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Our View
At first sight, Langley’s glorious Capability Brown-designed grounds and stunning Palladian architecture will certainly turn your head. But its refreshing focus on individuals rather than results and the promise to ‘know your child for who they are’ are what really make this rural Norfolk school stand out. Everyone is welcome here, and the outstanding academic and pastoral support means pupils thrive in an environment teed up for them to blossom.
Where?
When it comes to beautiful settings, Langley knocks it out of the park with a striking, tree-lined drive sweeping up to an 18th-century, red-brick mansion that presides over 110 acres of Grade I-listed parkland. Look closely and there are things that could be spruced up (a rolling refurbishment plan is seeing to that), but that’s somehow part of its charm. It’s located about 11 miles outside of Norwich in Loddon, a small market town on the River Chet. A fleet of school minibuses covers most of the county, with a morning and evening shuttle bus running between the senior and prep schools, which are about 23 miles apart.
Head
The very amiable and approachable Jon Perriss took up the headship in September 2019 from Christ’s Hospital School, where he’d been deputy head. A geography teacher, he still takes classes, although this year he has taken a break to focus on a new strategic vision for the school. This involves further uniting the prep and senior schools – no easy task with the different locations – but progress has already been impressive, and the way the sibling schools embody the ethos of the individual is seamless. As well as being a keen hockey player, Mr Perriss has become something of a podcast sensation with his discussions with guests about leadership and education (he has a Master’s in educational leadership).
Admissions
As the school is firmly non-selective – indeed, it’s an essential pillar here – pupils aren’t asked to jump through hoops to join. There is one Year 6 class, as well as Years 7 and 8, which mirror the prep school and is a legacy from before the two schools merged, but most pupils move from the prep in Year 9, which is currently full. Other pupils join from local primary and prep schools. In the sixth form, full and half-fee bursaries are available for two Nelson scholars and two Nelson fellows (the awards are named after Nelsonspirit, a charity dedicated to promoting leadership skills in young people), and there's also the Anthony Arthur Coward scholarship, which offers a fully-funded sixth form place.
Academics and destinations
The school proudly supports children of all abilities, with no compulsion to take 10 GCSEs or triple science, among other subjects. The support for the individual is admirable, with small classes (between 15 and 20) and an impressive digital infrastructure, with every pupil assigned a One 2 One device that’s a cross between a laptop and tablet.
The SEN provision is excellent, with a large team able to meet the needs of pupils with dyslexia, ASC and ADHD. A dedicated building at the centre of the school has plenty of space for individual attention, and the communication between the class teachers and SEN staff is exemplary.
The sixth form has its own standalone block with an ICT suite, study areas and café. A-levels, BTECs and EPQs are all on offer, with flexibility to do a mix of whatever suits. One of our guides was taking A-level art and drama, and the other was doing four A-levels – as economics clashed with maths, he was having one-to-one lessons with the economics teacher off-timetable. About a third of leavers head off to Russell Group universities, while others pursue degree apprenticeships and apprenticeships, and some go straight to a workplace. An excellent careers-mentoring programme ensures each pupil makes the right choice for them, with workshops, careers lunches and alumni and parents invited in as guest speakers.
Co-curricular
Langley has a formidable sporting reputation, with its own football academy headed by a former Norwich City player. From the age of 10 to 18, boys and girls receive a high level of training supported by professional coaches, nutritionists and physios alongside their academic schooling and regularly go on to join national clubs. Football throughout the school is played all year, as well as rugby, hockey, netball and cricket. Teams are often co-ed – both the 1st XI cricket team and U15 football team are mixed. The trophy cabinet is full of silverware – this year, the girls’ U15 football team are National Cup champions, the U14 rugby team are county champions and the U14 and U16 hockey teams are both ranked number one in Norfolk.
Drama is popular, with GCSE and A-level offered, as well as LAMDA qualifications. The 500-seat theatre hosts house drama competitions as well as the annual school show – this year’s production of Six was a resounding success. Music is strong too, with lots of opportunities for performing and many play in the CCF marching band. The school has good links in the music industry for work experience and offers music as an A- level. Art and photography are popular subjects – the light and spacious department is inspiring, as are the art teachers. Pupils’ artwork is displayed on six-foot canvases on the outside walls.
Pupils are encouraged to try something new for the end-of-day enrichment sessions. Model United Nations and CCF are popular, and every term there are new options. Volunteering is encouraged too. The Great Langley Beach Clean, one of the school’s Coronation events, saw pupils and parents going to their nearest beach and picking up litter. It was so successful it is now going to be an annual event.
Boarding
About 50 of the 420 pupils board. The boarding house is located in the main school building, with separate wings for boys and girls. Our guides told us they feel like a family, with all ages living together. Two lots of houseparents and numerous gap students look after everyone, putting on after-school activities and weekend events. The spacious grounds are open to them, as well as the gym and ICT suite. Part of the refurbishment programme is to double the space for boarders to 100.
School community
Langley’s award-winning pastoral care structure includes small tutor groups, fully involved heads of year, classroom-support workers and prefects who also act as pastoral mentors – meaning each child’s progress and wellbeing are looked after. A nurse runs the on-site medical centre, which is open every day, and there are dedicated rooms offering a ‘time to talk’ service, with a counsellor coming in regularly. The school also has a trained wellbeing dog for pupils to walk or just be with if they need time out.
Parents are an eclectic bunch – from farmers to local business owners – and are very supportive of the school.
And finally....
This school offers a different approach to the competitive environment of some public schools. Like the pupils it nurtures, it’s happy in its own skin and proud to focus on academic support and pastoral excellence.