Old Buckenham Hall

Old Buckenham Hall School

Established	1862
Type	Independent School for day and boarding pupils preparatory school
Headmaster	John Brett
Chairman of Governors	Mike Shallow
Location	Brettenham Suffolk England
Students	c.200 pupils
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	3–13
Houses	4 day houses
Colours	Navy Blue
Publication	The OBH Magazine
Founders	Ellen and Margaret Ringer
Website	obh.co.uk

Old Buckenham Hall School or OBH as it is most frequently known, is a leading independent day and boarding preparatory school for boys and girls in Brettenham, England. It is described by the Good Schools Guide as being: "A virtually perfect country prep going from strength to strength".

Founded in 1862, OBH currently accommodates about 175 boys and just over 100 girls between the ages of 2 and 13 years.^[1]

Present school

The School is currently split into the three parts;

• Nursery (ages 3–4)
• Pre-Prep School (Reception – year 2)
• Prep School (Years 3–8)

OBH is located in about 80 acres (320,000 m²) of parkland in the heart of the Suffolk village of Brettenham. The school puts great emphasis on a balanced, well-rounded, 'be the best you can' education driven by family values and Christian principles. The school has an excellent reputation and is one of the leading preparatory schools in the country. Its pupils do extremely well in the Common Entrance system, going on to a wide range of leading public schools such as Uppingham, Harrow, Oundle, Radley and Eton.

History

The school was founded as a boys school in 1862 by Misses Ellen and Margaret Ringer in the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft under the name 'South Lodge preparatory school'. The school remained there for 75 years before moving to much larger premises at Old Buckenham Hall in the village of Old Buckenham, Norfolk. Here the school really started to grow and acquire the excellent reputation it has today. In December 1952, disaster struck and the Hall was burnt down by fire. In January of the following year the school found new premises at Merton Hall near Thetford, Norfolk. Here the school tried to pick up the pieces and get back on track but disaster struck again with a second fire in January 1956. The school's survival was seriously put in question and several possibilities were discussed as to what to do next. In short, the school became aware that Brettenham Park in Suffolk had come onto the market and the property was acquired. The school (know known as Old Buckenham Hall School) moved in September 1956 and soon became well established. The school has been on this site ever since, first taking on girls in the 1990s.

Sports and activities

The school makes use of its many sports pitches and facilities (2 rugby pitches, 5 football and 6 hockey pitches, 5 cricket squares, 6 tennis courts, all-weather netball courts, a 2,000-yard (1,800 m) nine-hole golf course and an outdoor heated swimming pool) with the pupils spending 5 afternoons a week playing games. Pupils at OBH play a wide variety of sports including: rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis, football, athletics, gymnastics, lacrosse, cross-country, golf, swimming, netball, squash and badminton.

Being a predominantly boarding school, the school offers a wide range of activities for the pupils including: archery, sailing, riding, clay-pigeon shooting, go-karting and judo.

The Leavers' Programme

OBH organises a Leavers' Programme for the pupils that are leaving the school in the last few weeks of the summer term after their Common Entrance exams. OBH is one of a select few Prep-schools in the UK that has something like this. The Programme starts with a week-long trip to Outward Bound in Aberdovey, Wales. The course that the 13 year-olds go on with Outward Bound was specially fabricated by a member of the OBH staff, as the company tended only to offer courses to adults, and is now used by many schools across the country for their pupils. Afterwards the pupils enjoy two weeks of an exciting array of trips, events and activities. These include trips to London and the West End, talks by distinguished people, a trip to the Wimbledon Championships, concerts, a garden party and a triathlon. It culminates with a Leavers' service and barbecue followed by speech day and the end of term the next day.

Notable former pupils

See also: Category:People educated at Old Buckenham Hall

• Benjamin Britten, composer
• Harry Judd, percussionist from McFly
• Laura Wright, singer from All Angels
• Jaime Alguersuari spent one year at the school

References

1. ^ Old Buckenham Hall School, Suffolk, Independent Schools

Coordinates: 52°08′23″N 0°51′31″E / 52.1397°N 0.8585°E / 52.1397; 0.8585