Set in 200 acres of stunning Suffolk countryside overlooking the Stour Estuary and within an hour of London, the Royal Hospital School is a leading co-educational boarding and day school for 11-18 year olds, providing a full and broad education, fit for the modern world.

Pupils join RHS from all over the world to take advantage of our excellent boarding provision, including many from families serving in the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marines & RAF). Founded in 1712 in Greenwich to provide education for children of naval seafarers, the school moved to Suffolk in 1933, and has continued to grow in size and reputation to become one of East Anglia’s leading independent schools. Whilst many naval traditions underpin our school values, we welcome families from all walks of life, and are particularly in tune with Armed Forces families. We have an extremely active CCF department, representing the Army, Navy, Marines and RAF and appreciate the many links we have to parents and alumni working in these areas.

We understand the unique needs of children of parents serving in the Armed Forces, and they are highly valued members of our full boarding community. Our wellbeing team are tuned in to the additional anxiety they may experience as a result of their parents being in service or deployed overseas and have sensitive measures in place to ensure their wellbeing. Our full boarding community are well placed to take full advantage of our exceptional campus in the evenings, after school commitments on Saturdays and on Sundays, with a variety of fun and stimulating activities, events and trips organised to ensure they are kept busy and happy.

We believe it is our role to navigate pupils through their critical and formative years, ensuring their education becomes the foundation for lifelong happiness and success. Great importance is placed on balancing academic work with interests outside the classroom and every pupil is encouraged to become fully involved in school life, to challenge themselves and to try something new. With Saturday school for Years 8 to 13 and an active weekend programme for all, our pupils have plenty of time to explore all the opportunities on offer.

MOD Continuity of education allowance (CEA)

Service families in receipt of the MOD CEA are offered a discounted full boarding fee, which enables their children to access an RHS education. CEA parents are expected to fund a minimum level of 10% of the school's fees, as required by the MOD. The combination of the CEA funding and the RHS fee remission provides a very significant and attractive offer, with only a relatively small sum to be funded by the parents directly.

We fully understand the unique needs of our Service family children, and they are highly valued as members of our full boarding community.

Our boarding fees are discounted for those in receipt of MOD CEA. Please see table below for details.

support for naval seafarers

The Royal Hospital School is part of Greenwich Hospital, a Crown naval charity, one of whose charitable objectives is to provide for the education of the children of seafarers. The school is proud of its historic links with the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. This is why we are able to offer discounts and generous bursaries to 1st generation seafaring families so their child or children can benefit from an outstanding education at one of the country’s leading co-educational boarding schools.

Support for Seafarers information

Whilst our son may not go on to a career in the military, the skills he is learning through taking part in CCF are hugely important and transferable to the modern world.

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