Semantic Coherence: Harrow School – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

[H1] Home

Your web browser does not support the <video> tag.A boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18, founded in 1572 under a royal charter granted by Elizabeth I

As stewards of many unique and cherished traditions, we follow in the footsteps of ‘The Giants of Old.’ Taking the best of the past while focusing on the future, we are constantly looking to strengthen our position as the best boys boarding school in the world.
Being a great school is about providing an education that creates an appetite for life and develops the talent to live it productively.

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Attending an Open Morning is the best way to experience, at first-hand, the Harrow School difference.
Open Mornings run from 9am until 1pm and we recommend that families visit the School when boys are in Years 4 or 5. We hold 12 Open Mornings per academic year. The morning features a talk from the Head Master and a Q&A with the Director of Studies and some of our boys. There is also an opportunity to meet the Registrar, tour the School and to visit one of our boarding Houses.

Working in partnership with you, on your journey into Harrow. Our admissions team is with you every step of the way, helping you navigate this exciting new chapter with care.
We make the Admissions process as easy as possible with our online application system, which should be used for all applications. Find out more.

A scholarship is an award of excellence in academic study, the arts or sport. A scholarship award serves primarily as an acknowledgment of a boy’s achievement.
Many boys at Harrow benefit from our means-tested bursary provision. Bursary support is considered for strong candidates upon application to the School. Bursaries can be awarded either independent from or dependent on obtaining a scholarship.

[H3] Courage, Honour,
Humility, Fellowship
help us to make decisions from day-to-day that mean we behave and perform better, inspiring us to try harder as individuals, so that we collectively thrive.

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[IMG: Ringing in Speech Day]

Ringing in Speech Day

26 May, 2026

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about Ringing in Speech Day

[IMG: Developing a Sporting Mindset]

Developing a Sporting Mindset

27 March, 2026

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about Developing a Sporting Mindset

In any organisation – be it a school, a company, or even a family – strong and clearly expressed values create identity, focus, unity and drive, answering the questions ‘what do we belong to?’, ‘what’s important to us?’, ‘what holds us together?’ and ‘why do our collective efforts matter?’ At Harrow, our Values help us to make decisions from day-to-day that mean we behave and perform better, inspiring us to try harder as individuals, so that collectively we thrive.
In 2022, the School’s 450th anniversary year, Values Commendations Medals were commissioned and awarded to boys for the first time at Speech Day, recognising one boy from each year group who best exemplifies the School’s four values. In a similar vein, Values Commendations are now regularly awarded to boys throughout the year, complementing the School’s existing rewards systems, to highlight moments when a boy has exhibited behaviours aligning with the School’s Values.
The four Values are fully embedded into the School’s Human Resource and recruitment structures. As well as expecting our boys to outwardly reflect the Values, colleagues are expected to exhibit these Values on a daily basis. Appraisal and probationary processes within the School include explicit references to this important area of School life.
Courage encourages us to innovate and take risks, inspiring change for the better. It means challenging adversity and complacency, making the most of opportunities, putting fear of failure to one side and staying the course, even when it is difficult.
The Harrow behaviours associated with Courage are:
We remain optimistic and purposeful in a disrupted world.
We take responsibility for our decisions, even the hard ones.
We always challenge poor behaviour in ourselves and others.
We are open to new ideas and seek fresh challenges.
Honour is about doing the right thing, having the highest standards and leading by example. It involves taking responsibility and, ultimately, is what makes us worthy of the trust of others.
The Harrow behaviours associated with Honour are:
We keep our promises.
We act with integrity – doing the right thing, even when it is difficult or when no one is watching.
We respect and value our traditions whilst setting them in the context of today.
Humility asks us to recognise that one's self is a work in progress and that struggling with one's weaknesses is essential to growth. Humility increases our awareness that talent and achievement alone, however impressive, are not sufficient to succeed as a human being – and that none of us is at the centre of the universe.
The Harrow behaviours associated with Humility are:
We work hard to serve others within the School and across our wider communities where possible putting their interests before our own.
We give and seek honest and appropriate feedback, reflect on our failures and learn from them.
We support each other through challenges and whatever the outcome, we celebrate those that took part.
Fellowship means building binding, constructive relationships that help us all to make a positive contribution. This is resonant with our belief that the strongest relationships of all are based on faith, hope and love.
The Harrow behaviours associated with Fellowship are:
We respect each other and value our differences, knowing that we are more effective and more resilient working together.
We are kind and inclusive; we value the contribution that each of us makes.
We role model the behaviours that we would like to see in others; we ask only of others what we would be prepared to do ourselves.
Harrow School is designated as being a School with a Religious Character and a Church of England Ethos. Our four Values link closely to our Christian foundation and the principles of ‘Godliness and good learning’ established by our founder, John Lyon. In our context, their meanings are replete with much more than their dictionary definitions, just as the word ‘Harrow’ means more than just a school. Outwardly, they give a sense of the distinctive quality of Harrow School and express what we think is important. A school that values courage, honour, humility and fellowship is a school at its best: one deserving of the name ‘Harrow’ and one to which we aspire.
Alastair Land attended Manchester Grammar School where he was School Vice-Captain. He first came to understand the positive power of boarding in his gap year teaching at Budhanilkantha School in Nepal.
Alastair took a First in Natural Sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was president of the college's student union. After completing his PGCE at Cambridge, he began his career at Eton as a teacher of Biology. There, he became a deputy house master and held several extra-curricular responsibilities, including command of the CCF. Alastair then spent nine years at Winchester College, where he was Master in College and a member of the senior management team. In 2012, Alastair was appointed Deputy Head Master of Harrow, moving almost four years later to Repton as Headmaster. He returned to Harrow as Head Master in April 2019. He has retained his interests in outdoor activity and is Contingent Commander of the Harrow Rifle Corps. He remains committed to scholarship, teaching Electives (Human Evolution and Consciousness) and giving super-curricular talks.
Alastair is focused on the strategic development of boys' boarding in the 21st century and in developing access to it for boys of all backgrounds from across the UK. He is a governor at Caldicott School and Orley Farm School (and a regular prep school visitor), and a member of Park High School. He has also acted as an independent reviewer in the appraisal process for senior-school headteachers. He served twice as Chair for HMC London Division and has been a Trustee of both the Zoological Society and the Linnean Society. He is currently on the Council of the Royal Society of Biology and The Heads and Principals Advisory Board of IE University. He is also a Trustee of the Harrow Mission.

[H5] Since 1907, the activities of the Harrow Association have centred on fostering lifelong connections among Old Harrovians. As an Old Harrovian myself, I have seen and experienced first-hand the incredible fellowship our activities cultivate, and am immensely proud to be leading this supportive and international network of some 10,500 diverse individuals, connected by their time on the Hill."
[H5]
[H5] William Landale (The Grove 1978³), Harrow Association Director

[H3]
[H5] In its activities, the Harrow Association consider the following three areas
____
[H4] Community
[H4] Careers and Employability
[H4] Heritage

[H4] Community
Harrovians, whose families paid a subscription to the Harrow Association during their time at the School, become members upon leaving. The Harrow Association invite all members to reconnect with fellow Old Harrovians through events such as House Dinners, Songs events, overseas OH dinners and reunions throughout the year, and through the OH Connect online networking platform. The Harrow Association also collaborates with OH clubs and societies to ensure OHs continue enjoying their Harrovian pursuits after they leave.
[H4] Careers and Employability
For current boys and recent leavers, the Harrow Association works with the School and OHs from different professions, willing to offer their time and expertise in mentoring or work experience programmes. Through OH Connect, OHs at all stages on their career path, can make these professional connections or offer their help.
[H4] Heritage
There are over 10,500 Harrow Association members across the globe, and no Harrovian leaves the School without a keen understanding of the great influence and achievements of their OH forebears and the Giants of Old before them. The Harrow Association endeavours to celebrate and preserve this heritage.

read our privacy statement
Follow the Harrow Association on Instagram, join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups, and sign up to OH Connect to keep up-to-date with OH news and Harrow Association events.

[IMG: Churchill Songs]

Churchill Songs

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Harrow Pupils

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House Harrow Football

Each year, the School admits around 160 boys into Year 9, in the September following their 13th birthday, and up to 20 boys, normally aged 16, into Year 12 (Sixth Form).
In line with our Admissions Policy, which is referenced in our terms and conditions, we welcome applications from boys who:
will thrive in a boarding environment and make the most of the opportunities offered at Harrow;
will make a positive contribution to the life of the School, both inside and outside the classroom;
are talented in their academic studies, or in sport, the arts or in other areas; and
have a good behavioural record and the potential to show leadership.
In addition to these attributes, suitable Year 12 applicants are likely to be predicted at least seven or eight passes at GCSE (or equivalent) at grade 7/8/9 (A/A*).
ADMISSIONS POLICY

Dr Eric Sie

Philip Evans

Carl Rycroft

Natalya Silcott

Eugene Higgins

Bella Nicholson

Shabri Dalal

Lisa Turner

Heshna Aujayeb

Sarah Mann

Dr Gitanjali Bhattacharya

Nicola Dunne

Saara Arab-Cruz