Welcome to the RBC Governors' Portal

Our History

Reading Blue Coat was founded in 1646 by Richard Aldworth, a merchant of The Skinners’ Company and a Governor of Christ’s Hospital. The School was established near St Mary’s Minster Church in Reading and was known by its original historic name of Aldworth’s Hospital, providing ‘Education and bringing upp of twenty poore male children’ and for a ‘Godly and learned man to be Schoolmaster’. The original uniform was a ‘Blue Coate and Cappe’ (senior prefects wear the ancient dress of long blue coat and yellow stockings on special occasions).

Academic

The academic life of the School is defined by its commitment to excellence and sharing of high expectations. The teaching staff are highly adept at getting the most from pupils at different stages in their academic development. The School prides itself on developing our pupils’ self esteem alongside their thirst to know and their capacity to do more with that knowledge. We aim to provide an innovative learning experience for pupils that also instils the good habits that make learning a pleasure.

Pastoral Care

Pastoral care is at the heart of a Blue Coat education. We pride ourselves on our deeply caring staff, who know the pupils well. The School is a warm and nurturing community, offering an excellent environment for young people to grow and to learn. We provide a rich and thoughtful pastoral curriculum, giving pupils an opportunity to explore ideas, values, and relationships. In everything we do, we aim for every pupil to feel happy, safe, and fulfilled throughout their time at Reading Blue Coat.

Co-Curricular

We aim to engage our pupils early on and to offer a gradually more challenging programme as they progress through the School. There is an increasing emphasis on service through our rapidly expanding Community Action programme and our ambition is for all pupils to engage in at least one service activity each week whilst at Blue Coat. The pupils also have the option to join the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) in Year 9 and we support pupils working toward the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.

Our Aims and Ethos

We expect every member of the Blue Coat community to be kind and engaged, and at our heart are the values of :

• ASPIRATION
• COMPASSION
• COURAGE
• INTEGRITY
• SERVICE

In our dealings with one another, our work and play, these values will be encouraged and expected, stemming from the School’s Christian foundation, enriching every area of life at the School and enhancing our impact as global citizens.