Help children reach their full potential
We provide a stable, safe, 'home-from-home' environment where children love to learn. Our experienced teaching staff and dedicated pastoral team, support children to ensure they feel confident to take on any challenge they might face, be it academic, social or emotional.
You will see from the case studies below that boarding can be a lifeline for many families.
There are several ways in which you can support our children: by sponsoring a child, leaving a legacy in your will or donating to our annual fund or a major project.
Any support you can provide to help us to continue to deliver this lifeline would be greatly appreciated.
SPONSOR A CHILD
You can directly sponsor a child by giving monthly or annual donations. You will receive regular updates on the child you support.
Or, you can pay for a child's music or riding lessons for a school year.
Regular donors will be invited to join the Court of Governors.
HOW IT WORKS
This scheme is suitable for donors who want to directly improve the life of an individual child. If you would like to know more then please call us on 01737 649129 or email Connie Engelbrecht connieengelbrecht@gatton-park.org.uk
TYLER
Year 8
Team Captain
Loves football and Maths
Tyler joined us in Year 7. He lives in a council flat with his mother and severely autistic brother who can be violent. Mother was having difficulty coping due to her depression and anxiety. This meant that Tyler rarely left his home and he had become a carer for his mother and brother.
Tyler’s place is funded by two charities and the School’s Foundation. He loves boarding and has a wide circle of friends.
LEAVE A LEGACY
You don't have to leave the School a fortune to make a real difference. Smaller gifts have helped us provide bursaries, musical instruments, and better facilities across the School. In the past, legacies have contributed towards the development of new science labs and sports facilities.
HOW IT WORKS
If you decide to leave a legacy in your Will, it needs to be legally drawn up, and correctly witnessed. If you would like to know more about Legacies, then please call us on 01737 649168 or email Connie Engelbrecht connieengelbrecht@gatton-park.org.uk
JOANNA
Year 13
Good ‘All rounder’
Loves Boxercise
Joanna joined the school in Year 9 following. Her mother had recently been imprisoned and her father, who was having difficulty coping, had become dependent on alcohol.
Joanna remained at the school for the Sixth Form and is hoping to go to university to study History and Anthropology. Her Head of House has called her a ‘fine role model’.
Initially Joanna’s father was able to contribute towards the boarding charges, but he needed assistance from the Foundation and other charities when Joanna was in the Sixth Form.
SUPPORT OUR ANNUAL FUND
Over the years, parents and friends have been wonderfully generous in their support of our Annual Fund. We are currently raising money towards a play area for junior boarders that will cost £5,000. Each project has been carefully chosen because it supports each pupil in becoming an individual; curious, skilled, aware, creative, pro-active, passionate, resilient, assured.
HOW IT WORKS
This scheme is suitable for individuals and organisations who want to contribute to the School as a whole. If you would like to know more then please call us on 01737 649168 or email Connie Engelbrecht connieengelbrecht@gatton-park.org.uk
GEORGE
Year 11, Flexi Boarder
House Prefect
Loves cycling and Geography
George joined the school as a Flexi Boarder in Year 7. He lives with his mother and baby sister a few miles from the school. Mother has depression and epilepsy which causes frequent fits so George has become a carer for her and his little sister.
The issues at home greatly affected George’s ability to focus on his studies and this affected his performance at school. George was able to board full-time at the school in the terms before and during his GCSE exams.
SUPPORT A MAJOR PROJECT
Each year we have an ambitious plan to fund improvements to the school which would not normally be possible under the school's funding formula. Because we are a state school, our budget is limited and tightly controlled. When you contribute to one of our projects, you are directly adding resources and facilities that could not be provided for in any other way.
HOW IT WORKS
With increasing pressure on school funding, the Foundation's goal is to provide both a mechanism for community engagement with our schools and a funding stream for innovative programs and student enrichment which might otherwise fall to budget cuts. If you would like to learn more about the major projects and get Involved as a supporter or a member, then please call us on 01737 649168 or email Connie Engelbrecht connieengelbrecht@gatton-park.org.uk
MARIA
Year 6
On the House Committee
Loves Art and trips
Maria lives with her mother who has poor mental health and issues with alcohol. Grandmother lives nearby and helps out when she can, but she is frail and can’t provide as much help as Maria needs.
Social services classified Maria as a Child in Need. They supported the application for Maria to come into boarding and they provide funding for 33% of the boarding charges. The remaining funds are provided by the Foundation and the Reedham Trust.
Maria was admitted to Year 4 when she was 8 years old and she has needed a lot of support in boarding.
The Royal Alexandra & Albert School
The school can trace its origins back to 1758 when a group of city gentlemen met and decided to collect up enough money to create a boarding school for twenty orphan boys. This opened in 1760 and twenty girls joined the School a couple of years later.
Gatton Park with its three lakes, serpentine and 260 acres of parkland provides the ideal setting for our school. Our purpose-built classrooms provide first class facilities for study. Purpose-build boarding houses provide comfortable, modern accommodation for Primary, Lower Secondary, and upper Secondary pupils.
Predominantly a boarding school, we provide continuity of education from seven to eighteen years. Unusually, we are able to provide the very best of boarding education at reasonable fees. As a state school, we are only able to admit children who are UK citizens or have the right to reside in the UK.
Aged 7-18
1120 pupils
480 boarders
102 funded
Provide a safe place to learn
Offer multiple extra curricular activities
Give children a great start in life
Foster happy, confident individuals