January 2012

 

A Letter to Parents from Mr Roy Collard, 10th January 2012

 

 

Dear Parents,

 

You will already know about the changes that we are making at both Worksop College and Ranby House School in order to provide a seamless education for your children. In these challenging times it is vital for all organisations, including ours, constantly to review and to move forwards. We passionately believe that by acting as one school we not only provide the highest standard of education but are able to share resources, including facilities, staff, expertise, administration and marketing. This has already allowed Mr. Foulds and Mr. Topham to teach on both sites, Rev. Finlinson to cater for the spiritual life of the whole school on both sites, Ranby pupils to use the Astroturfs and the Swimming Pool at the College and the College pupils to use the Sports Hall at Ranby.

 

Our aim is to have both schools established as one school from September 2012. Primarily, this will benefit education. The curriculum from the age of eleven to age eighteen will be continuous, bringing obvious academic benefits. In addition, the schools' Pupil Charters will be merged into one. On the administrative side, the two schools will become one legal entity, with one parental contract. One of the great advantages of this is that pupils moving from the Prep School to the Senior School will not have to be re-registered, but only complete a Transfer Form and, of course, there will be no registration fee for pupils moving on from one part of the school to the other.

 

A more streamlined administrative function will also see the centralisation of the inance Department, of school policies, unless they are site-specific, and procedures.

 

In this competitive environment the bringing together of our Marketing Departments will strengthen the whole school identity. In line with this, the name of Ranby House School will change to Worksop College Preparatory School, allowing a clearer reflection of the new status of our one school. We strongly believe that this will not only have a positive impact on the running of the school but it will give us a strength in the delivery of a first-class education, in providing the resources and facilities our children deserve and in maintaining the profile of Worksop College and its Prep School nationally. Ranby parents will already know from David Sibson's correspondence of the change in structure of the Ranby week from September 2012 and that details of further re-investment on the Ranby site will be revealed in the New Year. Let me reassure you that all of these changes will not mean that Ranby parents are put to extra expense to buy a different uniform or different sports kit.

 

All of these changes will enable me to hand over to Gavin Horgan and to David Sibson's successor in September 2012 a fully-integrated school with all the benefits that it brings.

 

I would like to wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous New Year, and look forward to catching up with you during the term.

 

With best wishes.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Roy Collard

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March 2011

 

£½ MILLION INVESTMENT IN STATE-OF-THE-ART TEACHING AT RANBY HOUSE SCHOOL

 

The Board of Woodard Schools (Nottinghamshire) Ltd has announced exciting plans for the development of Ranby House School over the next two years. Following developments in recent years of the purpose-built Performing Arts Centre and refurbishment of the Chapel, the Governors are now planning a further investment of half a million pounds in classroom development and state-of-the-art teaching facilities.

 

In response to the increasing trend toward conventional Monday to Friday day schooling for under 13 year olds, the Board also announced the phasing out of boarding and Saturday morning lessons at Ranby House but stressed that competitive sport would continue to be played on Saturdays and the School would maintain its reputation for sporting excellence. The Board also underlined its continuing commitment to the overwhelming educational advantages of prep school education up to the age of 13 and confirmed that under 13s would continue to be educated on the Ranby House campus whilst still benefiting from advantageous curriculum developments which will allow a smoother and more productive transition to Worksop College and other senior schools.

 

None of these changes apply to Worksop College which has its own ongoing investment programme and where boarding continues to flourish.

 

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December 2010

 

‘ONE SCHOOL; INSPIRING ALL’

 

 

At Ranby House School and Worksop College we believe that no institution that stands still can thrive.   The constant generation of ideas and developments helps us move forward and provide the very best education our children deserve.

 

The Board of Governors of Woodard Schools (Nottinghamshire) Ltd. has been involved for a number of months in determining the future vision and strategy for Ranby House School and Worksop College.  Part of this work has involved parental and staff consultation through discussion groups and questionnaires.

 

With this in mind we are very pleased to announce the more formal coming together of Ranby House School and Worksop College.  We will act as one school providing a seamless education from the age of 3 to 18 - and although we already share a Governing Body, we will now be able to develop greater opportunities for sharing facilities, staff, expertise, marketing and resources.

 

We have always worked closely together to develop our pupils for the best possible future and this announcement signals a natural progression which will allow our two headmasters and their staff to work as one.  Although the Headmaster of Worksop College will have overarching responsibility for the whole school, the Headmaster of Ranby House will retain considerable autonomy over the prep school.  Parents will be pleased to know that Ranby House will retain its name, but from January 2011 we shall add beneath it Prep School to Worksop College.

 

The rationale behind the new ‘One School’ approach is as follows:

 

·         To demonstrate our commitment to education for 3-18 year olds as the continued future vision of Woodard Schools (Nottinghamshire) Ltd.;

 

·         To provide continuous education from 3-18 and a curriculum that is seamless from preparatory to senior school;

 

·         To enable planned development across both schools in a coherent strategy that benefits every member of the school community;

 

·         To share and build on teaching knowledge from the wealth of experience held in both schools;

 

·         To ensure the efficient use and deployment of resources and to maximise their impact (particularly in these economically challenging times);

 

·         To facilitate overall management of both schools and to provide clear lines of accountability;

 

·         To help provide consistent values based on the Woodard ethos throughout the duration of a Ranby House and Worksop education.

 

More information will be shared as we move forward as one school.  However if you have any questions please contact us and continue to visit these pages again as we update our communications.

 

 

December 2010