New Hall School

Gabbitas Consultant Review

Founded in 1642, New Hall is the oldest Catholic school in England that has forever welcomed girls. However in 2005 New Hall laid open its senior school to boys. The school was once the Tudor Palace of Beaulieu, a former hunting lodge for Henry V111, explaining the wealth of beautiful grounds.

There is a hidden lake nearby the Barn, where once a year the students had a break from academic work and focus on group activities and team building exercises. The Barn is now the main office for New Hall School Voluntary Service (NHVS) which is integrated into the senior school curriculum, students give up their free time once a week to help vulnerable members of the local community, and I was a member of ‘Tuesday Tuck In’, having lunch with the elderly.

Not only does New Hall excel in pastoral care and voluntary service, it caters for all ranges of academia. There is a long history of students attaining high grades and successfully securing their preferred place at top universities.

The facilities are very impressive such as, the Walkfares Performing Arts Centre, The Waltham Centre that combines a 25m indoor swimming pool, a state of the art athletics track, a floodlit Astroturf, two sports halls, 10 floodlit netball/tennis courts, a dance studio, cricket nets, hockey, football and rugby pitches.

It is situated a stones throw from Chelmsford train station, which only takes half an hour to London Liverpool St. It is perfect for older boarders at the weekends to go and see the sights of London for the day!