Sevenoaks School is a highly selective coeducational

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. It is the second oldest non-denominational school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432, only behind

Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483 and A495 roads. The town was the administrative headquarters of the Borough of ...

(1407). Over 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of boys and girls. In 2006 it became the first major UK school to switch entirely from A level exams to the International Baccalaureate. The school is a former member of the G20 Schools group. Sevenoaks School is among several leading UK schools that now charge annual boarding fees in excess of £42,000, making it one of the most expensive schools in the country. It is a registered charity.

Academic

(I)GCSE results: In 2015 over 94% of the GCSE, IGCSE and Sevenoaks School Certificate examinations taken by the 152 candidates were awarded A* or A grades. Over a third of the year-group gained ten A*s or more each, and 131 students gained 9 or more A* or A grades. All but seventeen results out of 1580 examinations were grade B or above. In Years 10 and 11, all students pursue the school's own certificated and UCAS-approved qualification in English Literature. IB results: In 2015 the average IB Diploma score at Sevenoaks School was 39.2 points (ten points above the world average). Thirteen students achieved the maximum 45 points, with 19 securing 44 points and another 22 securing 43 points. In 2017, the average IB score reached 40.6, with 24 students achieving 45 points. In 2019, the IB average score was 39.4, while 87% of pupils scored A*-A for their GCSEs.

Facilities

Three buildings were constructed for the school prior to the 20th century – Old School (formerly School House, which was built with the Almshouses in the early 18th century in the Palladian style and designed by Lord Burlington), the old Assembly Hall (1890) now part of the Swanzy Block, and the Cottage Block (late 19th century). Additional early buildings, previously private houses, include Park Grange (mid-19th century), Girls International House (c1700), Claridge House (18th century), Manor House (late 18th century) and Temple House (1884). In the April 2010, a new 13-million pound performing arts centre, The Space, was opened on the school campus. The Space was designed by Tim Ronalds Architects with Price & Myers acting as consulting engineers and has won several awards: the Commercial & Public Access category in the 2010 Wood Awards, Best Education Building in the 2010 Brick Awards, and an RIBA Award (South East Region) in 2011. It was also nominated for Best Public Building award of the 2012

Kent Design Awards These awards were created to celebrate design excellence in Kent and were first staged in 2003 and are usually held every two years. They were then renamed 'Kent Design and Development Awards' in 2012. Then have stayed as the 'Kent Design and Deve ...

History

Founded in 1432 by

William Sevenoke William Sevenoke (died 1432) was a grocer and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London, Mayor of London in 1418, and as warden of London Bridge, alderman of Bishopsgate Ward, alderman of Tower Ward, Warden of the Grocers' Company, Sheriff ...

as a part of his last will and testament, the school was intended to give a classical education to boys from the town, free of church constrictions. Sevenoke’s will also provided for almshouses for poor men and women. Sevenoaks School is one of the oldest lay foundations in England. Sevenoke was Mayor of London and, as a friend of Henry V, may have been influenced by the MP for Shropshire and King's pleader, David Holbache, who founded

in 1407. According to

William Lambarde William Lambarde (18 October 1536 – 19 August 1601) was an English antiquarian, writer on legal subjects, and politician. He is particularly remembered as the author of ''A Perambulation of Kent'' (1576), the first English county history; ''E ...

and Richard Johnson ('' Nine Worthies of London''), Sevenoke was a foundling, whose decision to establish the school and almshouses may have been inspired by his early history. In 1560, in response to a petition by Ralph Bosville and Sevenoaks parishioners, Elizabeth I issued letters patent incorporating the school, giving it the right to use her name, and changing its governance. A seal was issued bearing Bosville's initials and the motto ''Servire Deo Regnari Est''. Ralph Bosville was Clerk of the Court of Wards and Liveries, a JP and owner of the Manor of Bradbourne near Sevenoaks, and under the conditions of the letters patent, he and his heirs were to serve on the governing body as long as they lived in Kent. He has been described as the school's 'second founder'. Supporting the letters patent, statues and ordinances were issued in 1574 and a private Act of Parliament passed in 1597. The school also received a number of bequests during the sixteenth century and during this period was brought to wider attention by William Lambarde's ''A Perambulation of Kent'' (1576). The school is thought to have been initially housed in small buildings near the present site, before a school house was built. Rebuilding took place in 1631, under the supervision of Thomas Pett. It was again rebuilt in 1724, to the designs of Lord Burlington, a friend of the headmaster of the time,

Elijah Fenton Elijah Fenton (20 May 1683 – 16 July 1730) was an English poet, biographer and translator. Life Born in Shelton (now Stoke-on-Trent), and educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, for a time he acted as secretary to the Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of ...

. Building work was completed in 1732. During this period the Master and scholars were housed outside the town. The school remained small until the late 19th century. School records show that between 1716 and 1748, under the headmastership of the Revd Simpson, school numbers dropped from 'a great many scholars' to only four boys. Simpson resigned and was replaced by Edward Holme, a distant relative of

Sir Richard Burton Sir Richard Francis Burton (; 19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar,and soldier. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary kn ...

. By 1778 there were around 60 pupils, and the same is indicated in the School Inquiry Commission of 1868. In 1884 the governors appointed Daniel Birkett as headmaster. It was Birkett's vision to elevate the school's status to that of a First Grade Classical School. He started this revolution, reducing the number of free places to the townfolk and expanding boarding. When he resigned in the 1890s the school had over 100 boys. Birkett's revolution was continued by George Heslop who increased the size to a peak of 134 boys, although numbers dropped towards the end of the First World War (during which 350 Old Sennockians enlisted). Geoffrey Garrod followed Heslop in 1919. In the same year, the headmaster's wife, Mrs Garrod, started a new school for younger boys;

Sevenoaks Prep School Sevenoaks Prep School is a co-educational, day preparatory school for 385 pupils aged 2–13 in Sevenoaks in south-east England. The school is situated on the Sackville estate, on grounds bordering the park of Knole House. It was founded in 19 ...

started with six pupils in the school Cottage Block. An element of selection entered the admissions process in the early 1920s.

James Higgs-Walker James Arthur Higgs-Walker (31 July 1892 – 3 September 1979) was an English first-class cricketer who played in two matches for Worcestershire, one each side of the First World War. His first match, and only County Championship appearance, ca ...

succeeded Garrod in 1924. Higgs-Walker, or "Jimmy" as he was known by the boys, started a revolution at the school with the introduction of day houses, the expansion of school sports and extracurricular activities and the vast expansion of the school with the help of the school's greatest benefactor since the founder, Charles Plumptre Johnson (or C.P.J.), who served as a governor from 1913 to 1923 and chairman from 1923 to his death in 1938. Johnson donated many gifts to the school with his brother, Edward: *The Flagpole, 1924, *Thornhill, 1924 (Johnson's House), *Johnson's Hall, 1936 (Now Johnson's Library), *The Sanitorium, 1938, *Park Grange and the surrounding estate, 1946 Higgs-Walker led the school until 1956 when he was succeeded by Kim Taylor. Taylor's headship was something of a 'golden age', when the school became more prominent nationally through Taylor's introduction of a number of innovative teaching methodologies, "Mr. Taylor, the Headmaster, has built so successfully on the work of his predecessor that in the ten years he has been at Sevenoaks it has changed from an old-established minor public school ... into an experimental outpost of the Headmasters' Conference." During the 1960s the school was a pioneer in developing a variety of approaches to education and in community involvement, notably in attracting international students – today pupils come from over 40 countries. The school was a pioneer in the introduction of 'The New Maths', an approach to teaching the subject which made it less abstract, and more engaging for pupils. The school adopted the textbooks and examination regime of the

School Mathematics Project The School Mathematics Project arose in the United Kingdom as part of the new mathematics educational movement of the 1960s. It is a developer of mathematics textbooks for secondary schools, formerly based in Southampton in the UK. Now generally ...

(SMP) which had been pioneered at a number of other private schools. The final period of every Wednesday was set aside for the sixth form to attend lectures, usually with a current affairs theme. Speakers have included public figures such as trade union leaders

Ray Buckton Raymond William Buckton (20 October 1922 – 7 May 1995) was general secretary of ASLEF, the rail drivers' trade union in Great Britain. Early life He was born in Rillington, then in the East Riding of Yorkshire, now in North Yorkshire. His f ...

(ASLEF) and Hugh Scanlon (AEU), boxer

Henry Cooper Sir Henry Cooper (3 May 19341 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer, best remembered internationally for a 1963 fight in which he knocked down a young Cassius Clay before the fight was stopped because of a cut eye from Clay's punches. Coo ...

, philosopher

A. J. Ayer Sir Alfred Jules "Freddie" Ayer (; 29 October 1910 – 27 June 1989), usually cited as A. J. Ayer, was an English philosopher known for his promotion of logical positivism, particularly in his books '' Language, Truth, and Logic'' (1936) ...

and astronomer

Patrick Moore Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was president of the Brit ...

. In 1968, Taylor was succeeded by Michael Hinton who was himself succeeded by Alan Tammadge in 1971. In 1976, the school first admitted girls and moved from being a single-sex school to a co-educational one. In 2012, the independent review of A level and IB results, based on government issued statistics, ranked Sevenoaks School first in the UK, ahead of Westminster (17th), St Paul's (22nd),

Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England ** Harrow, London, a town in London ** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) ...

(34th),

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

(73rd) and

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

(80th).

Controversies

Fee-fixing cartel

Between 2001 and 2004, Sevenoaks School orchestrated the

Independent school fee fixing scandal In September 2005, fifty prominent independent schools in the United Kingdom were found guilty of operating a fee-fixing cartel by the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT found that the schools had exchanged details of their planned fee increases over ...

, a fee-fixing cartel involving fifty prominent independent schools in the United Kingdom. It was subsequently found guilty of operating a fee-fixing cartel by the

Office of Fair Trading The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) was a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforced both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the United Kingdom's economic ...

. The Independent Schools Council – a

lobby group In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

funded by the independent schools in question – said that the investigation had been "a scandalous waste of public money".

Inflation of predicted grades

In June 2020, The ''Guardian'' reported that, as formally codified as a school policy in the staff handbook, Sevenoaks School had for 'many years' exaggerated the predicted exam results of '1 in 12' of its students (20 per year). This policy was outlined in full in July 2020 by '' The Daily Telegraph'', which revealed that 'in around 20 cases a year' the school inflated predicted grades 'to facilitate the application' of the student to university. Mary Curnock Cook commented that it was 'embarrassing for Sevenoaks that deliberately overpredicting students’ grades is in writing in their guidelines'. The

Charity Commission , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , ...

stated that it had engaged with the school over 'a broad set of concerns including predictions' and 'governance concerns', with which investigation the school said it was 'cooperating fully'. UCAS confirmed that it had already sent the school a reminder of its guidelines, and the Department for Education warned that 'Schools should not be inflating predicted grades'. The school 'refuted any suggestion that we would unfairly exaggerate UCAS predictions' and then announced that it would edit the staff handbook to 'ensure there is no confusion'. Furthermore, after initially stating that its accuracy in predicting grades 'significantly outperformed the national average', the school clarified that its predictions did not outperform the national average. The International Baccalaureate stated that the last five years of predictions were 'in line with' results.

Robert Sackville-West, 7th Baron Sackville Robert Bertrand Sackville-West, 7th Baron Sackville DL (born 10 July 1958), is a British publisher, author and guardian of Knole in Kent, which has been a Sackville house since 1603 and is now owned by the National Trust. The eldest son of Hugh ...

, who sits on the UK board of the International Baccalaureate, was Chair of Trustees at the school from 2002 until 2008, and since 2012 has been Chair of the Trustees of the Sevenoaks School Foundation, a charity that acts as the fundraising arm of the school. On 25 June 2020, Shadow Education Secretary Mike Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie posed a written question to the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

in the House of Lords, asking 'what discussions they have had with Sevenoaks School'.

Elizabeth Berridge, Baroness Berridge Elizabeth Rose Berridge, Baroness Berridge (born 22 March 1972) is a British Conservative politician and member of the House of Lords. Life Born and educated in the county of Rutland, Lady Berridge attended Vale of Catmose College and Rutland ...

, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of the Department for Education, replied that 'the school has been reminded about

CAS Cas may refer to: * Caș, a type of cheese made in Romania * ' (1886–) Czech magazine associated with Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk * '' Čas'' (19 April 1945–February 1948), the official, daily newspaper of the Democratic Party of Slovakia * ''CA ...

guidelines' and that 'Schools should not be inflating predicted grades.'

In literature

* Sevenoaks schoolmaster William Painter introduced his translation of William Fulke's ''Antiprognosticon'' (1560) with a letter written from Sevenoaks. * The finding of William Sevenoke is described by

in ''A Perambulation of Kent'' (1576). * William Camden mentions the school and almshouses in ''Britannia'' (1586). * A school tradition, cited in the prospectus and school history, maintains that Sevenoaks is the 'grammar school' of Jack Cade's speech in ''

Henry VI Part 2 ''Henry VI, Part 2'' (often written as ''2 Henry VI'') is a Shakespearean history, history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas ''Henry VI, Part 1'' ...

'', Act 4, scene 7.

Jonathan Bate Sir Andrew Jonathan Bate, CBE, FBA, FRSL (born 26 June 1958), is a British academic, biographer, critic, broadcaster, poet, playwright, novelist and scholar. He specialises in Shakespeare, Romanticism and Ecocriticism. He is Foundation Profes ...

would appear to support this (''The Genius of Shakespeare'', 1997). * William Sevenoke is one of Richard Johnson's Nine Worthies of London (1592). *

John Stow John Stow (''also'' Stowe; 1524/25 – 5 April 1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as ''The Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles'', ''The C ...

refers to William Sevenoke's civic roles and the founding of the school and almshouses in his ''Survey of London'' (1603), as does

Anthony Munday Anthony Munday (or Monday) (1560?10 August 1633) was an English playwright and miscellaneous writer. He was baptized on 13 October 1560 in St Gregory by St Paul's, London, and was the son of Christopher Munday, a stationer, and Jane Munday. He ...

in ''A Brief Chronicle'' (1611). *

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

refers to the school in ''A tour through the whole island of Great Britain'' (1724–27). *

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

preached 'at an open place near the Free-School', on Saturday, 4 October 1746. (''Journal of the Rev John Wesley'') * Maurice Henry Hewlett reflects on friendships of his schooldays in ''Lore of Proserpine'' (1913). * The Sevenoaks education of Huang Ya Dong ( Wang Y Tong) and the son of

John Frederick Sackville John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset, KG (25 March 174519 July 1799) was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. His mother was the former Lady Frances Leveson-Gower. He succeeded ...

and Giovanna Baccelli is mentioned in Vita Sackville-West's ''Knole and the Sackvilles'' (1922). * Charlie Higson's fictional boarding school, Rowhurst (''The Dead'', 2010) was inspired by Sevenoaks. * In Ian McEwan's novel ''Sweet Tooth'' (2012), the character Tom Haley is described as 'the product of a good grammar school, Sevenoaks'.

Notable students and alumni

Former pupils are known as "Old Sennockians".

Academics and scientists

* Sir

CBE, FBA, FRSL, academic, biographer and critic *

Mark Brouard Mark Brouard is Helen Morag Fellow and Tutor in Chemistry at Jesus College, and is a professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford, where he is currently Head of the Department of Chemistry. He is a specialist in reaction dynamics. In collab ...

, professor of chemistry * Simon Donaldson, mathematician *

Francis Everitt C. W. Francis Everitt (born 8 March 1934) is a US-based English physicist working on experimental testing of general relativity. Everitt was educated at Imperial College London and the University of Pennsylvania in low-temperature physics. He i ...

, professor of physics, Stanford University * Emily Greenwood, professor of Classics and the University Center for Human Values * George Grote, historian *

David Kear (geologist) David Kear (29 October 1923 – 5 March 2019) was a New Zealand geologist and science administrator. He served as director-general of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research from 1980 to 1983. Early life and education Born in Lond ...

, geologist * Noel Kingsbury, writer on gardening and plant science *

Paddy Lowe Patrick Allen Lowe FREng (born 8 April 1962), known as Paddy Lowe, is the founder and CEO of the fossil-free synthetic fuel companZero Petroleum A former motor racing engineer and computer scientist, he spent 32 years working in Formula One and ...

, motor racing engineer *

Tom McLeish Thomas Charles Buckland McLeish (1 May 1962 – 27 February 2023) was a British theoretical physicist. His work is renowned for increasing understanding of the properties of soft matter. This is a matter that can be easily changed by stress ...

FRS, FRSC, theoretical physicist *

Philip Ruffles Philip Charles Ruffles is a British aerospace engineer. Born in October 1939, he graduated from the University of Bristol with a first class degree in mechanical engineering in 1961. He joined Rolls-Royce plc, becoming director of engineering an ...

CBE, FREng, FRS, aerospace engineer, former Director of Engineering and Technology of Rolls-Royce plc * Max Saunders, academic specialising in modern literature and culture *

Jonael Schickler Jonael Angelus Schickler (1976–2002) was a Swiss philosopher who died in a rail crash in England at the age of 25. Life Schickler was born in Dornach, Switzerland. His family later moved to Forest Row, East Sussex, and he attended Michael Hall ...

, philosopher * Oliver Taplin, professor * Nigel Warburton, philosopher *

Nick Wirth Nicholas John Peter Wirth (born 26 March 1966) is an automotive engineer and the founder and owner of Wirth Research. He is also the former owner of the Simtek Formula One team, a former aerodynamicist at March and former technical director at ...

, automotive engineer and former owner of the Simtek Formula One team

Activists, diplomats and politicians

* Jonathan Evans, Baron Evans of Weardale KCB, DL, former Director General of MI5 *

Stephen Hale Stephen Hale OBE is the Chief Architect oClimate Catalyst a new organisation established in March 2021 to accelerate action on climate change through building diverse coalitions of businesses, investors, civil society groups and other champio ...

OBE, Chief Executive of Refugee Action * Michael Holmes, former leader of UK Independence Party *

Raşit Pertev Raşit Pertev (born September 1958) is a development practitioner, politician and writer. He was appointed as the Secretary of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in October 2013. Born in Larnaca, Cyprus, Pertev is a graduate of E ...

, Turkish Cypriot development practitioner, politician and writer *

Colwyn Philipps, 3rd Viscount St Davids Colwyn Iestyn John Philipps, 3rd Viscount St Davids (30 January 1939 – 26 April 2009) was a British businessman, Conservative politician and writer on music. Besides his viscountcy, he also held the older titles of Baron Strange of Knockin (1 ...

, British peer, Conservative Party politician and Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords *

Christopher Prout, Baron Kingsland Christopher James Prout, Baron Kingsland (1 January 1942 – 12 July 2009) was a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He is perhaps most well known for serving as the leader of the Conservative group of Members of the European Pa ...

, British barrister and Conservative Party politician * Sir

Jonathan Stephens Sir Jonathan Andrew de Sievrac Stephens, KCB (born 8 February 1960) is a retired British civil servant who was Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office between 2014 and 2020, and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Culture ...

KCB, civil servant *

Tristram Stuart Tristram James Avondale Stuart (born 12 March 1977 in London) is an English author and campaigner. Education Stuart was educated at Sevenoaks School before going up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge to read English. Biography In 2011 Tristram St ...

, author and campaigner * Ben Summerskill, lobbyist, Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance * Peter Thomson (diplomat), former President of the United Nations General Assembly *

Colin Vereker, 8th Viscount Gort Colin Leopold Prendergast "Kim" Vereker, 8th Viscount Gort, JP (21 June 1916 – 6 April 1995) was an Irish peer and member of the House of Keys. Life Gort was the son of Leopold George Prendergast Vereker and Helen Marjorie Campbell, and the g ...

, Irish peer and member of the House of Keys *

Caroline Wilson (diplomat) Dame Caroline Elizabeth Wilson (born 12 August 1970) is a British diplomat and lawyer who assumed office as the British Ambassador to China in September 2020. Early life and education Wilson was born on 12 August 1970. She was educated at S ...

, British Ambassador to China

Arts and entertainment

* Tanis, singer songwriter and composer * Stuart Clark, Radio Caroline DJ * Adam Curtis, filmmaker * Daniel Day-Lewis, actor *

Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...

, actor *

Clive Farahar Clive Farahar (born 1953) is a British dealer and expert on books and manuscripts. He is best known as an expert on the BBC's ''Antiques Roadshow'', which he joined in 1986. Biography Farahar is the son of Robert, a geologist and Joan ( née Hutc ...

, antiquarian book specialist, dealer, expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow * Daniel Flynn (actor), actor *

Andy Gill Andrew James Dalrymple Gill (1 January 1956 – 1 February 2020) was a British musician and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the rock band Gang of Four, which he co-founded in 1976. Gill was known for his angular, jagged style of gu ...

, musician * Brett Goldstein, actor, comedian, writer *

Andrew Gourlay Andrew Gourlay (born 1982) is a British conductor. Born in Jamaica, Gourlay was subsequently raised in the Bahamas, the Philippines, Japan and the United Kingdom. He is of Russian ancestry.''Andrew Gourlay'' in ''Scherzo'' no.348, February 201 ...

, conductor *

Tom Greenhalgh Thomas Charles Greenhalgh is a multimedia artist and singer-songwriter best known for his work with the Mekons. Education He attended Sevenoaks School in Kent with future members of the Gang of Four (Andy Gill and Jon King) and the Mekons (Ke ...

, musician (

Mekons The Mekons are a British band formed in the late 1970s as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of ...

) * Paul Greengrass, director and filmmaker * Emma Johnson, clarinetist * Jon King, musician *

James McVinnie James McVinnie (born 13 January 1983) is an English organist and pianist. His work as a performer encompasses music from the 16th century to the present day. He has collaborated with many leading figures in new music including Philip Glass, Tom ...

, organist and pianist *Rupert Russell, writer and comedian *

Joe Stilgoe Joe Stilgoe (born 29 May 1979) is a British singer, pianist and songwriter. Early life and education Stilgoe was born in Sevenoaks, Kent. He is the son of the lyricist and entertainer Sir Richard Stilgoe, and opera singer Annabel Hunt. Educat ...

, singer, pianist and songwriter * Geoffrey Streatfeild, actor *

The Webb Sisters The Webb Sisters are an English musical duo comprising the siblings Charley and Hattie Webb from Kent, England. They were backing singers for Leonard Cohen and Tom Petty. They also appear on Sting's album If on a Winter's Night...''. Biogr ...

, Charley and Hattie Webb, musicians * Helen Zaltzman, broadcaster and writer *

Aryan Khan Aryan Khan (born 12 November 1997) is an Indian entrepreneur. He is the eldest son of Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan and producer Gauri Khan. After graduating from the University of Southern California, he co-founded the company Slab Ventures in ...

, writer and director

Artists and designers

* Charles Barry Jr., architect * Will Burrard-Lucas, wildlife photographer *

Lucy Cousins Elizabeth "Lucy" Cousins (born 10 February 1964) is an English author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her books featuring Maisy Mouse, but she has also published other children's books, such as ''Jazzy in the Jungle'' ...

, illustrator and author * Thomas Heatherwick, designer *

Emma Hope Emma Mary Constance Hope MBE (born July 1962) is a British shoe designer. Early life Emma Hope was born in July 1962 in Portsmouth. Her father, who died in 2005, was a Captain in the Royal Navy, and her mother is a former fashion journalist. Th ...

, British shoe designer * Simon Starling, winner of the 2005 Turner Prize

Business

Parth Jindal Parth Jindal (born 19 May 1990) is an Indian businessman and scion of JSW Group. Early life and education Jindal is the youngest of three children of Sajjan Jindal and Sangita Jindal. Jindal earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 201 ...

, Managing Director of JSW Cement and JSW Paints *

Vikas Kapoor Vikas Kapoor (November 17, 1961) is the CEO of Mezocliq, an enterprise technology company. Early life and education Kapoor was born in Ajmer, India on November 17, 1961. He grew up in India, England and Australia. He is the son of Kusum and Maj ...

, CEO of Mezocliq *

Jill McDonald Jill Masefield McDonald (30 October 1927 – 2 January 1982) was a New-Zealand-born children's writer and illustrator, working in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s. Much of her work was done for Puffin Books, the children's imprint of Pen ...

, CEO of Costa Coffee and former CEO of Halfords

Church leaders

* Thomas Comber, Dean of Durham *

John Frith John Frith may refer to: * John Frith (assailant) (fl. 1760–1791), English petitioner and asylum inmate *John Frith (cartoonist) (), Australian cartoonist, at the ''The Herald'' in Melbourne in the 1950s and 1960s * John Frith (martyr) (1503–1 ...

, martyr and translator of the New Testament * Charles Wordsworth, churchman, scholar and schoolmaster * Edward Perronet, hymn-writer, itinerant Wesleyan preacher * Alan Wilson (bishop), Bishop of Buckingham *

Clive Gregory Clive Malcolm Gregory (born 25 November 1961) is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2007, he has served as the Bishop of Wolverhampton, an area bishop in the Diocese of Lichfield. Early life and education Gregory was born on 25 November 1961. He w ...

, Bishop of Wolverhampton

Journalists, writers and publishers

* Paul Adams, journalist *

Mick Audsley Mick Audsley (born January 11, 1949 in London, England) is a British film and television editor with more than thirty film credits. He is a frequent collaborator of directors Mike Newell and Stephen Frears, having edited 15 films for Frears. ...

, film editor *

John Bowdler the Younger John Bowdler the Younger (2 February 1783 – 1 February 1815), was an English essayist, poet and lawyer. Biography John Bowdler was the younger son of John Bowdler the elder. He was born in London on 2 February 1783. He had a brother, Thomas B ...

, essayist, poet and lawyer * Olivia Cole (poet), journalist and poet * Sarah Harrison, investigative journalist, staff member of WikiLeaks * Maurice Henry Hewlett, author * Charlie Higson, comedian and author * Sonny Mehta, editor, former head of Alfred A Knopf * Plum Sykes, author * Elleston Trevor, author and playwright

Military

* Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, field marshal and statesman * Patrick Heenan,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

who was convicted of treason and executed after spying for Japan during the Malayan campaign of World War II *

Martin Smith (Royal Marines officer) Martin Smith may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Martin Seymour-Smith (1928–1998), British poet, literary critic, biographer and astrologer *Martin Cruz Smith (born 1942), American writer *Martin Smith (drummer) (1946–1997), British drummer ...

, former Commandant General Royal Marines *

Charles Stickland Lieutenant General Charles Richard Stickland, (born 16 May 1968) is a senior Royal Marines officer, who has served as the Chief of Joint Operations since November 2021. He was Commandant General Royal Marines from January 2018 to June 2019. E ...

CB, OBE, former Commandant General Royal Marines * Vice Admiral

Gordon McLintock George Gordon McLintock, Vice Admiral ( USMS), (February 10, 1903 – April 23, 1990) was the longest serving Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, one of the 5 United States service academies, serving from 1948 to 1970. ...

( USMS), the 4th and longest serving superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy

Royalty

*Sir Timothy Laurence, vice admiral and husband of

Princess Anne, The Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

* Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, grandson of King Albert II of Belgium and nephew to Philippe King of the Belgians * Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, granddaughter of King Albert II of Belgium and niece to Philippe King of the Belgians * Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis, daughter of Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Sports

* Christina Bassadone, Olympic sailor * Daniel Caprice, rugby union player *

Paul Downton Paul Rupert Downton (born 4 April 1957) is the current Director of Cricket at Kent County Cricket Club. He had previously been the managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board between February 2014 and April 2015. He is a former ...

, cricketer *

Tash Farrant Natasha Eleni Farrant (born 29 May 1996) is an English cricketer who currently plays for Kent, South East Stars, Oval Invincibles and England. She plays as a left-arm fast-medium bowler. She has previously played for Southern Vipers in the Wom ...

, cricketer * James Graham-Brown, cricketer *

Tony Roques Tony Roques (born 7 September 1978 in Bromley) is a former rugby union player who played at flanker for the Cornish All Blacks and the England national rugby sevens team The England national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby S ...

, Rugby union player *

Robby Swift Robby Swift (K-89) is a British Professional Windsurfer. (born 1984 in Great Britain). Competing internationally in the PWA World Tour as a wave/freestyle sailor. He is currently team rider for Neil Pryde and JP Australia and sponsored by many o ...

, windsurfer *

Chris Tavaré Christopher James Tavaré (;), (born 27 October 1954) is a retired English international cricketer who played in 31 Test matches and 29 One Day Internationals between 1980 and 1989. His style of play was characterised by long periods at the cr ...

, cricketer (ex biology teacher at the school) *

Andy Titterrell Andrew James Titterrell (born 10 January 1981 in Dartford, England) is a former rugby union player who played at hooker and previously for England. Titterrell was educated at the Hugh Christie Technology College in Tonbridge and Sevenoaks Sch ...

, rugby union player * Ian Walker, Olympic sailor

Other

* Huang Ya Dong, early Chinese visitor to England *

C.W.R. Knight Charles William Robert Knight (1884–1957) M.C., F.R.P.S., F.Z.S. was a well known British falconer, and a writer on, and promoter of, falconry. He, and his star pupil – the eagle, Mr Ramshaw – feature prominently in the 1945 f ...

, MC, British falconer and writer *

Emma Slade Emma Slade, also known as Ani Pema Deki (born 16 July 1966), is a British yoga and meditation instructor, author, and charity founder best known for becoming the first Western woman to become a Bhikkhunī, Bhuddist nun in Bhutan. Slade was expand ...

, charity founder, Buddhist nun and writer

Former staff

* Jonty Driver (English teacher 1964-5, Housemaster of the International Sixth Form Centre 1967-73), writer, who wrote a book about his experiences at the school *

, poet, biographer, translator and schoolmaster of Sevenoaks School *

Don Foster, Baron Foster of Bath Donald Michael Ellison Foster, Baron Foster of Bath (born 31 March 1947), is a British politician and life peer who served as Government Deputy Chief Whip and Comptroller of the Household from 2013 to 2015. A member of the Liberal Democrats ...

, British politician *

Chris Greenhalgh Chris Greenhalgh is a British novelist, screenwriter, teacher and poet. Life Chris Greenhalgh was born in 1963 and brought up in Manchester. After studying English Literature at university, he lived and worked for five years in Italy and Athens ...

, writer *

, cricketer and headmaster of Sevenoaks School *

Alan Hurd Alan Hurd (7 September 1937 – 11 April 2016) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Essex. Hurd was educated at Chigwell School and Clare College, Cambridge. An off-spin bowler, he played for Cambridge University and Essex from 19 ...

, cricketer * James Jones (bishop), former Bishop of Liverpool *

, retired English international cricketer *

Kim Taylor (educationalist) Len Clive "Kim" Taylor (4 August 1922 in Kolkata – 20 July 2013 in Chichester) was a British Educationalist. He was headmaster at Sevenoaks School before being appointed as Director of the ''Resources for Learning'' Project at the Nuffield Found ...

, educationalist and headmaster of Sevenoaks School *

Ernie Toser Ernest William Toser (30 November 1912 – 25 March 2002) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Millwall and Notts County as a centre half. He is best remembered for his time in non-League football with ...

, English professional footballer

References

External links

Sevenoaks School websiteSevenoaks School
on

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

.
Profile
at the

Good Schools Guide ''The Good Schools Guide'' is a guide to British schools, both state and independent. Overview The guide is compiled by a team of editors which, according to the official website, "''comprises some 50 editors, writers, researchers and contri ...

William Sevenoke, The History of Parliament
{{Authority control Independent schools in Kent International Baccalaureate schools in England 1432 establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 15th century Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Schools in Sevenoaks