Sutton Valence School
An Independent Co-educational Day School for ages 3 - 18, Boarding from 11 to 18, 520+ pupils, County of Kent
About the School
Pupils have been inspired by the beautiful surroundings of Sutton Valence School since 1576. Sutton Valence pupils flourish in a positive learning environment that combines a traditional setting with cutting edge teaching techniques and technologies. Pupils from overseas are welcomed to Sutton Valence and currently comprise approximately 12% of the school roll. The school has a flexible curriculum which gives pupils in the early years the opportunity to experience a broad range of academic subjects. Class sizes are small with an overall pupil/staff ratio of 10:1, which enables pupils to benefit from the close guidance and individual attention of their the recent successful additions of twenty-first century facilities for ICT, Languages, Science and Design Technology.
Admissions
Where the school have vacancies, boys and girls are accepted at any stage of the school, having successfully sat the appropriate entry tests. Overseas pupils should register in the usual way and can take our entrance examination in their own country, usually at their existing school.
English as an Additional Language
Pupils from overseas are welcomed at Sutton Valence and currently comprise approximately 12% of the school roll. Overseas pupils are required to pass an entrance exam in English before they are accepted at the school. In their first week they are assessed again. This assessment will then determine the number and frequency of lessons thereafter. Sixth Form pupils receive two EAL lessons per week with extra tuition if required. All lessons are within the main timetable. They are taught by native EAL qualified teachers who also have a strong pastoral commitment to the overseas pupils. The EAL Department aims to enable EAL pupils to participate fully in the mainstream programme and to sit external Cambridge exams at the appropriate level. In addition to the Cambridge exams, pupils are able to take the IGCSE ESL exam in School and those wishing to attend a British university will be prepared for the IELTS exam, which is required by universities as proof of competence to study in English. Currently, two lessons per week are free, unless the pupil is taken out of a mainstream curricular subject in which case the free lessons are increased to the number of lessons missed. Additional EAL lessons are charged at £15.00 per hour. The school policy is one of full integration and overseas pupils enjoy all the opportunities and facilities available to native pupils. Non-native speakers in the Sixth Form will be prepared and entered for the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam and the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) ESL (English as a Second Language) exam.
Sport
Sutton Valence has built a proud sporting reputation and in recent years has produced male and female junior internationalists in hockey, rugby, biathlete, canoeing and fly fishing and an Olympic hockey player in Ashley Jackson. Furthermore, Sutton Valence School is fortunate to possess state of the art sports facilities including Astroturf hockey pitches, an indoor sports centre, a new indoor swimming pool, extensive playing fields, an enviable cricket ground and this year, a new athletics track.
Music
Sutton Valence offers a rich, wide musical life, both for the talented musician and for the less able enthusiast. Every week there are over 160 individual instrumental lessons in brass, wind, string, drums, piano, organ, guitar and singing, which are delivered by talented visiting music staff. The Music department also work very closely with the drama department in putting on musicals. Over the past few years Sutton Valence pupils have successfully performed Little Shop of Horrors, Oliver and Cabaret.
Drama
The guiding idea at Sutton Valence is to get students involved in every aspect of theatre from operating sound, to designing lighting, selecting costumes, applying makeup, watching performances and, of course, acting at every opportunity. Drama at Sutton Valence has certainly gone up a gear since the opening of the Baughan Theatre. The 230 seat theatre was opened by Judi Dench in October 2007. Since then it has seen numerous exciting productions from Grease to The Importance of Being Earnest. Theatre trips are a regular feature. Sutton Valence School offers both GCSE Drama (AQA) and A level Theatre Studies (Edexcel). The focus in both exams is practical drama, although there is a written component at both GCSE and A level.
Location
By air – Gatwick International 45 minute’s drive, London Heathrow 90 minutes drive. By rail – Headcorn to London – 1 hour, Eurotunnel terminal is 45 minutes away.
Visit the Sutton Valence School website.
