Dolphin School A GSG School
- Dolphin School
Waltham Road
Hurst
Reading
Berkshire
RG10 0FR - Head: Mr Adam Hurst
- T 01189 341277
- F 01189 344110
- E registrar@dolphinschool.com
- W www.dolphinschool.com
- An independent school for boys and girls aged from 3 to 13.
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Wokingham
- Pupils: 235 (boys 136; girls 99)
- Religion: None
- Fees: £15,966 - £21,870 pa
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
No uniform, first names for teachers, tree-hugging, non-consumerist, fiercely individual, unapologetically intellectual. Children here are encouraged to question ideas and teachers, to speak up, to resolve their own problems – all in a kindly free-range atmosphere. A small school, particularly in years 7 and 8; average class size is a diminutive 15. Could, perhaps, be described as...
What the school says...
Dolphin School offers a 'hands-on' approach to learning, high academic standards and a unique field and walking trip programme both at home and abroad which takes education beyond the classroom and brings it to life.
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What The Good Schools Guide says
Head
Since 2019, Adam Hurst (40s). Educated at Kelly College; read English literature at Reading. Began his teaching career at Shiplake College in 2004. He moved on to Caldicott Prep where he was head of sport, then became housemaster of the junior boarding house at Dauntsey’s before a short spell at The Oratory, Berkshire, and thence to Dolphin.
He grew up in a sprawling theatrical family founded by his grandmother, an Italia Conti-trained actress and dancer who ran several theatre schools. His father is musician and record producer Mike Hurst (one of the Springfields, alongside Dusty – worth a Wikipedia search, we assure you). He is one of seven children, many of them in the theatre world, including sister Muffin who runs the Henley Children’s Theatre Group (first started by her grandmother)....
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Special Education Needs
At Dolphin there is an Individual Needs Co Ordinator who helps to identify any children who may need support or, in the case of the most able, extension material. The curriculum at Dolphin is challenging and consequently the majority of children are of average ability or above. We do not have a learning support unit, but some children do have weekly one-to-one lessons with qualified support staff where necessary, the cost of which is in addition to the termly fees. 09-09
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
Y |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
Y |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
Y |
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
Y |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
Y |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
Y |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
Y |
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