- Founded in 1624 thanks to a bequest from Robert Chaloner, who was a doctor of divinity and the rector of Amersham. The double-l spelling in the school’s name is thought to come from an error in the minutes of a church vestry meeting at the time.
- Pupils are assigned to one of six houses — Foxell, Holman, Newman, Pearson, Rayner or Thorne — which have members in every year group. Houses compete in more than 70 events, ranging from sports to drama and music to code-breaking.
- Almost 30 co-curricular activities are on offer, featuring everything from sports, music, art and drama to cryptic crosswords and hiking.
- Each May the school has an activity week that includes residential visits for Year 9 pupils; in recent years this has included trekking in Morocco and canoeing down the Ardèche valley in France.
- Alumni include the actor Roger Moore; former professional cyclist Roger Hammond; Tom Blomfield, the founder and former chief executive of Monzo Bank; and the former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab.
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