Dean Close School

Details

  • Type of school: Co-Ed | Senior school
  • Nearest international airport: Bristol/Birmingham/Heatrow (80km/100km/145km)
  • Age Range: 13-18
  • Number of pupils: 510
  • Number of boarders: 275
  • £ Fees per term - Boarding: Boarding from £14,250; Flexi boarding from £11,175;
  • £ Fees per term -Day: £9,595

School Information

#distinctlyDeanClose
Dean Close has a unique combination of distinctive values on which
the school is built, combined with a chosen set of essential Skills for the
Future. Every pupil who joins the School is a recipient of this educational
programme, making their experience at Dean Close distinct. The curriculum
has weaved within it five key skills, known as the 5Cs: critical thinking,
creativity, collaboration, compassion, communication, enabling pupils
to have the flexibility, resilience and confidence to enter the adult world,
knowing that the jobs and roles they will do, in many cases, are ones we
cannot currently imagine. These specific skills have been chosen to help
them flourish in the widest sense to live out the core values of courage and
love, contribution, long after they have moved on from Dean Close.

The community
Established in 1886, Dean Close is a flourishing co-educational school for
day and boarding pupils, set within a beautiful location on the outskirts
of Cheltenham, all on one 50-acre site. There is a sympathetic blend of
grand Victorian buildings and modern, state-of-the-art facilities such as art
school, music school, cookery school, indoor and outdoor theatres, floodlit
pitches, 25m swimming pool, dance studio, climbing wall and much more.
The School offers a crafted balance of strong academics alongside extensive
opportunities in all creative arts, music, sport and its many clubs, aiming to
give each and every pupil an exceptional, well-rounded education.

Academic focus
The main purpose of the curriculum is to offer a challenging and balanced
academic education, equipping pupils for the opportunities and demands of
their future lives. Class sizes average 15-20 with a maximum of 12 at Sixth
Form. All classrooms, laboratories and library facilities are fitted to the very
highest standards with state-of-the-art technology. Coupled with an
excellent teaching staff, this is what accounts for the 98% of pupils who
obtain university places each year.

Co-curricular
The bespoke art school entrance opens into a gallery that hosts a broad
range of both pupil and visiting exhibitions. Excellent studio spaces allow
specialist work in 2 and 3 dimensions, with individually allocated work areas
for Sixth Form. The music school has an an elegant concert hall and the
internationally renowned Carducci Quartet lead the strings department.
Unparalleled performing opportunities exist for pupils of all abilities with in
excess of 50 concerts each year, ranging from informal lunchtime recitals
to major choral and orchestral events. In sport, recent successes include
national hockey titles achieved through the highly qualified professional
coaches and facilities including a sports hall with fitness suite and dance
studio, high spec floodlit AstroTurf pitches, 20 tennis courts, a 25m indoor
pool and climbing wall. School drama is culturally and academically vital to
the educational life of the pupils and aims to offer a varied and challenging
range of plays. There are up to eight productions a year in one of three
venues: the Bacon Theatre, a purpose-built 550-seat auditorium, a drama
studio and a outdoor woodland theatre. An enormous range of clubs and
societies provide plenty of scope and individual choice including the Leiths
Professional Certificate in Food and Wine, a Community Action programme
and a hugely successful Equestrian programme.

News

Dean Close Foundation’s vision for inclusive independent education grows, as they welcome leading Cheltenham prep school.

The Dean Close Foundation welcomes a new independent school into its thriving network of schools and nurseries. The Foundation is delighted to announce that Airthrie School, Cheltenham will be joining the educational group. The school will be joining the Foundation which currently consists of four schools and a family of Little Trees Nurseries in June

A collective stride forward for Dean Close GCSE pupils 

It is brilliant to be able to look at a page of results and to see the achievements of every individual staring back at you. Dean Close School’s results this year are fantastic, not only because of the numbers being awarded top grades, but because of what it says about the hard work the pupils have put into both

A new village for day pupils at Dean Close

Today, pupils at Dean Close School returned to a brand new home, a new Day House Village which can accommodate up to 240 day pupils. Architects, landscape architects and interior designers have worked in partnership with the Dean Close over the last two years to deliver a bespoke development ready to meet the needs of

Dean Close trio earn Gloucester Rugby contracts

Three Upper Sixth boys from Dean Close School have signed their first professional rugby contracts with Gloucester Rugby Club. Archie Benson (1st XV captain), Josh Gray and George Barton (vice-captain) are all looking forward to life as full time sportsmen later this year, having just completed their A-levels. All three represented England’s U18s in the

Dean Close student achieves prestigious law offer

Dean Close Sixth Former, Irene Garcia Rodriguez, has been awarded a place to study law at ESADE in Barcelona. The university is one the most prestigious in Spain and Europe, and is known for its elite undergraduate programmes and its MBAs in Spain and New York. Ren came to Dean Close in 2015 as an

Dean Close wins SoGlos award

Dean Close School has been crowned the Best Independent School of the Year at the first ever SoGlos Gloucestershire Lifestyle Awards. Headmaster Bradley Salisbury and Emma Taylor, the school’s warden, attended the event at Blackfriars Priory along with many other prestigious schools. The award recognised the staff and pupils that offer their time to contribute

Pilot and aspiring astronaut inspires Dean Close pupils

Pupils at Dean Close School were visited by an aspiring astronaut and flight lieutenant last week. Kerry Bennett gave a talk to parents and pupils about her journey to becoming an RAF pilot and her participation in the BBC television series, ‘Astronauts: Do you have what it takes?’ Firstly, she spoke to the pre-preparatory school

Roll up, roll up

Friday 24th November, Dean Close Preparatory School celebrated their annual Charity Fair! Over 300 children, parents, friends and families enjoyed a fantastic afternoon in the winter sunshine, splatting the rat, enjoying a make-over, discovering their most compatible pet spider plant, buying Christmas gifts and sampling an abundance of cupcakes, waffles and delicious hot chocolate.  

Dean Close School shares a ‘Brass Skills Day’ with Wells Cathedral School.

Tuesday 11th October, Dean Close School welcomed Wells Cathedral School to share in a ‘Brass Skills Day’. Pupils as young as seven and up to eighteen spent an entire day developing their musical skills on the trumpet, cornet, French horn, trombone, baritone and euphonium. The day ended with all the musicians coming together for a spectacular brass concert, held in

DC-School-Cheltenham_CMYK.jpg

Location

 

Consultant

Contact one of our English Speaking educational consultants and let us help you find the right school for your child

Compare listings

Compare