AldenhamSchool

Welcome

I know that choosing a school is a verydemanding and time-consuming task, butwhen that choice turns out well it can shape a child’s future to a remarkable degree.

When I look around me I am delighted thatso many children who have been given theopportunity of an Aldenham education arebeing shaped into well rounded citizens andthey, and their parents, speak so warmly ofthe School.

I hope that you will want to pay us a visitand find out more about the School in orderto make the right choice for your daughteror son.

I look forward to meeting you.

James Fowler – Headmaster

Founded by Master Brewer Richard Platt, the connection of the Schoolwith the Worshipful Company of Brewers is commemorated eachyear by the presentation of ‘Beer Money’ to all pupils in Year 9.

Welcome

I know that choosing a school is a verydemanding and time-consuming task, butwhen that choice turns out well it can shape a child’s future to a remarkable degree.

When I look around me I am delighted thatso many children who have been given theopportunity of an Aldenham education arebeing shaped into well rounded citizens andthey, and their parents, speak so warmly ofthe School.

I hope that you will want to pay us a visitand find out more about the School in orderto make the right choice for your daughteror son.

I look forward to meeting you.

James Fowler – Headmaster

Founded by Master Brewer Richard Platt, the connection of the Schoolwith the Worshipful Company of Brewers is commemorated eachyear by the presentation of ‘Beer Money’ to all pupils in Year 9.

Achieving and Caring

Only one of the runners can come first, so it’s good to remember that schools are not racetracks: competition is not with otherstudents but with inferior versions of oneself.Here we remember that achievement is anindividual matter: for one student, it may beto enter an Oxbridge college; for another, itmay be a sporting or cultural goal; for yetanother it may simply involve growing upinto a well-balanced individual. Dedicatedteaching is at the heart of this endeavour: aswe help our students to focus on their ownplans, our teachers focus on our students.

And we don’t just aim at the highest academic standards. We try to cater for those who sometimes fail, as well as thosewho habitually succeed. Our system of pastoral care is therefore professional as well as personal and, when they need to talk to someone, our students can approachan individual tutor, a housemaster or mistress,a chaplain, a counsellor, a nurse. If they prefer, they can go to an older student,trained in peer-group counselling.

‘Are you a good school, or a friendly school?’asked the inspector. ‘Both!’ said the child,without hesitation.

The extensive playing fields and Artificial Turf Pitch accommodate10 football teams, 10 hockey teams and 9 cricket teams, fromthe Under 12s to the 1st XI.

Achieving and Caring

Only one of the runners can come first, so it’s good to remember that schools are not racetracks: competition is not with otherstudents but with inferior versions of oneself.Here we remember that achievement is anindividual matter: for one student, it may beto enter an Oxbridge college; for another, itmay be a sporting or cultural goal; for yetanother it may simply involve growing upinto a well-balanced individual. Dedicatedteaching is at the heart of this endeavour: aswe help our students to focus on their ownplans, our teachers focus on our students.

And we don’t just aim at the highest academic standards. We try to cater for those who sometimes fail, as well as thosewho habitually succeed. Our system of pastoral care is therefore professional as well as personal and, when they need to talk to someone, our students can approachan individual tutor, a housemaster or mistress,a chaplain, a counsellor, a nurse. If they prefer, they can go to an older student,trained in peer-group counselling.

‘Are you a good school, or a friendly school?’asked the inspector. ‘Both!’ said the child,without hesitation.

The extensive playing fields and Artificial Turf Pitch accommodate10 football teams, 10 hockey teams and 9 cricket teams, fromthe Under 12s to the 1st XI.

Music scholarships include the Maurice ForsythGrant Organ Scholarship, which makes use of thefine three manual pipe organ in the School Chapel.

Music scholarships include the Maurice ForsythGrant Organ Scholarship, which makes use of thefine three manual pipe organ in the School Chapel.

Small and Diverse

Small is beautiful, or so they say. But can a small school offer its students the sameopportunities as those available in a largerestablishment?

It is perfectly true that we don’t offer A Levelsin sociology or law, although there are overtwenty interesting A Level courses to choosefrom. Our major team sports of cricket, football, hockey and netball are taken veryseriously, but we also delight to see ourpupils succeed at fencing, fives or sailing.

Therefore we still offer our young men andwomen a full and wide-ranging programmeof studies and activities which ensure muchof the diversity of a bigger school whileallowing us to maintain that emphasis onindividual care and attention which smallerschools properly regard as their speciality.

It is this combination which many parentsfind reassuring. At Aldenham, they know thattheir sons and daughters will be samplingmany intellectual, cultural and sporting experiences, mixing with fellow-studentsfrom a variety of international backgrounds.

But they will never be lost in the crowd.Here it is still possible for every name to be known, and for every voice to be heard.

Modern facilities abound with the most recent additions being a newclassroom block which includes state of the art technology for English,Media Studies, Modern Languages and Classics, and a new theatre.

Small and Diverse

Small is beautiful, or so they say. But can a small school offer its students the sameopportunities as those available in a largerestablishment?

It is perfectly true that we don’t offer A Levelsin sociology or law, although there are overtwenty interesting A Level courses to choosefrom. Our major team sports of cricket, football, hockey and netball are taken veryseriously, but we also delight to see ourpupils succeed at fencing, fives or sailing.

Therefore we still offer our young men andwomen a full and wide-ranging programmeof studies and activities which ensure muchof the diversity of a bigger school whileallowing us to maintain that emphasis onindividual care and attention which smallerschools properly regard as their speciality.

It is this combination which many parentsfind reassuring. At Aldenham, they know thattheir sons and daughters will be samplingmany intellectual, cultural and sporting experiences, mixing with fellow-studentsfrom a variety of international backgrounds.

But they will never be lost in the crowd.Here it is still possible for every name to be known, and for every voice to be heard.

Modern facilities abound with the most recent additions being a newclassroom block which includes state of the art technology for English,Media Studies, Modern Languages and Classics, and a new theatre.

Sailing has long been a traditional activity at Aldenham; in the 1940s pupils corresponded withsailors on the Glenartney, a merchant ship which was adopted by the School. The School enjoyslinks with its affiliation to HMS Albion and pupils regularly go to sea with the ship.

Sailing has long been a traditional activity at Aldenham; in the 1940s pupils corresponded withsailors on the Glenartney, a merchant ship which was adopted by the School. The School enjoyslinks with its affiliation to HMS Albion and pupils regularly go to sea with the ship.

Old Aldenhamian, Field Marshal the Right Hon the Lord Vincent of Coleshill, GBE, KCB,DSOwas the last ever Field Marshal appointed in the British Army. He is a former Chairman ofthe Military Committee of NATO and a former Chairman of Imperial College.

Individual and Community

In the age of the computer and the facelessbureaucrat it’s good to know that some stillcelebrate the characteristics of an individualhuman being. This is important to us atAldenham: whether a student is flamboyantor reserved, a deep thinker or a ready wit, wedo more than merely accommodate them.We seek to provide a structure in which all ofour students can be educated as individuals,not as one of the herd.

The House is a primary focus in all of this.This is where a student lives and works whennot in the classroom or on the sports field. A Housemaster or Housemistress overseesthe progress of about fifty students, each of whom is assigned a personal tutor wholooks after the pupils in one year group. It is in the House that pivotal friendships areformed; in the House where an individual’scharacteristics can be known and appreciatedby pupils and teachers alike.

But we are also mindful of the need to beformed into a strong community. We fall and rise together: together we establish thecode by which we live, and together we contribute to the community which supportsus as individuals.

Old Aldenhamian, Field Marshal the Right Hon the Lord Vincent of Coleshill, GBE, KCB,DSOwas the last ever Field Marshal appointed in the British Army. He is a former Chairman ofthe Military Committee of NATO and a former Chairman of Imperial College.

Individual and Community

In the age of the computer and the facelessbureaucrat it’s good to know that some stillcelebrate the characteristics of an individualhuman being. This is important to us atAldenham: whether a student is flamboyantor reserved, a deep thinker or a ready wit, wedo more than merely accommodate them.We seek to provide a structure in which all ofour students can be educated as individuals,not as one of the herd.

The House is a primary focus in all of this.This is where a student lives and works whennot in the classroom or on the sports field. A Housemaster or Housemistress overseesthe progress of about fifty students, each of whom is assigned a personal tutor wholooks after the pupils in one year group. It is in the House that pivotal friendships areformed; in the House where an individual’scharacteristics can be known and appreciatedby pupils and teachers alike.

But we are also mindful of the need to beformed into a strong community. We fall and rise together: together we establish thecode by which we live, and together we contribute to the community which supportsus as individuals.

Approximately 25% of the pupils board and enjoy the ‘home fromhome’ atmosphere in one of the four boarding houses under thecare of a dedicated team of tutors, many of whom live on site.

Approximately 25% of the pupils board and enjoy the ‘home fromhome’ atmosphere in one of the four boarding houses under thecare of a dedicated team of tutors, many of whom live on site.

The Sports Centre accommodates 9 badminton courts, cricketnets and a rifle range, in addition to a viewing gallery, martialarts room/dance studio and gymnasium.

Supportive and Challenging

‘But it’s not fair!’ pleads the child. ‘I did my best.’

And what does the teacher reply? Does heagree, praising the child and offering furthersupport in a difficult enterprise? Or does shechallenge the assertion, insisting that they’recapable of more?

It’s true that an internet search-engine can do many of a teacher’s jobs but, in this particular task of discernment, a well-trainedprofessional is invaluable. On an overseastrip, it’s the highly-skilled teacher who canget his weary charges to the top of themountain, across the baking sand, or safelyto the bottom of the terrifying slope. It’s theinspiring teacher who can get faster quaversor more accurate bowling out of a diffidentadolescent, and the wise teacher who canpersuade her 21st century pupils to removefrom their ears the deep throb of the latestsounds and to listen instead to the story ofElizabethan Stratford, war-ravaged Ypres orancient Mycenae.

This is our aim: to support those who havegiven of their best and to challenge thosewho have more to give.

Most of all, we seek the wisdom to know the difference.

The Sports Centre accommodates 9 badminton courts, cricketnets and a rifle range, in addition to a viewing gallery, martialarts room/dance studio and gymnasium.

Supportive and Challenging

‘But it’s not fair!’ pleads the child. ‘I did my best.’

And what does the teacher reply? Does heagree, praising the child and offering furthersupport in a difficult enterprise? Or does shechallenge the assertion, insisting that they’recapable of more?

It’s true that an internet search-engine can do many of a teacher’s jobs but, in this particular task of discernment, a well-trainedprofessional is invaluable. On an overseastrip, it’s the highly-skilled teacher who canget his weary charges to the top of themountain, across the baking sand, or safelyto the bottom of the terrifying slope. It’s theinspiring teacher who can get faster quaversor more accurate bowling out of a diffidentadolescent, and the wise teacher who canpersuade her 21st century pupils to removefrom their ears the deep throb of the latestsounds and to listen instead to the story ofElizabethan Stratford, war-ravaged Ypres orancient Mycenae.

This is our aim: to support those who havegiven of their best and to challenge thosewho have more to give.

Most of all, we seek the wisdom to know the difference.

Dynamic and Deep-Rooted

Living in a fast-moving and perplexing century, it’s easy to feel unsteady, swaying on shifting sands.‘What are the roots thatclutch?’ asks the poet Eliot. We ask ourselvesthe same question.

We can’t just bury our heads and pretend it’snot happening: we must face the future boldly.So we train our students to move with thetimes, to navigate the theoretical rapids andpractical deep waters of a new age. We helpthem learn to live in a technological universe,sifting fact from fiction and truth from lies.

Yet moving with the times doesn’t mean slavishly following the latest fads or abandoning the values we have come tocherish. It was as a Christian school that our founder conceived of Aldenham, and like him we continue to search not only forlearning, but for wisdom and virtue. Unlikehim, we are able to rejoice in a far richerdiversity of culture and religious tradition,and to form lasting friendships built onrespect for the dignity of difference.

We would not slow the world down. Weenjoy the challenges of our day. The rootsthat clutch are those that grow with agility as well as stability. Here we aim at both.

An annual Eros charity run takes place on the last day of the School year from the Piccadilly Eros to theAldenham Eros, both sculpted by Alfred Gilbert (OA). Records were set in 1986 of 1hr 31’ 31” for the fastest pupil (Edwin Latter) and 1hr 30’ 25” for the fastest adult, which is held by a member of staff Mr Nick Pulman.

Dynamic and Deep-Rooted

Living in a fast-moving and perplexing century, it’s easy to feel unsteady, swaying on shifting sands.‘What are the roots thatclutch?’ asks the poet Eliot. We ask ourselvesthe same question.

We can’t just bury our heads and pretend it’snot happening: we must face the future boldly.So we train our students to move with thetimes, to navigate the theoretical rapids andpractical deep waters of a new age. We helpthem learn to live in a technological universe,sifting fact from fiction and truth from lies.

Yet moving with the times doesn’t mean slavishly following the latest fads or abandoning the values we have come tocherish. It was as a Christian school that our founder conceived of Aldenham, and like him we continue to search not only forlearning, but for wisdom and virtue. Unlikehim, we are able to rejoice in a far richerdiversity of culture and religious tradition,and to form lasting friendships built onrespect for the dignity of difference.

We would not slow the world down. Weenjoy the challenges of our day. The rootsthat clutch are those that grow with agility as well as stability. Here we aim at both.

An annual Eros charity run takes place on the last day of the School year from the Piccadilly Eros to theAldenham Eros, both sculpted by Alfred Gilbert (OA). Records were set in 1986 of 1hr 31’ 31” for the fastest pupil (Edwin Latter) and 1hr 30’ 25” for the fastest adult, which is held by a member of staff Mr Nick Pulman.

For more than 40 years, continuous observation of local weather conditions has been recorded daily at the AldenhamObservation Station and sent to the Met Office.

For more than 40 years, continuous observation of local weather conditions has been recorded daily at the AldenhamObservation Station and sent to the Met Office.

James Fowler is the 32nd Headmaster since the School was founded in 1597.

Boarding and Day

‘Boarding School’ remains for some a phrasefull of mystery, reminiscent of unloved buildings and unfriendly staff. Here, we like to think that times have changed, andthe comments of our boarders persuade usthat this is so. They regard boarding as anopportunity to spend more time with theirfriends, to live a little more independently, to use more profitably the hours they mightotherwise spend in travelling between homeand school.

There is far more of a family atmospherethan one might remember or imagine. TheHousemistress or Housemaster, together with their own family, ensure that life for the boarder retains all the benefits of livingon a modern, fully-equipped site, withoutlosing too many of those home comforts on which we all rely.

For some, of course, full boarding is not theright choice, and their time at Aldenham willbe spent principally as day-students. The keyis flexibility, and the school is able to providethe best combination of care for a student atany particular stage of their school life.

In any event, be assured that whether a daypupil or a boarder each student is a keymember of the Aldenham family and is ableto succeed within it.

James Fowler is the 32nd Headmaster since the School was founded in 1597.

Boarding and Day

‘Boarding School’ remains for some a phrasefull of mystery, reminiscent of unloved buildings and unfriendly staff. Here, we like to think that times have changed, andthe comments of our boarders persuade usthat this is so. They regard boarding as anopportunity to spend more time with theirfriends, to live a little more independently, to use more profitably the hours they mightotherwise spend in travelling between homeand school.

There is far more of a family atmospherethan one might remember or imagine. TheHousemistress or Housemaster, together with their own family, ensure that life for the boarder retains all the benefits of livingon a modern, fully-equipped site, withoutlosing too many of those home comforts on which we all rely.

For some, of course, full boarding is not theright choice, and their time at Aldenham willbe spent principally as day-students. The keyis flexibility, and the school is able to providethe best combination of care for a student atany particular stage of their school life.

In any event, be assured that whether a daypupil or a boarder each student is a keymember of the Aldenham family and is ableto succeed within it.

Some of Aldenham’s Cups and Trophies

Hand Fives Tournament

The Challenge Shield Awarded to the winner of the 1,500m

Drama Cup – Awarded to the bestactor/actress in a senior play

Aldenham School House ShieldAwarded to the overall Inter House Competition winners

The House Unison CupThis competition involves every student in every Senior House

Colts Cricket Festival Trophy

Inter House Hockey Trophy The School Captain’s CupHouse Football Cup

Debating Cup

Inter House Football League Cup

Beck Music Competition Cup

The Chess Cup

Tennis House Doubles Competition

Some of Aldenham’s Cups and Trophies

Hand Fives Tournament

The Challenge Shield Awarded to the winner of the 1,500m

Drama Cup – Awarded to the bestactor/actress in a senior play

Aldenham School House ShieldAwarded to the overall Inter House Competition winners

The House Unison CupThis competition involves every student in every Senior House

Colts Cricket Festival Trophy

Inter House Hockey Trophy The School Captain’s CupHouse Football Cup

Debating Cup

Inter House Football League Cup

Beck Music Competition Cup

The Chess Cup

Tennis House Doubles Competition

Aldenham SchoolElstreeHertfordshire WD6 3AJ

Telephone+44 (0)1923 858122

Facsimile+44 (0)1923 854410

Emailenquiries@aldenham.com

Websitewww.aldenham.com

Aldenham SchoolElstreeHertfordshire WD6 3AJ

Telephone+44 (0)1923 858122

Facsimile+44 (0)1923 854410

Emailenquiries@aldenham.com

Websitewww.aldenham.com