The Royal Hospital School (also known as "RHS" and historically nicknamed "The Cradle of the Navy") is a British

co-educational 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 ...

fee-charging international boarding and

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

with naval traditions. The school admits pupils aged 11 to 18 (years 7 to 13) through Common Entrance or its own examination. The school is regulated by an act of Parliament, the Greenwich Hospital Act 1865 ( 28 & 29 Vict. c. 89). The school is located in the village of Holbrook, near

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The school's campus is in the Queen Anne style and set on of countryside. It overlooks the River Stour, Suffolk on the

Shotley Peninsula The Shotley Peninsula is a rural area east of the A137 Ipswich-Colchester road located between the rivers River Stour, Suffolk, Stour and River Orwell, Orwell in Suffolk, England. The peninsula is named after the settlements of Shotley and Sh ...

in an area known as Constable Country. The Royal Hospital School was established by a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1712. It was originally located at Greenwich Hospital, but then moved in 1933 to

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

. During World War One, 1,000 former RHS pupils served on

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

ships at the Battle of Jutland (31 May – 1 June 1916). At least 101 former RHS pupils died in that battle. The school is the only

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independent boarding school to be continuously granted the Queen's Banner. It also flies its own Admiralty-approved Royal Hospital School Blue Ensign. It is one of only two UK schools whose students have the privilege of wearing

uniforms, the other being Pangbourne College in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

. The school is affiliated to the

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(HMC).

Overview

Seafaring traditions are important and integral elements of school life, and Royal Navy uniforms ( sailor suits) are issued to all pupils and used for ceremonial and formal events. The school is owned by the Crown naval charity, Greenwich Hospital, providing a number of means-tested bursaries for families with a seafaring background. The school also emphasizes leadership development. The Combined Cadet Force along with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme are the most popular co-curricular activities at the Royal Hospital School. The Combined Cadet Force also includes a

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is the maintenance arm of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's professional engineers". History Prior t ...

Section. HMS Illustrious is affiliated with the Royal Navy CCF. The Army Section is affiliated with the Army Air Corps. The Royal Hospital School has a partnership with The College of William and Mary in Virginia. The Royal Hospital School is a boarding and day school with weekly boarding, three-night boarding, and 'flexi' or ad hoc boarding options.

Pupils

As of May 2025, around 670 pupils are enrolled at the school. Approximately 360 students board on a full-time, weekly or 3-night basis. It is one of the largest boarding schools in East Anglia. There are around 100 international students from 28 countries. The school has specialist staff for international students and provides English as an Additional Language.

Academics

The school uses the

National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or othe ...

Key Stages 3 (Years 7–9), 4 (Years 10–11), and 5 (Years 12–13), and provides a large choice of subjects for study.

Co-Curricular

CCF

When a student reaches year 9, they are required to participate in Combined Cadet Force (CCF). CCF aims to enhance the qualities of responsibility, self-reliance, endurance and perseverance and to develop leadership and resourcefulness. In year 9, students are taught the basics of leadership and fieldcraft; when students reach year 10, they are able to pick a 'section' in which to go into. These are: Royal Navy (RN), Royal Marines (RM), Army and Royal Air Force (RAF). As part of CCF, pupils can participate in a wide range of activities including: first aid, navigation, shooting, field craft, and self-reliance; with opportunities for students to participate in section competitions against other schools/cadets. There are also opportunities for sailing, flying, rock-climbing, coasteering, power-boating and many other outdoor pursuits. Alongside air-rifle, small bore and Cadet GP Rifle shooting in the school's own shooting range.

DofE

Similarly to CCF, all year 9 pupils are required to sign up the "Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme" as part of their Co-Curricular/CCF sessions. Expeditions for Bronze, Silver and Gold take place annually; with Bronze taking place locally, Silver taking place in the Peak District and with Gold taking place in Scotland (usually Rannoch Moor).

History

The school was originally located at Greenwich Hospital, in what is now the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. The Hospital was founded in 1694, and the school in 1712, both by

. In the 1820s, the Royal Naval Asylum school was incorporated into the school. The original purpose of the school was to provide assistance and education to the orphans of seafarers in the

Royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...

and

Merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

Navies, and it was once the largest school for navigation and seamanship in the country. The school relocated to Holbrook in 1933. The Holbrook campus was designed by the

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

-based arts and crafts architect Herbert Tudor Buckland and built by J. Gerrard & Sons Ltd of Swinton. Most of the buildings are now Grade II listed, with the chapel also being Grade II*. Historically, the Royal Hospital School exclusively admitted children or grandchildren of seafarers. This policy was in place until the mid-20th century. During this period, up until the 1950s, it was also mandatory for boys attending the school to pursue careers in the Royal or Merchant Navies. Consequently, the curriculum was heavily centered around maritime subjects. Although these requirements have been discontinued for several decades, the school continues to uphold certain naval traditions. These include wearing naval uniforms, conducting divisions (formal parades and march-pasts typical in the armed forces), and incorporating marching as part of the school's activities. In 1991 the school became

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 ...

, with the girls first being introduced into Hood house, followed by Cornwallis, Howe and Blake (now co-educational) and Anson. Girls initially had a different naval uniform from boys, but this was changed to match the boys' uniform, and subsequently followed the changes in dress as seen in the Royal Navy. The first female Head of School was appointed in 1992 to work alongside the male Head of School. In 1994 the entire school was bussed to Greenwich Hospital to parade in front of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, in celebration of the tercentenary of the Hospital. The parade took place on the parade ground in front of the Queen's House. In 2012 the school marked three hundred years since its foundation with the opening of a Heritage Centre and publication of a commemorative book. In 2005 RHS was one of 50 of the country's leading independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents. Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000, and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totaling £3 million into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in which fee information was shared.

Greenwich Hospital

The school was founded by royal charter and is maintained by Greenwich Hospital. The hospital provides bursaries to a number of pupils. The school also awards academic, sports, music and sailing scholarships, as well as bursaries and discounts to the children of seafarers in the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

or Merchant Navy.

Traditions

Many of the modern-day Royal Hospital School traditions are associated with the Royal Navy or seafaring. For example, key naval events are celebrated, as the school has provision for sailing, and has a ceremonial guard and marching band.

Naval uniforms

As well as standard school uniform, both boys and girls wear Naval uniforms for ceremonial occasions such as "Divisions." This is a ceremony in which each house forms two squads, Junior and Senior, and performs a march on the parade square, with music played by the marching band and the Guard of Honour holds a key role. All house petty officers (POs) wear a chevron on their left arm. The school's chiefs, approximately 20 Upper 6th Formers, wear chief petty officer ranks and uniform, including canes. The deputy heads of school (two boy and two girl

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

s) carry the rank of

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

(second class). The heads of school (one boy and one girl prefect) carry the rank of warrant officer (first class).

Music

The Royal Hospital School has a distinctive musical tradition, with all pupils required to attend weekly congregation practice. The £3.6 million Reade Music School opened in 2008. The Royal Hospital School marching band is a perennial part of school life. The band is managed by a former member of the

Royal Marines Band Service The Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy and an independent element of the Royal Marines. It currently consists of five Military band, bands plus a training wing – the Royal Marines School of Music at HMNB Portsmout ...

, and the band's style is modelled on the Royal Marines. When the school forms up in divisions on the parade square, the band forms a separate division, larger than the others. It has travelled abroad for tours including to Sri Lanka and the USA. Some of the marches played include Heart of Oak, A Life on the Ocean Wave, "Holbrook March" and Royal Salute. Band members were part of the orchestra for the premier performance of Benjamin Britten's '' Noye's Fludde'' on 18 June 1958 in Orford Church, Suffolk, as part of the Aldeburgh Festival, with the English Opera Group and a local cast. The grand organ, a four-manual instrument, by William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Ltd. was installed in the chapel in 1933.

School songs

*"Go Forth With God" by Martin Shaw to the tune of Toc H. *" Eternal Father, Strong to Save" *"Holbrook" composed for the school by lifelong supporter Benjamin Britten *”Holbrook March” composed for the school by former Principal Director of Music Royal Marines, Lt Col Sir Vivian Dunn KCVO OBE FRSA Royal Marines *"

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Events

*Burns Night *House Shout *School Plays and Musicals *Music Recitals and Concerts *Christmas Dinner *Alumni Reunion including Sporting Events * Trafalgar Dinner *Speech Day * Remembrance Sunday *Leavers Ball

School slang

RHS has developed a number of small traditions and practices over its 300 years of existence, with many still in use today. Many of these slang phrases have roots in the navy, but many are also unique to RHS and its traditions *"''Divis''" or "''Divvies''" short for Divisions *"''DH''" short for Dining Hall *"''Civvies''" slang for civilian clothing *"''Chiefs''" slang for school prefects *"''Congo''" short for congregational practice *"''Mess''" naval slang for a meal

Chapel

The chapel is central to RHS life. It is compulsory for pupils to attend a short service every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Congregational practice is also held within the chapel every Saturday morning. A service is held most Sundays, compulsory for any boarders on site. As part of the chapel service, it is common for a musician (usually a music scholar) to play a small piece as part of the service during the week. The mosaics in the apse are by Eric Newton, later to become art critic to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. The chapel is a Grade II* listed building.

Royal Foundation

The Royal Hospital School has connections with the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

. These connections are principally The royal charter, School Visitor, and King's & Queen's Banners. The school's political breadth is shown by both its acknowledgement of its royal connections and its honouring the great republican hero, Robert Blake (admiral), after whom a House is named. Many members of the royal family have involved themselves with the development of the school.

Mary II Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England, List of Scottish monarchs, Scotland, and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland with her husband, King William III and II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Sh ...

's involvement with the Royal Hospital School is noted as "the darling object of her life". * William III and

– First Benefactors. * Queen Anne – Donated confiscated properties of Captain Kidd. * George II – presented assets from confiscated properties of the Earl of Derwentwater. *

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

– Laid the foundation stone at Holbrook on 26 October 1928 (as the Duke of York). * Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother – presented the Royal Banner to the Royal Hospital School.

Houses

All 11 Houses at the Royal Hospital School are named in honour of a famous seafarer. * Blake – co-educational boarding and day Year 7 * St Vincent – boys' boarding Years 8–12 * Hawke – boys' boarding Years 8–12 * Collingwood – boys' boarding Years 8–12 * Drake – co-educational day Year 8–12 * Howe – girls' boarding Years 8–12 * Anson – girls' boarding Years 8–12 * Hood – girls' boarding Years 8–12 * Raleigh – co-educational day Years 8–12 * Cornwallis – co-educational day Years 8–12 * Nelson – co-educational boarding and day Year 13

Sports

The school has inter-house sporting events and there are opportunities to enter inter-school competitions. Some school alumni have also gone on to be professional athletes. The main sports at the school are as follows: *Michaelmas Term: ''Boys'' – rugby union and sailing, ''Girls'' – hockey and sailing *Lent Term: ''Boys'' – hockey, cross country, rugby 7s and sailing, ''Girls'' – netball, cross country and sailing *Summer Term: ''Boys'' – cricket, athletics, tennis and sailing, ''Girls'' – cricket, tennis, athletics and sailing The school has 96 acres of sports fields, an all-weather pitch, tennis and netball courts, squash courts, a sports hall, fitness suite, strength and conditioning room, martial arts studio, climbing wall, indoor pool, golf course, nearby equestrian facilities (Bylam Livery Stables) and the majority of the sailing programme is delivered at Alton Water that neighbours the school. Sailing is available to students all year round and the school takes pride in its rank as one of the best sailing schools in the country, with many students representing their nations at world sailing events. As well as the possibility to sail in school, a biennial sailing trip is offered to the school's sailors – the most recent trip having been Australia in 2017 and Greece in 2015.

Royal Hospital School Association

The Royal Hospital School Association (RHSA) is a collective of alumni and former staff from the Royal Hospital School. Initially established in 1925 as the Greenwich Royal Hospital School Old Boys Association, it adopted its current name in 1992 to inclusively represent both male and female former students. The association regularly connects its members and keeps them informed about recent developments and events through its newsletter, Otia Tuta, which is published on an irregular basis. The association holds an annual reunion at the school in June.

Notable former pupils

*Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter (1848–1927), Administrator and

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

in Africa and the Caribbean * Malcolm Cooper (1947–2001) – British marksman who won Olympic gold medals at Los Angeles and Seoul and beat or equalled 15 world records * Professor Bernard de Neumann (1943–2018) – Mathematician * John Deane (1800–1884) and Charles Deane – inventors of the diving helmet, and discoverers of the wreck of the ''Mary Rose'' in 1839, whilst clearing the wreck of the ''Royal George''. * Admiral Sir Philip King Enright, KBE, CB (1894–1960) * Ernest Joyce, AM (1875–1940) – Antarctic Explorer, hero of the Ross Sea Party of Shackleton's ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. * Rear-Admiral Stanley McArdle, GM (1922–2007) * Admiral

Arthur Phillip Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New South Wales, governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Royal Hospital School, Gree ...

(1738–1814) – founder of Sydney, Australia and the Governor of the first European colony on the continent (NSW) * Commander Harry Pursey MP (1891–1980) – Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull East 1945–70 * Peter Richards (1978–) -Rugby, England, Gloucester and London Irish. * Duncan Scott-Ford (1921–1942) attended 1933–37. Youngest person to be executed under the Treachery Act 1940. * Captain Thomas Henry Tizard (1839–1924) – Oceanographer, Hydrographic surveyor and Navigator * Don Topley (1964–)- Essex CCC and coach of Zimbabwe. * Reece Topley (1994–), England cricketer * Admiral Sir Henry Felix Woods, Pasha, (1843–1929) – Admiral in the Turkish Navy * Hannah Stodel, (1985–), Paralympian

Notable staff

* Edward Riddle, FRAS (1786–1854), astronomer, mathematician and teacher of navigation. Highly esteemed teacher; senior mathematics master in the Upper School (1821–1840); headmaster of the Upper School (1840–1841); and then of the Nautical School (1841–1851). Author of an authoritative and important book: "Treatise on Navigation and Nautical Astronomy", that was used throughout the world and ran to eight editions. st edition 1821 * The Revd George Fisher, FRS, FRAS (1794–1873) Astronomer, Arctic explorer. Chaplain (1834–1863); Headmaster of the Upper School (1834–1840); Principal of the schools (1860–1863). Noted for his pioneering work in numerical educational attainment assessment. * T/Sub-Lieut. John Herbert Babington, GC, OBE, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Awarded

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

for bomb disposal work 27 December 1940. Headmaster 1951–1955. * Andrew Doyle, Comedian and contributor to

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. English teacher and tutor in Collingwood House * Simon Warr, television and radio presenter. French and Latin master, also managed the school plays and Football and Rugby teams

References

External links

Official School Website

Site for former pupils, parents etc

The Royal Hospital School Association

Profile
on the Independent Schools Council website
Greenwich Hospital site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Hospital School Boarding schools in Suffolk College of William & Mary Private schools in Suffolk Military academies of the United Kingdom Hospital School Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference 1694 establishments in England 1712 establishments in England Grade II* listed buildings in Suffolk Grade II listed buildings in Suffolk Grade II* listed educational buildings Grade II listed educational buildings Holbrook, Suffolk History of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Royal Navy Military-related organizations Military history of London Royal Naval College, Greenwich Naval museums in England Maritime history of England History of the Royal Navy * Blue Ensigns Charities based in Suffolk Educational institutions established in the 1690s Schools with a royal charter Military schools in the United Kingdom Veterans' affairs in the United Kingdom