Epsom College A GSG School
- Epsom College
College Road
Epsom
Surrey
KT17 4JQ - Head: Mark Lascelles
- T 01372 821234
- F 01372 821237
- E admissions@epsomcollege.org.uk
- W www.epsomcollege.org.uk
- Epsom College is an English independent day and boarding school that educates over 850 boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It is located on the slopes of Epsom Downs in Surrey and was founded in 1853 as a boys’ only school to provide support for poor members of the medical profession.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Surrey
- Pupils: 1,100; sixth formers: 320
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day £28,443 - £36,468; Boarding £48,852 - £55,158 pa
- Open days: September, March, June
- 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..
Selective to a degree, but with breadth of intake, staff have to pass muster in proving they can teach a range of abilities, ‘which ultimately means having a range of strategies at their fingertips to capture all hearts and minds, not just teaching to the top end,’ says school. The word ‘unbeaten’ features widely but never with expectancy or smugness – in fact, school wears success surprisingly lightly: numerous impressive sports cups casually on display. ‘Nobody is on the bench at Epsom’...
What the school says...
Epsom College is consistently among the UK’s leading schools, based on its performance in public exams. In its last set of league tables, the Department for Education places us in the top 1% nationally.
However, an Epsom education has always been about far more than results alone. We pride ourselves on offering all our pupils every possible opportunity to develop passions and interests that extend far beyond the classroom and last long after they have left school.
Benevolence & Excellence
The College was founded in 1855 by Dr John Propert. His vision was to build a College that would house, feed, clothe and educate the widows and orphans of medical men – a treacherous profession at the time. His guiding principles, which in turn became the founding principles for the College, were ‘benevolence and excellence’. To this day these words guide and inform everything we do. Propert’s founding ideals have become our core values.
Time, Space & Tradition
Following a traditional boarding school model, the school day extends until 6pm and Years 9 and above have lessons and fixtures on Saturday. This provides our girls and boys with the gift of time. The longer days allow all activities, lessons, sports, service in the community and academic extension to take place within the timetable, on our grounds.
The structure and routine of our days and weeks are guided by the philosophy that children learn as much from each other as from adults, and as much outside the classroom as inside. It also means that we can deliver on all the initiatives and values outlined below.
Supportive, Ambitious & Dialogic
We support all our pupils to become the best version of themselves – we extend and enrich, we support and intervene, we encourage independent thinking, and we welcome debate and dialogue.
The lifeblood of Epsom is conversation. Not just between pupils and their teachers but among themselves. Over lunch, on the way to the sports pitch, before lights-out, conversation permeates every aspect of Epsom life.
We view our pupils as young people. Ready to emerge from Epsom able to talk to just about anyone, in just about any situation, about just about anything. We believe in a great education which prepares our pupils for life beyond the school gates, this isn’t just a luxury – it’s essential.
Diverse, Equal & Inclusive
Our pupils represent a multitude of experiences. Epsom is a melting pot of nationalities, ethnicities, religions, families, sexual orientations and social and economic backgrounds. Individuals from myriad backgrounds, embarking on a collective educational endeavour.
Refugees, children in care and pupils on full bursaries learn alongside those lucky enough to be born into greater privilege. Ukrainians board with Liverpudlians. Kosovans dine with classmates from Kingston. Chinese students enjoy movie nights with friends from Cheam.
This diversity of attitudes and experience, backgrounds and beliefs, means that our pupils develop an interest in and understanding of others. They embrace difference, and revel in the new. ...Read more
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Curricula
Cambridge Pre-U - an alternative to A levels, with all exams at the end of the two-year course.
Sports
Rowing
Fencing
Shooting
What The Good Schools Guide says
Head
Since September 2024, Mark Lascelles, who previously spent 12 years as head of Dauntsey’s School, a place where he thought he would finish his teaching career: ‘I had not been looking for a move, however the opportunity of leading Epsom is too tempting to pass up.’ He also spent three years at the King’s School, Canterbury, two as lower master and one as the acting head, as well as 17 years at Shrewsbury School as geography teacher, coach for the first football, cricket and fives teams, and boarding housemaster.
Entrance
School is after all-rounders with several strings to their bow and fair share of the bright students. No longer a second-choice regular, the school is increasingly a bill-topper, recruiting from over 40 preps and state schools, likely to increase as it extends reach (Danes Hill, Downsend,...
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
The philosophy of the Learning Support Department is that all pupils can improve and achieve given the appropriate support for their special educational need, (SEN). At Epsom College, qualified and experienced specialist teachers are able to provide for a wide variety of mild SEN: dyslexia, dyspraxia, Asperger’s Syndrome, AD(H)D and other behavioural, social and emotional needs. On average, 8% of pupils have individual support. Within the Learning Support Department is an English as an Additional Language, (EAL), section. On average, 9% of pupils have EAL. Many of these pupils take specialist EAL lessons instead of a Modern Language. Learning Support staff provide additional support for EAL pupils in English Literature. Private tuition is also available. The generic provision is one of personalised learning. Teaching programmes are customised and take various forms: literacy or spelling programmes for pupils with dyslexia; handwriting, touch-typing and organisational support for those with dyspraxia; support programmes for pupils with AD(H)D; exam and revision technique; study skills and time management. The SEN provision often includes a counselling element. The aim is to produce confident independent learners who can invoke learned strategies and techniques automatically across the curriculum. Integral to the practice is close liaison with parents, Housemasters/mistresses, tutors, subject staff, the Medical Centre and other agencies. The Department maintains an SEN Register of all pupils with special educational needs. This list includes a description of the need, and strategies for supporting the pupil in class. LS staff are able to provide more detailed advice to staff and parents, as required. Literacy screening of all pupils on entry ensures that no difficulty goes undetected. Appropriate action is taken if there is a cause for concern. All LS staff are qualified to administer specialist SpLD assessments to tertiary level. This includes testing for access arrangements for public examinations. Occasionally, a recommendation is made for more specialist input, for example, from an educational psychologist. Specialist intervention and tuition consists of 30 weekly lessons of 45 minutes. These lessons are always arranged in consultation with the pupil and are outside the academic timetable and extra-curricular activities. Other programmes of support are offered according to need and can last from 6 to 12 weeks. The cost of these extra lessons is billed at the end of term.
| 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 |
|
| 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 |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| 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 |
|
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| 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 |
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