Royal Alexandra and Albert School

[Tiaram]

Please can someone advise how is Royal Alexandra and Albert School in Surrey is in terms of academics and boarding especially for sixth form? Grateful for your help.

Hi, my son goes to RAA.

The first couple of years we were really impressed with the school as far as facilities and clubs go and the most important thing is that our son is very happy there and has made a great group of friends. However, as they get into GCSE´s years it´s very clear that there is a large group of very disruptive kids that affect the lessons very badly and the teachers don´t seem to have any ability to control them at all. They are not bad kids in general (with the few exceptions), just increbibly disruptive. If your kid is as easyly distracted as our one is it´s the perfect recipe for disaster.
Since the new head of the school started things have changed accademicaly for the better, however the head of year is taking the new discipline rules too far and the kids just get behaviour points and detentions for the most silly things, at the same time they get positive points also for no real reason. This has made the children don´t care about the reward system as it doesn´t make any sense.
If we could get back,we wouldn´t choose RAA again as it really feels now that we are paying for no reason other than the clubs that get worst as they get older and the novelty has passed.
We haven´t experinced Sixth Form yet but we will be moving our son to Reigate College without a single doubt.

I live locally and have heard from several people that its quite rough.

One child has had a broken finger and broken ribs another a tooth in his head.

The incidents have been classified as 'messing around' but with threats being made to the victims of 'I'll kill you if you snitch' I don't think the school got the full picture.

We love locally and have heard that too.
The schools around reigate are good- RAA isn't usually a first consideration.

Academic not really. If for boarding do read the Ofsted report. It is often a choice for ex private school pupils who would not be accepted into the local more academically selective private secondaries. For a day/flexi place you need to live close by.

Finantially it makes more sense than the very expensive local private secondaries, specially thinking about the very likely VAT increase. There is always Dunnotar as a less accademically selective private option in the local area.

My son could not wait to leave and would rather sweep the streets than go to the sixth form here. Do not be fooled by the school grounds when you go here. The teaching is poor and they hound you endlessly for fees with phone calls and emails with any numbers they can get hold of.