Gravesend Grammar School: Difference between revisions
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*Director of Support Services: Mr Mike Fall BEng. |
*Director of Support Services: Mr Mike Fall BEng. |
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On the 1st August 2011 the school became an Academy Trust. |
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==Names of the School== |
==Names of the School== |
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Revision as of 11:58, 2 September 2011
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| Gravesend Grammar School | |
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| File:School badge.jpg | |
| Address | |
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Milton Gravesend , Kent England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Grammar secondary |
| Motto | Consule Cunctis |
| Established | 1893 |
| Department for Education URN | 118936 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headmaster | Mr. G. Wybar |
| Gender | Boys (11+) Co-educational (16+) |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 1013 |
| Houses | 5 |
| Colour(s) | |
| Publication | The Miltonian |
| Website | http://gravesendgrammar.kent.sch.uk |
Gravesend Grammar School is a selective secondary school located in Gravesend, Kent, England. The school accepts boys at age 11 by examination and boys and girls at 16, based on their GCSE results.
The school
Gravesend Grammar School was opened on 19 July 1893 in a lavish ceremony by Princess Beatrice of Battenberg, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria[citation needed]. The school was originally based in Darnley Road, Gravesend and later moved to the site of Milton Hall, the former home of G. M. Arnold, a former Mayor of Gravesend, and one of the founders of the school. The original building is currently used as an Adult Education Centre. The replacement building is still in use although many alterations and additions have been made to it since it was originally constructed, including being partly rebuilt after being bombed during World War II[citation needed].
A second school building, known as the 'Centenary Building', was built in 1993, to commemorate the School's 100th year, and currently houses cutting-edge facilities including multiple computer facilities and chemistry labs. There are a number of mobile classrooms around the school site, used for various subjects, although these are beginning to be replaced by more permanent buildings.[citation needed]
In July 2009 a new sports centre was opened, adjacent to the sports hall, and named the Sanderson Sports Centre, after the former Head Master.
Overall, there are 57 classrooms, including six Computer Rooms, all of which contain Interactive Whiteboards, as well as a library, a sports hall, several small music practice rooms, and a canteen available to all staff and pupils.
In 2004 the School gained specialist status as a Maths and Computing Specialist School. This guarantees the School extra government funding in order to continue the running and expansion of its facilities. The school also gained language specialist status, in 2008[1]
- Chairman of the Governing Body: Mr Graham Ralph BA (Hons).
- Headmaster: Mr Geoffrey S. Wybar BA.
- Deputy Headmaster: Mr Brian Simpson BA MA.
- Assistant Headteachers: Mr Matt Allen BSc (Director of Specialist School), Mr Ben Chapelard (Director of Languages), Mr Malcolm Moaby (Head of Lower School), Mr Ashley Tomlin (Head of Middle School) and Mrs Sarah Tremain (Head of Senior School).
- Director of Support Services: Mr Mike Fall BEng.
On the 1st August 2011 the school became an Academy Trust.
Names of the School
- 1890 - 1898 The Gravesend Municipal Technical School
- 1898 - 1904 The Gravesend Municipal Day School
- 1904 - 1914 The Gravesend County Day School
- 1914 - 1946 The County School for Boys, Gravesend
- 1946 - 1967 The Gravesend Grammar School for Boys
- 1967 - 1982 The Gravesend School for Boys
- 1982 - 1999 Gravesend Grammar School for Boys
- 1999 - present Gravesend Grammar School
House system
In 1926 the present House system was introduced replacing the former houses of Goths, Vikings and Saxons. Originally the pupils in each year group were divided into four houses reflecting where they lived. This distinction no longer applies with the choice of house now often linked to family connections:
- Cliffe (Blue House tie) - Derived from the Overcliffe, for boys from the west of the Borough
- Downs (Yellow House tie) - Reflecting the North Downs, for boys from the south of the Borough
- Hill (Green House tie) - From Windmill Hill, for boys from the east of the Borough
- Town (Red House tie) - As the name implies, boys drawn from the town area
In 1993 to reflect the growing size of the school, a fifth house was introduced:
- School (Purple House tie)
In 2009 a sixth form of entry was created in Year 7 to accommodate the growing number of pupils. Pupils are members of all five Houses. This was called bow, which came from rainbow as they have many different coloured ties.
Head boy team and prefects
Each year, a Head Boy and a team of five deputies are elected from the Lower Sixth (Year 12). Several weeks before the Easter Holiday, any student wishing to stand for either position must submit a manifesto to the Head of Year. Hustings are then held, in which the candidates put forward their ideas and reasons for wishing to be elected. The Year 12 group and staff vote then for their choices for Head Boy and Deputies. The candidates with the most votes then have an interview with the Headteacher, and the successful candidates are announced just before the term ends. As the School now has a mixed sixth form the team is also mixed.
There are a large number of prefects in the school, ranging from subject prefects to pastoral ones in charge of areas of the school such as the Library or the Canteen. There is a dedicated team of about fifteen students to ensure appropriate use of ICT facilities at break and lunchtimes. All members of the Prefect and Head Boy teams are issued a blue, shield shaped badge with their position engraved on it.
Sixth form
The Sixth Form currently contains approximately 300 students, studying A Levels in a variety of subjects. Each week there is a "General Education" session for the Lower Sixth, in which various speakers, such as the local MP or representatives from Israeli and Palestinian Support Charities, speak. The school also provides free "Driveability" sessions for the Year 12 students that outline the various risks and responsibilities of learning to drive. There are several extracurricular clubs specifically for the Sixth Form, including an A+ computing course, and a Film Club.
Careers
Pupils begin to prepare for career choices in Year 9, where they start to have one lesson a fortnight being taught various aspects of careers, including interview techniques and how to write CVs. These lessons continue until the end of year 11. In addition, all year 11 pupils have a week's work experience in a variety of locations, from local prep schools to companies in London. They also have group careers interviews with a Connexions advisor, with one on one sessions if requested. The school has a Careers Library that any student can use, that contains prospectuses and information from various Universities, as well as information about possible careers paths.
Sport
Sport plays a very big part of life at the school, to the extent that for the last two years, all GCSE students take Physical Education short courses. There are a number of specialist PE teachers who coach a variety of teams, including Cricket, Badminton, Rugby, and Hockey, as well as facilities for Basketball, Table Tennis and Athletics. Handball was introduced in 2010.
The school often partakes in oversea Rugby Tours, these have been as far afield as South Africa, and Canada. In 2005 Gravesend Grammar School visisted Canada on a 3 week tour and were undefeated, on the final few days of the tour Gravesend Grammar finalised a winning tour with a win for both 1st and second team against the Ontorio's state team. During July and August of 2011, the Senior Rugby Squad will travel on a tour to Los Angeles, New Zealand and Hong Kong. The squad will travel for 20 days visiting the cities of Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand, originally the tour was scheduled to visit Christchurch in the South Island, however due to the 2011 earthquake the itinerary was changed. Six matches will be played, 4 in New Zealand.
Drama and music
The school GCSE and A Level groups have recently staged productions such as Grease, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, West Side Story, The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Animal Farm, The Madness of King George, Grimm Tales, The Crucible, The Little Shop of Horrors and The Threepenny Opera. The most recent being Year 10's Grimm Tales. It went extremely well, and all of the staff were very pleased at the dedication and commitment of the Year 10 boys. New productions have been staged including some written by student and teachers like The Letter of Marque (pronounced Mark), directed by Carrie Lee-Grey (SMOOSH) and Written by Ashley Tomlin. There are a number of musical organisations in the School, including Guitar and Recorder Clubs, a Chamber Orchestra and a Choir.
Trips
Recent years have seen educational visits to France, Italy, and Germany, including various exchanges, as well as slightly less adventurous trips to places such as The Globe Theatre and The British Museum. Groups of senior students went to Peru on a World Challenge Expedition in 2005, to Mongolia in July 2007 an then to Zambia and Botswana in 2010. The School also hold more recreational visits, such as recent Rugby Tours to Canada and South Africa, and the Annual Ski Trip to Italy, as well as an additional ski trip to Canada in 2011. The school has also taken pupils to canoe down the Ardèche and has taken pupils scuba diving in Gozo. In spring of 2008 pupils went to Spain. The Senior Rugby Team will be touring to Los Angeles, New Zealand and Fiji in the Summer of 2011. In the summer of 2013 there will be an expedition to Bolivia and Peru.
Motto and school song
The school motto, Consule Cunctis, was adopted in 1925, and whilst originally translated as "Do thou take thought for the good of all men", is now taken to mean "take thought for everyone". Originally, the school song was "Forty Years On", the school song for Harrow School, but in 1926 two friends of the Headmaster wrote a new song, also called "Consule Cunctis". "Forty Years On" continued to be sung along with the new song at important dates in the school calendar, such as Speech Day, until the late Forties. To reflect the ever increasing numbers and diversity of the school, and particularly the inclusion of female students within the sixth form, the words have changed, in theory at least, from "four hundred fellows" to "one thousand students".
Head Masters
- 1893 - 1898 J.T. Dalladay AMC
- 1898 - 1924 H.F.A. Wigley BA FCS
- 1924 - 1946 Rev Samuel Lister MSc
- 1946 - 1963 William H.E. Stevens BSc
- 1963 - 1968 H. Peter Arnold-Craft MA
- 1968 - 1974 Roy Cooke MA
- 1974 - 1977 James A. Brogden MA
- 1978 - 1985 Peter T. Sanderson DLC
- 1985 - 2000 Peter J. Read BSc MPhil MA
- 2000 - present Geoffrey S. Wybar BA
Deputy Head Masters
- 1893 - 1898 S.A. Sworn MA
- 1898 - 1907 J.T. Dalladay AMC
- 1907 - 1931 D. Foster
- 1931 - 1936 H. Law
- 1936 - 1958 A. Richards
- 1958 - 1964 Les C. Furley
- 1964 - 1973 E.W. Walker
- 1973 - 1977 Peter T. Sanderson DLC
- 1979 - 1986 John E. Edwards
- 1986 - 1990 Robin H. Curtis
- 1990 - present Brian Simpson BA MA
- 2004 - 2008 Dr Joanne L. Seymour
Notable former pupils
- Squadron Leader Robert Anthony Maurice Palmer VC DFC & Bar (1920–1944).
- Sir Richard Southwood Kt DL FRS (1931–2005), Professor of Zoology and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, 1989-1993.
- Professor Brian Newbould, Professor of Music, Hull University, 1979-2001.
- Johnny Hills (1934- ), professional footballer.
- Jonathan A. Martin OBE (1943- ), former Head of BBC Sport, 1982-2000.
- David Nicholls (1943–2008), Kent cricketer.
- Peter Jones (1944- ), Chairman of the Horserace Totaliser Board (the Tote), 1997–2008, President of the Racehorse Owners' Association, 1990–1993 and Chairman Dorset Police Authority, 1997-2003.
- David A. Cooke (1949- ), England Rugby International.
- Geoff Whitehorn (1951- ), guitarist and singer-songwriter, member of Procul Harum.
- Rt Rev Tony Porter (1952- ), Bishop of Sherwood, 2006–present.
- Richard T. Russell (1952- ), author of the BBC BASIC for Windows programming language.
- Paul Greengrass (1955- ), BAFTA winning and Academy Award nominated film director.
- Dr Mike Clarke (1959- ), Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), 2010–present.
- Stephen Webster (1960- ), jewellery designer.
- Dr Mike Woodin (1965–2004), principal speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales.
- Howard Saunders (1968- ), musician and composer from Lunatic Calm
- Alex Hryniewicz (1983- ), BAFTA winning TV producer.[citation needed]
Other
- At the end of each academic year, a school magazine, "The Miltonian" is published. Generally it includes Valedictories to leaving staff members, reviews of sporting seasons and drama productions, accounts of school trips and other events that took place during the previous year.
References
External links
- www.gravesendgrammar.eu Gravesend Grammar School website
- Ofsted Report