St Lawrence College

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About St Lawrence College

St Lawrence College is a boarding and day school in Ramsgate, East Kent for pupils aged 3-18. It is a member of the HMC group of schools and was founded in 1879, with the Junior School being a member of IAPS. There are currently over 600 pupils across the College, with around 175 in the Junior School (which includes the Nursery) and 425 in the Senior School (from Year 7). Numbers have grown substantially in recent years but numbers per year group are deliberately kept at a maximum of 60-70 to maintain the close community ethos of the College, which leans heavily upon a strong Christian foundation.

The School is very well resourced, with significant continued investment over recent years including a new girls’ boarding house, a new theatre, a new sports hall and recent renovations to boys’ boarding. Years 7 and 8 are accommodated in the innovative Kirby House, comprising both boarding rooms and classrooms. Additional sports pitches (including a water-based hockey astro-turf) were completed in January 2016 and a new Science, Arts and Technology block in September 2018.

Boarding is core to the ethos of the School, with around 50% of all Senior School pupils being boarders, a % which increases in older year groups. The School has Saturday lessons from Year 9 and Saturday activities in the Junior School and Kirby House. Boarders come from a diverse range of countries as part of a deliberate policy to foster integration. There are three boarding houses and four day houses in addition to Kirby House, and the School is genuinely coeducational. All teaching staff are assigned a tutor group in one of the Houses, and are expected to contribute to the broader life of a busy boarding and day school, through co-curricular activities, trips, academic enrichment etc.

Academic standards are high, even though the School is only broadly selective, and a high proportion of pupils go on to Russell Group universities. St Lawrence College was one of the first 14 schools globally to be awarded ‘World Class Status’ for High Performance Learning and there is a clear sense and approach that intelligence is not fixed and that high performance can be achieved by all. There is a close sense of community and a supportive atmosphere which puts great emphasis upon the needs of the individual pupil – exemplified by our social vision: ‘a caring community of kindness, positivity and respect’. This has led to growing numbers of local day p
upils joining the School, a number from local selective maintained schools.

The School also has a strong reputation for co-curricular success. The extended day and week of school life fosters a very rich co-curricular life, including House Play and House Singing competitions, whole school performances and an excellence in sport. The School has recently won national championships at both boys’ and girls’ hockey and also excels in cricket, rugby and netball. An emphasis is placed upon the careful balancing of time and emphasis to enable pupils to be involved in a rich variety of activities. At the heart of school life is Chapel, which all pupils attend twice per week, plus a further service on Sunday for boarders.

It is a hallmark of the teaching of St Lawrence that the needs of individual pupils are recognised and addressed, across the ability range. Progress is closely monitored through a regular assessment cycle of approximately three weeks, and appropriate use of baseline data and target grades. With small set sizes averaging about 15 up to GCSE and rarely above 10-12 at A Level, teachers are able to give close individual attention, including extra sessions if necessary.

Working at St Lawrence College

The School is situated in a beautiful self-contained campus within easy walking distance of the historic seaside town of Ramsgate in South East England.  Ramsgate is well known for its royal harbour, beautiful sandy beaches, coastal walks and sailing. Ramsgate and its neighbouring towns, Broadstairs and Margate, is part of the Isle of Thanet. The historic city of Canterbury is close-by (just 25 minutes by car).

The School has excellent transport links to the continent, being near both Dover and the Channel Tunnel. London is only 75 minutes away by high-speed rail link to St Pancras International.

Benefits include

· A warm and welcoming staff with a supportive senior leadership team

· Friendly, polite pupils

· CPD encouraged

· School meals provided, freshly cooked on-site

· Fee reduction for staff children

· Accommodation may be available