St Lawrence College
About St Lawrence College
Educating boys and girls from the age of 3 to 18 years, this safe and caring school is set in 45 acres of spacious, stunning grounds which house beautiful old architecture combined with new modern builds and facilities. Founded in 1879, it is home to 650 day and boarding pupils from local, UK and international families and welcomes boarders from 7 years of age.
St Lawrence is a medium-sized school – small enough to ensure that individual pupils receive the attention and care they require, but large enough to provide outstanding facilities. With boarding pupils from 7 to 18 years, the school has a real family atmosphere, with a strong sense of community and superb pastoral care.
Frequently, visitors to the College remark on the excellent atmosphere within its walls, on the friendly familiarity that exists between staff and pupils, and on the politeness that they see around them. There is a definite sense of respect for each member of the College community, whatever their place or age.
In the Classroom
Academic standards are high across the school and an extensive choice of GCSEs and A-levels are offered, with an excellent success rate of pupils going on to their first choice university. Our policy for keeping class sizes small ensures that teachers can look after the individual needs of each pupil, so that high-flyers gain their places at the top universities, and our less able pupils develop skills in areas which will serve them well in the future.
The school’s 2017 A Level results again saw an increase in top grades and success across the range of pupil ability, with 77% of all pupils gaining at least one A*-B grade. These results are particularly impressive given that St Lawrence has a broad ability range; on a like-for-like basis, they compare very favourably with much more academically selective schools, with 100% of the top third of the year group gaining at least three A*-B grades.
Pupils successfully took up places at the top universities in the country, including Oxford, Warwick, Kings College London, UCL, Royal Holloway London, Bristol, Birmingham, Kent, Sussex and Oxford Brookes. The range of courses taken is very broad, with places gained to study Medicine, Engineering, History, Law, Drama, Geography, Modern Languages and Economics, amongst others.
“The school is successful in providing opportunities for pupils of all abilities to gain academic success and develop their individual talents.”
ISI Inspection Report, 2015
Outside the Classroom
Sporting facilities are exceptional, and expert coaching is provided at all levels in a variety of disciplines. The main team sports of Rugby, Hockey, Netball and Cricket are complemented by Aerobics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cross-Country Running, Dance, Fencing, Fitness, Football, Golf, Horse-Riding, Rounders, Squash, Sub-Aqua, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis and Yoga.
The magnificent sports centre houses a fitness suite, squash courts, climbing wall, dance studio and a large sports hall. As well as acres of playing fields, all-weather pitches and courts, the school has an impressive Olympic-standard water-based hockey pitch.
The school has a full activities programme and, in addition to the above sports, activities on offer include: Archery, Chess, Choirs, Climbing, Combined Cadet Force, Community Service, Crafts, Debating, Duke of Edinburgh, Film Club, General Knowledge, Home Economics, Jazz Band, Life Saving, Textiles, Orchestra, Young Enterprise, etc. Performing Arts is a thriving department, with numerous productions throughout the year in the School’s own 500-seat theatre.
Boarding at St Lawrence
The school is a vibrant and exciting place with a strong sense of community and superb pastoral care. Boarding is central to the school’s life and is one of our great strengths. A wide range of evening and weekend activities are provided for boarders and additional events and fun day trips are organised. We offer a full boarding environment and exeat weekends are optional.
We try very hard to provide a 'home-from-home' for our boarding students, both in terms of comfort and atmosphere. In recent years, a massive programme of investment has created some truly remarkable facilities for our boarders, and all rooms are en-suite.
Staff spend a great deal of their time ensuring that students are happy and confident and well supported in all areas of their life, not just in their academic studies.
“The school provides a very caring and nurturing environment.”
ISI Inspection Report 2015
Location
The school is situated in a safe and secure 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. The historic city of Canterbury and the port of Dover are both close-by - just 25 minutes by road or rail.
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. Gatwick and Heathrow are under two hours away and the school operates its own airport transfer service.
Do come and visit – you and your family will receive a very warm welcome.
For further details or to arrange a visit, contact:
Mr Simon Heard: Deputy Head (Registrar)
T: +44 (0)1843 572931
