The Royal Alexandra and Albert School is an all-through co-educational boarding school near

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. The

headmaster A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...

as of 2022 is Morgan Thomas. The Royal Alexandra and Albert School Act 1949 ( 12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. xviii) united The Royal Alexandra School, which was founded in 1758, and The Royal Albert Orphan School, which was founded in 1864 as a national memorial to

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

, late husband of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. It is one of 32 state-maintained

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

s in England and Wales, and the only one to educate children from primary school years to

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

History of the Royal Alexandra and Albert School

The earliest link in the school's history goes back to the Orphan Working School which was founded in 1758 by fourteen men meeting in an inn led by Edward Pickard, a dissenting minister. The school expanded under the secretaryship of Joseph Soul in Hampstead. It continued to expand and it opened a linked convalescent home in

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

. The other part of the school was known as the Royal Albert Orphan Asylum. It opened in

Camberley Camberley is a town in north-west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. It is in the Surrey Heath, Borough of Surrey Heath and is close to the county boundaries with Hampshire and Berkshire. Known originally as "Cambridge Tow ...

in 1864. The second school was intended for children between the ages of five and eight and was founded by the ''Orphan Working School'', with Joseph Soul as the first honorary secretary. In 1867 Queen Victoria planted a Wellingtonia Gigantica tree during an "Inauguration Ceremony" for the school. A stone at the site was engraved VIR 1867 and is mistakenly thought by some to be the foundation stone of the building. The Wellingtonia survives to this day. A later patron of the school was Victoria's son

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (Arthur William Patrick Albert; 1 May 185016 January 1942) was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He served as Gove ...

. After the school left, the site was for a while used as the WRAC College. Boys at the school were required to work in addition to their schooling: for example on the farm, in the gardens, in a tailor's shop and in a cobbler's workshop. The two schools, the Royal Alexandra Orphanage and the Royal Albert School, joined together in

Gatton Park Gatton Park is a country estate set in parkland landscaped by Capability Brown and gardens by Henry Ernest Milner and Edward White (landscape architect), Edward White at Gatton, Surrey, Gatton, near Reigate in Surrey, England. Gatton Park is n ...

, near

, just after the Second World War. Over the years it evolved from an orphanage to a state boarding school. There are around 36 state boarding schools in the UK, where education is provided by the state and parents pay for board. The school's foundation still supports some children whose home circumstances make a boarding education desirable, such as

MOD Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US * ...

Students.

History of Gatton Park

The school's grounds, Gatton Park, were previously owned by

Sir Jeremiah Colman ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part o ...

Colman's mustard Colman's is an English manufacturer of mustard and other sauces, formerly based and produced for 160 years at Carrow, in Norwich, Norfolk. Owned by Unilever since 1995, Colman's is one of the oldest existing food brands, famous for a limited ran ...

, and were extensively landscaped by celebrated 18th century

landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "Landscape architecture, landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, r ...

Capability Brown Lancelot "Capability" Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783) was an English gardener and landscape architect, a notable figure in the history of the English landscape garden style. Unlike other architects ...

. Gatton Hall, the stately home built within the grounds, is now used as a boarding house for Sixth Form students.

Boarding at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School

There is school on Saturday mornings so that boarders can have longer holidays. Around half the pupils are full boarders who go home at weekends and for holidays. The rest are flexi-boarders who stay for an extended day and stay overnight for between 7 and 10 nights a year.

Riding at the school

The School has its own riding stables and around 20 horses. Pupils can learn to ride for pleasure; lessons are arranged at lunchtimes or after school. The school is a member of the

British Horse Society The British Horse Society (BHS) is a membership-based equine charity, with a stated vision of "a Society which provides a strong voice for horses and people and which spreads awareness through support, training and education". It currently has ...

Old Gattonians

Former pupils of school are known as ''Old Gattonians''.

External links

Royal Alexandra & Albert School website

Old Gattonian's website

Gatton Trust website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Alexandra and Albert School Secondary schools in Surrey Boarding schools in Surrey Educational institutions established in 1758 1758 establishments in England Voluntary aided schools in England Reigate Primary schools in Surrey