Alumni

Once Solefield, always Solefield! With happy memories of a very special time in their life, many Solefield Alumni stay in touch long after leaving, often sending their children here to follow in their footsteps. 

Join our Solefield School Alumni Facebook group here so that we can keep in touch. Please share with other Alumni, parents, partners and staff you know!

This year we welcome our alumni, partners, parents and staff to the following events, having enjoyed many Alumni functions to to celebrate our 75th anniversary throughout 2023 

* Monday 10th June 2024, 6-8pm: Alumni Chess Event - Last year our Alumni chess event was such a success we are hosting it again for alumni and current parents. This event will take place the Music School, 6-8pm, although please feel free to leave earlier/ arrive later.  Please do not worry about chess ability; we will be playing some friendly games which will be a wonderful opportunity to catch up with other alumni and parents over a friendly game of chess. There will be chess clocks and scoring cards available if anyone is keen however, the focus will be on the social aspect.  Drinks and nibbles; we look forward to welcoming you. To register your interest in this event, please email our Director of Music, Mr Rob Fenning at [email protected]

* Saturday 22nd June 2024, 7pm - Solefield Summer Ball - The last few tickets are remaining on sale here for the Solefield Summer Ball. Thanks to the incredible support for the event last year, the ball will be held in a marquee on the school playground once more. This year the theme is Glitz & Glamour, which will be the optional dress code for the night. Tables for 10 and individual tickets are available, and include welcome drinks with electric violinist Marju, a full three course dinner from the award-winning Fine Dining Chef, a silent auction, and a DJ until late on a full dance floor. We are also delighted to announce the return of special guest MC Ant Payne (aka Silly Billy). A fully stocked cash and card bar will run all evening. Last year we received an enormous amount of support from parents, staff and alumni – both on the night and in the run up to the event with their generous donations and support. This year, we would welcome any auction or raffle prize donations again, so please email the Solefield office if you would like help. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

* Saturday 14th September, 6-8pm - Solefield Open House back due to popular demand, we are delighted to welcome back our Alumni, their partners, former parents, staff and teachers to an 'Open House' at Solefield School, TN13 1PH. Please join us for an informal glass of wine/refreshments and reminisce while walking around the school at your leisure. Book your place here. 

Alumnus Update - Matthew Diebel (SA 1966)

Hello! I am Matthew Diebel. I thought I would update anyone who might be interested to know since I was at Solefield from 1962 until 1966, when I went on to Sevenoaks School at age 11.

After Sevenoaks, I attended the University of East Anglia, where I studied European history, before pursuing a career in journalism. This started with three years at the Sevenoaks Chronicle before I went to work at the Birmingham Post and Mail. After a year or so there, I made a big decision: to go to America, which I had visited before and had come to like....At some stage I'd like to attend a Solefield reunion; meanwhile, I'd be happy to hear from fellow alumni and would be happy to meet up if one or more of them are in New York. Click here to read more about Matthew's fascinating journey through life after Solefield.

Family traditions for our Solefield library

Isaac in Year 6 is carrying on a family tradition of donating a book to the Solefield Library on leaving. Isaac's dad, Tom donated a book when he left in 1993 and Isaac is donating now as he leaves.
After a long discussion with Mrs Rogan, Isaac picked one of his favourites and one we do not have in the library!
Thank you to both dad and son for thinking of our Solefield Library!

Harry Goodwin Alumnus Rowing Success

It has been wonderful to hear about how our past pupils are getting on. Well done to Harry Goodwin, SA 2022, who writes: "I am loving life at King's Rochester and have made some lovely new friends. I am still enjoying my rowing and thought the pupils at Solefield would like to hear how I’m getting on after my year 8 assembly I did when at Solefield. Two weekends ago we traveled to Nottingham to compete in the British Rowing Junior Championship where I rowed in a double and we won a bronze medal. We were really delighted and are now aiming to take Gold when we get to the championship in Scotland in July!

Last weekend I competed at the British Junior Scullery Regatta at Eton. I rowed in a cox quad and we took 4th place, just missing out on 3rd by 1.5 seconds! I will keep you updated with my Rowing adventures." 

Alumni Table Tennis Evening 

On Thursday evening, the Solefield hall was transformed into an arena of skill, fun and excitement for our inaugural Solefield Alumni Table Tennis Tournament. 

It was wonderful to see a mixture of past pupils, parents, and staff (both current and former) participating, whilst enjoying a refreshing beverage during breaks. We played mini tournaments, and a competitive and social league so it was both competitive and friendly and enjoyable for all. Thanks to Mr Henry for running the event. 

Brothers visit after 30 years

We were delighted to welcome brothers, Alastair (SA 1986) and Daniel Collins (SA 1983) to Solefield, during their first visit to Sevenoaks in 30 years. The brothers were on a cycling tour around Kent and decided to stop in at Solefield to say hello! They were given a tour by Gap Student, Aria with some of their memories being, "the rivalry with New Beacon" and "playing the piece, 'London's Burning' on recorder in the OId Library." They thoroughly enjoyed seeing their names in the same old library.

Former notable staff and Telegraph Journalist Tim Stanley recounts time at Solefield 

Tim Stanley, British historian and journalist for the Telegraph was a gap student at Solefield School during the 1990s. In a recent Daily Telegraph article, Tim writes about his take on the, "sensitivity audit of Roald Dahl books, to make them more palatable, I guess, to snobs, bores and maiden aunts. It is a crime against good taste..."

In his article, dated 19 February 2023, Tim refers to when he worked in a prep school, which of course is our very own Solefield School! He writes, "Once upon a time, I worked in a prep school, and one of my happiest memories was book day. The other teachers read aloud from dusty classics, I chose "Little Red Riding Hood" from the Revolting Rhymes. In this version of the fairy tale, when Red finds her grandma eaten by a wolf, "One eyelid flickers/She whips a pistol from her knickers" - and shoots the doggy dead. The children howled with laughter; an air of mutiny engulfed the classroom. My poor colleagues had to spend the rest of the week trying to persuade the children not to say "knickers" in front of their parents - for the saucy, subversive genius of Dahl was that he wrote what kids think and adults don't want to hear."  

The full article can be accessed on the Telegraph website here. 

Solefield 75th Alumni Launch - Saturday 4th February

What a wonderful alumni launch reunion we had on Saturday to kick off our 75th anniversary celebrations. We loved welcoming back former pupils, parents, former teachers and staff from throughout the decades, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s right through to current!
Alumni enjoyed reminiscing with each other on their time at Solefield School; they searched for their names on the leavers' boards, wandered around each area of the school and enjoyed our stunning whole school art exhibition. Headmistress, Helen McClure welcomed everyone and raised a glass to 'Solefield'!

Be sure to book our next Alumni House Chess Match on Wednesday 1st March, 6pm, with legendary Judo coach, Mr Malcolm Burkett in attendance (1979-current). Click here to book.

First Alumni Association Meeting

It was wonderful to welcome a small group of Alumni to our inaugural 'Solefield Alumni Association' Meeting. We welcomed Tom Mitchell (Solefield Alumnus - SA 1988), former SPA Chair and parent, Marina Press (SA 2014) and Julian Spurling (SA 1971).  A lot of great ideas were discussed and strategies for finding our former pupils, including providing a student ticket at our events. Secure your place at our events and share the links with any other Solefield alumni.

You can join our alumni mailing list here

Founded in 1948, Solefield School turns 75 in 2023. To read more about our Solefield History, please visit our dedicated Solefield History page here.

For further information, please email us at [email protected] or phone 01732 452 142.

Solefield School Bursary & Development Fund

Transformational bursaries have a lifelong impact on students and their families. We are offering the opportunity to contribute to our bursary and development fund to have more children enjoy a Solefield School education and continue to develop the school. Please click here if you felt you wanted to donate.

Gifts in Will

A gift in your will to us is your opportunity to support future generations of Solefield pupils, helping to make a Solefield education available to as many children as possible.

Thank you for considering remembering Solefield in your will. We appreciate that this is a very personal decision, and we are here to help you with any questions you may have so that you can feel confident in your choice. 

Supporters choose to remember Solefield for many reasons, whether to express gratitude for the education they received, help future generations to access a Solefield education or to honour a loved one. Whatever your reason, your gift will enable Solefield  to continue shaping lives for the better. 

We recommend that you make contact with us so that we can work with you to make your desired impact.

If you would like to learn more about remembering Solefield in your will, you can contact Jacqueline Crowley, Finance Manager or phone 01732 452 142.