Gresham's School

Gresham’s was established in 1555 by Sir John Gresham and the original school building was his manor house in Holt. By 1859 the school had been rebuilt and in 1900 acquired 200 acres of surrounding land. All very well used for the successful sporting pursuits for which Gresham’s is well known. Golf, sailing, canoeing, rugby, tennis and a rifle club with their own indoor shooting range are just a taste of what is on offer here.

In addition to sport, music and drama are very strong and there is a hobbies programme in which pupils choose a hobby and have at least an hour a week to develop that interest. Again an excellent selection covering anything from table tennis to languages, book club, creative writing, even girls’ rugby. Gresham’s is quite a small school and close to half of the pupils board in one of the seven houses, starting off in small dormitories and moving up to single study bedrooms by the sixth form. Houses are well equipped with kitchens and common rooms. A resident housemaster or mistress takes care of around 70 children in each house with a staff team. Additionally house prefects are appointed each year and serve as good role models for the younger boarders giving them the option to chat about any concerns. Personal tutors are allocated to each child and this link with the same person throughout the senior years is highly beneficial. As a Church of England school, services are held four times a week in the chapel, all faiths are welcomed.

Academically the results at Gresham’s are quite solid and 95% of pupils go on to higher education. For particularly bright children the Gifted and Talented programme offers the opportunity to participate in the “Colloquium”, which encourages critical thinking and debate. You will come away from Gresham’s with a sense of a warm, caring community based school. Definitely worth a place on your shortlist if you hail from East Anglia and want a well-rounded education for your son or daughter.