Frensham Heights A GSG School

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All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2024, Ben McCarey. New to this headship, he already looks at home. Maybe it’s the laid-back vibe of his yellow trousers, blue shirt and trainers that gives us that impression, or the springer spaniel curled up in his office. To work here, ‘you have to be fully in tune with the values of the school,’ he tells us, and from all we’ve heard, he’s Frensham to a tee.

Mr McCarey (everyone calls him Ben) was a chorister at Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford, then attended Stowe on a music scholarship and full bursary. After a BA in English Literature from the University of York he undertook his PGCE at Oxford then started his teaching career with nearly a decade at a comprehensive school in North Oxfordshire. He moved on to do three years at Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton, which, classed as a ‘failing school’, the then-head turned around by adopting a more nurturing approach. That made its mark on Mr McCarey. He moved on to become head of Holyport College, a state boarding school sponsored by near neighbour Eton College, where he put as much liberal pedagogy into practice as he could. ‘I took that school as far as I could go,’ he tells us, but he seems to have found his spiritual home at Frensham Heights. ‘He hit the ground running,’ one parent says, another that, ‘He's charismatic, warm and humble. He's very transparent - you just trust him.’ According to one boy in year 6, ‘He's funny, kind of like a dad,’ which is true enough. Lives on-site with his wife and two children, both of whom attend the junior school.

Entrance

Multiple points of entry starting at nursery. Big intakes in year 4, 7 and 9 as well as sixth form. For nursery and reception, a short, informal visit. Years 1-6 involves a trial day, school references and reports. Year 7 applicants sit short tests in maths, spelling, English reading comprehension and creative writing, also providing school reports and reference. School looks beyond grades, at the whole child, and fun afternoon activities provide opportunities to notice kind, compassionate children, likely to be active members of the school community.

An easy and welcoming process, parents say staff are thoughtful and observant of children’s needs. ‘They’d noticed [my son] … and thought about where he’d be happiest.’

Exit

Around 50 per cent stay on for Frensham’s own increasingly popular sixth form. Those who leave go to local FE Colleges, Godalming and Farnborough.
University destinations are one third Russell Group. In recent years Bristol, Exeter, York, King’s College, London, Bath and Cardiff have been popular. Students also head to the University of the Arts London and occasionally the US.

Latest results

In 2024, 53 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 48 per cent A*/A at A level (75 per cent A*-B).

Teaching and learning

Our visit began in the Aldridge theatre (professionally managed), where a junior school assembly on neurodiversity was taking place. ‘If we were all the same it wouldn’t be any fun,’ said one child during the Q&A, ‘we might get muddled up,’ said another. The progressive ethos means nobody’s in uniform and individuality is the name of the game. Before heading off to lessons, everyone, including staff, stands ups and dances.

There’s a nice ‘one-school’ feel here, with nursery and lower prep housed in colourful, cosy classrooms at the centre of the school. Children from nursery to year 3 share a playground but are out and about, receiving specialist teaching in dance, drama, PE, art, French and outdoor education. In nursery, the philosophy is ‘planning in the moment’, and ‘moving curiosity forward as it emerges.’ Classes are on the small side, so reception (just eight when we visited), joins year 1 for special subjects.

We saw fun, hands-on lessons. Year 2 were ‘eating well’ in science, where they’d made chutney using green tomatoes from their kitchen garden. Year 3 (11 children), played an interactive maths game under a neon sign reading, ‘We can do hard things.’

Numbers increase in year 4 to create two classes per year. The academic block feels like a step up, with home-base classrooms and play area. We visited classes (12 or 13 pupils in each), using iPads for history but, for creative writing, paper and pen ruled. The Frensham spirit of collaboration was evident, and children highlighted recent work on emotional literacy and inclusive classrooms.

Looking around upper school with two sixth formers (no head boy, head girl or prefects here) we found the academic classrooms small but plans to refurbish include stackable desks and ‘walls you can write on,’ says the head, who wants to help teachers ditch the ‘teacher, student, book and pen’ approach, for more flexible learning behaviours. Heads of teaching and learning say, ‘We want our teachers to be creative and ambitious, try different approaches, embedding leadership and critical thinking skills - allowing students to question and disagree, have a voice and get involved… It's a hands-on, lively approach.’

In a year 7 English lesson pupils were working on laptops or paper depending on learning needs, and at least half the class comfortably asked or answered a question. Pupils say their teachers ‘explain things well,’ engaging them and ‘speaking passionately about what they do.’ ‘They help you in every way possible,’ said one boy.

A great example of Frensham’s investment in children’s autonomy is ‘The Village’ year 8 summer project: a week camping in the woods without adult direction. Not (they say) as Lord of the Flies as it sounds, preparation the week beforehand readies pupils for the challenge. There’s a whole school ‘drop week’, of interdisciplinary learning each year; Last year ‘The Flood’ challenged pupils to redesign the world in the wake of disaster.

‘Some people get the wrong end of the stick,’ one parent says, referring to local suspicion that Frensham is too laid back, and kids get away with doing nothing. ‘Frensham Heights isn’t a relaxed school, it’s just… being there is relaxing.’ In fact, value added is good and academically, 2024 saw Frensham’s best results ever.

There’s a ‘head of innovation’ here and the hunger to explore modern subjects feels genuine. GCSE options include photography and graphic design and there’s an e-sports BTEC. Top marks for the new, bespoke e-sports gaming room, where collaboration was a focused hum of kids in their element. Homework won’t be set ‘for the sake of it’, but pupils upward of year 8 feel they get plenty. By year 10 it’s ‘a lot’.

We’ve rarely met children so keen on their teachers. Maybe it’s the first names thing, but they talk about them like friends. We heard praise heaped on many, including one for taking a difficult subject and ‘making it tolerable’, by treating pupils as adults. Parents say teachers are highly invested. One sixth former told us, ‘I wouldn't have gone from a GCSE grade 5 to 7 without [my English teacher] noticing me.’
Sixth form has seen significant growth recently, currently 90 and aiming for 120 in future years. The new sixth-form block (with boarding house) is driving up popularity. One parent praised the community feel and support developing friendships. Post-GCSE options film studies, politics, psychology, 3D design, graphic communication, further maths, sociology and e-sports. We dropped into A-level classes with between three and nine students. Physics students were studiously undertaking the practical measurement of magnetic flux density. In the ballroom, where prom, black tie dinners or promenade theatre might normally occur, year 12 watched a lecture on sexually transmitted infections, one or two gazing through the windows towards the beautiful Surrey hills.

Learning support and SEN

School says they’ll support ‘mild level needs’, including those with an EHCP, if all parties are satisfied they can meet need. We’d say strong pupil-teacher relationships, varied approaches to learning and whole school approach built on understanding and acceptance make it an attractive option. ‘My daughter was anxious and all over the place,’ said one parent, ‘but they've nurtured her, and she's thrived in this environment.’ Another told us, ‘What helped my son, was that the teachers knew him inside out.’

Small SEN department is praised as supportive, without being ‘at all pushy’, and has helped families to obtain diagnosis and access arrangements at GCSE. There’s a teaching space for one-to-one and small group work in the junior school, while classrooms are used for senior group support sessions. Small tutorial rooms are available for private individual learning support (extra cost).

In recent years, children struggling with English or maths have opted out of modern foreign languages to spend more time on those 'core' subjects, but this isn’t to be expected. Hierarchy of subjects is ‘not the Frensham way’, says the head, who’d prefer all children to experience the broad curriculum.

The arts and extracurricular

Nearing the art block, a sculpture appears out of the morning mist. It’s ‘Acorn Man’, by former student and now RWA Academician, Anna Gillespie. In fact, the exceptional work of art students is exhibited everywhere. Creativity positively crackles, with all students in years 7 to 9 having no fewer than six arts lessons a week - art, ceramics, DT, dance, drama and music.

Staff show off their ceramic studio with potting wheels and kiln, and an art studio with individual workspaces for A-level artists. In DT, the school’s award-winning ‘green power’ racing vehicles (designed, constructed and raced by year 7) are under construction. Multiple trophies include a first at Mallory Park and third at Castle Coombe. In the latest season, their highest placed car came fourth in the UK.

Drama productions look ambitious and first rate. One senior school straight play and one musical every year, plus an annual junior school musical. Opportunities to help with tech, props and set. The Aldridge Theatre also stages visiting productions (recently Michelangelo DaVinci Experience, The Globe Players) and a ‘curiosity’ lecture series (Laura Bates, Mark Agnew). A talent agency runs monthly master classes (year 5+), with some students securing auditions for Netflix, HBO, BBC.
Teachers here prepare students to study at top dance schools – a big draw for promising dancers. Two purpose-built dance studios and opportunities to perform in dance shows in each term. Dance troupes feature in school musicals.

The music centre accommodates nearly 200 peripatetic lessons a week as well as classes and ‘tea-time concerts’ in the ballroom offer performance opportunities to beginners and experienced alike. The message is, be brave and ‘give it a go’.

Frensham Arts Award (sixth form) is a unique support package for pupils hoping to work in the fields of art and entertainment which recognises that succeeding in the creative industries is tough. Successful applicants (audition/ portfolio) receive guidance, a platform for exhibition and exposure to the professional world through vocational enrichment - visits from industry professionals, audition training, workshops and trips.

‘Don’t come to Frensham if you're not creative’ one pupil told us, another countered, ‘It's actually good if you haven't had the opportunity to be arty before.’ A sixth former confided, ‘I wanted to go into finance, but [since coming to Frensham] I've got into design technology and now I'm thinking about architecture.’

Bags of extracurricular activities on offer. School says it runs 140 clubs a week (subject to interest) and expects involvement in three or more up to year 9. Our favourites were Back to Broadway Club (run by upper school students for lower school), French exercise, theatre staging, surfing and hill walking. If you’re musical, there’s orchestra, ensembles, choirs, rock and pop, funk band or learning to DJ.

Travel options include ski and surf trips, Malawi, Wales, wakeboarding and climbing. The outward-bound trip to Knoydart in Scotland was lauded by one student as, ‘The hardest but best ten days of my life.’

Sport

There’s a rumour that sport’s not great, but ‘We do do sport and we're competitive on the circuit,’ counters their director of sports. Girls’ football made the semi-finals of the ISFA under 15s trophy.

‘We don't force people onto teams; where around 70 per cent of pupils opt for team sports, the rest work on fitness alternatives.’ These include archery, high ropes, dodgeball, ski club, pickleball and basketball. Mountain biking - in which two pupils compete internationally, is slated for a comeback.

Full range of sports facilities, including cricket nets and an 18-metre pool. Years 4-9 have a term of swimming lessons each year. The cardio room and separate conditioning room (with cool strip lights and speakers) are popular. Pupils are encouraged to become active adults, ‘What we want from sport is to love it, love to win or lose,’ says the director of sports. Competition ‘is about pushing boundaries, getting outside of your comfort zone. There's plenty of competitive kids.’

The view persists that ‘highly competitive sports team enthusiasts might be put off,’ but, as one boy said, ‘other things about Frensham make up for that’. Another added ‘We aren't the most competitive… but [on the bright side] anyone that wants to join a team, can.’

Boarders

Increased interest in boarding, including from overseas. Hamilton house (years 7-9) has a large, sunny common room, welcoming kitchen and garden views. Around 30 children in 16 rooms with four or fewer to a room. Currently, most are weekly or flexi-boarding.

There were ten full boarders in Main House (years 10-11) with two to four to a room. Redecoration underway when we visited. Year 11 can get single rooms. Occasional nights available. The Friday we popped in, kids were off to Thorpe Park for Halloween fright night and had a theatre trip planned for the weekend.

Frensham made news in 2017 with its flexibility on gendered boarding arrangements, but no fixed guidelines are in place. One parent described the approach as ‘tolerant but practical’.

Robert’s House sixth form building includes boarding rooms and has its own reception, communal area and kitchens. Boarders get a study room in addition to their bedroom; a resource day students can also access on a shared basis. ‘We're encouraged to wash up,’ said one boarder, showing us the kitchen, ‘…and we do our own laundry.’

Ethos and heritage

A progressive school since its founding in 1925, pupils wear their own clothes and are on first name terms with teachers. It feels like a small university campus; a maturity that fits neatly with founding principles of giving young people agency. Misconceptions arising from the ‘wild child’ prog school spirit of the 1970s still linger, but that was then. The Frensham Heights of today is a standard, timetabled and orderly establishment, just ‘without the controlling pinch points’, staff say, that can make schools unpleasant to teach in and stressful for young people.

Maybe it’s the acres of woodland, the Edwardian building or the mushroom sculptures that appear to grow on the lawn, but there’s something magical about this microcosm. ‘Not your typical school,’ parents absolutely choose Frensham for its ethos. ‘Teachers see you as individuals and applaud your individual thinking,’ said one parent. ‘Mutual respect is core to the school.’
The consensus is that, if Frensham doesn’t work for you, it’s because you’re not on board with the ethos. Examine your parenting style; you need to ‘let go’ and let the school do its job, have faith in the (much talked of) ‘magic moment’, when respect and autonomy click. If you do, your children become independent, open and questioning adults. The head says, ‘Frensham Heights is right for every child… but not for every family.’

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Tolerance and individuality reign here, so it’s hard to see how anyone wouldn’t fit in. ‘You can be whatever you want,’ said one student. ‘Everyone's important.’ But there’s a degree of independence expected of students. It might not work for those requiring a lot of support navigating school socially or staying on task.

If they need a break, Years 7 to 11 have their own dayrooms and a pastoral hub. The library has cosy nooks for chilling with books at breaktimes. Expect a ‘mini farm’ from spring 2025.

One thing helping to relax anxious students is the absence of arbitrary sanctions. The line on discipline is ‘discussion not detention’, with discussions escalating to include family and senior staff. Staff say, ‘We take a minute to ask why, then give them a chance to tell us… it's a slow burn, but we’re looking for long-term positive change.’ Pupils say ‘Teachers understand we’re still learning, and that everyone makes mistakes. They're not mean about it.’

‘When things do go wrong,’ one parent tells us, ‘it's easy to blame the system here’, but those who hold to it see excellent results. Another says, ‘There's a sense that children aren't being constantly watched, but when there’s a problem, they deal with it.’ Children seem confident too. ‘You wouldn't be a bully at Frensham,’ said one, ‘it wouldn't be tolerated.’
No dress code. ‘It’s about mutual respect,’ say staff. ‘Freedom to express oneself combined with taking responsibility for oneself.’

No current specific LGBTQ+ groups but regular events celebrate diversity in all its forms.

Pupils and parents

Parents can get involved ‘as much or as little as [they] want’. Each year group has a parent voice (liaison) rep, and everyone’s encouraged to ‘bring their skills’ for interview days or as guests on the school podcast. Events include a regular ‘grill and chill’.
A good mix of middle-class, hard-working families and those that one mother described as ‘A-listers.’ Quite a few actors, musicians and creative industry professionals. Parents consider themselves to be ‘like-minded people’ who share ‘a love of the school and a hunger to do something different.’

Money matters

Fees in line with other local, independent providers. Under the banner of ‘ambition and enrichment’, scholarships awarded at the end of the first term in years 7 and 9 are honorary (not monetary) and carry an expectation of participation. Limited number of bursaries available. Concessionary rate for sixth formers who are moving on from year 11. Sixth form ‘Arts Award’ fee reduction awarded on an individual basis.

EAL support provided at additional cost.

The last word

Frensham Heights is a fiercely creative and forward-thinking school, but it’s the teacher-pupil relationships that have the power to add value. It’s not going to be right for everyone, but parents who put their faith in the slower-burn, progressive approach say there’s a magic that happens here, and they can’t recommend it enough.

Special Education Needs

Frensham Heights provides group lessons from Year 1 for those considered to have mild learning difficulties. These lessons not only offer support, but enable the teacher to monitor individual progress. From Year 7, the school uses diagnostic tests to assess the learning needs of all students. This then influences how lessons are planned and how those with learning needs are managed. Frensham Heights does not have a Special Needs Unit. Our provision is managed by a Director of Support for Learning and a Head of Support for Learning (Junior School). They work with a team of peripatetic specialist teachers who also provide support on a one-to-one basis. Where this is required, it is charged separately. Support teachers and tutors attend a number of continuing professional development courses annually to ensure that they are fully conversant with current theories and strategies in order to support students.

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