Nestled in the stunning Suffolk countryside, Royal Hospital School (RHS) is both steeped in a rich 300-year history and fortified with an exceptionally forward-thinking ethos, particularly when it comes to technology. It is one of East Anglia’s leading independent co-educational boarding and day schools for 11-18-year-olds.
Having been recognised as one of the top EdTech50 schools in the UK in 2019, pupils have been using digital devices routinely as part of their classroom experience since 2014, with each pupil receiving training in the digital skills needed to access resources and complete schoolwork on their device.
Consequently, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread school closures and remote learning, RHS was almost immediately able to offer pupils the option of joining live online lessons, or, in the case of international pupils, accessing recorded lessons at a suitable time within their local time zones.
Thanks to being well prepared and fully equipped, the school had a full live online timetable up and running within 48 hours for every one of its 720 pupils. In total, RHS delivered more than 50,000 live online lessons to pupils across 38 different countries, as well as live assemblies, virtual sports and choir sessions during the lockdown period.
Range of pupils
The school is proud of its culturally diverse pupil body, with 14 percent being from overseas. There is a 50/50 split between boarding and day pupils, boys and girls. Around 18 percent of RHS’s pupils identify as BAME and nearly 1 in 10 are from military families, as well as 25% of pupils who benefit from a school bursary.
When it comes to children’s ability levels and educational needs, RHS caters for a wide range of pupils. As a result, there is no one size fits all approach to teaching, every pupil is respected and nurtured as an individual, for their unique interests and talents. The most able pupils are stretched by specialist development staff and every child is helped to fulfil their potential.