WHAT? WHERE?

The first thing you notice as you sweep up the drive of the Royal Hospital School are the seriously grand Grade II-listed buildings, the second thing are the wonderful grounds – a gloriously open 200-acre campus, five miles from Ipswich and just under an hour from London.

Founded in 1712 by Greenwich Hospital in London (hence the name!) to educate children of Royal Navy seaman injured or lost at sea, it has retained plenty of past traditions and values, while simultaneously moving forward with environmental initiatives, state-of-the-art facilities and education fit for the modern world.

Academically robust, though sports, art and music shine particularly bright at this independent, selective school. There are 670 pupils; 355 boys and 315 girls and average class sizes are 24 in the lower school (11-16 years), dropping to between 8-14 in the sixth form. There’s roughly a 50/50 split between day pupils and boarders.

FACILITIES

The double-storey library is stand-out, looking and feeling more like something from a university with its open-plan, modern design, break out glass-fronted study rooms and a hot drinks machine.

Sport is strong at RHS and it’s no surprise that there are more activities and facilities than you can shake a hockey stick at, including a smart sports hall, fitness suite, gym, martial arts studio, large swimming pool and climbing wall.

Other highlights are the music department, which has its own recording studio and concert hall complete with grand piano and the spacious, light-filled art department.

sixth form pupil working on art project at royal hospital school in suffolk

Most pupils in lessons I looked in on were using tablets, apparently the school’s in the process of rolling out Microsoft Surfaces to a number of year groups too. If you’re wildly anti-screen time though don’t panic, apps are limited and gaming and social media are obviously restricted.

The only bits of the school that looked a bit tired were the main building’s science department and upstairs classrooms – there’s nothing wrong with them, but they aren’t as wow as the recent refurbs.

BOARDING

There are 8 houses including a junior boarding house (11-12 year olds), four senior boarding houses (13-17 year olds), two co-ed day houses and an upper sixth house, which day pupils and boarders can use. Nelson House is dedicated to Year 13 day and boarding pupils. The boarding houses are currently being upgraded.

Communal areas with large, comfy sofas, exposed brick work, colourful art and pool tables, create a home-from-home vibe which pupils appear to thrive in. And it’s evident there’s always something to do at evenings and weekends, from baking clubs to athletics, so boredom isn’t going to be a problem.

Boarding options range from full term to weekly (Sunday-Friday) which the majority of pupils do, but there’s also three-night stays and flexible options. There’s a growing demand for three-night packages as younger day pupils want to dip their toe in before progressing to full or weekly.

SPORTS

Sailing is a big deal here, with a training centre at Alton Water reservoir a five-minute walk from the school (all year 7s are guided through Royal Yachting Association stages 1 and 2). The school is also home to a Sailing Academy, is an established RYA Training Centre, owns over 50 dinghies and gives avid sailors the chance to compete and excel nationally and internationally.

Then there’s the £1.5 million refurbed sports hall, including a jaw-dropping climbing wall, fitness suite, martial arts and dance studio and conditioning gym – I was tempted to hop on a bike for a quick spin class. Horse-lovers are catered for with a programme of riding lessons and British Horse Society examinations at a stables close by, which also has livery if kids can’t be parted from their pony.

pupils playing cricket outside royal hospital school in suffolk

It’s sports fields as far as the eye can see from the school to the Stour, so if your kid’s into rugby, hockey et al, RHS is a safe choice. A passion for cricket is evident, with alumni including England bowler Reece Topley and the school often being cited as one of the top cricketing schools in the country in The Cricketer. The school has just added a world-class six-lane set of all weather outdoor cricket nets and the 1^st XI cricket boys won the Suffolk stage of the National Schools Twenty20 competition in 2023.

MUSIC, ART & DRAMA

The heart of the music department is a new purpose-built building with a concert hall where lectures and performances take place throughout the year, a recording studio, a live room and various practice areas. There are 23 bands and choirs to join – during my tour, four pupils were voluntarily practising military-style drumming together and gave me an impromptu performance which was mighty impressive.

RHS has form with art, boasting an exceptional department with a beautiful high-ceilinged gallery space where we glimpsed GCSE and sixth form exam work that showed fashion and textiles are held in just as high regard as fine art. There were some quality pieces on display including a tulle dress I’d have snapped up if it were on sale – apparently the creator has been offered a place with Alexander McQueen, other alumni include award-winning textile designer Freya Richmond.

The music and drama departments often link up to roll out productions throughout the year, including musicals and inter-house competitions. Drama’s on the curriculum until the end of Year 9 and then as a GCSE, plus there are extra lessons and exams on offer during lunch breaks and after school clubs.

ACADEMIC RESULTS

Positive, with results taking a hike north and year-on-year improvement – in 2024 for GCSES 97.1% of pupils gained 9-4 (A*-C). For A Levels/ BTEC, 11.3% of grades were A*/ Distinction* and 39.1% were A*-A/ Distinction* – Distinction. 59.6% of A Levels were A*-B grades, reflecting the impressive upwards trend of top grades for Year 13 pupils at Royal Hospital School.

Subjects that the school excels in (achieving 100% A* to C or equivalent), are Classical Civilisation, English Language, English Literature, Enterprise & Entrepreneurship, History, Latin, Religious Studies and Spanish.

Pupils’ BTEC performance was particularly strong too, with three quarters of all grades (76.7%) gaining Distinction* or Distinction (equivalent to A*/A grade at A Level).

PASTORAL

girl and boy walking along with books at royal hospital school in suffolk

A strong house system, plus healthy eating (the shiny self-service canteen has plenty of veggie options and sides like kaffir lime leaf sweet potato on the menu), fitness and anti-bullying initiatives are the norm here. Every new pupil’s assigned a Buddy to show them the ropes and help them settle in, plus there’s a network of trained Peer Support Mentors in each house – they wear a badge so are easily identifiable if things go sour.

The school has plenty of accolades as evidence of how well its pastoral system is working including a national Wellbeing Award for Schools and most recently in January 2023 a Silver Award for National Whole School Wellbeing and a Wellbeing Pioneer Badge. Royal Hospital School’s newly introduced Welfare Care Plans support the needs of individual pupils, having peer mentors attached to all houses, and delivering sessions on wellbeing, mental health, diversity and inclusion via the PSHE curriculum.

THE HEAD

Irfan Latif headmaster of Royal Hospital School

Irfan Latif joined the Royal Hospital School as Headmaster in 2024. He was previously Principal of DLD College London, Headmaster of Sexey’s School and Deputy Head (Academic) at Bedford School. Irfan studied Chemistry at King’s College, University of London and gained a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Buckingham.

The son of a bus conductor, Irfan was awarded a scholarship at Emanuel School, London where he was an officer in the CCF, played representative rugby, cricket and enjoyed rowing. Married with two children, he enjoys marathon running, cooking, ballroom dancing, travelling and supporting Arsenal.

QUIRKS

Royal Hospital School stresses it’s not a military school and there’s clearly been a move away from its roots, however there are still plenty of quirky traditions which continue, including two pupils in naval dress daily raising and lowering the school flag (it’s a role that’s taken very seriously), calling lunch ‘mess’ and Divisions, a popular all-school parade in naval uniform which takes place seven times a year.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Pupils can stay until 6pm and there’s a flexibility that allows the school to work around a parent’s schedule rather than the other way around – pupils can be there full time if and when it’s needed.

FEES

Fees at Royal Hospital School are comparable to nearby competitors. Years 7-8, £19,119 (day), £28,823 (three-night boarding), £32,079 (weekly boarding) and £33,681 (full boarding) per annum. Years 9-13, £22,239 (day), £32,992 (three-night boarding), £37,926 (weekly boarding) and £41,301 (full boarding).

There are plenty of scholarships and bursaries to apply for including support for seafarers (discounts and bursaries to first generation seafaring families) and the incredible De Neumann Scholarship, a means-tested scholarship, of up to 100% of the day fee, to a child from either Essex or Suffolk who is seeking to study mathematics and/or further mathematics at A Level that is awarded every two years. Other awards include Academic Awards for Years 7, 9 and 12 and Co-Curricular Awards (Music, Sailing, Creativity, Drama and Sports).

WORD ON THE GROUND

Pupils I met were polite and enthusiastic about the school. A couple I know who send their child there (sporty, loves it) say parents tend to get involved with the school, showing up for all the Divisions etc. I’ve heard it’s sometimes the parents who are in tears on leaving day.

THE MUDDY VERDICT:

Good for: An all-round education that’s likely to instil confidence but not pretension or snobbery. If you’ve got a super-sporty child, the facilities and choices are fantastic, ditto music and art and plenty of bragging points for those expansive grounds.

It feels inclusive and reasonably diverse, with pupils from more than 30 countries enrolled. I’m impressed with the alumni programme – pupils are nurtured and supported long after they leave.

Not for: If you don’t dig the military links, or you’re looking for a small, intimate school, this might not be for you. And if you’re seeking single-sex education before sixth form, it’s a pass.

Dare to disagree?!

Check out the school for yourself at one of the forthcoming events. More details here.

The school was rated excellent in all nine key areas of its most recent ISI inspection.

Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, Ipswich, Suffolk IP9 2RX.

Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, Suffolk

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