Box Hill School

[EduCativ]

Box Hill School has a long heritage of delivering first-class learning in a warm, supportive, holistic, and nurturing atmosphere. For nearly sixty years we have proudly remained a truly independent school.

A founder member of ‘Round Square’ alongside Gordonstoun in Scotland and Aiglon College in Switzerland, we promote international understanding, democracy, care for the world around us, a sense of adventure, and the qualities of leadership and service. We see excellent academic results as an outcome of a focus on character.

The objects for which the Trust (School) is established are: to promote the advancement of education for the benefit of the public having regard to the principles of Kurt Hahn and … a sound general education. Box Hill School is independent and self-reliant in this regard.

We are a proud founder member of Round Square (RS) which is an organization that promotes the philosophy of education espoused by Kurt Hahn. The organization has grown considerably in the recent past with global membership approaching 180 schools. Our involvement with all matters Round Square continues to be extensive, and its “pillars” – the IDEALS – lie very much at the heart of our educational philosophy:

• Internationalism
• Democracy
• Environmental concern
• Adventure
• Leadership, and
• Service

Box Hill School has always attracted a wide variety of students, in geographical, linguistic, ethnic, and intellectual terms. The focus on Global Citizenship is key to our ethos, and we are proud of our Internationalism. The school’s aim is for about a third of our school to be from the international community, (not mother tongue English) to promote peace and understanding between people. Boarding is integral to our ideal of internationalism.

We seek to give our students a holistic education. Holistic education is a philosophy of education based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and humanitarian values such as compassion and peace. In turn, this is brought about through a wide experience of sport, creative arts, challenge, service, outward bound pursuits, and democratic participation as well as academic learning. Academic success is, therefore, an outcome of broader character education. Box Hill School aims to be the first choice school for those who understand that education is about growing the whole child. Whilst academic achievement is important, equal emphasis is put on art, dance, drama, technical work (CDT, etc), charity work, student representation, learning through play or culture, boarding, sport, adventurous pursuits, co-curricular activities, and other opportunities.

Box Hill School endeavors to minimize stress and anxiety for young people, and does not encourage unhealthy competition. (Competition in sport with a healthy understanding of winning and losing is important, as is the desire to improve oneself). Learning is through a spirit of collaboration where success is defined as fulfillment through self-discovery and the creation of individual meaning. Everybody is made greater by the success of each other. We seek to reduce the pressure that society places on children through grade performance indicators (exam results etc). We do not define success as a personal achievement over or at a cost to others. This does not mean that we do not strive to be the best we can personally be, however, both in terms of academics, or in terms of character.

The mission (vision statement) of Box Hill School is to: "create successful lifelong learners and leaders with a global mindset who will always positively impact the world around them through the Round Square IDEALS."

Box Hill School was founded in 1959 by Roy McComish and is a founder member of Round Square, a worldwide association of schools that believe in preparing young people for life by facing it directly within a supportive but challenging school environment.

Since its foundation, Box Hill School has only had four Headmasters, including our current Head, Mr. Lowde - all of whom have put their mark on our tight-knit and welcoming community.

In the early days of the school, a number of the (now replaced) buildings were built by our students – an early example of our 'have a go' ethos.

Our main school building, Dalewood House, was built in 1883. Designed by Victorian architect John Norton, its first owner was David Evans, chairman of Evans and Co and one of the 19th century's pre-eminent silk printers. The house is both mock Tudor and Gothic in style, and fine wood paneling, fireplaces, hand-painted tiles and themed stained glass windows are a feature throughout. The house was in private ownership until 1939 when it was requisitioned during the war.

At Box Hill School, we treat every pupil as an individual, in every aspect of life. A combination of close attention, personalized learning, support, regular assessment, and monitoring underpins the school’s academic tradition.

The academic curriculum at Box Hill School is carefully planned to ensure that breadth and balance of subjects are studied throughout the lower and middle school. Courses are constructed to suit the aspirations, abilities, and interests of all our students.

This focus on choice and flexibility is continued in our Sixth Form provision. The subject matter is appropriate for the ages and aptitudes of our students and allows for teaching differentiation to meet the needs of all students, including for those with specific learning difficulties and equally for those who are gifted and talented.

The curriculum is structured to allow all subjects a variety of learning slots dispersed across a two-week cycle. The school has an International Study Centre (ISC) which runs separate programs of study for EAL students (English as an additional language), to deliver EAL and prepare students for transfer into mainstream programs where appropriate.

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