Cumnor House School
School Profile
'We believe we are a leading school because you could read about how good we are; you could talk to any past or present pupil or parent; but we think you should come and see for yourself. Outstanding is as outstanding does.'
The British preparatory school is a phenomenon unmatched anywhere in the world. At the best of them, children from the start of education to the age of thirteen enjoy a thrilling and absorbing journey of new experiences and fresh knowledge that will stay with them for their entire lives.
At Cumnor House we seek to educate children in the fullest sense. We aim for academic excellence, certainly. Indeed, we expect our children to set themselves high standards in everything they undertake. But there is so much more. We are privileged, through our excellent facilities, to be able to expose them to a wealth of opportunities that will allow them to discover their talents and tastes. They will form friendships and begin to understand the intricacies of human relationships. And they will make mistakes and learn from them in a secure and supportive environment.
Cumnor is one of the best equipped schools of its kind. 62 acres of grounds contain a campus built on a child's scale containing copious classrooms, science and computer laboratories, a design technology centre, an art studio, a music school, three theatres (one open air), a 25m indoor pool, outdoor pool, sports' hall, four tennis courts, umpteen sports pitches and a small astro.
To call ourselves an extended family is too glib. Like a family we make a commitment to every child, regardless of their strengths and weaknesses. But school introduces them to the wider world: a rehearsal, if you like, for adult life. We are not an education factory, a processing plant producing the "typical" Cumnor end product. If our children's personalities are diverse when they first come to us, we hope they will be doubly so when they leave.
In the pages that follow you will gain a snapshot of life at Cumnor. But it can never be more than that. So we hope you will want to come and see us, and discover for yourself what we mean by education.
We aim to do well for many different kinds of children, so that all will be encouraged to develop to the limit of their potential; and we believe that this cannot be achieved unless they feel happy and secure in a friendly and supportive environment. Our teachers are interested not just in the teaching of their own subjects but in the overall development of their pupils, and this intimate concern is made possible by the size of the school and of the classes.
We appreciate and encourage individuality, and are anxious not to turn out a type; we try to give equal praise and equal opportunity for every sort of achievement, whether academic, sporting, musical, artistic, dramatic or any other, so that all the children can achieve success and self-respect and learn to aim for excellence.
Cumnor is built on a homely and familial scale. We try to avoid an institutional character, believing that it is no bad thing for children to be surrounded by good furniture, fresh paint, flowers, attractive pictures, and log fires in winter.
We are a Christian school, though we welcome other faiths. The day starts with prayers, and the boarders and local families are welcomed to Mattins in the Barn every other Sunday. All children become familiar with the Bible stories in their Religious Studies lessons.
In general we set the greatest store on the achievement of happy relations among the staff, between adults and children, and between the children themselves, feeling that most other good things spring from it. During their time at Cumnor, we want to help children learn the invaluable lessons of community life: unselfishness, courage, thoughtfulness, and the good manners that they produce. We want them to be able to think for themselves, and to set themselves high standards in everything they do.
We send children to, on average, twenty different Public Schools each year, locally and nationally - among recent choices have been: Benenden, Brighton College, Bryanston, Charterhouse, Cranleigh, Downe House, Eastbourne, Eton, Harrow, Hurstpierpoint, King's Canterbury, Lancing, Marlborough, Radley, Roedean, Stowe, St Leonards', Tonbridge, Winchester, Wellington, Woldingham, Worth and Wycombe Abbey.
A number of academic, musical, artistic and sporting awards are won each year: in 2006, 15 awards and in 2007, 12 awards from final year groups of 35 and 33 respectively. All children will pass Common Entrance into their first choice schools.
Creative Arts
We value our reputation for Art, Music and Drama, which we regard as central, not peripheral, aspects of the education we offer.
All children are taught to write beautifully and to regard careful presentation as an integral part of their work. By the time they leave Cumnor, most of them have developed a fine italic hand. In their English lessons they are encouraged to express themselves imaginatively and coherently, and to experiment with words even if they are not sure how to spell them.
Art
Each child learns Art, Home Economics, Pottery, and Design and Technology. Children may use the Art room in their free time and are encouraged to experiment with a wide variety of media. Regular exhibitions of children's art and handwork are held throughout the year. Many children have won art scholarships or prizes in national art competitions.
Drama
Drama is an important part of school life, and almost every child becomes involved, whether as actor, electrician, stage hand or prompter. Plays and musicals are produced in the Barn throughout the year, and every summer since 1941 an Elizabethan play has been produced in our open-air theatre.
Recent productions:
1986 Henry V
1987 The Tempest
1988 A Midsummer Night's Dream
1989 As You Like It
1990 Richard II
1991 Twelfth Night
1992 Macbeth
1993 The Tempest
1994 A Midsummer Night's Dream
1995 Much Ado About Nothing
1996 The Old Wives Tale
1997 Twelfth Night
1998 The Two Gentlemen of Verona
1999 A Midsummer Night's Dream
2000 Macbeth
2001 The Taming of the Shrew
2002 Twelfth Night
2003 Much Ado About Nothing
2004 As You Like It
2005 Richard II
2006 A Midsummer Night's Dream
2007 The Merchant of Venice
2008 The Taming of the Shrew
The School is fortunate to have the Barn Theatre, built in 1980, for small scale productions, exhibitions and concerts. 2008 will see the opening of our new 380 seat theatre and we will appoint a Director of Drama to oversee a greatly expanded drama provision throughout the School.
Music
Music is greatly encouraged at Cumnor. All children have the chance to learn a musical instrument, play in ensembles, sing in choirs and perform in musicals. Tuition on individual instruments is provided by 20 experienced peripatetic staff and the choice ranges from traditional orchestral instruments through to saxophone, drum-kit, guitar and bagpipes.
As soon as children have a basic knowledge of an instrument they are encouraged to play in Junior String Orchestra, Junior Brass Group or Junior Wind Band with their friends. From here they proceed to 1st Orchestra and Senior Wind Band, and the more advanced players will also play in Senior String Ensemble and Senior Brass Group.
Solo and group performances occur in Prayers on a regular basis, at Parents' days and at informal Coffee Concerts twice a term. There is an annual House Music Competition which usually attracts about 200 entries. This culminates in a Finals afternoon with an outside adjudicator, where all solo performances happen in front of the whole school. Each house also produces a house orchestra, and the entire house sings together as a choir, fostering great team spirit.
The two musical highlights of the year are the Spring Concert, a formal event in which Year 8 soloists perform along with all the Senior Ensembles, and the Orchestral Trip. Each summer the 1st Orchestra goes abroad for a week's intensive playing and fun, culminating in a concert in a local church or cathedral for both parents and French neighbours.
Although the philosophy behind the music department is to encourage all children to participate in music making, excellence is still striven for and at any one time we have several children in the school playing at Grade 6/7/8 standard and five or more playing in the National Children's Orchestra.
Sport
We take games seriously, and are anxious for all children, not just the naturally gifted, to make the most of their ability. We feel that team games, besides developing children's sporting skills, courage and good health, should also be a source of companionship, team spirit and good fun. Games are played every day, and on most Wednesdays and Saturdays up to 14 teams will be playing in school matches. They aim to win, and expert coaching is given at all levels to this end. But above all we encourage good sportsmanship, both in victory and defeat, rather than the rather less attractive manifestations of over-competitiveness.
It is policy that all children have the opportunity to represent the School in matches during Years 4 and 5, with teams subject to rotational selection. From Year 6 onwards the teams are selected on a competitive basis. Parents are not just welcome to attend all matches, they are positively encouraged to do so - and to enjoy 'match tea' afterwards.
The boys' team games are football in the autumn term, rugby in the spring term and cricket in the summer. Girls play netball and hockey in the winter terms and rounders in the summer. Tennis and Athletics take place in the summer term and all children swim in our brand new 25m indoor pool at least once a week throughout the year.
We are well equipped for wet weather, as our large Sports Hall is ideal for soccer, tennis, hockey, basketball and gymnastics; it has indoor cricket nets and three badminton courts.
We take pride in a good record of sporting success for boys and girls alike. Pupils in Years 7 & 8 have the opportunity to take part in a sporting tour abroad (our last trip was with 24 children to South Africa during the Easter holidays in 2007).
Pre-Preparatory Department
The Pre-Preparatory department caters for children from the ages of 4 to 7 with two parallel classes in each of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. We provide the children with a broad and balanced curriculum including weekly music, ICT, French, PE, games and swimming lessons.
The children have daily numeracy and literacy sessions which provide a solid foundation and these also provide essential preparation for entry into the Main School in Year 3. We use a combination of methods to teach reading, writing and spelling, including the Jolly Phonics programme. Through daily practice of mathematical games and activities we aim to teach the children to be confident with numbers.
School Criteria
Independent private co-educational day/boarding school in East Sussex, England. 4 to 13, 360+ pupils
ISN Rankings
School Address
Cumnor House School
Danehill
Haywards Heath
East Sussex
RH17 7HT
England
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