The Harvey Grammar School
| Motto | Temeraire redoutable et fougueux |
|---|---|
| Established | 1674 |
| Type | Community grammar school |
| Religion | N/A |
| President | Bill Wright (Cantab) |
| Founder | Sir Eliab Harvey |
| Specialism | Sports |
| Location | Cheriton Road Folkestone Kent CT19 5JY England |
| Local authority | Kent |
| DfE number | ???/4101 |
| DfE URN | 118805 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 992 |
| Gender | male |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Resolution, Discovery, Endeavour & Victory |
| Website | The Harvey Grammar School Homepage |
Coordinates: 51°05′11″N 1°09′26″E / 51.08627°N 1.1573°E
The Harvey Grammar School is located in Folkestone, Kent, England. It is a Community Grammar School and was founded by Sir Eliab Harvey in 1674.
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[edit] Admissions
It is a selective school for boys and had around 940 pupils on its roll in 2007-8. Although the School is officially known as The Harvey Grammar School, it is called The Harvey by many locals or abbreviated to HGS, as its partner school the Folkestone School for Girls is known as 'The Girls School' or FSG. The school has specialist Sports College status.
It is situated on the A2034 (former A20) at the junction of the B2064 and near the Folkestone West railway station, Folkestone Cricket Club and Folkestone Invicta. It is easily accessed from the last junction of the M20.
[edit] History
It was established in 1674, following the death of William Harvey, the eminent physician and discoverer of the major details of blood circulation. A small class with one teacher was first created, until Sir Eliab Harvey, William's nephew, acting as executor of his uncle's will, founded a larger school of the same name.
In July 1921, the body of the headmaster, 43 year old Major Denham, was found in undergrowth in Hawkinge with self-inflicted bullet wounds.
[edit] Leadership and structure
The current Principal of the Harvey is Mr Bill Wright. Mr Wright is well known to many Old Harveians having previously served as Deputy Headteacher for 22 years. The current Chair of Governors is Mr Dennis who replaced the long serving Mr Trevor Greening in 2006.
The Principal is supported by his Senior Leadership Team who help run the school on a daily basis. This includes Senior Vice Principal, Mr Norman, Vice Principal Mr Goodfellow and four Heads of House. Two of the longest serving members of staff, Martin Hydes and Phil Harding, left their duties at the end of the 2010/11 academic year.
The school has re-formed its house system, with four houses; Discovery, Endeavour, Resolution and Victory, who use the colours Green, Blue, Red and Yellow respectively. The Heads of House are as follows: Discovery - Miss Thompson, Endeavour - Mrs Turnbull, Resolution - Mr Bristow, Victory - Mr Allon
The school also takes pupil care very seriously and every house has one Learning Support Manager (or LSM)
LSMs are as follows: Discovery: Mrs Middleton, Endeavour: Miss Gooding, Resolution: Mrs Abu Saada, Victory: Mr Hancox
Each academic department has a Head of Subject and staff below who report directly to this manager and ultimately the Principal.
Sixth Formers are given responsibility as prefects, coordinated by the most Senior Prefects and an elected Head Boy.
[edit] The school
The main school site is situated in the Folkestone suburb of Cheriton. It has been there since 1912-3 when the main building was constructed. In 1989, school buildings in the town centre next to the Folkestone Library were closed on completion of a new Science & Technology Block on the main site. A Sports Hall was added in 1997 and in 2001 a further building was added with facilities for ICT, Art, Business Studies and Biology; this was named the John Edwards Centre in 2002 in honour of the school's headmaster from 1986 to 2002. The school also boasts an adjacent sports field with a cricket pavilion named after former pupil Les Ames (Kent and England wicketkeeper-batsman); money for this was raised by the Old Harveians Association under the leadership of its President, John Smith. The pavilion was opened in 1997 by Colin Cowdrey in a ceremony also attended by Godfrey Evans, another famous former Kent and England wicketkeeper. In a special match to mark the pavilion opening, the school's 1st XI cricket team played a celebrity team that included ex Kent and England opening batsmen Brian Luckhurst and Mike Denness. The school also benefits from the close proximity of council-owned sports facilities, including a floodlit astroturf pitch.
The Harvey's badge is worn by all boys ages 11–16 on their school uniform. The uniform consists of a black blazer with badge, black trousers and black shoes, a white shirt and a tie. The tie of which uses the colour corresponding to the pupil's house, in a diagonal-stripe fashion. The Sixth Form wear a different, less strict but still formal suit of their choice, with a different tie which is plain black with the school badge insignia emblem. Once they have reached the Sixth Form this can rise to have a single house-coloured stripe diagonally across, to denote prefect status.
In 2005, the Harvey was awarded specialist status in Sport with Mathematics. Even before the Sports College status, the Harvey had an excellent record in sport across the county of Kent and wider. It has reached more county football and cricket finals than any other school in Kent, a proud tradition largely established by long-standing Head of PE Alan Philpott (1957–92) (alumnus). The school itself has a structure which encourages competition at all levels (not only sport). A House Music and Technology competition are examples of two of the non-sport inter-house activities which the Harvey have introduced in recent years to benefit boys who are not wholly interested in sport.
| House Name | Form Initial (Eg) |
|---|---|
| Discovery | D (DJ (junior) or DS (senior) |
| Endeavour | E (EJ (junior) or ES (senior) |
| Resolution | R (RJ (junior) or RS (senior) |
| Victory | V (VJ (junior) or VS (senior) |
Now these have been changed in September 2009 to four houses, the pupils decided what to call them on a survey, and they decided on four famous ships. These are now the names of the houses: Discovery, Endeavour, Resolution and Victory. The form groups have also been put into vertical tutor groups. This means year 7, 8 and 9s will be in a form so the school gets a mix and also Yr 10 and up together. This is one of the last schools to go into vertical tutoring in the Area.
[edit] Academic record
It educates boys from the age of 11-19. Academic standards are high, and many of the boys achieve good GCSE grades. The majority go onto the Sixth Form which was praised by OFSTED in an inspection in 2006. OFSTED also praised the school for the pastoral care of its students which includes continual revision of targets and parent information evenings for GCSE options, Sixth Form study and parent evenings. The flexibility offered by the school, especially at A Level where it works very closely with the Folkestone School for Girls to provide an extensive range of subjects, makes it a popular choice in the area. The Harvey achieved record A Level results in 2006, with a 100% pass rate. In 2007, A Level results were also very impressive, placing the Harvey above other local boys' grammar schools in the unofficial league table published by the Daily Mail. The school achieved record GCSE results in 2009.
Michael Howard, former local MP and former Leader of the Conservative Party, described the Harvey as "a jewel in Folkestone's crown" at a school prize-giving, whilst the Good State Schools Guide refers to the Harvey as "a potent mix of friendliness and formality, of tradition and innovation".[citation needed]
In the 2006 Ofsted inspection the school received an overall 3,or 'satisfactory' grade, on a scale of 1-4 where 1 is the best and 4 is the worst. The written report was generally favourable and indicated that the sixth form in particular has "many outstanding features". However early in the 2011/12 academic year Ofsted returned, giving the school a much improved "good with outstanding features" rating.
Many school leavers choose go on to study a wide range of degree subjects at university. A handful of students apply to Oxford or Cambridge each year, with successful applications in the last few years in subjects including Natural Sciences, Mathematics with Physics, English Language and Literature, Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic and Philosophy, Politics & Economics.
[edit] Specialist status
"Work hard and play hard" and mens sana in corpore sano have always been an important part of the Harvey's ethos and it was announced in July 2005 that the school had achieved the status of a Specialist Sports College with Mathematics. In September 2005 it officially became a Sports College and within the next few years in connection with the Specialist school new status this will result in significant additional funding, together with some capital investment. A phased programme of installing interactive whiteboards in every classroom is well advanced and other opportunities resulting from specialist status have greatly enhanced the education available to students. The Harvey was also the "hub" school for the Shepway Sports Partnership, building upon its excellent reputation in sport, which has provided high-quality sporting programmes and events for hundreds of young people at other schools throughout the district. The funding for this project was cut in 2011.
An artificial cricket wicket was laid in the summer of 2007, following receipt of a grant from the Lord's Taverners and further funding from the Old Harveians Association.
At the end of the Harvey's first full year as a Specialist Sports College the school achieved its best-ever A Level results with a 100% pass rate, followed by praise for the Sixth Form in the government inspection carried out by OFSTED. This was soon followed by excellent Key Stage 3 SAT results. A Level results in 2007 were as impressive as the previous year, placing the Harvey above local rivals Dover Grammar School for Boys and the Norton Knatchbull School in the unofficial league tables published by the Daily Mail. The Harvey was also placed ahead of several other prominent Kent boys' grammar schools, including Maidstone Grammar School, Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, Borden Grammar School, Dartford Grammar School and Chatham House Grammar School.
[edit] Community involvement
The Harvey promotes charities very strongly and has to date (2006) raised around £110,000 for charity through an Annual Sponsored Walk around the surrounding coastline and/or countryside. Each year around 900 people set out along a marshalled route with sponsored cards to help raise money for charity. In 2006 the Harvey raised over £10,000 for the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent. The money raised varies from year to year but the highest to date was £15,000 with one pupil James Webb (year 10) raising over £300. After a three year period, Mr Bill Wright has reinstated tag days, which generally occur on Red Nose Day. An annual Prize Day is held at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone to recognise those boys who have achieved a high standard in academic and/or sporting activities. The Headmaster, Chair of Governors, Head Boy and Guest Speaker are invited onto the stage to make speeches and then prizes are presented to the recipients.
[edit] Extra-curricular activities
There is an extensive range of trips: to the United States for football, to Barbados for cricket, and Barcelona and Holland for hockey and basketball. The football trips to the USA have taken place every other year since 1989. The 2009 trip saw the Harvey return home undefeated, having comprehensively beaten Susqehanna Valley High School, Conklin, Owego Free Academy, and Seton Catholic School, Binghamton. Cricket tours to Barbados have taken place in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011 and another will take place in 2014; together with the USA football tours, have all been organised by Senior Vice-Principal Phil Harding. The Barbados tours replaced the highly-popular annual cricket tours to the West Country. In the past twenty years, over 1200 students have taken part in the school's annual ski trip. Curriculum-related trips to France, Germany and Italy form an integral part of the school's Languages programme, whilst History trips to the Somme and Politics visits to Parliament and 10 Downing Street are annual events. There is also a highly-popular Activities Week and opportunities for Work Experience. The school has a Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme, highly-successful[citation needed] Young Enterprise groups in the sixth form, and an award-winning Debating Group. Music is achieving a much higher profile under the guidance of a new and dynamic Curriculum Leader, Steve Barker, and a jazz band, The Red Herrings, the brainchild of four Harvey students (Chris Pilgrim, Danny Brookwell, Ed Watkinson and Fred Smith) as well as a member of the Folkestone School for Girls (Primrose Briggs) recently staged a charity evening in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care Organisation in the school hall, raising £1800 for the charity. They are in popular demand for concerts locally.[citation needed] A Drama Club is also ran every Tuesday evening after school.
An annual "Leavers' Ball" is traditionally held in conjunction with the Folkestone School for Girls each year at a large venue within the Folkestone area. This provides the opportunity for the school leavers' to come together, to celebrate their passing from school to further education or employment.
The government's programme Building Schools for the Future (BSF) would have allowed the Harvey to further improve its facilities. However the Harvey was one of many schools for which the project was scrapped. the new Harvey's Diner (opened in 2005) is a great improvement on the old facility, and offers a wide range of healthy-food options under the leadership of a new Catering Manager.
[edit] The school's secret war contribution at Station X
Three former staff and a pupil at the Harvey worked at the once secret code breaking centre at Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes, which was recently made public and has become a tourist attraction. Their unique roles are honoured on a plaque in the school hall. The school's Headmaster Oliver Berthoud (1946–1952) was there, as was the school's long-serving secretary Miss Audrey Wind. Although they worked closely in the school it was not until a discussion one day in Mr Berthoud's office that he managed to get Miss Wind to admit to her involvement and they spoke at length about their time there.
On a visit to the school in late 2006 Miss Wind commented that no one was allowed to talk about their involvement. They were sworn to secrecy and it was amazing that four Harveians had worked for Ultra during the war. She is the sole survivor of the four but now in her eighties still gives talks on the topic at functions and at the school to boys studying the period. Following her half-century of service to the school, Miss Wind became the first and only female member of the school's old boys' association.
[edit] Buildings
Main building, John Edwards Centre, Maths Block, Music Room, Drama Room, Science and DT Block, P.E Block, Gym, Sports Hall and the Gallery (Originally the Sixth Form Common Room).
[edit] Notable former pupils
- Les Ames, Kent and England wicket-keeper-batsman
- Ronnie Aldrich - leader of the Squadronaires band
- Prof Michael Baker, Professor of Marketing from 1971-99 at the University of Strathclyde, and President from 1986-2005 of the Academy of Marketing
- Toby Booth, head coach of London Irish rugby union club
- Air Marshal Sir Leslie Bower CB DFC DSO
- Andrew Brownsword, former greeting card magnate and currently owner of Bath Rugby Club, worth £195m (163 Times Rich List 2003). Owns the aBode chain of hotels.
- Alex Cornish, singer-songwriter
- Richard Morrell, Red Hat VP and inventor of SmoothWall and SchoolGuardian, and long time stalwart of the Linux operating system attended 1984-1991
- Maj-Gen Alfred Gadd CBE, Director of Army Education from 1962-5
- Sir George Gardiner, Conservative MP for Reigate from 1974–97, former Chairman of the 92 Group.
- Ross Godfrey of the band Morcheeba attended the school from 1987-1994.
- Prof Lewis Harmer, Drapers Professor of French from 1951-67 at the University of Cambridge
- Steven Heard, British Olympic 800m runner, attended the school from 1973-1980.[1]
- Scott Huggins, TV presenter, BBC2's relocation series Get a New Life
- Lord Imbert of New Romney, formerly Peter Imbert, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who played a role in bringing the Balcombe Street siege to a conclusion.
- David Johnson CMG CVO, High Commissioner to Guyana and Ambassador to Suriname from 1993-8
- Peter Kircher, former drummer with rock group Status Quo, was a pupil at the school in the 1950s and early 1960s.
- Howard Losty, Director from 1971-77 of the (GEC) Hirst Research Centre
- Prof Michael Mingos, Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford and Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in the University of Oxford.
- Stephen Neal, Director of The One Show
- Prof Ken Packer, Professor in Chemistry, University of Nottingham from 1993–2001, and Editor from 1982-8 of Molecular Physics
- Noel Redding, who played bass guitar in the Jimi Hendrix Experience (there is a mural painting celebrating him near the school office, painted on site in sections by the pupils).
- Prof Athol Riddell MBE, Professor of Surgery from 1964-74 at the University of Bristol, and based at Southmead Hospital
- Gerald Sinstadt, television sports commentator.
- Prof Robert Tavernor, Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the London School of Economics (LSE).
- Timothy (Tim) Wren, English first-class cricket player, attended the school from 1981-1988.[2]
- Jordan Pledge, After studying art and graphics has since gone on to work in San Francisco designing ad campaigns for SF airlines.
