Sevenoaks School is a highly selective

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 ...

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England. It is the second oldest non-denominational school in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, dating back to 1432, only behind

Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483 and A495 roads. The town was the administrative headquarters of the Borough ...

(1407). Over 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of boys and girls. In 2006 it became the first major UK school to switch entirely from

A level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

exams to the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...

. The school is a former member of the

G20 Schools G30 Schools, formerly known as G20 Schools, is an informal association of secondary schools initiated by David Wylde of St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown, South Africa and Anthony Seldon of Wellington College, Berkshire, United Kingdom in 2006. ...

group. Sevenoaks School is among several leading UK schools that now charge annual boarding fees in excess of £42,000, making it one of the most expensive schools in the country. It is a registered charity.

Academic

(I)GCSE results: In 2015 over 94% of the GCSE, IGCSE and Sevenoaks School Certificate examinations taken by the 152 candidates were awarded A* or A grades. Over a third of the year-group gained ten A*s or more each, and 131 students gained 9 or more A* or A grades. All but seventeen results out of 1580 examinations were grade B or above. In Years 10 and 11, all students pursue the school's own certificated and UCAS-approved qualification in English Literature. IB results: In 2015 the average IB Diploma score at Sevenoaks School was 39.2 points (ten points above the world average). Thirteen students achieved the maximum 45 points, with 19 securing 44 points and another 22 securing 43 points. In 2017, the average IB score reached 40.6, with 24 students achieving 45 points. In 2019, the IB average score was 39.4, while 87% of pupils scored A*-A for their GCSEs.

Facilities

Three buildings were constructed for the school prior to the 20th century – Old School (formerly School House, which was built with the Almshouses in the early 18th century in the

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style and designed by

Lord Burlington Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831. Since 1858, Earl of Burlington has been a courtesy title used by the duk ...

), the old Assembly Hall (1890) now part of the Swanzy Block, and the Cottage Block (late 19th century). Additional early buildings, previously private houses, include Park Grange (mid-19th century), Girls International House (c1700), Claridge House (18th century), Manor House (late 18th century) and Temple House (1884). In the April 2010, a new 13-million pound performing arts centre, The Space, was opened on the school campus. The Space was designed by Tim Ronalds Architects with Price & Myers acting as consulting engineers and has won several awards: the Commercial & Public Access category in the 2010 Wood Awards, Best Education Building in the 2010 Brick Awards, and an RIBA Award (South East Region) in 2011. It was also nominated for Best Public Building award of the 2012 Kent Design Awards.

History

Founded in 1432 by

William Sevenoke William Sevenoke (died 1432) was a grocer and politician who served as Mayor of London in 1418, and as warden of London Bridge, alderman of Bishopsgate Ward, alderman of Tower Ward, Warden of the Grocers' Company, Sheriff of London, Member o ...

as a part of his last will and testament, the school was intended to give a classical education to boys from the town, free of church constrictions. Sevenoke’s will also provided for almshouses for poor men and women. Sevenoaks School is one of the oldest lay foundations in England. Sevenoke was Mayor of London and, as a friend of Henry V, may have been influenced by the MP for

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

and King's pleader,

David Holbache Dafydd ab Ieuan ( 1350 – 1422/23), better known by his English name David Holbache, was a Welsh politician, best known for founding Oswestry School in 1407. Family background Dafydd, was born in the mid-14th century to Ieuan "Gôch" ap D ...

, who founded

in 1407. According to

William Lambarde William Lambarde (18 October 1536 – 19 August 1601) was an English antiquarian, writer on legal subjects, and politician. He is particularly remembered as the author of ''A Perambulation of Kent'' (1576), the first English county history; ''Ei ...

and Richard Johnson (''

Nine Worthies of London ''Nine Worthies of London'' is a book by Richard Johnson, the English romance writer, written in 1592. Borrowing the theme from the Nine Worthies of Antiquity, the book, subtitled ''Explaining the Honourable Excise of Armes, the Vertues of the ...

''), Sevenoke was a foundling, whose decision to establish the school and almshouses may have been inspired by his early history. In 1560, in response to a petition by Ralph Bosville and Sevenoaks parishioners, Elizabeth I issued letters patent incorporating the school, giving it the right to use her name, and changing its governance. A seal was issued bearing Bosville's initials and the motto ''Servire Deo Regnari Est''. Ralph Bosville was Clerk of the Court of Wards and Liveries, a JP and owner of the Manor of Bradbourne near Sevenoaks, and under the conditions of the letters patent, he and his heirs were to serve on the governing body as long as they lived in Kent. He has been described as the school's 'second founder'. Supporting the letters patent, statues and ordinances were issued in 1574 and a private Act of Parliament passed in 1597. The school also received a number of bequests during the sixteenth century and during this period was brought to wider attention by William Lambarde's ''A Perambulation of Kent'' (1576). The school is thought to have been initially housed in small buildings near the present site, before a school house was built. Rebuilding took place in 1631, under the supervision of Thomas Pett. It was again rebuilt in 1724, to the designs of

, a friend of the headmaster of the time,

Elijah Fenton Elijah Fenton (20 May 1683 – 16 July 1730) was an English poet, biographer and translator. Life Born in Shelton (now Stoke-on-Trent), and educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, for a time he acted as secretary to the Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of O ...

. Building work was completed in 1732. During this period the Master and scholars were housed outside the town. The school remained small until the late 19th century. School records show that between 1716 and 1748, under the headmastership of the Revd Simpson, school numbers dropped from 'a great many scholars' to only four boys. Simpson resigned and was replaced by Edward Holme, a distant relative of

Sir Richard Burton Sir Richard Francis Burton (; 19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar,and soldier. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary kn ...

. By 1778 there were around 60 pupils, and the same is indicated in the School Inquiry Commission of 1868. In 1884 the governors appointed Daniel Birkett as headmaster. It was Birkett's vision to elevate the school's status to that of a First Grade Classical School. He started this revolution, reducing the number of free places to the townfolk and expanding boarding. When he resigned in the 1890s the school had over 100 boys. Birkett's revolution was continued by George Heslop who increased the size to a peak of 134 boys, although numbers dropped towards the end of the First World War (during which 350 Old Sennockians enlisted). Geoffrey Garrod followed Heslop in 1919. In the same year, the headmaster's wife, Mrs Garrod, started a new school for younger boys;

Sevenoaks Prep School Sevenoaks Prep School is a co-educational, day preparatory school for 385 pupils aged 2–13 in Sevenoaks in south-east England. The school is situated on the Sackville estate, on grounds bordering the park of Knole House. It was founded in 1 ...

started with six pupils in the school Cottage Block. An element of selection entered the admissions process in the early 1920s.

James Higgs-Walker James Arthur Higgs-Walker (31 July 1892 – 3 September 1979) was an English first-class cricketer who played in two matches for Worcestershire, one each side of the First World War. His first match, and only County Championship appearance ...

succeeded Garrod in 1924. Higgs-Walker, or "Jimmy" as he was known by the boys, started a revolution at the school with the introduction of day houses, the expansion of school sports and extracurricular activities and the vast expansion of the school with the help of the school's greatest benefactor since the founder, Charles Plumptre Johnson (or C.P.J.), who served as a governor from 1913 to 1923 and chairman from 1923 to his death in 1938. Johnson donated many gifts to the school with his brother, Edward: *The Flagpole, 1924, *Thornhill, 1924 (Johnson's House), *Johnson's Hall, 1936 (Now Johnson's Library), *The Sanitorium, 1938, *Park Grange and the surrounding estate, 1946 Higgs-Walker led the school until 1956 when he was succeeded by Kim Taylor. Taylor's headship was something of a 'golden age', when the school became more prominent nationally through Taylor's introduction of a number of innovative teaching methodologies, "Mr. Taylor, the Headmaster, has built so successfully on the work of his predecessor that in the ten years he has been at Sevenoaks it has changed from an old-established minor public school ... into an experimental outpost of the Headmasters' Conference." During the 1960s the school was a pioneer in developing a variety of approaches to education and in community involvement, notably in attracting international students – today pupils come from over 40 countries. The school was a pioneer in the introduction of 'The New Maths', an approach to teaching the subject which made it less abstract, and more engaging for pupils. The school adopted the textbooks and examination regime of the

School Mathematics Project The School Mathematics Project arose in the United Kingdom as part of the new mathematics educational movement of the 1960s. It is a developer of mathematics textbooks for secondary schools, formerly based in Southampton in the UK. Now generally ...

(SMP) which had been pioneered at a number of other private schools. The final period of every Wednesday was set aside for the sixth form to attend lectures, usually with a current affairs theme. Speakers have included public figures such as trade union leaders

Ray Buckton Raymond William Buckton (20 October 1922 – 7 May 1995) was general secretary of ASLEF, the rail drivers' trade union in Great Britain. Early life He was born in Rillington, then in the East Riding of Yorkshire, now in North Yorkshire. His ...

(ASLEF) and

Hugh Scanlon Hugh Parr Scanlon, Baron Scanlon (26 October 1913 – 27 January 2004) was a British trade union leader. Scanlon was born in Melbourne, to parents who had emigrated from Britain. His mother brought him back from Australia to the UK when he ...

(AEU), boxer

Henry Cooper Sir Henry Cooper (3 May 19341 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer, best remembered internationally for a 1963 fight in which he knocked down a young Cassius Clay before the fight was stopped because of a cut eye from Clay's punches. C ...

, philosopher A. J. Ayer and astronomer

Patrick Moore Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was president of the Bri ...

. In 1968, Taylor was succeeded by Michael Hinton who was himself succeeded by Alan Tammadge in 1971. In 1976, the school first admitted girls and moved from being a single-sex school to a

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 t ...

one. In 2012, the independent review of A level and IB results, based on government issued statistics, ranked Sevenoaks School first in the UK, ahead of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

(17th), St Paul's (22nd), Harrow (34th),

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

(73rd) and Eton (80th).

Controversies

Fee-fixing cartel

Between 2001 and 2004, Sevenoaks School orchestrated the

Independent school fee fixing scandal In September 2005, fifty prominent independent schools in the United Kingdom were found guilty of operating a fee-fixing cartel by the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT found that the schools had exchanged details of their planned fee increases over ...

, a fee-fixing

cartel A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...

involving fifty prominent

independent schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

in the United Kingdom. It was subsequently found guilty of operating a fee-fixing cartel by the

Office of Fair Trading The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) was a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforced both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the United Kingdom's economic regu ...

. The

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 schools in the United Kingdom's independent education sector. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the busi ...

– a

lobby group In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

funded by the independent schools in question – said that the investigation had been "a scandalous waste of public money".

Inflation of predicted grades

In June 2020, The ''Guardian'' reported that, as formally codified as a school policy in the staff handbook, Sevenoaks School had for 'many years' exaggerated the predicted exam results of '1 in 12' of its students (20 per year). This policy was outlined in full in July 2020 by ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', which revealed that 'in around 20 cases a year' the school inflated predicted grades 'to facilitate the application' of the student to university.

Mary Curnock Cook Mary Curnock Cook (born 1958) is an independent educationalist who has previously served as Chief Executive of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and as Director of Qualifications and Skills at the Qualifications and Curriculum Deve ...

commented that it was 'embarrassing for Sevenoaks that deliberately overpredicting students’ grades is in writing in their guidelines'. The Charity Commission stated that it had engaged with the school over 'a broad set of concerns including predictions' and 'governance concerns', with which investigation the school said it was 'cooperating fully'. UCAS confirmed that it had already sent the school a reminder of its guidelines, and the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...

warned that 'Schools should not be inflating predicted grades'. The school 'refuted any suggestion that we would unfairly exaggerate UCAS predictions' and then announced that it would edit the staff handbook to 'ensure there is no confusion'. Furthermore, after initially stating that its accuracy in predicting grades 'significantly outperformed the national average', the school clarified that its predictions did not outperform the national average. The

stated that the last five years of predictions were 'in line with' results. Robert Sackville-West, 7th Baron Sackville, who sits on the UK board of the

, was Chair of Trustees at the school from 2002 until 2008, and since 2012 has been Chair of the Trustees of the Sevenoaks School Foundation, a charity that acts as the fundraising arm of the school. On 25 June 2020, Shadow Education Secretary

Mike Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie Michael Goodall Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie (born 1 May 1949), is a British Labour Party politician and arsonist. He has served in two legislatures in the United Kingdom and served as Minister for Culture and Sport in the Scottish Exe ...

posed a written question to the Conservative Party in the House of Lords, asking 'what discussions they have had with Sevenoaks School'. Elizabeth Berridge, Baroness Berridge, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of the

, replied that 'the school has been reminded about CASguidelines' and that 'Schools should not be inflating predicted grades.'

In literature

* Sevenoaks schoolmaster William Painter introduced his translation of William Fulke's ''Antiprognosticon'' (1560) with a letter written from Sevenoaks. * The finding of William Sevenoke is described by

in ''A Perambulation of Kent'' (1576). * William Camden mentions the school and almshouses in ''Britannia'' (1586). * A school tradition, cited in the prospectus and school history, maintains that Sevenoaks is the 'grammar school' of Jack Cade's speech in '' Henry VI Part 2'', Act 4, scene 7. Jonathan Bate would appear to support this (''The Genius of Shakespeare'', 1997). * William Sevenoke is one of Richard Johnson's

(1592). * John Stow refers to William Sevenoke's civic roles and the founding of the school and almshouses in his ''Survey of London'' (1603), as does Anthony Munday in ''A Brief Chronicle'' (1611). * Daniel Defoe refers to the school in ''A tour through the whole island of Great Britain'' (1724–27). * John Wesley preached 'at an open place near the Free-School', on Saturday, 4 October 1746. (''Journal of the Rev John Wesley'') * Maurice Henry Hewlett reflects on friendships of his schooldays in ''Lore of Proserpine'' (1913). * The Sevenoaks education of Huang Ya Dong ( Wang Y Tong) and the son of John Frederick Sackville and Giovanna Baccelli is mentioned in Vita Sackville-West's ''Knole and the Sackvilles'' (1922). *

Charlie Higson Charles Murray Higson (born 3 July 1958) is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer. He has also written and produced for television and is the author of the ''Enemy'' book series, as well as the first five novels in the ''Young Bo ...

's fictional boarding school, Rowhurst (''The Dead'', 2010) was inspired by Sevenoaks. * In Ian McEwan's novel ''Sweet Tooth'' (2012), the character Tom Haley is described as 'the product of a good grammar school, Sevenoaks'.

Notable students and alumni

Former pupils are known as "Old Sennockians".

Academics and scientists

* Sir Jonathan Bate CBE, FBA, FRSL, academic, biographer and critic * Mark Brouard, professor of chemistry *

Simon Donaldson Sir Simon Kirwan Donaldson (born 20 August 1957) is an English mathematician known for his work on the topology of smooth (differentiable) four-dimensional manifolds, Donaldson–Thomas theory, and his contributions to Kähler geometry. H ...

, mathematician * Francis Everitt, professor of physics, Stanford University *

Emily Greenwood Emily Greenwood is Professor of the Classics and of Comparative Literature at Harvard University. She was formerly professor of Classics and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University and John M. Musser Professor of Classics a ...

, professor of Classics and the University Center for Human Values *

George Grote George Grote (; 17 November 1794 – 18 June 1871) was an English political radical and classical historian. He is now best known for his major work, the voluminous ''History of Greece''. Early life George Grote was born at Clay Hill near B ...

, historian * David Kear (geologist), geologist *

Noel Kingsbury Noel Kingsbury is a British garden designer and writer on gardening, plant sciences and related topics. He is best known for his promotion of naturalistic planting design in gardens and designed landscapes (e.g. the 1996 publication of 'The New ...

, writer on gardening and plant science * Paddy Lowe, motor racing engineer * Tom McLeish FRS, FRSC, theoretical physicist * Philip Ruffles CBE, FREng, FRS, aerospace engineer, former Director of Engineering and Technology of

Rolls-Royce plc Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British multinational aerospace and defence company incorporated in February 2011. The company owns Rolls-Royce, a business established in 1904 which today designs, manufactures and distributes power systems for ...

Max Saunders Max Saunders (born 24 June 1957) is a British academic and writer specialising in modern literature. He is the author of ''Imagined Futures: Writing, Science, and Modernity in the To-Day and To-Morrow Book Series, 1923-31'', ''Ford Madox Ford: A Dua ...

, academic specialising in modern literature and culture * Jonael Schickler, philosopher *

Oliver Taplin Oliver Taplin, FBA (born 2 August 1943) is a retired British academic and classicist. He was a fellow of Magdalen College and Professor of Classical Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford. He holds a DPhil from Oxford University. Ac ...

, professor *

Nigel Warburton Nigel Warburton (; born 1962) is a British philosopher. He is best known as a populariser of philosophy, having written a number of books in the genre, but he has also written academic works in aesthetics and applied ethics. Education Warburton r ...

, philosopher * Nick Wirth, automotive engineer and former owner of the Simtek Formula One team

Activists, diplomats and politicians

* Jonathan Evans, Baron Evans of Weardale KCB, DL, former Director General of MI5 * Stephen Hale OBE, Chief Executive of Refugee Action * Michael Holmes, former leader of UK Independence Party * Raşit Pertev, Turkish Cypriot development practitioner, politician and writer * Colwyn Philipps, 3rd Viscount St Davids, British peer, Conservative Party politician and Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords * Christopher Prout, Baron Kingsland, British barrister and Conservative Party politician * Sir Jonathan Stephens KCB, civil servant * Tristram Stuart, author and campaigner *

Ben Summerskill Ben Jeffrey Peter Summerskill (born 6 October 1961 in Kent) is chair of The Silver Line and director of the Criminal Justice Alliance, a consortium of 135 charities working across the GB criminal justice pathway. He was the chief executive of th ...

, lobbyist, Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance *

Peter Thomson (diplomat) Peter Thomson (born 1948) is a Fijian diplomat and the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, and President of the United Nations General Assembly from September 2016 until September 2017. He served as Fiji's Permanent ...

, former President of the United Nations General Assembly * Colin Vereker, 8th Viscount Gort, Irish peer and member of the House of Keys * Caroline Wilson (diplomat), British Ambassador to China

Arts and entertainment

* Tanis, singer songwriter and composer *

Stuart Clark Stuart Rupert Clark (born 28 September 1975) is an Australian former cricketer who played for New South Wales and the Australian team. He was a right-arm fast-medium bowler. His nickname "Sarfraz" originates from the similarities of his bowli ...

, Radio Caroline DJ * Adam Curtis, filmmaker *

Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...

, actor * Clive Dunn, actor * Clive Farahar, antiquarian book specialist, dealer, expert on the BBC's

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...

* Daniel Flynn (actor), actor * Andy Gill, musician *

Brett Goldstein Brett Goldstein (born 17 July 1980) is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for writing and starring as Roy Kent in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series ''Ted Lasso'' (2020–present), for which he received the Primetime Emmy ...

, actor, comedian, writer * Andrew Gourlay, conductor * Tom Greenhalgh, musician ( Mekons) *

Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras. His early film ' ...

, director and filmmaker * Emma Johnson, clarinetist * Jon King, musician * James McVinnie, organist and pianist *Rupert Russell, writer and comedian * Joe Stilgoe, singer, pianist and songwriter *

Geoffrey Streatfeild Geoffrey Streatfeild (born 1975) is an English actor in film, television, stage and radio. He is a member of the Streatfeild family. Career His notable film and TV roles include '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' and '' Kinky Boots''. He also appea ...

, actor * The Webb Sisters, Charley and Hattie Webb, musicians *

Helen Zaltzman Helen Zaltzman is an English podcaster, broadcaster and writer. She produces the linguistics podcast ''The Allusionist'', the entertainment podcast ''Answer Me This!'', and the ''Veronica Mars'' recap podcast ''Veronica Mars Investigations''. ...

, broadcaster and writer * Aryan Khan, writer and director

Artists and designers

Charles Barry Jr. Charles Barry Jr. (1823–1900) was an England, English architect of the mid-late 19th century, and eldest son of Sir Charles Barry. Like his younger brother and fellow architect Edward Middleton Barry, Charles Jr. designed numerous buildings in ...

, architect *

Will Burrard-Lucas Will Burrard-Lucas (born 2 September 1983), is a British wildlife photographer and entrepreneur. He is known for developing devices, such as BeetleCam and camera traps, which enable him to capture close-up photographs of wildlife. Early life and ...

, wildlife photographer * Lucy Cousins, illustrator and author *

Thomas Heatherwick Thomas Alexander Heatherwick, (born 17 February 1970) is an English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio. He works with a team of around 200 architects, designers and makers from a studio and workshop in ...

, designer * Emma Hope, British shoe designer *

Simon Starling Simon Starling (born 1967) is an English conceptual artist and won the Turner Prize in 2005. Early life Simon Starling was born in 1967 in Epsom, Surrey. He studied photography and art at Maidstone College of Art from 1986 to 1987, then at Tre ...

, winner of the 2005 Turner Prize

Business

* Parth Jindal, Managing Director of

JSW Cement JSW Cement is part of the diversified US$22 billion JSW Group. As one of India’s leading business houses, JSW Group also has other business interests in sectors such as steel, energy, infrastructure, paints, sports and venture capital. JSW Cem ...

and JSW Paints * Vikas Kapoor, CEO of Mezocliq * Jill McDonald, CEO of

Costa Coffee Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Dunstable, England. Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. I ...

and former CEO of Halfords

Church leaders

* Thomas Comber, Dean of Durham * John Frith, martyr and translator of the New Testament *

Charles Wordsworth Charles Wordsworth (22 August 1806 – 5 December 1892) was Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane in Scotland. He was a classical scholar, and taught at public schools in England and Scotland. He was a rower, cricketer and athlete and he ...

, churchman, scholar and schoolmaster *

Edward Perronet Edward Perronet (1721 – 2 January 1792) was the son of an Anglican priest, who worked closely with Anglican priest John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley for many years in England's eighteenth century Christian revival. He is perhaps most ...

, hymn-writer, itinerant Wesleyan preacher * Alan Wilson (bishop), Bishop of Buckingham * Clive Gregory, Bishop of Wolverhampton

Journalists, writers and publishers

* Paul Adams, journalist * Mick Audsley, film editor * John Bowdler the Younger, essayist, poet and lawyer *

Olivia Cole (poet) Olivia Cole (born 1981) is a British poet. Biography Cole was born and raised in Kent, and read English at Christ Church, Oxford. After being a winner of the 2003 Eric Gregory Award, Cole quickly made her mark as a poet. In 2006, she appeared o ...

, journalist and poet * Sarah Harrison, investigative journalist, staff member of WikiLeaks * Maurice Henry Hewlett, author *

, comedian and author *

Sonny Mehta Ajai Singh "Sonny" Mehta (9 November 1942McFadden, Robert D. (31 December 2019) ''The New York Times''. – 30 December 2019) was an Indian editor and the editor-in-chief of Alfred A. Knopf and chairman of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ...

, editor, former head of Alfred A Knopf *

Plum Sykes Victoria Rowland (née Sykes; born 4 December 1969), known both professionally and socially as Plum Sykes, is an English-born fashion journalist, novelist, and socialite. Early years and antecedents Victoria Sykes was born in London, one of ...

, author *

Elleston Trevor Elleston Trevor (17 February 1920 – 21 July 1995) was a British novelist and playwright who wrote under several pseudonyms. Born Trevor Dudley-Smith, he eventually changed his name to Elleston Trevor. Trevor worked in many genres, but is princ ...

, author and playwright

Military

Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, (30 March 1785 – 24 September 1856) was a British Army officer and politician. After serving in the Peninsular War and the Waterloo Campaign he became Secretary at War in Wellington's ministry. After ...

, field marshal and statesman * Patrick Heenan, Captain in the British Indian Army who was convicted of treason and executed after spying for Japan during the Malayan campaign of World War II * Martin Smith (Royal Marines officer), former Commandant General Royal Marines * Charles Stickland CB, OBE, former Commandant General Royal Marines * Vice Admiral Gordon McLintock ( USMS), the 4th and longest serving superintendent of the

United States Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serve as officers in the United States Merchant ...

Royalty

*Sir

Timothy Laurence Vice Admiral Sir Timothy James Hamilton Laurence, (born 1 March 1955) is a retired Royal Navy officer and husband of the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Laurence was equerry t ...

, vice admiral and husband of Princess Anne, The Princess Royal *

Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano; born 21 February 1986) is a grandson of King Albert II of Belgium, and thus a member of the Belgian royal family. He is also ...

, grandson of King

Albert II of Belgium , house = Belgium , father = Leopold III of Belgium , mother = Astrid of Sweden , birth_date = , birth_place = Stuyvenberg Castle, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium , death_date = , death_place = , signature = Albert II of Belgium Signat ...

and nephew to Philippe King of the Belgians * Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, granddaughter of King

and niece to Philippe King of the Belgians *

Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis (''Elisabeth Margarete Maria Anna Beatriz Prinzessin von Thurn und Taxis''; born 24 March 1982) is a German journalist, author, socialite, and art collector. By birth, as the daughter of Johannes, 11th P ...

, daughter of

Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis , father = Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis , mother = Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Schloss Höfling, Regensburg, Bavaria, Weimar Republic , death_date = , death_place = Munich, Germany , pla ...

Sports

* Christina Bassadone, Olympic sailor *

Daniel Caprice Daniel Caprice (born 20 October 1989 in Chatham, Kent) is a former Rugby Union player who last played as Wing and fullback for London Welsh in the Aviva Premiership. Dan began playing rugby aged 8 at Medway Rugby Club, Rochester. He moved on ...

, rugby union player * Paul Downton, cricketer * Tash Farrant, cricketer *

James Graham-Brown James Martin Hilary Graham-Brown (born 11 July 1951) is a former English professional cricketer and schoolteacher. He is now a playwright who writes under the pen name Dougie Blaxland. Early life and education Graham-Brown was born at Thetford ...

, cricketer * Tony Roques, Rugby union player * Robby Swift, windsurfer * Chris Tavaré, cricketer (ex biology teacher at the school) * Andy Titterrell, rugby union player * Ian Walker, Olympic sailor

Other

* Huang Ya Dong, early Chinese visitor to England * C.W.R. Knight, MC, British falconer and writer * Emma Slade, charity founder, Buddhist nun and writer

Former staff

Jonty Driver Charles Jonathan Driver, usually known as Jonty Driver, (born 1939) is a South African anti-apartheid activist, former political prisoner, educationalist, poet and writer. Childhood "Jonty" Driver was born in Cape Town in 1939, but spent the ...

(English teacher 1964-5, Housemaster of the International Sixth Form Centre 1967-73), writer, who wrote a book about his experiences at the school *

, poet, biographer, translator and schoolmaster of Sevenoaks School * Don Foster, Baron Foster of Bath, British politician * Chris Greenhalgh, writer *

, cricketer and headmaster of Sevenoaks School * Alan Hurd, cricketer *

James Jones (bishop) James Stuart Jones (born 18 August 1948) is a retired Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Liverpool between 1998 and 2013. Early life Jones is the son of Major Stuart Jones and Helen Jones. He was educated at the Duke of York's Roy ...

, former Bishop of Liverpool * Chris Tavaré, retired English international cricketer * Kim Taylor (educationalist), educationalist and headmaster of Sevenoaks School * Ernie Toser, English professional footballer

References

External links

Sevenoaks School websiteSevenoaks School
on Ofsted.
Profile
at the Good Schools Guide
William Sevenoke, The History of Parliament
{{Authority control Independent schools in Kent International Baccalaureate schools in England 1432 establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 15th century Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Schools in Sevenoaks