Frensham Heights School is an independent school and

sixth form college A sixth form college is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A Levels, Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the International Baccalaureate Di ...

located near

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

, Surrey, England, run by the registered charity, Frensham Heights Educational Trust Ltd. It was founded in 1925 and formed as part of the movement for

progressive education Progressive education, or protractivism, is a pedagogical movement that began in the late 19th century and has persisted in various forms to the present. In Europe, progressive education took the form of the New Education Movement. The term ''pro ...

. Unlike many HMC member schools, it has been coeducational and took both day and boarding pupils since its foundation.

Foundation and location

The school was founded by Edith Douglas-Hamilton and established under joint headmistresses,

Beatrice Ensor Beatrice Ensor (11 August 1885 – 1974) was an English theosophical educationist, pedagogue, co-founder of the New Education Fellowship (later World Education Fellowship) and editor of the journal ''Education for the New Era''. Early years ...

and Isabel King. It became firmly established under the headmastership of Paul Roberts (1928–1949) and was recognised as efficient by the Ministry of Education in 1935. Based at a mock-Tudor mansion, built by the brewer

Charles Charrington Charles Charrington Martin (1854 – 1926), often known as Charles Charrington, but at times as Charles Martin, was a British actor and barrister. Charrington studied law at the University of Cambridge, and became a barrister. He also worked ...

in 1902, and in its estate, the school is on a hill from the centre of

but is actually in the village of

Frensham Frensham is a village in Surrey, England, next to the A287 road, WSW of Guildford, the county town. Frensham lies on the right bank of the River Wey (south branch), only navigable to canoes, shortly before its convergence with the north bran ...

. Its grounds run into

Rowledge __NOTOC__ Rowledge is a village in England on the Surrey–Hampshire border, centred south of the A31 and Farnham. Neighbouring villages include Wrecclesham, Spreakley and Frensham. To the south west of the village is the Alice Holt Forest; ...

The headmaster

The current head is Rick Clarke, who replaced the previous head, Andrew Fisher, in 2019. Prior to becoming headmaster of Frensham Heights, Clarke was deputy head at Warminster.

Facilities

The school now has a fully functioning music centre including the Sixth Form Centre. The Aldridge Theatre is the Frensham venue for drama activities, with external theatre companies sometimes performing there. The school also has a Photography Suite, Sports Hall, Dance Studio and 'Outdoor Education' facilities. It also has a sixth form centre for both day and boarding students, it is slightly separated from the rest of the school in order for the school to compete with other colleges.

Sport

Despite being a somewhat small school, Frensham Heights hosts several sports teams in various fields of sport and played at all age ranges. These include common sports such as Rugby, football, hockey, basketball, netball and cricket. Taking part in sport each week is compulsory until year 13 when students can opt to use the time usually allocated to sport for extra revision and study, although this is only allowed if a student attends a sport ECA. Although not being renowned for its sport, the under 16 boys' football team has reached the quarter final of the ISFA cup, a national trophy for small independent schools. Between year 7 and year 11, there are two sessions of sport each week, while only one for the sixth form. From year 9 upwards, students can choose which sport to do each term with options being archery, football, badminton, hockey and golf, as well as swimming, tennis and rounders during the summer. Prior to year 9, students partake in sports including rugby, basketball, hockey and football and athletics, rounders and swimming in the summer term but have no choice over which activity occurs at any point.

Outdoor education

As a subsidiary to sport, outdoor education (or simply 'outdoor-ed') is compulsory for all students between year 7 and year 11. Different from sport in that it does not stress athletic qualities, instead it encourages teamwork, co-operation, individual courage and leadership, ideals which reflect the school's ethos. Outdoor ed typically involves team-building activities in the woods including activities such as climbing 'Jacob's Ladder' and a high ropes challenge near the Sports Hall. The school runs regular Outdoor Education trips to places such as a climbing trip to Dartmoor and to Harrison's Rocks in Kent. The school also runs the Duke of Edinburgh award at all levels. The school has recently introduced weekly

Forest Schools Forest school is an outdoor education delivery model in which students visit natural spaces to learn personal, social and technical skills. It has been defined as "an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular o ...

sessions for all pupils in the First School; Nursery to Year Three.

Notable alumni

Ex-pupils ( Old Frenshamians) include: *

Kay Alexander Kay Alexander (born 4 June 1950) is a retired British regional BBC television newsreader, best known for presenting ''Midlands Today''. Early life Alexander was born and brought up in Aldershot in Hampshire. Her mother was a doctor and her ...

, journalist and television presenter * Myrtle Allen, Michelin star winning head chef and co-owner of the restaurant The Yeats Room of Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry, County Cork. *

Nikki Amuka-Bird Nikki Amuka-Bird (born 27 February 1976) is a Nigerian-born British actress of the stage, television, and film. Early life Amuka-Bird was born in Delta State, Nigeria, where her father still lives. She left there as a young child with her mo ...

, actress *

David Berglas David Berglas (born 30 July 1926) is a British magician and mentalist of German-Jewish descent. His secret technique of locating a particular card within a pack has been described as the Holy Grail of card magic. He was one of the first magicia ...

, Pre-eminent psychological illusionist, President of The Magic Circle (1989–1998). *

Hugo Blick Hugo Edgar Maxwell Blick (born 7 December 1964) is a British filmmaker and actor. He has his own production company, called Eight Rooks. Early life Hugo Blick studied in Cardiff at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Career He ha ...

, writer, producer, director, and occasional actor * Edward Davenport, fraudster *

Jack Dee James Andrew Innes Dee (born 24 September 1961), known professionally as Jack Dee, is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter and writer known for his sarcasm, irony and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom ''Lead Balloon'' ...

, comedian *

Mark Frankel Mark David Frankel (13 June 1962 – 24 September 1996) was a British actor, known for his leading roles in the British film ''Leon the Pig Farmer'' and the American TV series '' Kindred: The Embraced''. Early life Frankel was born on 13 June ...

, actor *

Clive Gillinson Sir Clive Daniel Gillinson, CBE (born 7 March 1946) is a British cellist and arts administrator. He is best known for his long tenure as the Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra and his current position as Executive and Artistic D ...

, director,

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

Jamie Glover Jamie Blair Glover (born 10 July 1969) is an English actor. He is best known for being cast as Harry Potter in the second cast of the West-End production of ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' in 2017. He portrayed Deputy Head Andrew Treneman ...

, actor *

Domino Harvey Domino Harvey (7 August 1969 – 27 June 2005) was a bounty hunter in the United States. She came from a well-to-do background, being the daughter of noted actor Laurence Harvey and fashion model Paulene Stone. Harvey's fame was increased ...

, bounty hunter *

Wolfgang Hildesheimer Wolfgang Hildesheimer (9 December 1916 – 21 August 1991) was a German author who incorporated the Theatre of the Absurd. He originally trained as an artist, before turning to writing. Biography Hildesheimer was born of Jewish parents in Hambu ...

, author and painter *

Will Hodgkinson Will Hodgkinson is a journalist and author from London (born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne), England. He is the chief rock and pop critic for ''The Times'' newspaper and contributes to ''Mojo'' magazine. He has written for ''The Guardian'', ''The Indepen ...

, writer *

Charlotte Hough Charlotte Hough (24 May 1924 – 31 December 2008) was a British author of over thirty illustrated children's books. Early life Helen Charlotte Woodyatt (or Woodyadd) was born in Brockenhurst, Hampshire. Her father was a doctor in his fifties. ...

(née Woodyadd), author and illustrator *

Richard Hough Richard Alexander Hough (; 15 May 1922 – 7 October 1999) was a British author and historian specializing in maritime history. Personal life Hough married the author Charlotte Woodyatt, whom he had met when they were pupils at Frensham Heigh ...

, author and historian *

Rufus Hound Rufus Hound (born Robert James Blair Simpson 6 March 1979) is an English actor, comedian and presenter. Early life Hound was born on 6 March 1979, in Essex and moved to Surrey at the age of seven. He was educated at Hoe Bridge School Woking ...

, comedian * James Irvine, designer * Tony Knowland, professor *Sir

Thomas Legg Sir Thomas Stuart Legg (born 13 August 1935) is a British former senior civil servant, who was Permanent Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, United Kingdom (1989–98). Biography Born in London in ...

, civil servant *

Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation in ...

, drummer,

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

Tobias Menzies Tobias Simpson Menzies (born 7 March 1974) is an English stage, television and film actor. He is known for playing Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix's series ''The Crown'', for which he won the Primetime ...

, actor * Crispin Mills, musician *

Hattie Morahan Harriet Jane Morahan (born 7 October 1978) is an English actress. Her roles include Sister Clara in The Golden Compass (film), ''The Golden Compass'' (2007), Gale Benson in ''The Bank Job'' (2008), Alice in ''The Bletchley Circle'' (2012–2014 ...

, actress *Lord

Claus Moser Claus Adolf Moser, Baron Moser, (24 November 1922 – 4 September 2015) was a British statistician who made major contributions in both academia and the Civil Service. He prided himself rather on being a non-mathematical statistician, and said t ...

, came to the school as a refugee from Germany * Carl Ng, actor *

Rex Orange County Alexander James O'Connor (born 4 May 1998), known professionally as Rex Orange County, is an English singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. O'Connor rose to prominence in 2017 following multiple features on Tyler, the Creator's Grammy-n ...

, musician *

Bill Pertwee William Desmond Anthony Pertwee, (21 July 1926 – 27 May 2013) was a British comedy actor. He played the role of Chief ARP Warden Hodges in the sitcom '' Dad's Army''. Early life Pertwee was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on 21 July 192 ...

, actor, best known for his role as the greengrocer and warden Mr. Hodges in

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...

and cousin to

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...

, actor who played the third Doctor in

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

Wolf Rilla Wolf Peter Rilla (16 March 1920 – 19 October 2005) was a film director and writer of German background, although he worked mainly in the United Kingdom. Rilla is known for directing '' Village of the Damned'' (1960). He wrote many books for stu ...

, film director * Sam Roddick, businesswoman *

Su Rogers Susan Jane Rogers ( Brumwell; born 22 February 1939) is a British designer and educator. She was a co-founder and partner during the 1960s and 1970s in two architectural practices Team 4 and Richard + Su Rogers. From 1986 to 2011, she was a pa ...

, architect *

Valerie Singleton Valerie Singleton (born 9 April 1937) is an English television and radio presenter best known as a regular presenter of the popular children's series ''Blue Peter'' from 1962 to 1972. She also presented the BBC Radio 4 '' PM'' programme for t ...

, television presenter * Henry Smith,MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT IN MAIDENBOWER, CRAWLEY, WEST SUSSEX
. Publisher: TheArgus.co.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2014. Member of Parliament for

Crawley Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of th ...

(2010–) *

Jim Sturgess James Anthony Sturgess''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 16 May 1978) is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His first major role was as Jude in the musical romance drama film ''Acros ...

, actor * Ryan Wilson, Scottish international rugby union player * Louis Klamroth, television presenter and journalist

References

External links

School WebsiteProfile
on the

ISC #REDIRECT ISC {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...

website {{Waverley Boarding schools in Surrey Independent schools in Surrey Educational institutions established in 1925 Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference 1925 establishments in England Sixth form colleges in Surrey