Ditcham Park School
Encyclopedia
Ditcham Park School is an English
co-educational, selective, independent school
set in the secluded countryside of Hampshire
, overlooking the South Downs
. It has very large formal grounds, including sports fields, which adjoin several farms and forests; the main section of the school is a Victorian
manor house. A hi-tech Technology and Arts building was added in 2001, and a fully fitted brand new sports hall added in 2008.
The school performs competitively locally and nationally in examination results. It does not have a sixth form
, although does have a junior school. The current headmaster is Mr Andrew Rowley . The school comprises small sized classes, and a total of 362 pupils aged 4 – 16 years in the junior and senior sections of the school.
, netball
, hockey
, tennis
, cricket
, rounders
and athletics
matches throughout the year. The school is also beginning to introduce rugby
and basketball
fixtures into the school calendar. Matches begin at the under 9 age group (lower juniors- year 4) and continues right through the senior school. Despite a limited number of pupils to choose from the school is always competitive in terms of results. The school feels that Physical Education within the school gives every child a sporting start in life whatever their niche or ability and the traditional school sports day is a popular event in the school calendar.The school has a state of the art Sports hall built in honor of Martin Pryce a teacher who died of Cancer
Ditcham Park is on the South Downs Way
and this makes the school well located for its Duke of Edinburgh Award programme
Some of the schools extra curricula activities include fencing
, karate
, cycling
, swimming
, cross-country running and dance
.
is well supported and encouraged as the school has its own theatre.
There are a number of senior music groups, including the Symphony Orchestra.
The following list of activities are open to all.
Choirs, Ensembles
, Concert Band, Drama Club, Art Club, Mask making, Theatre Lighting,
Speech & Drama
The school also comprises an admirable Technology & Arts building, including pottery rooms.
to build the House and also to build St. Lawrence’s Catholic Church in Petersfield
. In 1940 the House was requisitioned by the Royal Navy
and used as a convalescent home for sailors and served by trains stopping at Woodcroft halt
. After the war it became a boys preparatory school run by Douai School
Monks and then in September 1976 Ditcham Park School was founded.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
co-educational, selective, independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
set in the secluded countryside of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, overlooking the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
. It has very large formal grounds, including sports fields, which adjoin several farms and forests; the main section of the school is a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
manor house. A hi-tech Technology and Arts building was added in 2001, and a fully fitted brand new sports hall added in 2008.
The school performs competitively locally and nationally in examination results. It does not have a sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
, although does have a junior school. The current headmaster is Mr Andrew Rowley . The school comprises small sized classes, and a total of 362 pupils aged 4 – 16 years in the junior and senior sections of the school.
Sport and outdoor pursuits
Ditcham Park has a full quota of footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, rounders
Rounders
Rounders is a game played between two teams of either gender. The game originated in England where it was played in Tudor times. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a round wooden, plastic or metal bat. The players score by...
and athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
matches throughout the year. The school is also beginning to introduce rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
fixtures into the school calendar. Matches begin at the under 9 age group (lower juniors- year 4) and continues right through the senior school. Despite a limited number of pupils to choose from the school is always competitive in terms of results. The school feels that Physical Education within the school gives every child a sporting start in life whatever their niche or ability and the traditional school sports day is a popular event in the school calendar.The school has a state of the art Sports hall built in honor of Martin Pryce a teacher who died of Cancer
Ditcham Park is on the South Downs Way
South Downs Way
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England, and is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales...
and this makes the school well located for its Duke of Edinburgh Award programme
Some of the schools extra curricula activities include fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, cross-country running and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
.
Drama, Music and Arts
DramaDrama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
is well supported and encouraged as the school has its own theatre.
There are a number of senior music groups, including the Symphony Orchestra.
The following list of activities are open to all.
Choirs, Ensembles
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, Concert Band, Drama Club, Art Club, Mask making, Theatre Lighting,
Speech & Drama
The school also comprises an admirable Technology & Arts building, including pottery rooms.
Notable former pupils
- Tamsin EgertonTamsin EgertonTamsin Egerton is an English actress best known for her roles as Chelsea Parker in the 2007 film St Trinian's, Holly Goodfellow in Keeping Mum and Guinevere in the 2011 TV series Camelot.-Career:...
, actress/model - Richard HarwoodRichard HarwoodRichard Craig Harwood is a British cellist.- Biography :Richard Harwood was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire and began learning to play the piano, aged four and the cello, aged five. He attended Ditcham Park School...
, cellist - Philip Hunt (director), Bafta award winning director
- Zoe FrenchZoe FrenchZoe French born 4 May 1986 is a British model and television presenter. She started her presenting career on Bikini Beach which she presented until October 2005....
, model
History
The House has had a very colourful and varied history. Laurence Trent Cave bought the Estate in 1887 and engaged the architect Sir Reginald BlomfieldReginald Blomfield
Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.- Early life and career :...
to build the House and also to build St. Lawrence’s Catholic Church in Petersfield
Petersfield, Hampshire
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth, on the A3 road. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. The town is situated on the...
. In 1940 the House was requisitioned by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and used as a convalescent home for sailors and served by trains stopping at Woodcroft halt
Woodcroft halt
Woodcroft Halt railway station was a former railway halt located in the parish of Buriton between Rowlands Castle and Petersfield on the Portsmouth Direct Line.-History:...
. After the war it became a boys preparatory school run by Douai School
Douai School
Douai School was the public school that was run by the Douai Abbey Benedictine community at Woolhampton, England, until it closed in 1999.- History :...
Monks and then in September 1976 Ditcham Park School was founded.