Reed's School
Independent school
Senior school
Boarding and day school
Coordinates51.338253°N 0.375981°W
Established1813
Religious affiliationChurch of England
HeadmasterMark Hoskins
R head labelHeadmaster
Chair labelChair of governors
ChairMike Wheeler
FounderAndrew Reed
AddressSandy Lane
CityCobham
CountySurrey
CountryEngland
Postal codeKT11 2ES
Local authoritySurrey County Council
Urn125321
Enrolment700 (620 boys, 80 girls)
GenderBoys, with a co-educational sixth form
Lower age11
Upper age18
HousesBlathwayt, Bristowe, Capel & Mullens
ColoursNavy
FeesAnnual fees 2022/23 up to: £34,920 (boarders); £26,985 (day pupils)[1]
PublicationReedonian
Free label 1Alumni
Free text 1Old Reedonians
Websitewww.reeds.surrey.sch.uk

'Reed's School is an independent secondary day and boarding school for boys with a co-educational sixth form located in Cobham, Surrey, England. There are currently around 700 day pupils (620 boys, 80 girls) and 100 full-time boarders (80 boys, 20 girls). The school was founded in 1813,[2] by Andrew Reed and incorporated by an act of Parliament, the ' (8 & 9 Vict. c. vii),[3] under the presidency of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke of Wellington and the Marquess of Salisbury.[citation needed] From 1951 until her death in 2022 Queen Elizabeth II acted as the school's 15th patron and visited the school twice, in 1997 and in 2014,[4] as the reigning monarch. Alumni of the school are known as 'Old Reedonians'.

History

London Orphan Asylum, London (1813–1871)

The foundation was established to provide relief to destitute orphans, including children whose fathers had died and whose mothers were unable to provide for them. Initially the Asylum used two houses; one at Hackney Road, Shoreditch for the boys and one in Bethnal Green for the girls.[5] The asylum's first unified site was at Lower Clapton Road, Clapton, where Newcome's School had stood.[6][7]

Following the school's 1871 move to Watford, the East London buildings were used by the Salvation Army.[8] Only the facade of the classical-style building remains,[9] and forms part of the Clapton Girls' Academy[10][11]

London Orphan Asylum/School, Watford (1871–1939)

A site in Watford was selected[12] for the new school.[13] The Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, and his wife the Princess of Wales and future Queen Alexandra, laid down the foundational stones on 15 July 1869 and the school formally opened in 1871.

The school was renamed to the "London Orphan School" in 1915, following a merge with the recently closed Royal British Orphan School in Slough it was again renamed the "London Orphan School and Royal British Orphan School", before finally being named "Reed's School" in 1939, in honour of the late founder.[13]

In the early 1880s the London Orphan Asylum lost two football matches against the then named Watford Rovers, now known as Watford F.C.[14]

Headmasters at the Watford site included Oliver Carter Cockrem and H.W. Russell.[citation needed]

In the 1980s the buildings were converted into residential accommodation.[15]

Reed's School, Totnes and Towcester (1939–1945)

During World War II the school was evacuated from Watford. The site was used as an Army hospital and then by the Ministry of Labour.[5]

Reed's School, Cobham (1945–present)

The Sandy Lane site had been purpose-built for the Sandyroyd School in around 1905 by architects Treadwell and Martin, who were also responsible for the design of Scott's restaurant (now part of the Trocadero Centre) and other notable structures. The new site provided facilities including a heated indoor swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, and two squash courts.[16]

A new headmaster, Robert Drayson, was appointed in 1955 and remained until 1964, when he migrated to Stowe.[citation needed]

In 1950, Reed's School began to take fee-paying pupils[citation needed], while retaining its charitable element.

Royal Patrons since 1815

The school has had many royal patrons.[17]

Sports

The major sports at Reed's School are rugby, hockey and cricket with academies in tennis, skiing and golf. The senior pupils (13+) play rugby, hockey and cricket in the autumn, spring and summer terms respectively. Pupils in the junior school (11–13) play hockey, rugby and then cricket. The indoor tennis centre was opened by alumnus and former British number one, Tim Henman on 18 November 2014.[19]

Reed's has won the International School Sport Federation's world schools' tennis championship more than any other team (in 2009, 2011 and 2015).[20]

Headmasters

  • David Jarrett (1997–2014) – the first person to win a cricket blue for both Oxford and Cambridge[21]
  • Mark Hoskins (2014–present)[22]

Notable staff and associated people

  • James Edmeston, architect and prolific hymn writer; wrote "Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us" for the children of the London Orphan Asylum[citation needed]
  • Sir Benjamin Louis Cohen, former President of the London Orphan Asylum[citation needed]
  • Sir William Blizard, consulting surgeon to the London Orphan Asylum[citation needed]
  • Keith Medlycott, cricket coach[citation needed]
  • Tom Hardy, actor[23]

Notable Old Reedonians

See also:

Royalty

Business

Literature

Sport

Arts/entertainment

Politics

Law

References

  1. ^ "Fees 2022/2023". Reed's School. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Regulatory Compliance inspection Report for Schools with Residential Provision Reed's School October 2017". Independent Schools Inspectorate. October 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2021.[dead link]
  3. ^ "London Orphan Asylum". Exploring Surrey's Past. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to visit Reed's School today". Surrey Comet. 6 March 2014. Archived 6 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "London Orphan Asylum". Archived 27 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2009-01-18. Exploring Surrey's Past
  6. ^ T.F.T. Baker (ed.) (1995). "Hackney: Clapton". A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 10: Hackney. Institute of Historical Research. Archived 9 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge (1774–1850)". www.historyhome.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  8. ^ "Portico History". Clapton Girls' Academy. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  9. ^ "London Orphan Asylum, follies and folly towers at follytowers.com". Archived 15 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2009-01-18. London Orphan Asylum follies
  10. ^ "RIBA Find an Architect". www.architecture.com. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  11. ^ "Clapton Portico". Brady Mallalieu. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  12. ^ "Bertrand Edward, Viscount Dawson of Penn Dawson | RCP Museum". history.rcplondon.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  13. ^ "London Orphan Asylum, East London / Watford, Hertfordshire". www.childrenshomes.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  14. ^ "Originsto1890". Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  15. ^ "The school that lives on through a residential estate". Watford Observer. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Sir Terence Rattigan (1911–1977)". Archived 12 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
  17. ^ "The History of Reed's School". Reed's School. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Charities and Patronages". The Royal Family. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  19. ^ "Archived copy". Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-12-04.
  20. ^ Spiller, Richard (29 March 2015). "Andy Murray congratulates young tennis stars on Doha success". Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  21. ^ "David Jarrett". Cricinfo. Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  22. ^ "Regulatory Compliance Inspection Report For Schools with Residential Provision Reed's School October 2017". reports.isi.net. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  23. ^ Parker, Garrett (2016-08-04). "20 Things You Didn't Know about Tom Hardy". Money Inc. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  24. ^ Eccleshare, Charlie (23 September 2018). "Britain's rising star Jack Draper: 'I'm happy with top 1,000 but I have got to push on and be hungry for more'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 July 2019.