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School Facilities
The main school buildings were designed by David Stokes, RIBA. Between 1989 and 1996 a new chapel, arts centre and Junior House, designed by Richard Hazle, RIBA, were added, much of the original building remodelled and a passenger lift installed near the main entrance to enable pupils with mobility problems to have access to all floors in the main school.
The main block is on four floors in the form of a square. On the ground floor, the gymnasium and a large sixth-form study room are surrounded by classrooms, swimming pool, changing rooms, multigym, individual tuition rooms and the staff common-room.
On the first floor are the sixth-form common room, classrooms and a computer laboratory. The normal teaching rooms are on the second floor and on the third floor there are ten science laboratories, completely refitted to provide more accessible bench space, which are ideal for teaching and supervising pupils working individually or in groups.
Covered bridges join the first and second floors to the house block where the housemasters' rooms and the six house rooms, one for each house, are located. The house rooms are used as dining rooms, each having its own servery, with lifts to the kitchens on the lower ground floor.
To the south of the other two blocks is the Chapel and a block housing the technology rooms, which includes the main computer laboratory, two other computer laboratories, the careers room and the library. Between this and the enclosed swimming pool lies a landscaped courtyard and a wide covered way. The swimming pool has facilities for diving and sub-aqua swimming.
The main entrance is at the north east corner of the main block and it leads also to the administrative rooms. The school is fortunate in having many fine trees and in being able to keep these while also having a good play area marked for ball games and tennis courts. Recently an area of astro turf has been laid in conjunction with three fold away cricket nets.
The Junior House has been built adjacent to the Arts Centre, having direct access to it as well as to the facilities in the main school. There are four classrooms, ten air conditioned music practice rooms, a large choir room, a passenger lift, giving access for disabled pupils to the Arts Centre as well as the Junior House, and a recreation area. |
