PUPILS and staff at a Reigate school are gearing up to celebrate an important anniversary.
On February 28 last year, Dunottar School joined United Learning – a group which includes Guildford High, Surbiton High and Caterham School.
Rowena Cole, head teacher at the High Trees Road school, said: "We're enjoying great relationships with the heads of our feeder schools.
"As a result, we're welcoming students from wider catchment areas than previously, such as Dorking, Caterham, Crawley and East Grinstead, for which there are school buses.
"We also provide a collection and drop-off service to Redhill railway station, and this is attracting students from the commuter routes."
She added: "Our teachers are re-energised and have visited other United Learning schools to share practices."
From September Dunottar will be fully co-educational.
Staff at the school are particularly proud of links they have established with Caterham School, as boys from Dunottar have trained and played in competitive sporting fixtures alongside students at the Harestone Valley Road school.
Marc Broughton, who used to teach at Caterham School, said: "The sharing of facilities has been reciprocal in other aspects of the curriculum as well. For example, our Year 10s enjoyed a team building day at Caterham School, and pupils from Caterham have been over to use our food technology facilities. Alongside this, we have a partnership with Reigate Rugby Club, which allows us to use their facilities for any of our sporting events.
"We have also worked hard to establish a well-rounded and full extra-curricular program, which allows the pupils to grow outside of the classroom as well as in it."
