Roedean School

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Girls' school in Roedean near Brighton, East Sussex, England

title: "Roedean School" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["boarding-schools-in-east-sussex", "girls'-schools-in-east-sussex", "educational-institutions-established-in-1885", "private-schools-in-brighton-and-hove", "member-schools-of-the-girls'-schools-association", "grade-ii-listed-buildings-in-brighton-and-hove", "1885-establishments-in-england", "schools-with-a-royal-charter"] description: "Girls' school in Roedean near Brighton, East Sussex, England" topic_path: "society/education" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roedean_School" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Girls' school in Roedean near Brighton, East Sussex, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox school"]

FieldValue
nameRoedean School
logoRoedean School coat of arms.png
logo_size90px
imageRoedean school.jpg
image_size250px
coordinates
mottoHonneur aulx dignes
("Honour the worthy")
established1885
typePrivate day and boarding school
religious_affiliationChurch of England
head_labelHeadmistress
headNiamh Green
chair_labelPresident of Trustees
chairLady Patten of Barnes
addressRoedean Way
cityBrighton
countyEast Sussex
countryEngland
postcodeBN2 5RQ
local_authorityBrighton and Hove
urn114616
enrolment600
genderFemale
lower_age11
upper_age18
houses6
coloursBlue and White
free_label_1Alumnae
free_1Old Roedeanians
website
::

| name = Roedean School | logo = Roedean School coat of arms.png | logo_size = 90px | image = Roedean school.jpg | image_size = 250px | coordinates = | motto = Honneur aulx dignes ("Honour the worthy") | established = 1885 | closed = | type = Private day and boarding school | religious_affiliation = Church of England | president = | head_label = Headmistress | head = Niamh Green | r_head_label = | r_head = | chair_label = President of Trustees | chair = Lady Patten of Barnes | founder = | specialist = | address = Roedean Way | city = Brighton | county = East Sussex | country = England | postcode = BN2 5RQ | local_authority = Brighton and Hove | urn = 114616 | ofsted = | staff = | enrolment = 600 | gender = Female | lower_age = 11 | upper_age = 18 | houses = 6 | colours = Blue and White | publication = | free_label_1 = Alumnae | free_1 = Old Roedeanians | free_label_2 = | free_2 = | free_label_3 = | free_3 = | website = Roedean () is a private boarding school governed by royal charter on the outskirts of Brighton, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1885 by three sisters to educate wealthy daughters and heiresses of aristocracy and industrial elites of the 19th century.

It is a girls-only school for those between the ages of 11 and 18. The campus is situated near Sussex Downs, on a cliff overlooking the Brighton Marina and the English Channel. It is widely regarded as the equivalent of Eton for girls, having educated industrialists, ambassadors, stateswomen, civil leaders, artists, and famous writers.

The school is equipped with multiple dance studios, music classrooms, a private theatre, heated indoor swimming pools, private golf courses, farms, chapels, as well as a range of specialised workshops, studios, laboratories and sports pitches.

Roedean School is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). The Good Schools Guide stated that the "School has a healthy spirit and much to offer." The Independent Schools Inspectorate rated Roedean as Excellent in all areas (highest category) in its most recent inspection (March 2016).

In the 2023 A-Levels, the school saw 55.2% of its candidates score A*/A.

History

The school was founded in 1885 as Wimbledon House by three women: Penelope Lawrence and her step-sisters Millicent and Dorothy Lawrence. Their brother was the lawyer Sir Paul Lawrence of Wimbledon who became unable to support them. - to prepare girls for entrance to the newly opened women's colleges at Cambridge University, Girton (now co-ed) and Newnham Colleges where Penelope had studied. In 1898, the school moved to its present site, occupying new buildings designed by the architect Sir John Simpson. A sister school, also called Roedean School and co-founded by the youngest Lawrence sister, Theresa, in 1903, is located in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The school motto, Honneur aulx dignes, is in Norman French, and means "Honour the worthy". When pronounced, it sounds like "Honour Roedean".

In 1924 the Lawrence sisters were replaced by Emmeline Mary Tanner who became the new head. She had been poached from Bedford High School by Penelope Lawrence as their successor.

During the Second World War, the students and staff, including classics teacher Mary Creighton Bailey, were temporarily evacuated to Keswick, in the north of England. The school buildings in Brighton, Sussex were used by the Admiralty. They adapted it for use by Navy cadets attending the Mining and Torpedo School (known as HMS Vernon (R)). Roedean is one of the few girls' schools in the country to have an Old Boys' Association.

The artist Percy Shakespeare was killed by a German bomb while serving at Roedean.

Absorption of St Mary's Hall

Inspired by his friend William Carus-Wilson, who founded Cowan Bridge School, Reverend Henry Venn Elliott proposed to found a similar school for the county. St Mary's Hall was opened in 1836 and was the second-oldest girls' school in the United Kingdom before it was closed in 2009. At that time, its junior section became Roedean's junior school while many senior girls transferred to Roedean. The junior school was closed in 2011 as the school administration decided to focus on secondary and sixth form education.

Location

Roedean School is set in 118 acre of grounds off Roedean Way, at the top of a cliff on the Sussex Downs overlooking the sea, approximately in line with Brighton Marina.

Academic results

In 2023, the school achieved 55% of all A-Level grades A*-A and 74.3% of GCSE grades 9-7.

Houses

The school community is divided into houses.

The Lawrence and Tanner House (with Senior and Junior wings) system, introduced in 2005, was reversed starting in 2010. A numbered house system was reintroduced.

Year 7 to Year 11 students are spread out amongst Houses 1, 2, 3, and 4. These are named after the house numbers 1–4 of Lewes Crescent, where the School was located prior to moving in 1898 to this campus built for it.

Sixth form (Years 12–13) are admitted to Keswick House and Lawrence House, which are detached from the main school building.

In the 1960s, the houses were: Junior House; House Number 1; House Number 2; House Number 3; House Number 4; and a Sanatorium. In 1966 part of the Sanatorium was made into rooms for 6th form girls, two 6th form girls from every numbered house. The School retains a sanatorium wing (now known as a health centre) to this day.

Admission procedures

Roedean is a selective school, and entry to the school is based upon the School's own entrance examinations, interviews and reports from the students' previous schools.

Notable alumnae

Old Girls are known as Old Roedeanians and include:

Arts

Business

Healthcare and education

Journalism and literature

Military and sport

Politics and activism

Science

Theatre, television, and film

References

References

  1. Salman, Sandra. (1979-07-07). "English Girls Have Their Eton, Too". The New York Times.
  2. StudyLink, Britannia. (2019-09-09). "Top Girls Boarding Schools In The UK (Updated 2023)".
  3. "The Good Schools Guide to choosing a school. Which school? Independent, state, public, private, prep, junior, senior, primary, special, private and public schools and educational and SEN - the Good School Guide".
  4. "ISI Inspection 2016". roedean.co.uk.
  5. "Roedean School: Reviews, Rankings, Fees, And More".
  6. (2004). "Lawrence, Penelope (1856–1932), a founder of Roedean School, Brighton".
  7. "Woman and Her Sphere - 'Painting Days at School of Art are perfect bliss: the manuscript diary (1892-1914) of Sarah Madeleine Martineau, art student and craft worker'.". Woman and Her Sphere.
  8. [http://www.roedean.co.uk/senior-school-history-of-roedean/ History of Roedean] {{webarchive. link. (3 September 2014)
  9. Parent, independent school. (29 August 2013). "Do you know what your school motto means? {{!}} independent school Parent". independent school Parent.
  10. (2004). "Tanner, Dame Emmeline Mary (1876–1955), headmistress and educational reformer".
  11. (2023). "Our History: 1960-1974". Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School.
  12. (1939). "England and Wales Register, for Keswick, Cumbria". H.M. Government.
  13. "WW2 – The Second World War: Keswick Hotel during the Second World War".
  14. (16 May 2012). "obituary:Lieutenant Claude Holloway". The Daily Telegraph.
  15. [http://www.roedean.co.uk/roba/ Roedean Old Boys' Association] {{webarchive. link. (13 August 2012)
  16. "Percy Shakespeare Collection". [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council]].
  17. (12 December 2009). "St Mary's Hall Association".
  18. [http://www.roedean.co.uk/junior-school/ Junior School] {{webarchive. link. (19 August 2012)
  19. (2 June 2012). "Roedean Junior School".
  20. (2023-08-07). "Roedean School: Reviews, Rankings, Fees, And More".
  21. "Entry Process - Roedean School".
  22. "Abbatt, Marjorie".
  23. "Obituary: Barbara Calder, pioneering yachtswoman".
  24. (30 June 2002). "Daisy pulls it off – with a spanner". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
  25. Devlin, Kate. (16 September 2018). "Roedean past of '11-plus hater' MP".

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boarding-schools-in-east-sussexgirls'-schools-in-east-sussexeducational-institutions-established-in-1885private-schools-in-brighton-and-hovemember-schools-of-the-girls'-schools-associationgrade-ii-listed-buildings-in-brighton-and-hove1885-establishments-in-englandschools-with-a-royal-charter