About the college
Forty seven years on College Ridge
Founded in 1979 by a group of Ibadan teachers and parents with 42 students and six classrooms, Ridgemere is now a college of 860 day and boarding students. The ideals have not changed much.
A letter from the principal
Dear parents and guardians,
Thank you for considering Ridgemere for your child. Choosing a secondary school is one of the most important decisions a family makes, and I would like you to make it with as much information as possible.
We are, first of all, a serious academic school. Our teachers are well qualified, well supported and expected to keep learning. Lessons are structured and demanding, homework is set and marked, and parents receive a written report every half term. We track every student carefully and step in early when someone is struggling.
We are also a school that believes young people need more than lessons. Every student plays a sport, joins at least two clubs and gives time to service. Boarders and day students mix in the same houses, and seniors are trained to look after the juniors in their care.
Finally, we are a school that keeps its promises to parents. We answer the phone, we reply to emails within two working days, and we tell you early, kindly and honestly how your child is doing. If you visit, you will meet the people who will teach them.
With warm regards,
Mrs Olufunke Adebayo-Cole
Principal, BSc, MEd
Our story
From six classrooms to a college
- 1979
A school on the ridge
Forty two students and six teachers start lessons in a converted farmhouse with a borrowed blackboard.
- 1986
First boarding houses
Heron and Kestrel houses open, and the first boarders arrive from Lagos, Oshogbo and Ilorin.
- 1997
The science block
Three laboratories, funded by old students, set the college on its path as a science school.
- 2008
Computing for everyone
Two computer laboratories and coding lessons from JSS 1, long before it was usual.
- 2019
Powered by the sun
A 120kVA solar and battery system means classrooms and dormitories stay lit through outages.
- 2026
A new library
The two storey library and study centre opens, with 18,000 books and quiet rooms for exam years.
Values
Light, learning, service
Our motto is painted above the main hall door. Here is what it means in practice.
Light
Honesty, openness and the courage to own mistakes. We would rather hear the truth late than a story on time.
Learning
Hard work, good questions and real understanding, not just memorising for the next test.
Service
Every student serves the school and the community, from library duty to the reading club at a nearby primary school.
Leadership
The senior leadership team
Mrs Olufunke Adebayo-Cole
Principal
Twenty six years in teaching, the last nine at Ridgemere. Teaches one SSS 3 literature class every week.
Mr Tunde Nwachukwu
Vice principal, academics
A physicist who runs the timetable, exams and the science fair, and coaches the junior chess team.
Mrs Hadiza Ibrahim
Vice principal, pastoral
Leads boarding, wellbeing and the house system. Her door is open from 7am.
Mr Kayode Oladipo
Bursar
Looks after fees, staff and the campus. Answers every fees email personally.
Invented staff for this demo.
The campus
Twenty two acres on a wooded ridge on the edge of the city, with two teaching blocks, the science and library buildings, six boarding houses, a chapel and a mosque, a 400 metre track and two football pitches. Gates are staffed day and night.
Good to know
About the college
We are a non-denominational school with Christian and Muslim students and staff. There is a chapel and a mosque on campus, and students attend services of their own faith.
Ridgemere is run by a not for profit trust with a board of governors made up of parents, old students and education professionals.
We are approved by the state ministry of education and are an exam centre for the national junior and senior school certificates.
Visit Ridgemere on an open morning
Walk the campus with a senior prefect, sit in on a lesson and meet the principal. Open mornings run every second Saturday of the month, 9am to 12pm.