The Hammond is an independent co-educational day and boarding school situated in Chester, a city in the North West of England. The Hammond is a nationally recognized center of excellence for dance and is a leading provider of vocational musical theatre, drama, and music training. Our education department supports our students from the age of seven to nineteen years, successfully navigating them through a wide range of academic subjects, culminating in GCSEs, BTECs, and A-Levels. The Hammond also offers a BA Honours Degree in Musical Theatre Performance, validated by the University of Chester.
The Hammond prides itself on its caring ethos, encouraging young people to develop and advance in a happy, supportive, and stimulating learning environment. The school offers state-of-the-art facilities for all students, which include modern dance studios, a well-equipped music suite, and a Performing Arts Centre containing dance and drama studios, with a 420-seat theatre. Boarding facilities are available for eleven to sixteen-year-olds three Victorian houses have been adapted for this purpose and are situated two miles from the main campus.
The Hammond has been recognized by the Department of Education as a center of excellence for dance training in the North of England and is a member of the Music and Dance Scheme MDS). This provides funded places for talented dancers aged eleven to sixteen. Senior dancers (16+) are eligible for funding through the Dance and Drama Awards Scheme (DaDA).
Academically, most students sit up to ten GCSEs with a high majority achieving excellent results. In 2018, 85% of students achieved Grades 9-4 ( National Average 67%) with 38% Grades 7,8,9 (National Average 20%). 85% Grade 4+ in Maths and 94% Grade 4+ in English. Our results are consistently amongst those of the top schools in Cheshire.
As well as an enriched academic curriculum, students can participate in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, such as History and Geography field trips, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme expeditions, educational visits to London, and trips to the theatre and sporting events. Lower School students enjoy an annual outward bound trip to Anglesey, a biennial trip to France, and annual visits to MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly) in the Netherlands. We maintain strong links with our community and regularly fundraise for local, national, and international causes.
The Hammond is a highly supportive and motivational school in which music, drama, and dance play a significant role in the lives of our students. During the school's recent Centenary year there were full performances of Lionel Bart's Oliver, Miss Saigon, Giselle, and an impressive end of year Centenary performance, which included all of the School's 300+ students.
The Hammond is committed to providing artistic and vocational training of the highest quality in dance, drama, and music, alongside an outstanding academic curriculum.
We recognize and value personal achievement, and we actively encourage students to zealously pursue their goals whilst reinforcing their self-knowledge, self-esteem, and self-confidence. Students develop and flourish in our supportive and challenging center of excellence.
We work closely in partnership with parents and guardians to realize the full potential of every young person in all areas of school life, in which cooperation, tolerance, and friendship are highly valued.
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