The schools said in a statement: “There is much we can learn from each other.”
A school in Kent has just brought another school into its “family” with the head saying the two schools “share a vision for providing pupils with the very best education” which prepares them for the next stage in their lives.
Benenden School, for girls aged 11 to 18, is among the leading boarding schools in the UK. It’s set in 250 acres of parkland in the village of the same name, with the nearest town being Cranbrook around four miles away. The area falls within the borough of Tunbridge Wells.
Orwell Park School in Suffolk, for boys and girls aged two to 13, is described as “joining the Benenden School family of schools”.
Also in the Benenden ‘family’ is its Benenden Schools Guangzhou in China, which has schools for seniors and young children on campus. It’s a spectacular site and opened in September 2023.
Benenden headmistress Rachel Bailey said: “We are delighted that this partnership has formally come into effect. Our two schools share a vision for providing pupils with the very best education that prepares them for the next stage in their lives.
“This exciting long-term partnership will see Benenden and Orwell Park working together for the benefit of pupils at both schools.”
Following the official completion of the “merger” during the first week of December, Orwell is under the governance of Benenden School but keeps its senior leadership team and identity, said a Benenden spokesperson.
The schools said in a statement: “There is much we can learn from each other.”
Orwell Park head Simon O’Malley said: “Since we announced our partnership with Benenden in October, the response from parents – both current and future – has been phenomenal and there is a palpable sense of excitement at the opportunities that this partnership brings.
“Our two schools have been working together on various operational matters in recent weeks and it has been immediately clear that this is a genuinely collaboratively partnership which puts the education of children at its very centre. The future is very bright indeed.”
The schools said they shared “core values of courtesy, respect and a commitment to community” and were both underpinned by an ethos of “boarding tradition”, which their respective day families also embraced.
The schools will share best practice and expertise in many areas. Benenden said, for example, it was looking forward to working with Orwell to “better understand the journey of preparing children for senior school”.
Orwell, meanwhile, said it was drawn to Benenden for several reasons, “most significantly shared values and ethos”.
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