About Us

School History

Rose Hill School was founded in 1832 by Thomas Allfree on London Road in Tunbridge Wells. Thomas Allfree had recently returned from St Petersburg where he had been appointed English tutor to the Imperial household. One of the early pupils at the school was Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement. Baden-Powell remained attached to the school throughout his life and credited the school with where he first began to develop his scouting instinct. The schools continues to have strong ties to the scout movement and one of the school houses is named Baden-Powell.

At nearly two hundred years old, Rose Hill School is one of the oldest preparatory schools in the country. It was not only one of the first in the country to respond to the need for a new kind of schooling, it is also just a handful of those early ventures to survive to the present day.

In 1984 boarding was discontinued and Rose Hill School became a co-educational day school. The school is a charitable trust run by a governing council. Excellent governance and investment in the school have resulted in on-going developments, including a new indoor pool and in recent years a Sports Hall, a new kitchen and dining room, a new Lower School Building and Library, a Creative Arts Centre and Theatre, an Astroturf and a new Upper School Building.

If you are a former pupil or staff member please register your details with the Rose Hill School Society to stay in touch with the school community keep in touch.