Co-educational · Day and boarding · 11 to 18
A school that takes
curiosity seriously.
Aldergate is a school of 780 pupils set in 140 acres of parkland on the edge of the Cotswolds.
We expect a great deal from our pupils, and give them the teaching, opportunities and support to meet those expectations. Small classes, specialist teaching, serious music, proper sport and a House to belong to all play their part.
- Founded
- 1868
- Pupils
- 780, including 230 in the Sixth Form
- Boarding
- Full, weekly and flexi
- Next open morning
- Saturday 4 October
A day at Aldergate
The best way to understand a school is often to see what happens on an ordinary day.
- 08.20Registration in HousesTutors see every pupil before the day begins.
- 08.40Chapel or assemblyTwice a week, the whole school comes together.
- 09.05Periods one and twoFifty-five minutes each. Sets of sixteen or fewer.
- 10.55BreakToast in Houses. A great deal happens here.
- 11.15Periods three and four
- 13.05Lunch, togetherStaff and pupils eat at the same tables in the dining hall.
- 13.50Practice, clubs and societiesMusic practice, debating, the Bee Club, the darkroom and more.
- 14.30Periods five and six
- 16.20GamesEvery pupil, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
- 18.00Day pupils home, boarders to supper
- 19.00PrepNinety minutes in Houses, with tutors nearby.
- 21.30Lights out, First FormOlder pupils have progressively more responsibility for managing their own time.
Keep scrolling: the day runs from registration to lights out
Taught in conversation.
Our classes are small enough that pupils are expected to contribute, question and think for themselves.
Teachers are specialists in their subjects and teach through discussion as well as instruction. By the Sixth Form, most lessons are seminars, with pupils expected to have done the reading before they arrive.
The results matter, and we publish them clearly. But the aim is not simply to achieve good grades. It is to leave school knowing how to think, ask better questions and learn independently.
We would rather a pupil asked a difficult question than gave an easy answer.
Dr Eleanor Whitcombe, Head
Rehearsed every week. Performed all year.
The arts are part of everyday life at Aldergate, not something added around the edges.
There are 600 individual music lessons each week, three major concerts each term, a 300-seat theatre run partly by pupils and an art school with dedicated studio space and north light.
There are opportunities to perform, create, direct, design and work behind the scenes. For many pupils, the arts become one of the defining parts of their school experience.
Six Houses. One school.
Every pupil joins a House from their first morning at Aldergate.
It is where they register, eat, prepare for lessons, compete, make friends and get to know pupils in other year groups. It is also where younger pupils quickly discover that the Sixth Form are not quite as intimidating as they first appeared.
The place
Aldergate Park was a private estate until 1868, when a group of Gloucestershire families bought the house and its 140 acres to establish a school.
The lake, alder avenue and founders' door are still here. So is a strong sense that looking after the place is everyone's responsibility.
A glimpse of life across the school.
Come and see an ordinary day.
Open mornings are useful. But if you really want to understand Aldergate, come on a weekday when lessons are running.
See the classrooms, hear the music school, meet pupils and get a sense of what an ordinary day actually feels like.
- Any timeRegister
Complete the short form and we'll send you the prospectus and forthcoming dates.
- Saturday 4 October and Saturday 7 MarchVisit
Join an open morning or arrange a weekday tour during term time.
- January of the year of entryAssessment
English, mathematics, reasoning and a conversation with a member of staff.
- Entry at 11, 13 and 16Offers and scholarships
Academic, music, art, drama and sport awards, with bursaries available up to the full fee.