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Our View
This award-winning all-through, co-ed school in Essex is, as its dynamic head Damian King says, ‘academically excellent without being exclusively academic’ - and even more so now, with the last couple of years’ huge expansion of the co-curricular offering resulting in more and more pupils choosing sport and the creative arts at GCSE and A level. ‘Everyone has a tribe they can find here,’ Mr King tells us. Pupils and parents also value the focus on skills such as problem solving and debating. Hot house it is not – even though its results are up there with the best of them.
Where?
On the threshold of rural and suburban Essex, close to Epping Forest, Chigwell School is located in an affluent spot inside the M25. There are superb transport links – into London in one direction and out into the countryside in the other. The majority of children travel in from a five-mile radius – in cars for the most part, but the head is hoping to move the dial with six school bus routes already serving more than 100 pupils and a free electric shuttle bus to and from nearby Tube station Buckhurst Hill. The 100-acre grounds encompass a mix of beautiful old buildings (the Anglican chapel and old library are highlights) as well as newer additions, including three small boarding houses for around 30 international sixth-formers.
Each part of the school has its own building for academic lessons while everything else – music, drama, art and sports facilities – is shared. This allows younger pupils to move gradually up the school without ever feeling overwhelmed.
The school feels like composite parts of a whole, rather than separate senior and junior schools. It’s co-ed from age four to 18, with a healthy 50:50 mix of boys and girls. At 1,120 pupils across all the year groups, it also hits the sweet spot of being, as head Damian King says, ‘Big enough to matter, small enough to care’. Mr King is keen to maintain the ‘homely feel’ that comes from a nurturing environment so growing numbers is not part of plans for the future.
Head
Damian King, who rises with the lark for a 6am run around the grounds every morning, took over the headship in September 2022 and has a wealth of experience: he spent five years teaching at Eton, four at Brighton College and joined Chigwell from Dulwich College where he was head of science and then deputy head academic. Wellbeing and pastoral provision are one of his three main focuses as head, the other two being excellence, not just academic but holistic, and service which has been enshrined in the school’s Anglican values throughout its history and sees each year group involved in voluntary service and charity work. Since he joined, a wellness centre has opened in the brand-new, state-of-the art sports centre, more teachers are being trained on site, and he’s expanded Chigwell's outreach work with local schools.
Admissions
Places at Chigwell are academically selective and extremely sought after. The two extra classes at Years 7 and 12 are always oversubscribed and competitive – at 11+ there are 330 applicants for 60 places. Prospective pupils sit tests in maths and English and are interviewed to assess whether they will be able to keep up academically. A new test identifies potential talent as well as learned knowledge and applicants are also invited to a taster day to see if they are a good fit for the school and the school is a good fit for them.
Academics and destinations
The academic pace is fast and of a first-rate standard. Pupils take 10 GCSEs, with triple science compulsory. Working hard and doing well is the norm here (academic excellence is celebrated via a dedicated High Performance Programme, with termly review sessions with the head of High Achievers, the academic deputy head and a student mentor), as is doing other co-curricular activities, such as sport, music and drama, at the highest levels. Public speaking and debating are also important with frequent internal and external competitions. Indeed, oracy runs throughout the whole school from pre-prep upwards, with debating taught to all year groups. A new Year 7 curriculum bucks the norm too, with a carousel of extra-curricular subjects including psychology, digital citizenship, entrepreneurship and sustainability. It is proving so successful that next year it will be rolled out to Year 8s as well. Projects on a subject of their choice are also an option, not only in the sixth form (EPQ), but also in Years 7 and 8 (the FPQ) and Years 9 and 10 (the HPQ).
The modern, standalone sixth-form block is headed by the inspiring Simon Coppell. He is something of a powerhouse, organising support groups for different disciplines such as law, medicine and engineering, supporting pupils with EPQs and essay competitions, running clubs and societies, and introducing enrichment programmes to ‘broaden their minds’. We love his ‘Stardust’ careers mentoring programme which sees Old Chigwellians returning to the school to talk to sixth-formers about future plans. Alan Sugar’s son came back and spoke about entrepreneurship, while a recent leaver who’d secured a degree apprenticeship at JP Morgan returned to share her experiences and answer questions about the scheme.
There’s no narrow-mindedness when it comes to leavers’ destinations. As well as apprenticeships, degree and otherwise, there is growing interest from pupils in American and European universities. Many do obtain places at Russell Group unis – around four a year get places at Oxbridge – but there have also been offers from the Academy of Contemporary Music and Escape Studios this year.
The relaxed and happy vibe at the school is proof that the academics never feel overwhelming for pupils. They’re expertly guided through exams and other educational milestones, with an eye on their pastoral wellbeing at all times. A full-time SENCO and three specialist teachers support pupils and encourage them to develop individual learning styles. One-to-one and group support is on offer, as well as staff training to enable teachers to support pupils in the classroom. In the sixth form, the presence of 32 international students (16 in each year), brings an enriching new perspective to pupils, often broadening their horizons enormously.
Co-curricular
Lots of space coupled with outstanding facilities means Chigwell’s sports offering is considerable, especially now the new sport and wellness centre has opened which includes a climbing wall and a six-lane indoor, among other facilities. Sport is not co-ed – girls play hockey, netball, football and cricket (some of the top cricketers at the school are girls), and boys play football, hockey and cricket. Everyone participates in athletics and tennis in the summer. There are innumerable playing fields, floodlit Astros and football pitches, plus netball and tennis courts. By the end of Year 6, there are competitive matches, with Chigwell always a serious contender.
Music is a big part of school life, with most pupils learning an instrument and everything from hip-hop bands to orchestras and choirs on offer. This year, the senior choir performed at Cadogan Hall in London and Canterbury Cathedral. As a (good) hangover from pandemic days, all the performances continue to be streamed live – which generally doubles audience sizes.
The large, 150-seat, purpose-built theatre accommodates the many dramatic productions; GCSE and A-level drama are popular choices. Every year group gets involved in producing a show, with roles backstage as well as under the spotlight. Last year, the whole school musical Made in Dagenham was a huge success, as was the recent production of A Streetcar Named Desire. The standard is high and tickets sell fast. Staff get involved too with a biennial staff panto, a charity fundraiser that is always eagerly anticipated.
There are clubs for everything, from coding to a biodiversity action committee. The journalism society has recently launched an online magazine, Chigwell Chatter, where pupils can showcase their talents and interests. The first issue has been a triumph.
An annual activities week sees children having a go at something outside of their comfort zone and the school year is also peppered with plenty of trips, from a cricket tour to Barbados and history trip to Uzbekistan, to visiting Mozambique.
Boarding
There are two girls’ and one boys’ boarding houses for the 30-odd international students, which means there are only around 10 pupils in each house with a houseparent and their family – making it a super homely environment. The Ukrainian and Polish students we met told us it was like living with a lovely big family. Nationalities are mixed across the houses (there are currently children from 12 different countries) and they socialise locally with day pupils and also have easy access to London.
School community
The new wellbeing centre has even further strengthened the sturdy pastoral care, providing counselling five days a week, medical care, and emotional and spiritual support. It isn’t limited to pupils either – staff, parents and alumni are all welcome. ‘Every child has a champion,’ says Mr King, a sentiment that reflects the pastoral offering, with a vertical house system encouraging friendships across the years and reinforcing the family feel of the whole school community, from pre-prep to sixth form.
Parents are fully invested in the school community, and they are embraced wholeheartedly – we love the meals the school organises for pupils and parents of new classes so they can meet and bond. They are diverse and hardworking and mostly live fairly nearby which means they have a strong voice – and they’re not shy about using it. Such active participation – parent turnout is near-on 100 per cent for every event – is a real positive. Parents seem nearly as proud of the school as their offspring – and that is saying something judging by the palpable sense of pride we felt bursting from the pupils on our visit.
And finally....
As this school gets closer to its 400th anniversary (it was founded in 1629 when Charles I was on the throne!), it feels like it’s just getting better and better. A real all-rounder with stellar academics, sports, music and the arts, pupils here also receive wonderful pastoral care in the new state-of-the-art wellness centre. Add in the fact that it’s seamlessly all-through, and it’s hard to conjure a better educational journey.