Read School, Drax

Read School was founded by philanthropist, Charles Reade in 1667. It is a fully co-educational, day (ages 4-18) and boarding school (ages 8-18) which has retained the vision of its founder at its heart: to enable young people from a variety of backgrounds and diverse abilities to achieve their full academic potential while building the broader skills and confidence to ensure successful futures.

As a non-academically selective school Read School offers a truly rounded education with bespoke curriculum packages. Our many in-school sports and extra-curricular offers including Duke of Edinburgh (DofE), Music and Performing Arts and Leith’s Cookery School mean our Forces pupils get an outdoorsy, practical education while also achieving top grades. Our CCF programme has been an important part of the School’s curriculum since 1914, instilling skills and qualities which are very much valued by employers today. Cadets are given the opportunity to develop their leadership and teamwork skills as well as the qualities of self reliance, resourcefulness, endurance, perseverance, and a sense of service to the community.

Read School understands the needs of forces families, and the upheaval that deployment overseas can evoke in children. The nurturing, personal approach to boarding which Read can offer, exists not just due to the small size of the school, but also to pastoral care being central to everything Read does.