Bournemouth School
 |
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (June 2008) |
 |
|
| Motto | Pulchritudo et Salubritas (Latin) Beauty and Health (English) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1901 |
| Type | Grammar school, Academy |
| Headmaster | Dorian Lewis |
| Founder | Dr E Fenwick |
| Specialism | Language College |
| Location | East Way Bournemouth Dorset BH8 9PY England |
| DfE URN | 137452 |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-Academy Reports |
| Staff | 120 |
| Students | 1,058 |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Darwin (Yellow), Elgar (Light Blue), Newton (Dark Blue), Scott (Red) and Turner (Green) |
| Colours | Blue, Grey, White |
| Chairman of Governors | Terry Webb |
| Website | www.bournemouth-school.org |
Coordinates: 50°44′55″N 1°51′30″W / 50.7486°N 1.85844°W
Bournemouth School (also known incorrectly as Bournemouth Grammar School or Bournemouth School for Boys and commonly abbreviated to BS or incorrectly BSB), is a boys' grammar school and sixth form occupying a site in Charminster, Bournemouth, Dorset, England and teaching children from years 7 to 13 (ages 11 to 18). It is just off the B3063 (Charminster Road), in East Way. It is opposite Queen's Park Infants School.
The school's ethos is discipline, hardwork, respect, and smart appearance.
Contents |
[edit] History
From the mid-1950s, 'grammar streams' were introduced into all Bournemouth secondary modern schools, and they effectively became bilateral schools. This idea was pioneered by the Chief Education Officer of the County Borough of Bournemouth from 1956–72, Walter Smedley (who died aged 98 in June 2006) who was a former technical college lecturer, and allowed easier movement between the 'grammar streams' in these schools and the grammar schools. The system was nationally recognised, as it allowed greater flexibility, as is possible in comprehensive schools, but allowed academic standards to be maintained - people's ability was still recognised. Movement was down as well as up.[1] The system was well supported by parents.[2] The rate of pupils staying on at school in the sixth form was 50% higher than the national average in the 1960s. Selection to the grammar schools from 1965 was not assessed by a single exam, but continuously. In the late 1960s, Bournemouth's schools were producing GCE results 250% better than comprehensives in London's ILEA.
However in 1969, Edward Short, Baron Glenamara, the Labour education secretary, condemned Bournemouth's education system. Once Smedley left in 1972, the bilateral schools later became comprehensives. The last school of this type was Oakmead College of Technology. Entrance exams for the grammar schools were also reintroduced. Bournemouth LEA still gets very good exam results, especially at A level. Dorset County Council took over from 1974-97.
In 2011, Bournemouth School ceased to hold its "selective grammar school" status, as it became an academy. The school kept its original name as well as its uniform and entrance examination through the change, however the school is now directly funded and overseen by the government rather than a local education authority.
[edit] Affiliations
The school shares playing fields with Bournemouth School for Girls and co-operates in running some sixth-form courses, which in many cases have mixed-gender classes.
It has close links with the neighbouring St Francis of Assisi Church.
Bournemouth School has been a member of the South West Academic Trust (SWAT) since its formation. It is partnered with seven other schools as well as Exeter University in order to provide extra-curricular activities in conjunction with other schools across the south west. The eight schools in the SWAT are: Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Colyton Grammar School, Poole Grammar School, Torquay Boys Grammar School, Torquay Girls Grammar School, Churston Ferrers Grammar School and South Wilts Grammar School.
[edit] Houses
Bournemouth School has five 'houses', named after famous Englishmen:Elgar, Darwin, Newton, Scott and Turner. Until September 1993, there were six: Avon, Forest, Hambledon, Portchester, Romsey and Twynham. All forms are delineated by house affiliation and as such pupils from year 7 to year 13 (upper sixth form) remain in the same form, and although their 'form tutor' and 'form room' usually change every year, it is possible for their house to remain the same for the entirety of the school. The Housemasters are, Mrs Looker (Elgar), Mr Pritchard (Darwin), Mr Robjohns (Newton), Mr Hughes (Scott) and Mrs Teenan (Turner). The houses compete in school competitions ranging from sports to educational competitions.
[edit] Prefects
Students can first apply to be a prefect at the end of year 10. House masters normally choose five of the applicants from each form to become house prefects. Students remain house prefects until they can apply to become a full school prefect or a senior prefect at the end of year 12. The senior prefect team has a rigorous application process consisting of an interview with the headmaster, a pupil vote and a teacher vote.
[edit] Language College
Since the late 1990s, Bournemouth School has been designated a specialist Language College. Languages offered to both pupils, and communities at large, include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic.
To allow pupils to extend their language skills there is a student exchange programme. The language college has two computer suites, interactive whiteboards and extra staff. The school also provides services for primary schools in the area, teaching languages to their pupils.
[edit] School council
Students can voice their own opinion on how their school is run through the medium of a school council. The council is run and chaired by one of the deputy school captains (Benjamin Clayton) with one council member from each form of the school. All students are free to stand for school council elections and, once the particular person has been chosen, he will then attend various meetings, discussions and conferences where he will represent his particular group of the pupils at the school.
There is a sub-committee in the council dedicated to the sixth form. This is chaired by one of the other deputy school captains (Sam Brown), and only deals with topics related to the sixth form and therefore only councillors from the sixth form attend the sub-committee meetings.
[edit] CCF
The school also has an active Combined Cadet Force, a rarity for a state-funded school. The CCF has over 200 members (split into the three sections of Royal Navy, Army and RAF), the largest it has been for many years, from both Bournemouth School for Girls and Bournemouth School. The CCF is open to pupils in year 9 (age 13) upwards with an annual recruitment usually in late November.
There is also a Band section that rehearses every week, also run by sixth form cadets, with each member choosing which uniform they wish to wear according to the section they want to be affiliated with.
Activities that cadets are able to take part in include gliding, flying, shooting, Ten Tors walk, national exchanges and camps including a Central Camp in the summer term. The RAF section also enter the Ground Training Competition every year; this year they were ranked as the third best section in the south-west and best mixed-sex section in the south-west.
Cadets can also go on many camps and courses provided by the Royal Navy for little expense. These are well received with a large number of cadets taking the opportunity to get away for a week and gain useful qualifications
The school also has an armoury, containing between 20 and 30 rifles for the cadets to use. Most are SA80 L98A2 rifles (Cadet GP Variant), but a handful are Lee Enfield Rifles. All are bolt-action, and are used to train cadets how to load, cock, clean, etc. a rifle. These are fired on the school's on-site firing range, located in a bunker in the copse behind the main building. Ex-cadets are invited to join the COMPO mailing list.
[edit] History
The school was founded in 1901 by Dr E Fenwick, and moved to its present site in 1939.[3][4] The old site was used by Portchester School from 1940 until 1989 by when it too had moved to another site. The old school building was then demolished and the houses built and named Fenwick Court, after Bournemouth School's first headmaster.
A new library and sixth form block was built in 1966, housing a lecture theatre, language laboratory, library and smaller rooms for sixth forms classes.[5] It is now home to the business studies department.
In the early 1990s, the science department of the school was expanded with two new rooms at the northern end of the main school building (Rooms 41 and 42). These rooms were built over the previously single-storey north-eastern wing of the main building and are suspended by steel beams over the original building. At the initial point of building, the suspended floor was notorious for rocking in the wind and even today, the flooring is noisy. The narrow northern stairway that originally served the drama room and Biology Room 40 was pushed into service as a through corridor for the rest of the first floor (via the suspended corridor) and as such carries far more footfall than it was ever designed to. This causes congestion at lesson moving times.
The school has been expanded in recent years, including a new Technology & Art block featuring CAD and CNC machinery and the Sir David English Sports Centre, the legacy of former headmaster Alan Petrie. A new maths block was opened in February, 2007, and is now used for maths and religious studies. Room 82 has been converted into a food technology room, food tech is taught by Mrs. Palmer and is part of the Design & Technology rota.
[edit] Sport
From 1988 to 2006 the school had an American football team, the Bournemouth Raiders.
[edit] Notable alumni
 |
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability or notability policies. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources cited within this article showing they are notable and alumni or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (March 2010) |
- Mark Austin, television newsreader and presenter
- Mark Baker, founder of TV company mast media and creator of Oblivious, The Big Call, The Yes/No Game Show and Judgemental. Producer of the Big Breakfast and Big Brother
- Christian Bale, Academy Award winning actor
- Prof George Bell, theoretical physicist, Professor of Mathematics from 1965-88 at Chelsea College, and researcher in statistical mechanics
- Rt Rev Derek Bond, Bishop of Bradwell from 1976–93
- Prof Peter Brandon, Professor of Quantity and Building Surveying since 1985 at the University of Salford
- Squadron Leader Francis Butcher CBE AFC
- Prof Peter Campbell, Professor of Politics at the University of Reading from 1964–91
- Anthony Cantor, Ambassador to Armenia from 2006-8, and to Paraguay from 2001-5
- Prof John Clarke OBE, Professor of Geography at the University of Durham from 1968–90
- Stephen Clarke, writer
- Michael Clayton, Editor of Horse & Hound from 1973–96, presenter of the Today programme from 1973-5
- Leonard Colebrook, bacteriologist
- Doug Collins (journalist)
- Dr Frank Cross, Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford from 1944–68
- Dennis Curry, geologist, President from 1963-5 of the Geologists' Association, grandson of Henry Curry (founder of Currys), and Chairman of his family's electrical company from 1968 until July 1984, prior to the firm's takeover[6][7]
- Andy Davidson (game designer), invented the Worms (1995 video game) in 1993
- Prof Robert Dingle, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of St Andrews from 1960–87
- Geoffrey Drain CBE, General-Secretary of NALGO from 1973–83
- Paul Elliott, theatrical producer
- Sir David English, journalist and Editor of the Daily Mail from 1971–92
- Dr Ian Field CBE, Secretary General of the World Medical Association from 1994-7
- Sir Brian Follett, Chairman of the Training and Development Agency for Schools since 2003, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick from 1993–2001
- Sir Paul Fox CBE, television executive, and President of the Royal Television Society from 1985–92
- Norman Goodchild CBE, Chief Constable of West Midlands Constabulary from 1966-7, and Wolverhampton Borough Police from 1944–66
- Charles Gray, actor
- Sir James Grigg, MP for Cardiff East from 1942-5
- Prof Frank Hahn, Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge from 1972–92, and President of the Econometric Society from 1968-9 and of the Royal Economic Society from 1986-9
- Tim Hayward, journalist
- Benny Hill, comedian, actor and singer
- Alex James, musician from the band Blur
- Gordon Johnson, Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council from 1998–2000
- Prof Roy Knight, Professor of French from 1950-74 at Swansea University
- Steve Lewis, Chief Executive since August 2008 of Majestic Wine[8]
- Sir Michael Lickiss, Chairman of VisitBritain from 2003-5
- Gareth Malone, musician
- Dick Moore, cricketer
- Douglas Oliver, poet
- Prof Ralph Pickford, Professor of Psychology at the University of Glasgow from 1955–73
- Prof Miles Reid, mathematician
- Prof Phil Richardson, clinical psychologist at the Tavistock Clinic, and Professor of Clinical Psychology from 1998-2007 at the University of Essex
- Michael Roberts (writer)
- Rt Rev Gordon Roe, Bishop of Huntingdon from 1980–97
- Prof Frank Smith, Goldsmid Professor of Applied Mathematics at University College London since 1984, and Director since 2007 of the London Technology and Construction Court (TCC)
- Prof Richard Smith, Professor of Econometric Theory and Economic Statistics since 2006 at the University of Cambridge
- Andy Stevens, founder of uniquedigital and owner of London pubs The Albion and The Old Bear
- Sir Mike Tomlinson CBE, Chief Inspector of Schools from 2000-2
- Matt Tong, musician
- John Wetton, musician
- Raymond Williams CBE, Director of the Metropolitan Police Laboratory from 1968–87, President of the Forensic Science Society from 1983-5, and Joint Editor of Forensic Science International from 1978–97
- Tom Wise, former UKIP MEP for the East of England from 2004-9
- Mike Wooldridge, BBC world affairs correspondent
[edit] References
- ^ Guardian
- ^ Walter Smedley
- ^ School overview
- ^ Bournemouth Website main page
- ^ "100 today, Bournemouth School looks to the future". Dorset Echo. Newsquest. 2001-01-22. http://archive.dorsetecho.co.uk/2001/1/22/105723.html. Retrieved 2007-07-30. "In 1966 the biggest transformation took place with the building of the sixth form block -known colloquially as "The John Gibbons Politics Block" by past alumni - including a lecture theatre and a rather limited library"
- ^ Geology
- ^ Geological Society
- ^ Majestic Wine
