Bury Grammar School

Bury Grammar School
File:Bgsswancrest.png
Address
Boys' School Tenterden Street Girls' School Bridge Road Bury , Greater Manchester England
Information
Type	Independent grammar school
Motto	Sanctas Clavis Fores Aperit (Latin: the key that opens the sacred doors)
Established	c.1570
Headmistress	Roberta (Bobby) Georghiou
Headmaster	The Very Reverend Steven Harvey MA
Gender	Boys and Girls
Age	3 to 18
Enrollment	1600 (approx.)
Houses	Derby, Hulme, Howlett, Kay
Publication	The Clavian
Boys' school website	www.bgsboys.co.uk
Girls' school website	www.bgsg.bury.sch.uk
Development Assn.	www.bgsdev.co.uk

Bury Grammar School is an independent grammar school in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, that has existed since c.1570. The current boys' head master is the Very Reverend Steven Harvey MA. The previous headmaster, former rock star, Keith Richards MA, retired after sixteen years of headmastership on 7 April 2006. The girls' head mistress is Roberta "Bobby" Georghiou.

Bury Grammar School celebrates its Founders' Day on the first Friday after 6 May. On the Friday after this date, a procession leads through the streets of Bury to the Parish Church, led by the CCF. After a service, the students are then given a half-day holiday. It is often said that the purpose of Founders' Day is to cause the most disruption to the people of Bury but in reality the day is very important to staff and students and crowds of workers and shoppers line the route of the procession, cheering.

Although originally just a boys' school, a new building for the boys was built opposite the old building and, once complete, the old building was re-opened as a girls' school. The schools recently announced their intention to build a joint sixth form centre, and certain subjects in the sixth form are taught jointly between the two schools; there is also an active Alumni Group for Old Girls and Old Boys on LinkedIn.

The crest

The school's crest dates from c.1840, and depicts a swan holding a key in its beak, under which is the motto: [Sanctas Clavis Fores Aperit] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (Latin for "the key opens the sacred doors"). Both are largely considered to have been created by the very Rev. Henry Crewe Boutflower, a former headmaster. The swan is from the device of John, Duke of Berry, who may have been an ancestor of one of the founders, Henry Bury (but was more likely chosen due to the similar names).

Houses

The boys' school has four houses, whose colours are reflected in the colour of the badge and the stripes of the tie on the school uniforms. Three were originally created in 1905 to try and introduce some of the camaraderie of boarding school into the sports of a day school. The three houses were:

• Hulme (pronounced hyoom), named after William Hulme, architect of Manchester. Colour: sky blue.
• Kay, named after the Reverend Roger Kay, founder of Bury Grammar School, after whom the hall (now in the girls' school) is named. Colour: green.
• Derby(pronounced durr-by), named after the Earl of Derby. Colour: yellow.

The most important house was introduced in 1919:

• Howlett (pronounced ow-lett), named after an important former headmaster whose forename is now forgotten. Colour: red.

In the 1960s, there were six houses in the girls' school, named after famous women: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Frances Mary Buss, Edith Cavell, Elizabeth Fry, Octavia Hill and Florence Nightingale. The girls' uniforms resemble those of boys in Hulme in terms of colour, but different coloured badges denote house membership (Anderson: red; Buss: green; Cavell: blue; Fry: orange; Hill: purple; Nightingale: yellow).

The girls' school uses four letters for forms; L, K, P and N; which indicate the initials of the first four headmistresses. Membership of different forms does not change the blazer badge colour.

Current curriculum in the Boys' School

Currently, all boys study English Language, English Literature, Maths, and Chemistry, Biology and Physics as either Dual award or as individual subjects. In addition to this, boys must take at least one modern foreign language out of a choice of either French or German. In addition to these compulsory subjects, boys may also take a combination of several other subjects, including History, Geography, Latin, Physical Education, Business Studies, Classical Greek, Religious Studies, Electronics and Art.

All GCSE examinations are taken in the 5th Year, including French, which until recently, was taken in the 4th Year. Students do not study the British GCSE Mathematics course, but instead take the International GCSE Mathematics exam, provided by Edexcel. For this reason, local newspapers report the school as having a 0% pass rate in GCSE Maths, as IGCSEs are not counted by the Office of National Statistics or local media.

After having successfully completed their GCSEs in the 5th year, boys can opt to stay on into the 6th form for a further two years. The sixth form teaching offers continued study in all of the subjects which can be taken for GCSE, along with an A-level in Geology, an A-level in Economics, an A-level in Further Maths, an A-level in Theatre Studies (taught at the Girls' School) and an A-level in Philosophy (also taught in the Girls' School).

Notable teachers

Henry Dunster (1609-1659), first president of Harvard College, a native of Bury, was master of the school prior to his emigration to Massachusetts in 1640.

Noel ("Nobby") Wilkes (1950s-80s), noted and respected German master. Also a cricketer.

Martin ("Marters") Hately, French scholar and latterly Head of Languages. Older brother of Tony Hateley, the well known 1970s West Bromwich Albion striker.

Famous old Clavians

Former pupils of Bury Grammar School are known as "Old Clavians".

• David Green, (b.1948) Film director
• Donald Jack (1924–2003), Canadian novelist and playwright
• Henry Pendlebury (1626–1695), Presbyterian minister
• Richard Wroe (1641–1718), Warden of Manchester College, 1684–1718
• Sir Robert Peel (1788–1850), Prime Minister, 1834–1835, 1841–1846 (although he more famously attended Harrow, he is now believed to have briefly attended Bury)
• Sir John Holker (1828–1882), Conservative MP for Preston 1872–1882, Attorney-General, 1875–1880
• Cecil Cronshaw (1889–1961), industrial chemist and dye expert
• Sir Malcolm Knox (1900–1980), philosopher and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, 1953–1966
• Sir John Charnley (1911–1982), orthopaedic surgeon
• Trevor Park (1927-1995), Labour MP for South East Derbyshire 1964–1970
• Paul Rose (born 1935), Labour MP for Manchester Blackley 1964–1979, barrister and writer
• Sir David Trippier (born 1946), Conservative MP for Rossendale 1979–1983, MP for Rossendale and Darwen 1983–1992
• David Chaytor (born 1949), Labour MP for Bury North 1997—
• Victoria Wood (born 1953), comedienne
• Alistair Burt (born 1955), Conservative MP for Bury North 1983–1997, MP for North East Bedfordshire 2001—
• Simon Kelner (born 1957), editor-in-chief of The Independent 1998–2008
• Phil Kelly (born 1963), rock climber, author
• Paul Kenyon (born c.1967), broadcaster
• Victoria Derbyshire (born 1968), broadcaster
• Amy Nuttall (born 1982), actress and singer
• Rowetta Satchell (born 1966), singer
• Brigadier Alasdair Wilson, OBE, Brigadier in the British army and the BGS CCF's honorary colonel
• Pat Sanderson, Professional rugby union player who currently plays for Worcester Warriors, He has 16 caps for the English national team and is an ex-England captain
• Sir Brian Cubbon GCB (born 1928), former Permanent Secretary, Home Office
• Edward Lord, (born 1972), Liberal Democrat politician; City of London Councilman; Chairman, Public Private Partnerships Programme; Organiser, London Old Boys' Dinner, wit and bon viveur

References

• Fallows, I.B., Bury Grammar School: A History

External links

• Bury Grammar Schools' Development Office
• Bury Grammar School (Boys)
• Bury Grammar School (Girls)