Reading School

Reading School Reading School is an Academy for boys aged 11 to 18, offering day and boarding places.

Reading School is a selective, state-funded, day and boarding school that educates over 900 boys, aged 11 to 18 each year. It is also one of the oldest schools in England, having been founded by Henry 1 in 1125. Today, Reading School is one of the most successful state schools in the country. OFSTED describes it as “an outstanding school that enables students to reach exceptionally high standards

both in their academic work and in their personal development” . Students consistently achieve impressive academic results of over 90% achieving A* to B at A-level. Over 90% go on to top universities, as well as many students securing places for medical related degrees. Annually, over 20 students are consistently offered places at Oxford, Cambridge or international universities. Our collective strength comes from our community and we celebrate the individual qualities that make each person remarkable.

Also this week, other Year 9 students headed to How Stean Gorge in Yorkshire for a rather different kind of trip.After a...
02/06/2026

Also this week, other Year 9 students headed to How Stean Gorge in Yorkshire for a rather different kind of trip.

After an early start, the group went straight into caving, gorge walking, and Via Ferrata - a half-day high-wire experience on a climbing route built directly into the limestone cliffs of How Stean Gorge.

The skills students develop during Belonging Week, whether navigating unfamiliar terrain, coaching a younger child, or stepping up in front of his peers, are the same skills that will define him long after his exam results are forgotten.

Some of our Year 9s are in Copenhagen for Belonging Week.Yesterday there was frisbee in the King's Gardens, an introduct...
02/06/2026

Some of our Year 9s are in Copenhagen for Belonging Week.

Yesterday there was frisbee in the King's Gardens, an introduction to Klask (a Danish board game best described as magnetic air hockey, and apparently more competitive than it looks), and an evening in a board games café that the staff described as featuring "furious competition."

This morning they woke up to this.

Belonging Week takes year groups off-site for a few days during the summer term - less about the destination, more about what happens between students when the classroom isn't the backdrop.

Belonging Week 2 started today, and our Year 7s did not ease into it gently...They buckled up, strapped in, and faced th...
01/06/2026

Belonging Week 2 started today, and our Year 7s did not ease into it gently...

They buckled up, strapped in, and faced their fears.

At Oakwood Climbing Centre, the morning involved harness checks, trust falls, zip wires, archery and much, much more. Some students discovered a talent for hitting targets. Others discovered that the view from the top of a rope course is a very effective way to think about what you're actually afraid of...

It is worth noting that some of the teaching staff appeared to be enjoying themselves more than some students! We see you Mr Betteridge 👀

The full gallery will be featured in Friday's Headmaster's Bulletin. For now...it's only Monday!

Half-term is nearly over and the bags are packed again, but this time they're going to Denmark, Sweden, North Yorkshire ...
31/05/2026

Half-term is nearly over and the bags are packed again, but this time they're going to Denmark, Sweden, North Yorkshire and London.

From tomorrow, Belonging Week continues for Years 7 and 9, with students heading out across the country and beyond. It's one of the more ambitious things we do, and one of the things we think matters most.

🏃‍♀️ Sports Day 2026 is coming! 🏆 We’re heading back to Palmer Park for one of the most exciting days of the school year...
26/05/2026

🏃‍♀️ Sports Day 2026 is coming! 🏆

We’re heading back to Palmer Park for one of the most exciting days of the school year, a full day of competition, teamwork, and unforgettable house spirit!

📅 Wednesday 8th July 2026
🕘 09:00 – 15:00
📍 Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium, Reading

From fast-paced track events and field competitions to house relays and team challenges, students will be giving it their all for house glory.

Have you ever felt the atmosphere as runners line up on the track or heard the roar as a relay heads for the finish line? Sports Day brings it all together.

More than just competition, it’s a celebration of resilience, teamwork determination and house spirit.

Parents, alumni and friends are warmly invited to join us at Palmer Park to cheer on the students and enjoy a fantastic day of sport and celebration.

Register now: https://alumni.reading-school.co.uk/events/view/sports-day-2026-wednesday-8th-july-2026

We can’t wait to see you there! 🏅

Week 1 of Belonging Week closed the way it should: in the sunshine, with every student from every House giving everythin...
22/05/2026

Week 1 of Belonging Week closed the way it should: in the sunshine, with every student from every House giving everything they had.

The Year 8 House Cricket Tournament brought County, East, Laud, School and West Houses together for an afternoon of competition and more than a few big shots. The tournament was umpired by members of the Reading School Sixth Form Prefect Team, who brought the same energy to the boundary line as the players brought to the crease.

With so much more happening across the week away from school, we look forward to sharing the full story of Belonging Week when we return after half-term. Watch this space!

Speech Day 2026 – Senior Celebration 🎓With this lovely warm weather today, it already feels like summer is on its way. W...
22/05/2026

Speech Day 2026 – Senior Celebration 🎓

With this lovely warm weather today, it already feels like summer is on its way. We are really looking forward to June and Speech Day and hoping for another beautiful sunny day to make the celebrations even more special.

We are excited to welcome Year 13 students and the Class of 2025 to our Speech Day – Senior Celebration, alongside their parents and carers, for an afternoon of celebration and reflection as we mark this important milestone.

📅 Tuesday 23rd June 2026
🕐 1:30pm – 5:30pm
📍 Reading School Field

The afternoon will include prize-giving, A Level certificate presentations, student performances and a keynote speech from a highly successful guest speaker, followed by refreshments and time to celebrate together.

Year 13 and Class of 2025 students are kindly asked to register themselves and their parents/carers via the link below:
https://alumni.reading-school.co.uk/events/view/speech-day-2026-senior-celebration-tuesday-23rd-june-2026

This week during Belonging Week, Year 10s spent their day teaching primary school children how to play cricket and today...
21/05/2026

This week during Belonging Week, Year 10s spent their day teaching primary school children how to play cricket and today was their turn.

With exams two weeks away, Mr Blade (Head of Cricket) gave them a reward match on the field. This afternoon was the bit they'd actually been waiting for! There's something in the order of that.
Learn, teach, then play.

Thank you to Mr Blade, and Berkshire Cricket for a week well spent.

Day 3 update from Team Cumulus 🙌Tag Archery. Caving. Marshmallows. Someone needing pulling up off the floor. Team Cumulu...
20/05/2026

Day 3 update from Team Cumulus 🙌

Tag Archery. Caving. Marshmallows. Someone needing pulling up off the floor. Team Cumulus delivered.

The final day of the Belonging Week residential Cumulus Outdoors did not ease up.

Caving with headtorches underground. Archery tag: face shields, foam-tipped arrows, inflatable barriers, pallet fortresses, and the kind of full-commitment tactical running that suggests several boys have been waiting their entire lives for exactly this activity.
The evening ended around a fire pit. Marshmallows. Dark skies. A group of boys who arrived three days ago as classmates and are leaving as something more than that.

As Tom Evans, Assistant Headteacher, puts it, “It’s easy to send boys off to do something fun. What matters is what they bring back. The thread they pick up here, the new version of themselves they discover away from the classroom, that is what Belonging Week is actually for.”

Safe travels home, Team Cumulus 💙

Day 3 update from Team Rock ⛰️Team Rock is wrapping up their Belonging Week residential Rock UK Summit Centre in the Bre...
20/05/2026

Day 3 update from Team Rock ⛰️

Team Rock is wrapping up their Belonging Week residential Rock UK Summit Centre in the Brecon Beacons after a trip that has covered every dimension: caving through tight rock passages in the dark, archery in Welsh woodlands, indoor climbing with teammates supporting from below, and a Jacob's ladder high rope course.

Three days ago, these boys arrived and left for Rock UK together. Some had never climbed a wall, navigated blindfolded with the help of their friends and peers, paddled a kayak, or squeezed through a gap in the rock wondering if they'd fit. But as Tom Evans, Assistant Headteacher, puts it, “the trip is never really about the activities. It’s about giving boys the space to reframe how they see themselves. To come back to school with a quiet new certainty: "I can do this. I do get on with my peers. I am actually capable of more than I thought."

They all fit. Every single one of them.

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Erleigh Road
Reading
RG15LW

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Monday 8am - 3:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 3:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 3:30pm
Thursday 8am - 3:30pm
Friday 8am - 3:30pm

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