St. Dominic's School in

Hambledon, Surrey Hambledon is a rural scattered village in the Waverley borough of Surrey, situated south of Guildford. It is dominated by a buffer zone of fields and woodland, mostly south of the Greensand Ridge escarpment between Witley and Chiddingfold, havi ...

, England is a co-educational day school, one of the oldest

special school Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

s in the United Kingdom. It specialises in the education of children with various disabilities, such as

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

, whilst integrating specialised support, including an onsite speech and language, occupational and physio therapy team. Currently pupils are admitted from over 35 different LEAs. It admits and educates pupils aged 7–19. Previously a non-maintained independent school, in January 2018 St Dominic's School formally entered the state sector and converted to academy status. The school is now part of the Orchard Hill College & Academy Trust.Orchard Hill College
Academy Trust
accessed 4 March 2021

Admissions

Applications are normally made through the Local Education Authority in whose area a child's family live. Currently pupils are admitted from over 35 different LEAs.

Background

On Mount Olivet, a hill in the

Greensand Ridge The Greensand Ridge, also known as the Wealden Greensand is an extensive, prominent, often wooded, mixed greensand/sandstone escarpment in south-east England. Forming part of the Weald, a former dense forest in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, it runs ...

, the place was named after St. Dominic Savio, the patron saint of juvenile delinquents. The site was originally property of Charles Watney. It consisted of an observatory and a chapel, the latter of which remains a prominent assembly place and the observatory remaining as the logo for the school. When Watney's wife died in 1929, some time after Watney himself died, the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

congregation of

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s known as the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary established the school at her request, and they remain its trustees to this day. The school is one of those supported by the

Diocese of Arundel and Brighton The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton (in la, Dioecesis Arundeliensis-Brichtelmestunensis) is a Latin Church Roman Catholic diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey (excluding Spelthorne, which is pa ...

(in the Roman Catholic church).

References

External links

Entry for St. Dominic's School on ''Independent Schools of the British Isles''St. Dominic's School website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Dominic's School (Hambledon) Educational institutions established in 1929 Academies in Surrey Special schools in Surrey 1929 establishments in England