Facilities

Founded in 1847, Ratcliffe is steeped in history and tradition. Despite this, we aim to strive forward and invest in our facilities to benefit the school and our pupils. Please feel free to discover our amazing facilities below, ranging in both curricular and co-curricular. We hope to invite you to Ratcliffe in the near future to see them for yourself. In the meantime, why not watch our Ariel video tour below!

English Language Centre

This year we have invested in a £2.5 million English Language Centre ready for the autumn term. This is Ratcliffe’s first carbon-zero building, with a passive air system monitoring the CO2 levels, keeping the air fresh and providing an optimum teaching and learning environment for all.

The building features:

Nine new classrooms with four entrance atriums
A sedum roof, accompanied by 40 solar panels
Air source heat pumps, with a heat recovery system recycling excess heat

Catering Servery

We are really proud to be enhancing our catering service to the students and staff by updating our school servery.

This includes:

Purpose-built units, replacing the current aged servery units
Two islands and both ambient and cooling areas for food, fruit and drinks and a salad bar
New ceramic hobs
A view through to the kitchen

Our boarding students can request food to order at breakfast time and in the evening and weekends, creating a more personalised experience.

Rosmini Sixth Form Centre

Our modern Rosmini Sixth Form Centre provides fantastic facilities after being built to high specifications. This allows our pupils a space to blossom both academically and socially during their last two years at Ratcliffe.

The building includes a study centre complete with computers and a library, offering a quiet area where pupils need to tap into their full potential during individual study time. A seminar room is also available for students to use during group projects. These areas are supervised by specialist staff to provide a positive working environment and support during the week.

One of the main social areas in our Sixth Form Centre has now been upgraded, with an excellent ‘university coffee shop’ feel. It features booths and a soft seating area, open windows and a variety of seats with power and USB points available. This new facility will feature a full-time Barista providing our students with the best refreshments and great service. It’s all part of getting ready for University life.

Sport Facilities

In recent years, our sporting facilities have excelled as we aim to make use of our beautiful site. These enhancements improve the quality of life for all pupils, whether they represent the county in their chosen sport or look to improve fitness and have fun. Our sporting facilities include:

Floodlight tennis and netball courts
Two all-weather pitches
A £1.3 million state-of-the art Fitness Suite
A second additional £2.3 million sports hall near our Preparatory School

In recent years Ratcliffe has made significant investments in sport facilities, introducing a second full-size floodlit AstroTurf which opened in 2017. A floodlit synthetic athletics track was completed in the same year, allowing students to train and compete on an excellent running surface. In January 2019 we officially opened the new fitness suite over two floors, installed with industry-standard strength and conditioning as well as cardio-vascular equipment. We also completed construction on a brand new sports hall next to our Prep school. Ratcliffe also hosts its own 25m swimming pool which is used throughout the year for different activities such as learn to swim classes, curriculum lessons, competitive training and local club training.

We’re incredibly proud of our new state-of-the-art facilities, which give Ratcliffe College’s students of all abilities the opportunity to learn and practice a wide variety of sports and unlock their potential. It underlines our commitment and continued investment in sport.

To find out more information about sports at Ratcliffe College, check out our specific sports page, or see the latest information on our sports scholarships

Lockhart Garden

In 2019, the Lockhart Garden was created for the emotional health and well being of the college. Acting the schools centre piece, it provides a peaceful place for students, staff and visitors to take time out and reflect quietly.

The garden is an oasis of calm, where students can reflect on all that it means to be a Ratcliffian.

The award winning garden draws inspiration from the mullion windows which surround the area. Designed by Ashley Lynch, with input from students, the Parents Association and staff, the Lockhart Garden is rooted in Catholic contemplative tradition. It is available for our whole community who wish to enjoy peace and calm away from a busy day.

The central feature of our garden is the fountain, engraved with our College crest and motto: Legis Plenitudo Caritas – Love is the Fulfilment of the Law. The stoned used for the fountain comes from Stresa, Northen Italy, the home of our founder Collegio Rosmini.

If you believe your child would benefit from a Ratcliffe education, why not visit us on our latest Open Morning or book a Private Visit? Alternatively, call us on 01509 817000