House came together to celebrate Admiral Lord Nelson’s historic victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) - a proud Royal Navy tradition that’s been honoured for over 200 years.

Nelson isn’t just a place to sleep, it’s a huge, welcoming space designed to bring Year 13s together in their final year at school.

Our Year 12 Geography pupils recently took their learning out of the classroom and to the beautiful Somerset and Devon for a truly immersive fieldwork experience. The week was a perfect blend of academic exploration and outdoor adventure, showcasing geography at its very best.

What an extraordinary day we had on Saturday when the RHS community gathered to mark Speech Day 2025 – a wonderful celebration of achievement, ambition and school spirit.

Our Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants completed their expedition in the Highlands of Scotland.

The training focused on key areas such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving – all essential skills for their new roles.

Year 12 Summer Formal, with this year’s theme: A Night at the Oscars

Our U18 girls took on a monumental challenge at this year’s Rosslyn Park 7s, battling against top-tier opposition, including Peter Symonds College (Cup Winners) and the Amazonian Barbarians (Plate Winners). They also played against Emanuel School and Clifton College. 

Before we reached half term, some of our A Level Politics and History pupils travelled to London, starting their day with a visit to Westminster for a tour of the Houses of Parliament.

The business and mathematics departments then tasked the pupils, grouped into unfamiliar teams, with planning, costing, and pitching their ideas on how to use a field and capital investment to create a viable business.

This week, Mrs Price, Head of Psychology & Higher Education Coordinator, joined Tom Rogers and Phil Garner from USA study on the Teachers Talk Radio Late Show to discuss the pathways for pupils to study at university in the USA.
 

This event welcomes all Year 11 students along with their families. Whether you joined us for our recent Sixth Form Open Evening and want more information, or you're located overseas and unable to visit in person, this event is designed for you!

Meet our new Heads of School!  
 

We are thrilled to share that our Year 13 cohort have performed extremely well in both their A Level and BTEC examinations, securing some outstanding results for the school, particularly at the top end.

At the beginning of May, I was very lucky to have the opportunity to spend a week in Bermuda completing the SailGP Inspire programme. I would describe SailGP as the Formula One of sailing and the Inspire programme is an opportunity to be able to train and race in Waszps, which are foiling dinghies. It offers the chance to watch the boats in action, as well as a look into the different pathways into SailGP.

We are delighted to announce year 13 pupil, Lucy, has celebrated achieving her Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award at Buckingham Palace Garden, hosted by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh as Patron of the DofE charity. 

This year our history pupils visited Belin during the Easter break, which saw them explore Berlin’s historical landmarks. The group of 24 pupils as well as 3 teachers from the history department had an action packed 4 days, which saw them explore everything from Sachsenhausen concentration camp to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which consists of 2,711 concrete slabs. 

Bella, Year 12, for her remarkable achievement of having her article published

Congratulations to Audrey Foley, a talented academic and sailing scholar, who has been offered early acceptance by Yale University to join their esteemed sailing team, the Yale Bulldogs. Audrey, a full international boarder in Year 13, from the United States, will commence her studies in Economics and Mathematics in September, becoming our first pupil to go on to study at Yale University. 

We celebrated Burns Night last weekend, a celebration filled with haggis, poetry, bagpipes, and dancing! On Friday, the RHSPA community came together to celebrate in style while on Saturday our Nelson House pupils danced the night away, moving to the tunes played by the incredible Shipsters. 

Why choose RHS for Sixth Form?

Over the last two weeks, Year 13 pupils have been put through their paces with mock interviews, helping them develop valuable skills and confidence for real-life university, apprenticeship, and job interviews.    

Audrey F, Year 13, competed in the ILCA U21 World Championships in Morocco last month. Audrey has been waiting to compete at this event for several years as competitors must be between 17 and 20 years old. This was Audrey's first year of eligibility and she managed to secure 10th place - well done, Audrey!

Nelson House came together on Saturday 11 November, to celebrate Admiral Lord Nelson’s historic victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 with a formal dinner, as has been the tradition in the Royal Navy for well over 200 years. 

On Monday some of our Year 13s had the opportunity to develop their employability skills and experience real recruitment techniques used by employers, universities and apprenticeship providers. 

We're delighted to introduce our newly appointed Sailing Captain, Georgie S! With a passion for the open sea that started at the age of 9, Georgie has been sailing at our school since joining in Year 7.  

Congratulations to Sam G, Year 12, for an incredibly successful year of sailing at Mersea where he was crowned Club Champion!

Daniella O, a Year 13 physicist, took part in an outreach programme, Representing Physics. The event saw 32 students of Black heritage engage in a 3-day programme, packed with activities and lectures and designed to showcase physics through different lenses. 

Our Year 13 psychologists recently embarked on a series of enriching experiences outside the classroom. They visited the University of Suffolk biopsychology lab and took part in a sociology crime lecture, as well as attending a psychology lecture on serial killers in Chelmsford. 

Our 1st VII netball squad had an incredible day at the first round of the National Schools competition! They showed fabulous resilience and skill on the court.

We had the pleasure of welcoming prospective and current families to our Sixth Form Open Morning on Saturday, on what was a gloriously sunny day🌟.  

Sixth Form Ball 2023 - A Night to Remember!

Congratulations to our Year 13 sailors on their outstanding performance at the British Keelboat League Final! 🌊🏆 

In our first school assembly this term our Heads of School, Mathilda and Oliver, delivered their ‘Thought for the week’. Mathilda and Oliver asked themselves “What would my year 7 self think of me now”.

We are delighted to announce that our Heads of School this year are Mathilda Ketterer and Oliver Goodwin-Day, supported by our Deputy Heads of School Daniil Dildyaev, Helena Mate, Tami Dada and Theo Gardiner.  

Freedom, independence and fun are all aspects of sixth form life. Our new cohort dived straight into the new term, and what could be a more fitting way to commence than by providing them with a glimpse of these elements. 

Every year our Year 13s head off to some of the best universities in the country and our sixth form team can offer you a wide range of support:  

We are delighted to announce that our Year 13 cohort have performed extremely well in both their A Level and BTEC examinations, securing some outstanding results for the school, particularly at the top end.

Year 11 transitioned into Year 12 at the conclusion of the summer term as part of our annual Post-GCSE program.

After wrapping up their exams, students took a leisurely tour of Cambridge on punts, followed by a sunny afternoon of shopping.

Steve Beckles-Ebusua, also known as 'The Speaker with the Orange Tie,' entertained and motivated our pupils. He challenged them to reflect on their core values, overcome self-defeating habits, and cultivate resilience. This culminated in a Dragon's Den-style session, during which students conceived and presented ideas for a Sixth Form day centered around a core value associated with RHS Sixth Form. The creativity and maturity displayed in these ideas left the staff immensely impressed, and these days will undoubtedly take precedence in the upcoming academic year.

🌍🚌 30 adventurous Year 12 geographers recently embarked on an unforgettable 5-day field trip to Somerset & Devon. 🗺️🌤️ They explored case study sites, gathering invaluable data for their coursework. A day with the geographical guru, David Holmes, and fascinating interviews with locals added depth to their experience!

🎉 🎓 Congratulations to our RHS Leavers 2023! 🎓🎉

Our pupils and sports staff gathered to honour our outstanding athletes and their remarkable achievements over the past academic year.  

As Year 12 finished their summer examinations, it was time to celebrate with music, dancing, socialising, and good food. 

Our 1st XI cricket boys won the Suffolk stage of the National Schools Twenty20 competition.  

Fifteen amazing RHS pupils had the privilege of attending Buckingham Palace to celebrate their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's (DofE) Awards. 

Introducing Maisy, the Girls' 1st XI cricket captain in Year 13. Maisy has been playing cricket since Year 6 and enjoys the team spirit and positive environment that surrounds the sport. In addition to playing for the RHS 1st X1, she is also a member of the Copdock Cricket Club. 

Our Art Department held its very first Creative Futures Fair last week. Creative professionals, RHS alumni currently studying creative courses, and representatives from creative universities all attend the event. The fair aims to provide a glimpse into the various pathways available for creative degrees, careers, and futures.  

🏑 Muiris Success at National In2Hockey Event

We are thrilled to have Antonio and Evie lead the tennis teams this term and look forward to seeing the team excel under their leadership.

We are thrilled to welcome 12 new life guarding trainees. Our Year 12 pupils started their life guarding training here at the RHS swimming pool. Good luck to all of you!  

At the start of an important term for our Year 13 Nelson pupils, we know that there is a need for them to take some time to relax and spend some quality time together to help them to recharge. 

Pupils Toby C, Grace G, Theo G and Jacob W took part in the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. This race takes place over a weekend and is the longest non-stop canoe race in the world, starting in Wiltshire and ending in Westminster.

Congratulations Oliver Woods, Year 13 who has achieved his ABRSM Diploma (Diploma of The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music).

Year 12 were given egg babies to protect and look after for a week, some took this responsible more seriously than others - but we enjoyed seeing what they got up to. This is the first year we used polystyrene babies over real eggs - and perhaps this is the reason why some failed to form attachment to their egg babies.

Following on from the glitz and glam of the Sixth Form Ball back in October, this term saw our Year 12s turn their hands to all things Arcade with a night of fun, competition and most importantly...dancing! 

Report by Mr Johnson, Head of Academic Challenge : Eleven Year 12 pupils who are considering applying to Oxford or Cambridge travelled to Cambridge University last Wednesday to tour some colleges and talk to academic staff about the admissions process and life at a Cambridge College. 

On 9-15 December 2022 at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, Thailand, Christopher Marsh (Year 12, Collingwood) took home the silver medal in the Asian ILCA 6 Championship! 

Our annual careers fair took place recently, where all pupils from Year 10 upwards had the opportunity to meet and listen to a variety of professionals from different sectors. 

Why choose RHS for Sixth Form? Set in 200 acres of stunning countryside between the River Stour estuary and Alton Water, there is plenty of space for you to take advantage of our wonderful facilities

We spoke to Carrie, Charlie, Izzy and Oliver C to find out more on their plans as Heads of Music.  

Our Sixth Form pupils experienced mock interviews over the course of 3 days last week, giving them the opportunity to improve and test their interview skills. Alumni and parents generously supported this initiative with their time and insight from a range of different industries.   

Our Year 13 Psychology pupils attended a talk by expert forensics lecturer Jennifer Rees to explore one of forensic psychology’s most troubling topics, serial killers. The 12 psychologists were able to discover how serial killers are classified and what differences there are between lust killers like Dennis Hader, the BTK Killer, and visionary (imagined voices or commands) killers such as David Berkowitz, Son of Sam. She was also used the opportunity to debunk common serial killer myths and used case studies to illustrate. 

All our BTEC Enterprise and Entrepreneurship pupils must create and run a business as part of their coursework. Theo G, in Year 13, has started a premium car washing business here at the school, called ‘Crisp Car Washing’.  

We are delighted to announce that the Heads of School for this year are Isabella Bunnag and Toby Chavasse, supported by the Deputy Heads of School, Rose Dixon, Grace Gardiner, Joshua Okoruwa and Oliver Woods. 

At the end of August, 18 intrepid Year 13 geographers, 3 very enthusiastic geography staff and one excited Religious Studies teacher set off for Iceland; the land of fire and ice.

A new academic year, and a new set of Year 12 pupils joined our ever growing sixth form at RHS. 

A new wellness room has been created for our RHS Sixth Form pupils in Nelson House. The space has been designed to provide a peaceful relaxation and reflection area for Year 13 pupils. 

This morning saw our final divisions rehearsal of the year take place ahead of tomorrow's Speech Day. Not only did our Year 13s in Nelson House bring out their best fancy dress costumes but pupils and staff were treated to a visit by Darth Vader.

Maddy is currently in year 13 at RHS, is a weekly boarder and a school prefect. She has attended RHS since year 7 and her three sisters are following in her footsteps. Maddy kindly agreed to tell us more about Sixth Form and Nelson House at RHS.