Cokethorpe School
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| Motto | Inopiam Ingenio Pensant |
|---|---|
| Established | 1957 |
| Type | Independent day school |
| Religion | Church of England and Roman Catholic |
| Headmaster | Damian Ettinger |
| Chairman of Governors | Sir John Allison |
| Location | Witney Oxfordshire OX29 7PU England |
| Students | c. 660 |
| Gender | Boys until 1992 Coeducational from 1992 |
| Ages | 4–18 |
| Houses | Feilden, Gascoigne, Harcourt, Queen Anne, Swift, Vanbrugh and Lower House |
| Colours | Navy Blue and Yellow |
| Publication | The Ocellus |
| Former Pupils | The Cokethorpe Society |
| Setting | Rural (150 acres) |
| Website | www.cokethorpe.org.uk |
Cokethorpe School is an independent school near Ducklington, Witney, Oxfordshire, England, founded in 1957 by Francis Brown.[1] It is a member of HMC and SHMIS. The school has approximately 660 pupils, ranging in age from four to eighteen. It is the only coeducational day school in Oxfordshire with both Junior and Senior Schools on the same site.[citation needed]
At the heart of the school is an early 18th century Grade II* listed Queen Anne style country house. The school is set in 150 acres (0.61 km2) of parkland and there is also a chapel in the grounds. The tower of the chapel was virtually destroyed in a fire in 1994 but it has since been demolished and rebuilt.
The school operates a house system, with houses called Harcourt, Gascoigne, Swift, Queen Anne, Vanbrugh and Feilden. The houses compete in sport such as house rugby and football for boys, hockey and netball for girls, and in field and track events at the annual school sports day. There are also competitions in the arts, such as house music, drama, photography and art.
The school celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary in 2007.
The year groups are split up into sets such as third form. Top set 3A, 2nd set 3B, 3rd set 3C middle set 3D and bottom set 3E. Students are put in these sets by a series of exams.
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[edit] History
The country house was used by Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt.[2] When Major Percy Henry Guy Feilden and his wife, Dorothy Louisa Brand, moved there in 1908, they undertook extensive renovations.[3] He died on 25 March 1944, and was buried there.[4] His son, Major-General Randle Guy Feilden, who was later knighted, was his successor. In 1957, it was let with part of the grounds to Francis Brown, who opened the school as a secondary boys' boarding school with 14 pupils. In about 1960, Yarnton Manor was used as a dormitory of the school.[5] In 1963, a charitable trust was formed, and in 1966, the school buildings and grounds were sold to the school trustees.[1][2] In 1985, the roof of the north west wing was studied while the building was being repaired.[6] In 1986, work was started on the construction of further buildings.[7] In 1992, the school was ranked by the Financial Times as having poor A-level results.[8] The school started admitting girls in 1992, and opened a junior school in 1994. The boarding facility was closed in 2003.
[edit] Notable former pupils
- Former Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards.
- Tony Martin English farmer who was imprisoned for fatally shooting a burglar in the back.
- Lucy Boggis - international schools javelin thrower, now international heptathlete. Also took on role of Tempest in Sky1 Gladiators TV series
- Richard and Michael Hills - Twins and both successful flat racing jockeys in UK.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b Baggs, A P; Eleanor Chance, Christina Colvin, C J Day, Nesta Selwyn, S C Townley (1996). "Ducklington Manors". A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 13: Bampton Hundred (Part One). British History Online. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15962. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Cokethorpe School, Oxfordshire". Venues. Remotegoat. http://www.remotegoat.co.uk/venue_view.php?uid=27312. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Jenkins, Stephanie (3 January 2012). "People of Headington: Katharine Feilden". Headington, Oxford. Stephanie Jenkins. http://www.headington.org.uk/history/famous_people/feilden.htm. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Jeffery, Zoe. "Percy Henry Guy Feilden (b. - 1944)". Records. Geni. http://www.geni.com/people/Percy-Feilden/6000000002898169120. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Baggs, A P; W J Blair, Eleanor Chance, Christina Colvin, Janet Cooper, C J Day, Nesta Selwyn, S C Townley (1990). "Yarnton: Manor and other estates". A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 12: Wootton Hundred (South) including Woodstock. British History Online. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=1261. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Steane, John (1986). "Cokethorpe Park (PRN 11202 SP 37100620)" (pdf). The Newsletter of the Council for British Archaeology Regional Group 9 (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire) Number 16. The Council for British Archaeology. http://www.cba-southmidlands.org.uk/CBA%20SMA/SMA%201986.PDF. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Chipperfield, John (29 November 2010). "The Changing Face of Witney". Oxford Mail. Newsquest Media. http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/community/memorylane/8705782.The_changing_face_of_Witney/. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Crequer, Ngaio; Nelson, Dean (30 August 1992). "The public schools that come bottom". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/the-public-schools-that-come-bottom-1543448.html. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
