Reigate Grammar School

The name says grammar school, but there has been nothing state-selective about Reigate Grammar since it reverted to independent status in 1976. Today it is one of Surrey's leading fee-paying co-educational day schools, drawing roughly 1,560 students from Reigate, Redhill and a wide arc of the county along twelve coach routes. Founded in 1675 from a bequest by Henry Smith, a London alderman, it pairs a long heritage with a modern, outward-looking programme under headmaster Shaun Fenton OBE, in post since 2012. GCSE and A-level results sit among the strongest in England, and the co-curricular offer stretches from a Combined Cadet Force to six choirs. The latest ISI inspection, in February 2026, found all Independent School Standards met.

Reigate Grammar carries its age lightly. The school was founded in 1675 when Henry Smith, an alderman of London, left £150 towards land for a free school; records suggest it opened with just four poor boys on the roll. It grew into a formal grammar school in the nineteenth century, spent the post-war years under Surrey County Council from 1944, and then reverted to independent status in 1976, the moment that shaped the school it is today. The founding predates the Bank of England, yet the institution reads as restless about the future rather than sentimental about the past.

Its stated motto, "Be You", anchors what the school calls the RGS Way, and the emphasis on individual character over conformity runs through daily life. A structured leadership programme threads through every year group, moving pupils from self-care and service to others up to genuine executive responsibility. Inspectors described this leadership development as a significant strength of the school. The point is not empty branding: the school treats character and initiative as things to be taught in sequence, not left to chance.

At its heart is an 11 to 18 senior school and a large sixth form. Younger children in the wider RGS family are educated at the linked preparatory schools, Reigate St Mary's, Chinthurst and Micklefield, which take pupils from the early years and feed the senior site. For families starting before Year 7, the group therefore offers a route from nursery and pre-prep all the way to A-level, though the entrance points into the senior school itself begin at age 11.

Co-education arrived in stages. Girls joined the sixth form in 1976 and the whole school in 1993, and the roll is now evenly mixed. The tone is confident and busy rather than austere: pupils are reported to treat one another with respect and to interact positively across year groups, and behaviour rests on high expectations paired with a clear structure of rewards and sanctions. This is a school that expects a great deal academically while working hard to keep the atmosphere generous. With roughly 1,560 students on the senior roll, it is large enough to run a serious sixth form and a full fixture list, yet the house and tutor structure is designed to keep individual children known rather than lost in the numbers.

Results are the headline, and they are exceptional. At GCSE in 2025, close to three-quarters of all grades were awarded at 9 or 8, the top of the scale, and almost 90% came in at grade 7 and above. That places the senior school 47th of 3,895 schools in England for GCSE results, the top 1.2%, and among the highest-performing in the country (ranked against all schools in England with published GCSE results, state and independent). On the blended overall measure it sits 39th of 3,887, and it is the top-ranked school in Reigate on both counts. These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings built from official data.

The route to those grades is deliberate. Reigate runs a three-year GCSE from Year 9, a year earlier than most schools, which the school uses to slow the pace and deepen study rather than to cram. English Language, English Literature, Mathematics and the three separate sciences form the compulsory core, with a wide menu of humanities, languages, arts and technology options on top and no restrictive option blocks, so able students can carry ten or more subjects. Alongside the examined courses, a non-examined Electives Programme lets students take modular classes in areas such as entrepreneurship, charity leadership, forensic psychology, animation, global politics and public speaking. The design signals the school's wider intent: exam performance without narrowing the horizon.

The sixth form is just as strong. In 2025, 28.8% of A-level entries were graded A* and a further 35.1% at A, so nearly two-thirds reached A or A*, comfortably above the England average of about 24% at those grades. Nearly nine in ten entries, 89%, achieved A* to B, against an England average close to 47%. In the FindMySchool rankings the sixth form places 88th of 2,562 schools and colleges in England for A-level results, the top 3.4% and well above the England average, with an overall position of 76th of 2,561 and, again, first in Reigate. The post-16 curriculum runs beyond traditional A-levels to include vocational BTEC routes in business, applied science and sport, giving students more than one way to play to their strengths.

Teaching is rigorous and intellectually ambitious. Staff bring high subject knowledge and design lessons that push independence of thought, with structured opportunities built in for pupils to reflect on how they are learning rather than simply what. The broad, stimulating curriculum spans academic, aesthetic and creative disciplines, and it is this breadth, as much as the raw results, that shapes the school's identity. A pupil here is expected to argue a case, not just recall an answer.

Support for English as an additional language is a genuine strength: needs are identified early and specialist lessons put in place, with provision reviewed against pupil feedback. The one improvement point flagged at the 2026 inspection sat here too, a call to make teaching more consistent in helping EAL pupils master subject-specific technical vocabulary. It is a fine-grained note on an otherwise assured picture, and worth reading as a measure of how high the bar is set rather than a systemic weakness. For families, the takeaway is a school that stretches its strongest pupils while keeping close track of those who need a different kind of help. Reflection and independent thinking are treated as habits to be built deliberately, which is why the extension and elective strands sit so close to the core teaching rather than bolted on at the edges.

Progression within the school is by attainment rather than automatic. Pupils moving up from the linked preps still meet the senior school's entrance assessments, and Year 11 students continue into the sixth form provided they meet published GCSE requirements rather than being guaranteed a place. The result is a sixth form that is academically stretched from day one, and a Year 13 cohort that leaves with genuinely competitive options.

Destinations are where the ambition pays off. In the most recent Oxbridge cycle, 38 applications produced 11 offers, split 6 to Cambridge and 5 to Oxford, and every offer was taken up. Beyond Oxbridge, the great majority head to research-intensive universities: the 2023-24 leaving cohort of 148 saw around three-quarters progress directly to university, with named destinations including Durham, Imperial College London, the London School of Economics, Bath, Exeter, Warwick, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham and University College London. A smaller share moved into employment or degree apprenticeships, reflecting a growing appetite for high-quality non-university routes. The school reports that over 95% of leavers secure a place at their first-choice university and that around 98% of applicants receive offers from leading institutions, figures that speak to how carefully applications are managed as much as to the strength of the grades behind them.

Guidance is a serious operation rather than an afterthought. Sixth-formers receive individualised advice on higher education and apprenticeships, backed by a Careers Convention that brings in more than a hundred professionals and by specialist strands in fields such as finance, healthcare, law, engineering and the creative industries. Underpinning it all is the award-winning Reigatian Hub, an alumni network that connects current students with former pupils worldwide for mentoring, work experience and industry advice, from sixth form through university and into early careers. With alumni ranging from a serving Prime Minister to household names in comedy and music, the network has real reach. Former pupils include Sir Keir Starmer, the comedians David Walliams and Romesh Ranganathan, the musician Norman Cook and the survival expert Ray Mears, a spread that captures the school's mix of the academic, the creative and the intrepid.

The senior school is a selective independent, and entry is competitive. The main gateway is 11+, with roughly 160 places each year; smaller intakes follow at 13+ and at 16+ into the sixth form. In a typical year the school receives around 400 applications for its 150 to 160 places at 11+, so preparation matters. Candidates at 11+ sit entrance examinations in English, Mathematics and reasoning, both verbal and non-verbal, followed by interview. Applications close in early November, with offers posted in February.

Feeder patterns are broad. About 30% of the 11+ intake comes from the three linked prep schools, Chinthurst, Reigate St Mary's and Micklefield, with the remainder drawn from more than 75 other schools across a radius of roughly 20 miles. At 13+ the school runs both a pre-test route, taken in Year 6 with a guaranteed place for successful candidates, and a later entrance route assessed in Year 8. Sixth-form entry at 16+ is governed by GCSE grade requirements rather than distance, adding around 30 external students to the cohort each year. A registration fee of £180 applies to UK applications.

Because this is a day school with no geographic catchment guarantee, families further afield lean heavily on the coach network; the FindMySchool map search is a useful way to gauge how a home address lines up with the twelve routes before committing to an application. Parents weighing Reigate against other Surrey independents may also find the local hub comparison tool helpful for viewing results side by side. Children starting earlier than Year 7 apply directly to the linked prep schools, whose own admissions and early-years details are set out on the school website.

Pastoral provision is a clear priority. The February 2026 inspection judged safeguarding effective, with leaders well informed about both contextual and individual risks, comprehensive staff training, and appropriate filtering and monitoring online. Governors keep close oversight of the arrangements. PSHE and relationships education are used purposefully to build self-confidence, self-esteem and resilience, and incidents of bullying are uncommon; where they do occur, the school logs and reviews them systematically to head off any repeat rather than dealing with them in isolation.

Wellbeing has a physical home too. A dedicated Wellbeing Centre houses learning support, and within it sits The Snug, a quiet refuge room for students who need to step away and reset. Learning support itself is tiered, running from in-class help through small-group sessions in areas such as touch typing, organisation and social communication, to one-to-one work with individual strategies. Staff are trained in neurodiversity, an annual Neurodiversity Week brings the subject into the open, and provision covers profiles including dyslexia, autism, ADHD and sensory processing differences. For students with identified needs, exam access arrangements and assistive technology, from reading pens and colour overlays to voice-to-text software, are part of the everyday toolkit rather than a special concession.

Co-curricular life at Reigate is genuinely broad, and sport is a flagship. Fixtures and training run out of Hartswood Sports Ground, a 32-acre site with seven rugby pitches, two hockey astroturfs, netball courts, an indoor swimming pool, cricket squares, floodlit all-weather surfaces and a six-lane outdoor athletics track. A partnership with Chelsea FC brings high-level performance coaching onto the school's own pitches, with access to the club's Cobham training base and Stamford Bridge. Beyond the major team games of rugby, hockey, netball and cricket, the programme spreads across more than thirty sports, so pupils who are not natural first-team players still find a competitive outlet. Facilities are set to grow further: the Andy Paul Sport and Activity Centre, named for the alumnus and philanthropist funding it, is due to open in September 2027 with a competition-standard sports hall for netball, indoor hockey, cricket and badminton, a fitness and conditioning suite, a dance and multipurpose studio and outdoor games areas.

Music runs deep. Six choirs sit alongside an orchestra, a string ensemble, concert bands, a swing band and guitar, percussion, wind and brass groups, plus chamber ensembles and rock bands. The reach extends beyond the school gates through the RGS Saturday Music College, a regional programme for musicians aged 7 to 18 offering individual lessons, chamber music, composition and masterclasses, and the Godfrey Searle Choir for exceptional young singers, which undertakes cathedral tours and has sung at services in St Paul's Cathedral. Drama is equally serious. Productions such as Shakespeare in Love, Treasure Island and Peter Pan play in the school's Concert Hall and two fully equipped black box studios, with larger shows staged at the Leatherhead Theatre and The Ambassadors Theatre in London, and student work taken to the National Student Drama Festival and the Brighton and Edinburgh fringes.

The intellectual and adventurous strands are just as strong. A Combined Cadet Force runs four sections, Royal Navy, Army, RAF and a Corps of Drums, with adventure training, water sports and flying among the activities, and it sits alongside the Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Bronze, Silver and Gold. RGS Inspiring Minds brings political leaders, athletes, journalists and philanthropists in to speak, while Model United Nations, the flagship ReiMUN conference, a house debating competition and the new Festival of the Spoken Word give students a platform to argue and perform. The RGS Global Village builds cultural exchanges and international trips with partner schools across Asia and a philanthropic link with a school in South Africa. Add clubs from robotics and photography to philosophy and Dungeons & Dragons, and there is little a motivated student cannot pursue. The programme is not decorative: leadership roles are attached to many of these activities, which is how the school turns its stated emphasis on character into something students actually do rather than simply hear about.

Reigate Grammar is fully fee-paying. In 2025-26, day fees run at £9,635 per term for Years 7 and 8 and £9,900 per term for Years 9 to 13, both including VAT at 20%, which works out at roughly £28,900 to £29,700 a year. Sibling discounts of 5% for a second child and 10% for a third and beyond apply across the RGS family of schools.

Financial aid is substantial and clearly signposted. Means-tested bursaries reach up to 100% fee remission, funded through school funds and The 1675 Bursary Fund run by the RGS Foundation as part of its Changing Lives, Building Futures campaign; families with gross annual income below about £140,000 may qualify, with higher thresholds where several children attend. Scholarships are awarded for academic, music, sport, drama and art achievement at 11+, 13+ and 16+, though these are largely honorific or carry modest remission rather than covering fees in full. The distinction matters for planning: bursaries turn on household income and can transform affordability, while scholarships mainly recognise talent. For nursery and pre-prep fees, families should consult the relevant school within the group directly, and eligible families can check government-funded early-years hours through our guide to nursery funding.

Reigate Grammar operates as a day school. Coach passengers arrive by around 8:25am, with afternoon services leaving from Hartswood Sports Ground from 4:05pm and calling at the main site. Twelve coach routes serve a wide area, reaching Banstead and Coulsdon, Caterham, Crawley, Dorking, Epsom, Guildford, Horsham, Oxshott, Oxted, Shalford, Sutton and Tadworth, and shuttle links connect to Reigate and Redhill stations. There is no boarding. Wraparound care and early-years arrangements sit with the linked prep schools, and are set out on the school website.

It is an independent school, not a state grammar. Despite the name, Reigate charges full fees; the grammar title is a historic legacy, not a route to a free selective place. Families should budget for day fees of around £29,000 a year and check whether they might qualify for means-tested bursary support.

Places are hard to win at 11+. With roughly 400 applications for 150 to 160 places, entry is the genuine obstacle rather than the education that follows. Early, targeted preparation for the English, Mathematics and reasoning assessments is essential.

Distance depends on the coach map. As a day school with no catchment guarantee, access hinges on the twelve coach routes and the two station shuttles. Families outside those corridors should weigh the length of the daily commute before applying.

The site is expanding. The school has approval to grow senior numbers from 1,560 towards 1,660, with new classrooms and the Andy Paul sports centre arriving by 2027. That means more capacity and better facilities, but also a period of building and a larger year-group footprint.

Reigate Grammar is one of the strongest independent schools in Surrey, combining elite GCSE and A-level results with a co-curricular programme deep enough to suit sportspeople, musicians, actors and debaters alike. It is best suited to academically able, motivated children whose families can meet the fees or secure meaningful bursary support, and who value breadth, character and a strong pastoral framework as much as grades. The chief caveat is straightforward: this is a competitive, fee-paying day school, so the real hurdles are winning a place at 11+ and funding it, not the quality of what is on offer once a child is in.