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Worth School

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Established 1933 (Secondary school 1959) School type Catholic Independent boarding and day school Ethos Benedictine Headmaster Mr Gino Carminati Deputy Head Dr James Whitehead Chaplain Fr Martin McGee, OSB Location Crawley, West Sussex RH10 4SD Enrolment 450 Yrs 7-13 School Colours Blue and Gold Website www.worthschool.co.uk Old Boys Association www.wobsnet.org.uk

Worth School, near the village of Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, England, is a boarding and day school for students aged between 11-18 years. The school is located alongside Worth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in 500 acres of the Sussex countryside. As of 2005 the school has some 305 boarders and 150 day students.

Worth aims to provide a broad education and a balanced lifestyle that is rooted in the Benedictine tradition.

History of Worth

Worth School (left) and Worth Abbey

Before Worth became a School in 1933, it was the country estate of Lord Cowdray. In that year, the estate, previously known as Paddockhurst, was purchased by the Benedictine monks of Downside Abbey (in Somerset), who founded a priory and a prep school for boys aged 7 to 13 on the Worth campus. During the Second World War the school was evacuated to Downside.

In 1957, Worth Priory became an independent monastery, before becoming Worth Abbey in 1965. In 1959 Worth School, for boys aged 13 to 18, was founded , and Worth Prep School was scaled down year by year until in 1965 it became the Junior House for boys aged 11 to 13. Like many boys' independent schools of that period, Worth was exclusively a boarding school. Today, Worth School retains a boarding tradition, while also admitting day students. The school is currently planning an expansion in its facilities to allow it to become fully co-educational.

Houses

There are seven houses:

  • Austin - Junior House - Navy Blue and Yellow Ties
  • Butler - Senior Boarding House - Royal Blue Ties
  • Chapman - Senior Day House - Red and Royal Blue Ties
  • Farwell - Senior Day House - Grey and Black Ties
  • Gervase - Upper Sixth House - Do not have a unique tie as such, but pupils wear their original house ties
  • Rutherford - Senior Boarding House - Burgundy Ties
  • St. Bedes - Senior Boarding House - Green Ties

Chapman and Farwell are the Day houses, Austin is a junior house for all boys in years 7 and 8, (regardless of boarding/day), similarly Gervase is for Upper 6th Students only of all the houses.

Voluntary Community Service

Worth School runs a wide range of Community Service in association with Worth Abbey. These include:

  • Day Centre
  • Age Concern Shopping
  • Soup Run
  • Amnesty International
  • Recycling
  • IT and Sport Classes for nearby Junior School
  • Conservation

Girls

The school currently has links to Burgess Hill School For Girls, Woldingham School, Mayfield School, St Mary's School Ascot and Royal School Haslemere which are local independent girls schools, with pupils from each schools being involved in plays, socials and music concerts with Worth. The school is to accept girls in 2008, with much complaint and disagreement from Old Boys of the school (WOBS), Staff, Parents (old and current), and current Pupils. See [1], or [2].

One current 6th Form pupil at the school, who regularly has to take prospective girls and their parents around the school on open days says "It's very had to try and look happy that all these girls are coming", "Yea some of them are hot, but that isn't really important now, it will loose the image and atmosphere of the school."

Alumni

Alumni of Worth School include:

Notable staff

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