Rochester Independent College
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| Established | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Headteacher | Alistair Brownlow |
| Location |
Star Hill Rochester Kent ME1 1XF England 51°23′02″N 0°30′31″E / 51.384°N 0.5087°ECoordinates: 51°23′02″N 0°30′31″E / 51.384°N 0.5087°E |
| Staff | 100 |
| Students | 300 |
| Gender | Co Educational |
| Ages | 11–19 |
| Website | Rochester Independent College |
Rochester Independent College (RIC) is a co-educational, independent day and boarding school in Rochester, Medway, United Kingdom. It was established in 1984. It has particular academic strengths in Science and Mathematics and the Creative and Visual Arts including Film, Photography and Media. It also offers retake and intensive short courses at GCSE and A level.
Accepting day students from the age of 11 and boarders from 14 students are taught in very small groups, averaging 8 in a class. There is no uniform and students and teachers are on first name terms.
An article in The Independent Newspaper said: “The teaching at Rochester is rigorous and tailored to the best possible exam results. It offers a broad education combining its original focus on getting students into competitive courses such as medicine and dentistry with a new emphasis on the creative arts.”
Reviewing the College in 2014, The Good Schools Guide said: “It’s a place for individuals, and there’s a lovely air of tolerance and warmth between the pupils. It would be hard to find a better provision for an artist. Parents love the lack of school gate competitiveness. It’s a sound investment. There is a firm concentration on exam technique, but still, the school isn’t seen as an exam factory.”
An Adam Smith Institute report said "Rochester Independent College stands out as a notable ‘alternative’ exception for its informal ethos and relaxed learning environment, through rigorous teaching and a strong focus on preparation for assessment, recognised in a recent outstanding Ofsted report, suggest that it might be better characterised as akin to a successful Swedish Free School."
A level Results 2016: A*-A 30%, A*-B 60%
Good Schools Guide Award Winner for Maths, Chemistry, Film Studies and English Literature
Top 5 University placements in the last 10 years: Leeds, Nottingham, Sussex, Cambridge, Imperial
RIC University destinations 2016 – Oxbridge: 6, Medicine: 5, Dentistry: 2, Veterinary Science: 1.
Opened in 1984 by mathematicians Brian Pain and Simon de Belder the college was known as Rochester Tutors and was predominantly 6th form, teaching A levels and retakes. Gradually over the next 3 decades the campus grew to 14 (mainly) listed buildings in the heart of Rochester and changed its name to Rochester Independent College. The Lower School was opened in 2007.
The college mascot is the flying pig, a riposte to the cynicism which greeted the college’s chances of success when it was founded.
The college joined the Dukes Education Group in 2016.
The school has a unique campus. It started as one terraced house, but as the school expanded, it gradually bought up 14 (mainly) listed buildings in the heart of a designated conservation area. What would once have been the back gardens to these houses now form the grounds with ancient apple trees and wild garden areas, green paths, a viewing platform to climb - and an oversized garden shed where maths classes are held. Students work on garden projects such as the allotment as part of their Duke of Edinburgh's award and the gardens have won a Kent Wildlife Gold Award.
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