Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of boys and girls. The current Headteacher is Katy Ricks. The school was a pioneer in attracting international students during the 1960s. Today the pupils come from over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide called it a "Trail-blazing co-ed day and boarding school...now riding high academically."^[1] The school encourages pupils to be involved in all the opportunities it offers. Despite its emphasis on internationalism and innovation the school maintains strong roots with the local community and maintains some of its historical traditions such as the Sevenoaks Festival and the lunchtime music recitals, which date back to the 1960s.

In 1999 it featured in the media by becoming the first major UK school to switch entirely from doing A level exams to the International Baccalaureate. The school is a member of the G20 Schools group.

The school was the centre of controversy in 2006 after it emerged from a Times investigation that a cartel on fees was being administered centrally by the Sevenoaks bursar. However, the school has since taken corrective action in ensuring that students who paid the fees during the period received a refund.

Academic[link]

(I)GCSE results. Sevenoaks celebrated its 2011 GCSE and IGCSE results. Just over 84.8% of the examinations taken by the 135 candidates were awarded A* or A grades. 19 students gained ten A* or more each and 95 students gained 9 or more A* or A grades. All students took three separate IGCSE sciences and Maths. IGCSE is seen as a more widely challenging qualification than traditional GCSEs. The Head, Katy Ricks, said, "we are once again thrilled by our students' achievements. Their outstanding grades are a testimony to their hard work, enthusiasm and talent."

IB Diploma results 2011. 16 students gained the maximum 45 points for the diploma, 23 gained 44 points and 125 gained diplomas with 40 or more points. The average points score per student was 39.9, the world average is 29.8 points. The Head, Katy Ricks said, "We are again absolutely thrilled by our student' performance. Sevenoaks teachers and students worked extremely hard to achieve these outstanding results, which are a real credit to their aspirations and effort. We are particularly delighted that so many of our students will go on to their first choice university."

Facilities[link]

Two buildings on campus date prior to the 20th century – the Old School House (built in the early 18th century in the Palladian style and reputedly designed by Lord Burlington),^{[citation needed]} and the cottage blocks (both late 19th century). The Johnson Library contains over 25,000 books^{[citation needed]} housed in the old Assembly Hall (1930s). Sevenoaks also has athletics track, indoor tennis centre (The Bailey Tennis Centre), auditorium (the Aisher Hall) and theatre (Sackville Theatre), and a performing arts centre (The SPACE)

The main school grounds are close to the centre of Sevenoaks town, straddling the A225 Tonbridge Road. Knole Lane also runs through the site, providing access to Knole House, which is situated in the park behind the school.

On 10 March 2005 a new £9 million sports centre, Sennocke Centre, was opened by former middle distance athlete Dame Kelly Holmes. The Sennocke Centre contains three tennis courts, squash courts, a sports hall, a swimming pool, a dance studio, a fitness suite, climbing wall and a servery.

In the April 2010, a new 13-million pound performing arts centre was handed over to the school. The centre contains: The Pamoja Hall, an auditorium providing a concert hall for choral and orchestral performances, with an audience capacity of nearly 450 on raked seating. A renovated Sackville Theatre, with a tension wire grid, providing improved space for larger drama productions. A recital room for more intimate chamber music performance with an audience capacity of about 100. It has views into Knole deer park and provides a venue for special events. The Ordovksy-Tanaevsky Drama Studio provides flexible space for drama productions and audience seating for up to 100. Seventeen individual sound-proofed teaching rooms, of which twelve to date have been sponsored by generous donors and bear their names. The Moskovenko Drums Room and Recording Studio. The Pisarev World Music Room for instruments from about the world, including a gamelan. Generous foyer space, close to an outdoor terrace provides additional space for teaching or hospitality use with spectacular views into the deer park. Extensive storage and locker space for musical instruments. The stage of The Pamoja Hall can accommodate the school's seventy piece orchestra behind which the school choir can be positioned. The orientation of the hall uses the natural slope of the site to create the rake for the audience seating. The foyer area links the three levels of the building and provides access to the practice and teaching rooms, the Moskovenko Drums Room and Recording Studio, other offices and support facilities. The Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Drama Studio is located close to the entrance to the renovated Sackville Theatre. One can imagine an occasion when a concert is taking place in The Pamoja Hall with an audience of about 400 and a drama production in the Sackville Theatre with an audience of about 200 and they can come together in the interval time for refreshments in the foyer area. The centre contains 2,733 square metres of usable space. The maximum height of the building is 20.5 metres.

Boarding houses[link]

There is a total of seven boarding houses on the school campus:

• Lambardes (1992), with a green and red tie. Mixed junior house.
• School House (1432), with a green tie. Moved from Old School to Oak Lane in 1997. Boys.
• Johnsons (1924), with a salmon pink tie. Formally known as Thornhill, a gift from C.P. Johnson.
• Park Grange (1946), with a pale blue tie. C.P. Johnson's old house. Boys house until 1989, now a girls' boarding house.
• Sennocke (1985), with a green and silver tie. Girls.
• International Centre (1964), with a gold tie. Situated in a new house on the Park Grange estate, built in 1997, it used to be housed in what is currently School House. Sixth Form Boys.
• Girls' International House (1983), with a blue and red tie. The first girls' house, though only for Sixth Form Girls.

All houses encourage strong house spirit and often compete on the sports field and in boarders' events.

Sport[link]

The school's major sports for boys are rugby, football, cricket, squash, tennis and athletics; for girls, hockey, netball, athletics, and tennis.^[2] Minor sports for boys include hockey in the Lent term and, in summer, swimming, shooting, sailing and water polo. Sevenoaks is particularly successful at sailing, coached by the current World Team Racing Champion and UK Team Racing National Champion, Andrew Cornah.^[3] In 2005, the Sennocke Centre was opened by Dame Kelly Holmes, a state-of-the-art community sports centre with a 25 metre six lane swimming pool, indoor tennis courts, fitness suite and climbing facilities as well as gym-halls and other sporting facilities.^[4]

History[link]

Founded in 1432 by William Sevenoke as a part of his last will and testament, the school was intended to give a classical education to boys from the town, free of church constrictions. It is one of the oldest lay foundations in England.

The school was housed in small buildings around the town (even outside the town in the 1730s) until a permanent schoolhouse was built in 1730 to the designs of Lord Burlington, a friend of the headmaster of the time, Elijah Fenton.

The school remained small until the late 19th century. At one stage, under the headmastership of the Revd Simpson, the school housed only four boys.

In 1884 the governors appointed James Birkett as headmaster. It was Birkett's vision to elevate the school's status to that of a First Grade Classical School. He started this revolution, reducing the number of free places to the townfolk and expanding boarding. When he resigned in the 1890s the school had over 100 boys. Birkett's revolution was continued by George Heslop who increased the size to a peak of 134 boys and then by G.A. Garrod.

In 1919 the headmaster's wife, Mrs Garood, started a new school for younger boys; Sevenoaks Prep School started with six pupils in the school "Cottage Block".

James Higgs-Walker succeeded Garrod in 1924. Higgs-Walker, or "Jimmy" as he was known by the boys, started a revolution at the school with the introduction of day houses, the expansion of school sports and extracurricular activities and the vast expansion of the school with the help of the school's greatest benefactor since the founder, Charles Plumptre Johnson (or C.P.J.), who served as a governor from 1913 to 1923 and chairman from 1923 to his death in 1938. Johnson donated many gifts to the school with his brother, Edward:

• The Flagpole, 1924
• Thornhill, 1924 (Johnson's House)
• Johnson's Hall, 1936 (Now Johnson's Library)
• The Sanitorium, 1938
• Park Grange and the surrounding estate, 1946

Higgs-Walker led the school until 1956 when he was succeeded by L.C. Taylor.

Notable students and alumni[link]

Former pupils are known as "Old Sennockians".

• Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, grandson of King Albert II of Belgium
• Jonathan Bate, professor
• Adam Curtis, filmmaker
• Daniel Day-Lewis, actor
• Paul Downton, cricketer
• Clive Dunn, actor
• Simon Donaldson, mathematician
• Jonathan Evans, Director General of MI5
• John Frith, martyr and translator of the New Testament
• Andy Gill and Jon King, musicians
• Paul Greengrass, director and filmmaker
• Tom Greenhalgh and Mark White, musician (Mekons)
• George Grote, historian
• Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, field marshal and statesman
• Thomas Heatherwick, designer
• Patrick Heenan, Captain in the British Indian Army who was convicted of treason and executed after spying for Japan during the Malayan campaign of World War II
• Charlie Higson, comedian and author
• Emma Johnson international clarinetist
• Sir Timothy Laurence, vice admiral and husband of Princess Anne
• Robert Munro, musician (Zodiac Mindwarp), journalist and photographer
• Rupert Russell, writer and comedian
• Jonael Schickler, philosopher
• Simon Starling, winner of the 2005 Turner Prize
• Tristram Stuart, author and campaigner
• Ben Summerskill, lobbyist
• Plum Sykes, author
• Chris Tavaré, cricketer (now a biology teacher at the school)
• Oliver Taplin, professor
• Ian Walker, Olympic sailor
• Helen Zaltzman, podcaster

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sevenoaks School website
• Sevenoaks School on Ofsted.
• Profile at the Good Schools Guide

Coordinates: 51°15′54″N 0°11′42″E / 51.265°N 0.195°E / 51.265; 0.195

Coordinates: 51°16′41″N 0°11′15″E / 51.2781°N 0.1874°E / 51.2781; 0.1874

Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks  Sevenoaks shown within Kent
Population	18,588 (Built Up Area: c. 28,000)
OS grid reference	TQ525555
District	Sevenoaks
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SEVENOAKS
Postcode district	TN13, TN14
Dialling code	01732
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Sevenoaks
List of places: UK • England • Kent

Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, 24 miles (38.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital. The town gives its name to the Sevenoaks district,^[1] of which it is the principal town, followed by Swanley and Edenbridge.

The presence of Knole House, a large mansion, led to the earlier settlement becoming a village and in the 13th century a market was established.^{[citation needed]} Sevenoaks became part of the modern communications network when one of the earlier turnpikes was opened in the 18th century; the railway was relatively late in reaching it. It has a large commuting population although the nearby Fort Halstead defence installation is a large local employer.

There are several independent educational establishments in the town, including the prestigious Sevenoaks School.

Etymology[link]

The town's name is derived from the Saxon word "Seouenaca", the name given to a small chapel near seven oak trees in Knole Park around AD 800.^{[citation needed]}

History[link]

There are few records earlier than the 13th century for the town, when it was given market status. In the Middle Ages two hospitals were provided by religious orders for the care of old or sick people, especially those going on pilgrimage.

Sevenoaks School, at the south end of High Street, is the oldest secular school in England. It was founded by Sir William Sennoke, a wealthy London merchant, in 1432. Sennoke, an orphan, had been brought up in the town. In later life he became a wealthy merchant and mayor. Founding the school and adjacent almshouses was his thanks to the town. In 1560 it was ordered by Queen Elizabeth I that it should be called The Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth. It was "for the education of boys and youths in grammar and learning".^{[citation needed]}

In 1456 Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, purchased the Knole estate and built Knole House, which still dominates the town.

The eponymous oak trees in Knole Park have been replaced several times over the centuries. In 1902 seven oaks were planted on the north side of The Vine cricket ground to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII.^[2] During the Great Storm of 1987, six of those trees were blown down. Their replacements, planted in a ceremony involving well-known people from television shows such as Blue Peter and including locals Gloria Hunniford and Caron Keating, were vandalised, leaving only one standing. There are now nine trees on the site, of varying ages.

A serious railway accident occurred nearby on 24 August 1927. Southern Railway K class passenger tank engine No. A800 River Cray was derailed hauling a Cannon Street to Deal express, knocking a road bridge and killing 13 passengers. The locomotive crew survived, although the entire K class was subsequently rebuilt to prevent such an event from occurring again. The accident also called into question the quality of track laying in the area.^[3]

Governance[link]

Sevenoaks is governed by a town council.^[4] The town is divided into six wards, with sixteen councillors in total. The wards are named Kippington, Northern, St Johns, Town, Wildernesse and Eastern.^[5]

The offices of Sevenoaks District Council are located in the town.

Geography[link]

The town is situated at the junction of two main routes from the north before traffic climbs over the Greensand Ridge which crosses Kent from west to east; that situation is similar to Maidstone and Ashford. That road was one of the earliest in the county to be turnpiked in 1709, because of the clay soils.^[6]

The valley to the north is that of the River Darent and it is here that that river turns to the north to cut through its gap in the North Downs. There are several lakes along the course of the river here, the result of the extraction of sand and gravel in the past.

The built-up area of the town has mainly spread along the main roads. The settlement of Riverhead to the north-west is the largest; other parts of the town (in clockwise order from the north) include Greatness;^[7] Wildernesse; Sevenoaks Common; and Kippington.

Neighbouring towns, villages and places

	Riverhead (village) Dunton Green (village) Knockholt (village)	Otford (village) Shoreham (village)	Kemsing (village)
	Brasted (village) Westerham (town)		Seal (village) Borough Green (village)
		Sevenoaks    East
	Ide Hill (village)-The Highest Point in Kent	Sevenoaks Weald (village) Penshurst (village)	Hildenborough (village) Tonbridge (town)

Demography[link]

The 2001 Census counts approximately 18,588 residents within the Sevenoaks civil parish authority, compared to the 1801 town population of 2,600. The built-up area of the town has a population of about 28,000.^{[citation needed]}

Economy[link]

Sevenoaks, like much of West Kent, is characterised by high levels of economic activity and a skilled resident workforce, together with a large proportion of that workforce commuting to their places of employment. Those factors, however, led to high house prices and pressure on the local area to build yet more houses. Many of those houses attract high prices, making it difficult for lower wage-earners to live there: and a wide range of occupations are therefore in short supply. Industries such as finance and business services tend to predominate. Transport links are generally overloaded and town centre congestion is common. One description given is that the area in general is "cash rich but service poor".^[8]

Bligh's Shopping Development

The main industrial area is located north of the town, alongside the A225. Sevenoaks Quarry^[9] is on Bat and Ball Road, also to the north.

The shopping area in High Street^[10] includes the new Bligh's development. It is a typical small town centre, with no large department stores.

Bligh's Shopping Development opened in phases in 2002. The site originally belonged to a bus station and car park. Access can be gained from several areas from both High Streets. In 2008, a new third side of the development opened, housing a Costa Coffee, a Robert Dyas and Tommelise and Zapata: A Mexican restaurant. Much of the architecture is based on slightly earlier periods but with a contemporary edge.

Landmarks[link]

Knole Park is a 1,000-acre (4 km²) park inhabited by deer and several million trees. In its centre is Knole House, the home of the Sackville family (the Earls of Dorset) since it was given to them by Queen Elizabeth I in 1577. The estate is owned and maintained by the National Trust, although the Sackvilles still live there. It is frequently visited by the school.

Riverhill House and gardens are located directly to the south of Knole Park, on the southern edge of Sevenoaks. The house and gardens, which were first built in the 16th century, are privately owned by Jane Margaret Rogers but are periodically open to the public.

Transport[link]

Sevenoaks is located at the junction of two ancient roads heading south from London and Dartford to the Weald. In 1710 part of one of the roads - from Sevenoaks through Tonbridge and Pembury to Tunbridge Wells - was the first in Kent to be turnpiked, and others followed within the century: it became the A21 road in the 1920s; the road now bypasses the town, and also takes traffic to the M25 London Orbital motorway at Junction 5. The Dartford road is now the A225. The cross-country A25 road passes through the north of the town.

Sevenoaks railway station

There are two railway stations in Sevenoaks. The principal station is located on the South Eastern Main Line and also acts as the terminus for the suburban stopping services to both London Charing Cross and Blackfriars. The latter services follow the branch line via Swanley, calling at the second of the stations, named Bat and Ball.^[11]

Religious sites[link]

There are four churches belonging to the Church of England in Sevenoaks, dedicated to St Nicholas, St Luke, St Mary and St John the Baptist;^[12] and also St Mary's at Riverhead. The Roman Catholic church is dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury; and there are some eight other denominations represented in the town.^[13]

Education[link]

There is one mixed state secondary school, the Knole Academy, which was created in 2009 from an amalgamation of Wildernesse School (for boys) and Bradbourne School (for girls),^[14] and four state primary schools, one of which is Church of England and another of which is Catholic. Among the high number of independent schools is Sevenoaks School, a co-educational boarding and day school; and several Preparatory schools, including Solefield School,^[15] Walthamstow Hall, New Beacon Preparatory School and Sevenoaks Preparatory School.

Leisure[link]

Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve^[16] is to the north of the town centre, around one of the former gravel pits. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, covering some 175 acres (71 ha).

Sevenoaks Scouts^[17] is the active Scouting organisation in the town.

Sevenoaks Information^[18] provides a comprehensive What's On events diary for the town and surrounding area.

Sevenoaks Community Forum^[19] is a growing, active discussion forum for News and Events within Sevenoaks and surrounding areas.

Sports[link]

Sevenoaks has two Non-League football clubs Corinthian Football Club who play at Gay Dawn Farm and Sevenoaks Town F.C. who play at Greatness Park.

The Vine Cricket Ground is one of the oldest cricket grounds in England, with the first recorded match having been played in 1734. It was given to the town in 1773 by John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset, owner of Knole House at the time. It is notable for being the first place in England to play cricket with three stumps. In 1777 an "all-England" team played Hambledon at the ground.

Sevenoaks has two leisure centres^[20] and many sports and other activities are available.^[21]

Culture[link]

Stag Theatre, Sevenoaks

Television viewers can receive either London (north/west via Crystal Palace) or Kent & Sussex (aerial pointing eastwards via Blue Bell Hill) transmissions. Programmes including London Tonight and BBC London, or Meridian Tonight & BBC South East Today. Digital reception is available in the area with a better Freeview signal from Blue Bell Hill or Heathfield^[22] in most places surrounding Sevenoaks, including Riverhead, Dunton Green and out towards Westerham.^[23]

The Stag Theatre and Cinema complex is located at the top of London Road. Recently re-opened as a community arts centre, supported by a strong network of volunteers and Sevenoaks Town Council. The multiplex cinema is open daily showing films.^[24]

Local media[link]

Sevenoaks is served by county wide stations BBC Radio Kent KMFM West Kent and Gold and many London stations.

The local paper is the Sevenoaks Chronicle, which is published every Thursday.

Notable people[link]

The list of notable people who have been connected with the town includes John Donne, the poet, who was vicar of Sevenoaks in the 17th century, the 20th-century writer H. G. Wells and the Welsh tramp-poet W. H. Davies.

The brothers Phil Hartnoll and Paul Hartnoll, famous as the electronica duo Orbital are from the town and took the name for the band from the nearby orbital motorway, the M25. Many actors and actresses have lived here, as have a number of sports personalities. Diana, Princess of Wales, went to West Heath School in Sevenoaks.

In January 1967, The Beatles made promotional films for "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" in Knole Park. In a Westerham antiques shop John Lennon bought a Victorian advertisement for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal, which provided the inspiration for "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", on the famous Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album released later that year.

The writer Basil Copper is a longterm resident of Sevenoaks.

Tony Hayward, former CEO of BP.

Twinnings[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sevenoaks

• Pontoise, France
• Rheinbach, Germany

References[link]

Notes

• Kent History Illustrated Frank W. Jessup (Kent County Council, 1966)
• Railways of the Southern Region Geoffrey Body (PSL Field Guide 1989)

v t e Towns and villages in the Sevenoaks District, Kent, England Ash Badgers Mount Bough Beech Brasted Brasted Chart Chartwell Chevening Chiddingstone Chiddingstone Causeway Chiddingstone Hoath Chipstead Cowden Crockenhill Crockham Hill Dunton Green Edenbridge Eynsford Farningham Fawkham Fawkham Green Fordcombe Four Elms Godden Green Halstead Hartley Hever Hextable Hodsoll Street Horton Kirby Ide Hill Kemsing Knockholt Leigh Markbeech New Ash Green Otford Penshurst Ridley Riverhead Seal Seal Chart Sevenoaks Sevenoaks Weald Shoreham South Darenth Sundridge Swanley Swanley Village Toys Hill Underriver Well Hill Westerham West Kingsdown List of places in Kent