The Royal Hospital School (usually shortened as "RHS" and historically nicknamed "The Cradle of the Navy"^[1]) is a British co-educational fee-charging boarding and day school with naval traditions. The school admits pupils from age 11 to 18 (Years 7 to 13) through Common Entrance or the school's own exam. The school is regulated by Acts of Parliament.^[2]

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2015) This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (January 2022)

Quick Facts The Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, Location ...

The Royal Hospital School, Holbrook
Location
Holbrook , Suffolk , IP9 2RX England
Coordinates	51°58′20″N 1°08′59″E
Information
Type	Public School Private boarding and day school Royal Foundation
Mottoes	'Celebrating Britain's seafaring heritage through educating for the future' "The Cradle of the Navy" "Fear God and Honour the King" "Otia Tuta" - motto of Greenwich Hospital (Latin: Ease after Toil)
Religious affiliation(s)	Christian
Established	1694 royal charter 1712 Greenwich 1933 Holbrook
Founders	William III and Mary II
Local authority	Suffolk
Department for Education URN	124889 Tables
Headmaster	Simon Lockyer
Chaplain	Rev. L Mumford
Staff	72
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11 to 18
Enrolment	c. 620
Houses	11 Houses: Blake (Junior House) Anson (F) Collingwood (M) Hawke (M) Hood (F) Howe (F) St. Vincent (M) Raleigh (Day House) Cornwallis (Day house) Drake (Day House) Nelson (Upper Sixth)
Colour(s)	School Scarf
Slogan	Navigating success
Publication	"The Magazine"
Charitable Association	Greenwich Hospital
Website	http://www.royalhospitalschool.org

Close

The school is located in the village of Holbrook, near Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The school's campus is of Queen Anne style and set in 200 acres (0.81 km²) countryside overlooking the River Stour, Suffolk on the Shotley Peninsula in an area known as Constable Country.

The Royal Hospital School was established by a royal charter in 1712. It was originally located at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich. The school moved in 1933 to East Anglia.^[3]

The school is the only United Kingdom independent boarding school to have ever been continuously granted the Queen's Banner and it 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 Royal Navy uniforms, the other being Pangbourne College in Berkshire.

The school is affiliated to the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC).

Bernard de Neumann, a former pupil, described the school's significance as such: "Just as, according to the Duke of Wellington, the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, it may justifiably be claimed, that the establishment of... the British Empire, was charted and plotted in the classroom of... the Royal Hospital School."^[3]

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 and as a result provides a number of means-tested bursaries for families with a seafaring background.

The school also emphasises leadership development. Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines Combined Cadet Force along with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme are the most popular extracurricular activities at the Royal Hospital School. The Combined Cadet Force also includes a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Section.^[4] HMS Illustrious is affiliated with the Royal Navy CCF.^[5] The Army Section is affiliated with Army Air Corps.^[6]

The Royal Hospital School has a partnership with America's second-oldest institution of higher education and "sister institution," The College of William and Mary in Virginia.^[7]

The Royal Hospital School is a boarding and day school with weekly boarding, three-night boarding, and 'flexi' or ad hoc boarding options.

There are a little over 750 pupils at the school; of those, 330 are day pupils and 420 board on a full-time, weekly or 3-night basis. It is one of the largest boarding schools in East Anglia.

Boys and girls entering the school in year 7 (11+ years) join a Junior House, Blake, for one year. This provides a period of settling in and bridge from primary to senior school.

There are three boys' (Collingwood, Hawke and St Vincent) and three girls' (Anson, Hood and Howe) senior boarding houses and three co-educational day houses (Raleigh, Drake and Cornwallis)

In the final year (Year 13) boys and girls join Nelson House where more independent living provides a steppingstone to university or other life beyond school.

There are around 100 international students from about 30 countries. The school has specialist staff for international students and provides English as an Additional Language.

The school uses the National Curriculum Key Stages 3 (Years 7–9), 4 (Years 10–11), and 5 (Years 12–13), and provides a large choice of subjects for study.^[8]

The school was originally located at Greenwich Hospital and was based in what is now the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. The Hospital was founded in 1694, and the school in 1712, both by royal charter.^[13][14] The original purpose of the school was to provide assistance and education to the orphans of seafarers in the Royal and Merchant Navies, and it was once the largest school for navigation and seamanship in the country.^[15]

The school has been located in Holbrook since 1933.^[3] The Holbrook campus was designed by the Birmingham-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 main range and chapel 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 centred 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, 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, 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, publication of a commemorative book and a formal dinner in the Painted Hall at Greenwich.

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.^[16] Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.^[17]

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 Navy, Royal Marines or Merchant Navy.^[18]

Many of the modern-day Royal Hospital School traditions are associated with the Royal Navy or seafaring. For example, key naval events are celebrated, 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", a ceremony in which each house forms into two squads, Junior and Senior, and perform a march past on the parade square, with music played by the marching band and the Guard of Honour holding a key role. All house petty officers (POs) wear a chevron on their left arm. The school 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 prefects) carry the rank of warrant officer (second class). The heads of school (one boy and one girl prefect) carry the rank of warrant officer (first class).

More information The Royal Hospital School ...

The Royal Hospital School
	Head of school						Deputy head of school		School Chief		House Petty officer

Close

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2011)

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 chapel is a Grade II* listed building.^[23]

The Royal Hospital School has connections with the British royal family. 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's involvement with the Royal Hospital School is noted as "the darling object of her life".^[13]

• William III and Mary II – First Benefactors.
• Queen Anne – Donated confiscated properties of Captain Kidd.
• George II – presented assets from confiscated properties of the Earl of Derwentwater.
• George VI – 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.

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

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,^[24] 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.

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.^[25]

The association holds an annual reunion at the school in June.

• Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter (1848–1927), Administrator and Governor in Africa and the Caribbean^[26]
• 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 (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

• 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. [1st edition 1821].^[27]
• 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 for bomb disposal work 27 December 1940. Headmaster 1951–1955.
• Andrew Doyle, Comedian and contributor to GB News. 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

• Christ's Hospital
• Pangbourne College
• Welbeck College
• Eton College