Gillotts School is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

with academy status in

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckin ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

, England. The school is sited on a 33 acre verdant campus on the edge of Henley, incorporating a large Victorian manor house and two of its associated cottages. There are extensive playing fields, as well as areas of grass, trees and woodland.

History

Gillotts was established as a girls' boarding school in parkland on the fringe of Henley-on-Thames in 1950, under founding headmistress Betty Barford. Gillotts became a coeducational

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is re ...

in 1960. The current headteacher is Catharine Darnton, former headteachers include Malcolm White, and David H W Grubb as well as Mr Lockyer. Lotto multi-millionaire winner Gerry Cannings taught history at the school from 1976 until 1983.

Houses

Gillotts school has three houses: Darwin, Pankhurst, and Orwell (named after

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst (''née'' Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was an English political activist who organised the UK suffragette movement and helped women win the right to vote. In 1999, ''Time'' named her as one of the 100 Most Import ...

, and

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalit ...

Alumni

Alec Hepburn Alec Hepburn (born 30 March 1993) is an English rugby union player who plays as a loosehead prop for Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership. Early life Hepburn was born in Perth, Australia. When he was young, his family moved to Hopetoun, a ...

Professional Exeter Chiefs and England Rugby Union rugby player *

Simon Kernick Simon Kernick (born February 1967 in Slough, Buckinghamshire) is a British thriller/crime writer now living in Oxfordshire with his two daughters. Kernick attended Gillotts School, a comprehensive in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Whilst he was ...

(born 1966), crime novelist * Johnny Robinson, 2011

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...

finalist *

Marcus du Sautoy Marcus Peter Francis du Sautoy (; born 26 August 1965) is a British mathematician, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, Fellow of New College, Oxford and author of popular mathematics and popu ...

(born 1965),

Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science The Simonyi Professorship for the Public Understanding of Science is a chair at the University of Oxford. The chair was established in 1995 for the ethologist Richard Dawkins by an endowment from Charles Simonyi. The aim of the Professorship is ...

and a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford *

Andrew Tristem Andrew Tristem (born 1968) is an author and journalist who has written widely for ''The Sunday Times'', ''Sunday Express'' and ''Metro'', among many other publications. Schooled at Gillotts School and King James's College (now The Henley C ...

(born 1968), author and journalist

References

{{authority control Secondary schools in Oxfordshire Academies in Oxfordshire Educational institutions established in 1950 1950 establishments in England