We are excited to announce that the RGS will become co-educational, offering girls the same opportunities that our boys enjoy: academic enrichment and challenge, diverse co-curricular experience and outstanding pastoral care. Girls will be welcomed into both RGS Prep and RGS Senior, with phased entry from September 2027.
RGS Prep will admit girls into Nursery, Reception and Year 3 in September 2027. At the same time, RGS Senior will welcome girls into the Lower Sixth Form (Year 12). The following year, in September 2028, girls will also be admitted into the First Form (Year 7), completing the transition to full co-education across our main admission entry points.
Building from a position of strength
The RGS is flourishing. The school is consistently in high demand at all entry points and has an established reputation for academic excellence, including being regarded as one of the leading schools in the country at both GCSE and A Level and for university entry. Our most recent ISI Inspection awarded the School two significant strengths, one of just a handful of schools in the country to receive this accolade. ISI stated that: “The strong academic culture leads to pupils who readily engage in critical thinking and deep learning, and display intellectual curiosity” and “Tolerance, kindness and mutual respect pervade every aspect of school life”.
Strategic innovation and evolution
Throughout its rich 500-year history, the School has always innovated to build on our success. Our focus is always solely on what is in our students’ best interests, educationally and with regard to their wellbeing and personal development. We firmly believe that co-education provides us with an opportunity to enhance the education we provide to the benefit of all.
Chair of Governors, Sarah Creedy, commented: “This decision is firmly rooted in our founding principles and long-term strategic desire to enable all students who would flourish to study at the RGS. As a co-educational community we will enrich the educational experience of all our students and the preparation we provide them for university and beyond. This is an exciting new chapter and one that as a governing body we unanimously embrace.”
A values-driven education
Schools must remain loyal to their ethos but must also continue to evolve. Our values of inclusivity, scholarship, integrity, respect, courage and collaboration underpin everything we do. Headmaster, Dr Jon Cox, noted: “We want an RGS education to be reflective of today’s society – one where equity and equal opportunity for the sexes are promoted and in which both girls and boys are able to have equally ambitious aspirations, to work collaboratively and to set themselves up for fulfilling, enriching, happy futures. We believe that the life skills of teamwork, leadership, emotional intelligence, mutual understanding and the ability to relate to others are better fostered today in a co-educational environment: boys and girls learning and developing together as partners and equals.”
This established culture of inclusivity means that extending our offering to girls is a natural evolution for our historic school. Head of RGS Prep, Toby Freeman-Day, remarked: “Our success throughout the School comes from the wealth of individuality within our community and our move to co-education will add to the richness of an environment where all students have a voice and can become the very best versions of themselves, together.”
In a rapidly-changing world, we believe it’s vital for the RGS to be a forward-looking, innovative and progressive community, while staying strictly true to our values and principles. Our move to co-education is a significant and exciting development in the School’s evolution.
