Sevenoaks School

We were so pleased to welcome back familiar faces to our annual Retired Staff Lunch last week. Among the 40 attending were former teachers whose Sevenoaks careers began as far back as the 1960s and 1970s, and some very long-serving support staff.

It was also a pleasure to be joined by former Undermasters John Guyatt and Mike Bolton, former Headmaster Tommy Cookson, and by Imogen Barker, whose late husband Richard Barker was Headmaster before Tommy.

We host the lunch every summer for former teaching and support staff to catch up with one another and the school, and share memories. We hope you all had a lovely time.

A very warm welcome to everyone attending our Open Morning today. We hope you all enjoy your time at Sevenoaks.

Well done to the students who competed in the Dance Championships at the Stag over the weekend. They performed exceptionally well, particularly given that this is our first year participating in competitive dance.

Gabby earned first place in the Solo (age 15-18) category plus the judges' 'stand out buzzer', awarded for a routine that captures attention, showcases exceptional talent and leaves a lasting impression. Sophie earned second place in the Solo (age 15-18) category. Eva and Tiffany earned first place in the Duet/Trio category plus a judge's special award for best piece of the evening.

We were delighted to welcome Madeleine Brown (OS 2018) back to Sevenoaks to give a piano recital, playing Romantic favourites as well as Fazil Say’s jazz-infused Black Earth.

Madeleine gave a heartfelt mention to Mr Wey, her piano teacher at Sevenoaks, in her opening speech, saying that she wouldn’t be where she is today without his guidance and the huge impact their lessons had on her career.

Madeleine is emerging as one of the most promising young pianists of her generation. Described by Peter Donohoe CBE as having “the potential to become a major voice in the classical music world”, she studies with Kathryn Stott at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she won the prestigious Gold Medal Competition and the RNCM Silver Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

A graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, she won First Prize at the Bromsgrove International Musicians’ Competition (2025) and the RNCM Concerto Competition (2026) performing Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto. She also won the Cambridge University Concerto Competition performing Grieg, and will debut at Wigmore Hall in 2026.

Our sincere thanks to Madeleine for returning to Sevenoaks and giving such an inspiring and memorable performance.

"For twenty-five Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisations students, the first half of the May half term was spent in Naples, absorbing information about Roman life, exploring amphitheatres and temples and, of course, eating plenty of ice cream."

From the preserved streets of Pompeii and Herculaneum to the Cumaean Sibyl’s cave and the Villa of Poppaea, the trip brought classroom learning to life. A visit to the Naples Archaeological Museum offered a close look at mosaics, frescoes and sculpture. The group also visited the temples at Paestum, travelled along the Amalfi coast, and explored underground Naples, revealing the layers of history beneath the city.

Read more from Isla on our website news: https://www.sevenoaksschool.org/classics-trip-to-pompeii-2026/

Calling all Sennocke House boarders, families and staff!

On Sunday 14 June we are hosting a 40 Year anniversary reunion at Sennocke House, celebrating the many generations of students and staff who have made it their home at Sevenoaks.

Sennocke House was built after Sevenoaks became fully co-educational, to provide a girls’ boarding house to cater for all ages from Year 9 upwards.

In September 1984, 36 girls aged 11-13 joined Sevenoaks, including 13 boarders who first lived at 38 High Street. This group was known as ‘Sennocke’. When boarding numbers rose to 40 in 1985, more accommodation was found the recently closed Wi******er House prep school, giving the new boarders the name ‘Winnies’. In the same year construction began on a purpose-built boarding house, Sennocke House, in the grounds of GIH, to bring together the Winnies and High Street boarders.

Opened in January 1986 by Lady Sackville, Sennocke was designed with traditional exterior features, including a tile-hung facade found in the historic architecture of the Weald, to blend in with its surroundings. The large garden and views of Knole are still enjoyed by today’s 56 Sennocke boarders.

The first Heads of House were Ann Fay and Bruce Hebbert; Theresa Homewood was the first House Tutor. Subsequent Housemistresses were Philippa O’Connor, Sally-Anne Huang, Kris Lewis, Tara Edwards, and currently Charlotte Smith.

If you are a former boarder and would like to join the celebrations, please contact [email protected]

Over half term, our Lower Sixth students enjoyed a fantastic Spanish exchange in Santiago de Compostela, staying with welcoming host families and building real connections while fully immersing themselves in Spanish language and culture.

Highlights included visiting the Pull&Bear headquarters, exploring Santiago’s historic centre with students from Colexio Manuel Peleteiro, and taking part in lessons such as Spanish cooking and Latin American dance.

"It was a brilliant trip that we feel massively improved our fluency and confidence in Spanish. We would definitely recommend it to anyone studying Spanish in Lower Sixth."

Read more from Alex on our website news: https://www.sevenoaksschool.org/santiago-exchange/

Sixteen Sevenoaks School students competed in the 2026 RS Feva Nationals which took place at Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy in Pwllhelli.

The sailors had a very successful regatta, winning the Schools National Championship from the three highest placing boats representing a school team, this is the seventh time in the last 11 years of winning this title. Special congratulations also to Poppy-Grace and Giacomo who won the Silver Fleet!

The regatta attracted sailors from all over the UK as well as international sailors from Europe with 101 entries in total.