Reading Blue Coat School

Reading Blue Coat School was founded in 1646 by the will of Richard Aldworth — a Reading clothier — as a charitable boarding school for the poor children of Reading. The Blue Coat foundation took its name from the distinctive blue uniform worn by the pupils, common to the post-Reformation "Blue Coat" charitable schools (Christ's Hospital being the most famous). The school operated in central Reading for over 250 years before relocating in 1947 to its present 46-acre Thames-side campus at Sonning, Berkshire — a beautiful village on a curve of the River Thames between Reading and Henley.

Reading Blue Coat became co-educational in 2009 (after a long period as a boys' school with a co-educational Sixth Form from 1986) and today educates around 824 pupils ages 11-18. The Headmaster is Peter Thomas. The school is a member of the HMC and is inspected by the ISI. The Thames-side location supports a strong rowing programme, and the school maintains traditional boarding-school co-curricular activities alongside the distinctive Thames-Valley sport and leisure profile.

The school's academic profile is strong mid-tier Thames-Valley independent — solid A-Level results and a strong Oxbridge / Russell Group pipeline reflecting the bursary programme. The school operates a substantial bursary programme via the Reading Blue Coat Foundation, intended to preserve the 1646 founding charitable intent of providing educational access for Reading and Thames Valley families regardless of family means.