Facilities

The iconic Great Hall at the Senior School represents the physical heart and soul of UCS. The whole school congregates here for weekly assemblies, while concerts held in the Great Hall prove unforgettable experiences for performers and audiences alike. The classical Edwardian architecture is capped off by an imposing Walker pipe organ.

Designed using innovative educational research from Cambridge University, the Senior School’s library, known as the AKO Centre, was opened in 2019. It offers a state-of-the-art space for creative learning as well as reading, project work and collaboration. Containing more than 20,000 volumes, journals and access to a wide range of academic online resources, the library provides a place for pupils to learn both independently and collaboratively.

Sixth Form pupils enjoy the benefits of their own purpose-built space; a place where award-winning architecture meets sustainable, biophilic and student-informed design: the AKO Sixth Form Centre. This was inaugurated as recently as 2021, and its eye-catching features include a café, classroom, offices, study areas and a relaxation zone. Such is the impact of this space on the pupils who use it, one ISI Inspector described it as “an anteroom to undergraduate life” when visiting the school in 2021.

The Lund Gallery, housed under the AKO Sixth Form Centre, is a space for creative ideas and celebration. It raises the profile of work done by talented UCS Art pupils while affording a project space for contemporary artists. The Lund reaches out, too, to our UCS and local communities with lunch or evening talks, and can stage events in line with similar creative spaces in London.

Drama and Dance are at the creative heart of UCS and our pupils take advantage of numerous opportunities in these expressive arts. Plays, for all year groups, are performed in the iconic Lund Theatre, a grand atmospheric space which seats up to 200 people. The Lund boasts tiered seating, exceptional acoustics, a large stage and adjoining dressing and breakout rooms.

Our Sports Centre adjacent to the Senior School at Frognal provides pupils with exceptional facilities, in addition to serving the local community. Enhanced by a recent refurbishment, the centre is the indoor sporting hub of the school, accommodating a 25-metre swimming pool, sports hall, gym, dance and exercise studio as well as offering tennis and fives.

The renovated UCS Playing Fields have received a UEFA endorsement, span 27 acres of playing surface, and are supplemented by a nearby all-weather pitch. The site also comes complete with a magnificent new sports pavilion; opened in 2019, this pavilion boasts vast changing facilities and a comfortable viewing gallery for parents and visitors.