Hurtwood House was designed as a sixth form where young people could spread their wings creatively and academically – an inspired approach to growing minds that has remained successful down the years. Absolutely Education finds out more
Words: Libby Norman
When Hurtwood House describes itself as the most exciting school in England, it is statement of intent. It is located in an historic setting in the Surrey Hills, but life is anything but sleepy here. It is a sixth form that draws in students from far and wide for twin strengths – a rigorous academic framework plus exceptional creative opportunities.
Hurtwood is the place where, when they put on a show, they bring in a show band, professional theatre hands and run to a full house for ten nights (and you’d better be quick buying tickets). The productions are, with good reason, legendary, drawing talent scouts and agents down from London, plus a local crowd who can boast that the West End experience comes to them.
This is not a performing arts school, although its alumni roll call is testament to the fact it has nurtured some luminous talents, for Hurtwood is a high-achieving sixth form college. In fact, its academic approach and great A-level results (85.6% A*-B last year) make it a notable player among independents. And this is, it’s important to remember, a school that welcomes a range of students – from the Oxbridge highflyers to the much less academically minded. At Hurtwood, the most important thing they look for at interview is attitude and enthusiasm, and a willingness to get stuck into a very busy school life.
“I promise students that they will be asked to work harder and commit more than they have ever committed in their lives”
Every student is told at interview about the high expectations. “I talk about challenging them, and I promise them that they will be asked to work harder and commit more than they have ever committed in their lives,” says Headmaster Cosmo Jackson. All this is set against a background of informality, with no prefects, matrons or the like. “On one hand, we’re jeans and hoodies, we look informal and we’re on first-name terms, but that is balanced with proper rigour.”
The proper rigour comes in a grading system that lets no one slip on their academics, and it has been embedded in Hurtwood’s approach right from the start in 1970. The school remains family owned and – with three generations of Jacksons involved – there’s both a sense of continuity and strong values. Founder Richard Jackson – father of Cosmo Jackson – can describe exactly why he came up with the idea for a sixth form that did things very differently.
“One important aspect of the school to me was that parents didn’t get a report at the end of term which said: ‘another wasted term’,” he says. “This has been a hallmark of Hurtwood ever since. Although all schools have a grading system, ours operates on a weekly basis. And at the end of every week all the teachers assemble to discuss the progress of those students we’re not too happy with. So, on Monday evening, the personal tutor will sit down with the student and make sure they are put back on the rails and set sail again for another week.”
While that might sound tortuous for students who have fallen off the rails, in practice it’s welcomed because it’s not a punitive system but a positive one. Every student has the reassurance of knowing exactly where they are academically all the time. “This is a comfort for those people that are doing well, and it really helps those people who are liable to slip,” says Richard Jackson. “They can slip but they can’t slip for more than a week.” Parents love it too – not least because it’s a transparent system so they can keep a watchful eye.
For Richard Jackson, the original idea of this grading system was to “add value” to independent education. In fact, adding value was the overriding idea behind Hurtwood House – and that’s where the vibrant creative life of the school comes in. While nearly all independent schools have caught on to the wider value of the arts in recent years, this was certainly not so when the school was founded. Richard Jackson had been through the public school system of the 1950s and recalls it as a harsh experience. The arts were not encouraged – his school didn’t even have Art on the exam syllabus.
“The creative approach is ‘cultural rugby’ for, like a rugby team, a Hurtwood production finds a place for everyone”
His school vision was of a kinder and gentler environment. “I wanted to recreate the cosiness and the warmth of a prep school, to put that back into school life at 16, just when students need it most.” He felt strongly that this was the right age for a new adventure, an opportunity for personal growth. “That’s what you achieve when you make a break at 16 because it’s giving people a chance to express themselves more – and you can run an entirely different kind of school.”
No prefects, no hierarchies but plenty of warmth and nurturing have been mainstays ever since. There are some 370 students, with the vast majority boarding – and around 90% of those are first-time boarders. Around a third are international. They live in a wonderful set of historic manor houses and lodges dotted around the beautiful grounds, creating a campus feel. While the atmosphere is informal, there’s a clear underlying structure and code of conduct to provide all the right support and give students that bridge between home and university life. “We try to give the students the illusion of adulthood – managed independence. We want them to feel that they are developing into young adults, but we know that they need nurturing at the same time,” says Cosmo Jackson.
The nurturing is also there in academic pathways – those all-important decisions on next steps and right courses. “Half of our school is new every year, and half of our school leaves, so having a proper exit strategy is so important,” says Cosmo Jackson. This support starts at admissions, when students are making their A-level choices, and continues once they join. “Our dedicated Life Skills team of three full-time staff meet with students early in their Hurtwood career to introduce them to all the options that are out there, as well as helping them prepare personal statements.”
Alongside the Life Skills support, specialist guidance is provided by the Art and Design and Theatre departments for those students looking to head on to drama or art college (90% of Art and Design students pursue that specialist pathway). In these teaching departments, along with every other at the school, the teams have a wealth of experience garnered from working professionally within their sector. It’s another strong hallmark of the academic approach here, where learning is not isolated but underpinned with real-world knowledge.
“Hurtwood has achieved top marks in the world for its Media Studies A-level results over the past two years – and it teaches to industry standards”
One reason students choose Hurtwood is the creative outlets, but another is the flexibility on A-level choices. With 22 subject choices, the school is relaxed if students want to combine arts and sciences. Obviously, clear guidance is given where there’s a rigid requirement for university courses, but beyond that it’s up to students to decide. Students have also had a lot of say over the years in the subject choices on offer. “The range has been created by the students – we’re demand led,” says Cosmo Jackson.
A standout strength here is Media – a third of students choose it and Hurtwood has achieved top marks in the world for its Media Studies A-level results over the past two years. “We teach it to industry standards,” says Richard Jackson. “That’s really attractive to students.” Hurtwood Film Academy (HFA), operating as a production company within the school, gives the top 15 students an even faster track into industry, working alongside professional filmmakers. . While Hurtwood is firmly convinced of Media Studies’ value, some parents still need convincing. “We fight that battle at interview,” says Cosmo Jackson. He is able to ease parents’ worries somewhat by mentioning the many success stories – including the student they recently sent on to Oxford to read Modern Languages armed with three A levels, in French, English and Media Studies.
Students leave here for an increasingly diverse set of destinations these days. A growing cohort is heading for the United States, while choices across Europe are also increasing in popularity. The alumni network is exceptionally strong, and Hurtwood now sees the sons and daughters (even grandsons and granddaughters) of students who were here in earlier times. While the theatre, rehearsal spaces, studios and technical facilities are more extensive and impressive than they were when Hurtwood opened its doors in 1970, the creative spirit has remained constant.
When you ask why creativity has always been such a feature of Hurtwood life, Cosmo Jackson has an answer. “It’s cultural rugby,” he says. What he means is that, like a rugby team, a Hurtwood production finds a place for everyone. As an example, on the first day of the spring term, Hurtwood began production of its extracurricular rock and pop concert. This was a concise project with a four-week timeline from conception to delivery. “We had 30 songs, 29 with choreography and most had one main singer, four backing singers, seven or eight dancers and ten musicians. It ran for six nights involving around 80 people onstage and 20 backstage, and this was all going on while the students were handing in their coursework and sorting out university applications,” says Cosmo Jackson.
“For the majority of people who find us for the performing arts or for media or art and textiles, it’s just a sideline. Their main route will be more traditional, but this is how they indulge their interests over the couple of years of A levels,” he adds. That is the real magic of life here, strong academics plus the indulgence of exploring every creative interest. Hurtwood House is something different, offering students a golden opportunity to study hard and also act, sing, play and create their way through two action-packed years. Whatever their future career choice, Hurtwood students can look back on an unforgettable sixth form run.
Hurtwood House at a glance
FOUNDED: 1970
HEAD: Cosmo Jackson
GENDER: Mixed
NUMBER OF PUPILS: 350
DAY OR BOARDING: Both
AGES: 16-18
POINTS OF ENTRY: 16+
ADMISSIONS: Interview
FEES: Boarding £21,752 per term (incl. VAT).
Day £14,502 per term (incl. VAT)
ADDRESS: Hurtwood House,
Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking,
Surrey RH5 6NU
hurtwoodhouse.com
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