Tavistock and Summerhill School
Encyclopedia
Tavistock and Summerhill School, located near Haywards Heath
, West Sussex
is an independent school for girls and boys (in the age range: 2 - 13) established in 1973 following the merger of Tavistock Hall and Summerhill Court. The school was saved from closure at the end of Summer Term 2011 by a very supportive determined group of parents who formed the Tavistock Action Group (TAG).
The Headteacher is Mrs S. Janman and the Bursar
Mr A. Friend. The school does not offer flexi-boarding and the method of entry is via interview. The religious affiliation is non-denominational.
in Year 6. The school performs well and has a very good results record. After the SATS
in Year 6, the pupils then have to prepare for Common Entrance
exams at the end of Year 8. Many of the pupils go for scholarships to other private schools at the end of Year 6 or 8.
, netball
, hockey
, rounders
, cricket
, gymnastics
, athletics, tennis
and swimming
in a pool on-site. All pupils have the opportunity to represent the school against a wide variety of local schools. During term time there are several house competitions and in the summer term there is a sports day and a house swimming gala. The school has number of pupils who have represented their sport at an elite level, including winners of national athletic medals.
which performs regularly to both local audiences as well as concerts at school and annually at the The O2 Arena (London)
. There is an informal concert held every year, a Christmas carol service held at a nearby church and a summer concert held in the walled garden.
Every year the school puts on dramatic productions and musicals with different year groups taking part in different productions. Everyone who wants to take part is welcome and is encouraged to participate.
At the end of each term there is a prize giving ceremony where prizes (shields, cups and certificates) are handed out to both pupils and houses. The main ceremony is the Summer Prize Giving Ceremony which is held at nearby Clair Hall. In 2010 Chris Bradford
, the author of the Young Samurai
series presented the awards.
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
is an independent school for girls and boys (in the age range: 2 - 13) established in 1973 following the merger of Tavistock Hall and Summerhill Court. The school was saved from closure at the end of Summer Term 2011 by a very supportive determined group of parents who formed the Tavistock Action Group (TAG).
The Headteacher is Mrs S. Janman and the Bursar
Bursar
A bursar is a senior professional financial administrator in a school or university.Billing of student tuition accounts are the responsibility of the Office of the Bursar. This involves sending bills and making payment plans with the ultimate goal of getting the student accounts paid off...
Mr A. Friend. The school does not offer flexi-boarding and the method of entry is via interview. The religious affiliation is non-denominational.
Nursery
The school's nursery is situated in the walled garden. The staff lead the children through their first steps away from home through a range of play and structured experiences. Children in the nursery are offered quite a flexible timetable. Some pupils go every day for the whole day, whereas some only go certain mornings. It varies per child.Pre-prep department (PPD)
The pre-prep department (referred to as the PPD) has small classes and takes children through reception class and through years 1 and 2.The prep school
The prep school starts in Year 3 when the specialist teaching in core subjects begins. Pupils begin work for their SATSSATS
SATS may refer to:*South African Theological Seminary*Singapore Airport Terminal Services*Small Aircraft Transportation System*Stansted Airport Transit System*The National Curriculum assessment in the UK at ages 11 and 14....
in Year 6. The school performs well and has a very good results record. After the SATS
SATS
SATS may refer to:*South African Theological Seminary*Singapore Airport Terminal Services*Small Aircraft Transportation System*Stansted Airport Transit System*The National Curriculum assessment in the UK at ages 11 and 14....
in Year 6, the pupils then have to prepare for Common Entrance
Common Entrance
Common Entrance Examinations are taken by some children in the UK as part of the admissions process for academically selective secondary schools at age 13 or 11. Most of the secondary schools that use Common Entrance for admission are public schools; most of the schools that routinely prepare...
exams at the end of Year 8. Many of the pupils go for scholarships to other private schools at the end of Year 6 or 8.
Sports
Tavistock and Summerhill offers many sports including: football, rugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, rounders
Rounders
Rounders is a game played between two teams of either gender. The game originated in England where it was played in Tudor times. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a round wooden, plastic or metal bat. The players score by...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, athletics, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
in a pool on-site. All pupils have the opportunity to represent the school against a wide variety of local schools. During term time there are several house competitions and in the summer term there is a sports day and a house swimming gala. The school has number of pupils who have represented their sport at an elite level, including winners of national athletic medals.
Music and the performing arts
Tavistock and Summerhill offers music lessons to all pupils from reception to year 8. All pupils learn to play the recorder during lessons from year 2 to year 5 and many pupils have individual instrumental lessons. They have a choirChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
which performs regularly to both local audiences as well as concerts at school and annually at the The O2 Arena (London)
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
. There is an informal concert held every year, a Christmas carol service held at a nearby church and a summer concert held in the walled garden.
Every year the school puts on dramatic productions and musicals with different year groups taking part in different productions. Everyone who wants to take part is welcome and is encouraged to participate.
Extra curricular activities
The school has a number of clubs held both during lunchtimes and after school. Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club run a football club on a Thursday.Houses and award ceremonies
Pupils in years 3-8 are put into houses. These houses have competitions every term throughout the year, including House Cricket, House Football, House Swimming, Sports Day etc. The four houses are:- Belverdere (light blue tie)
- Court (red tie)
- Field (dark green tie)
- Gregory (gold tie)
At the end of each term there is a prize giving ceremony where prizes (shields, cups and certificates) are handed out to both pupils and houses. The main ceremony is the Summer Prize Giving Ceremony which is held at nearby Clair Hall. In 2010 Chris Bradford
Chris Bradford
Chris Bradford is an author, professional musician and black belt martial artist, best known for his children's fictional series, Young Samurai.The first Young Samurai book, The Way of the Warrior, was published by Puffin Books in 2008...
, the author of the Young Samurai
Young Samurai
Young Samurai is a series of action-adventure stories written by Chris Bradford. It is set in 17th century Japan following the exploits of an English boy, Jack Fletcher, as he strives to be the first gaijin samurai....
series presented the awards.