The King's School, Macclesfield

The King's School in Macclesfield

Motto	nil nisi malis terrori (only the bad have something to fear)
Established	1502
Type	Independent School
Religion	Church of England
Head of Foundation	Dr Simon Hyde
Location	Cheshire SK10 1DA United Kingdom
DfE URN	111473
Students	1,397
Gender	Mixed 3–11, Separate boys and girls divisions 11–16, Mixed 16–18
Ages	3–18
Houses	4
Colours
Website	www.kingsmac.co.uk

The King's School in Macclesfield is an independent school for day pupils in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. It was founded in 1502 by Sir John Percyvale, a former Lord Mayor of London, as Macclesfield Grammar School.

History

The King's School was founded in 1502 within the Church of Saint Michael and All Angels, Macclesfield. It was re-founded by Edward VI in 1552 as "the free Grammar School of King Edward VI", moving to its current location on Cumberland Street in 1844.

The school operated as a direct-grant school and offered scholarships for boys from state elementary schools from 1926 until 1946, when its application to continue as a direct grant grammar school was refused and it became fully independent.

The boy's junior school was opened in 1961. In 1993 girls from age 11 to 16 were admitted and housed with co-educational juniors, and later infants, at the old Macclesfield High School site on Fence Avenue. The Sixth Form had been co-educational since 1986.

Academia

The school follows the National Curriculum for GCSE in Year 11 and A-Levels in the sixth form.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009 students achieved over 76% A or B grade at A level, with a 100% pass rate, and 62% As and A*s at GCSE.^{[citation needed]}

Extra-Curricular activities

Choir

In 2003 the School's Foundation Choir won BBC Songs of Praise Choir of the Year. It takes bi-annual trips to perform across Europe, having visited Barcelona, Levico Terme, Strasbourg and Lake Geneva. In 2010 it performed in Budapest. The school is equipped with a recording studio and practice rooms.^{[citation needed]}

Drama

The School performs 2 to 3 plays a year; one by the Boys' Division and Sixth form, one by the Girls' Division, and one by the Juniors. Recent plays include Cyrano de Bergerac, Under Milk Wood, Beauty and the Beast, Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland and The Ramayana.^{[citation needed]}

School trips

Trips abroad are arranged by individual departments, including those by the History and Classics departments, in addition to annual foreign language exchange visits. Pupils are involved in biennial World Challenge Expeditions and recent expeditions have been to Morocco and Ecuador.^{[citation needed]}

Sports

School sports include rugby, hockey, netball, cheerleading, and cricket for both boys and girls.^{[citation needed]}

Recently the boy's rugby team won the Rugby World "Team of the Month" competition twice.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006 the Boys' XI Hockey Team became national champions, with two of its players representing the country. The previous year the team were national runners-up.^{[citation needed]}

The school has won the County Cup at cricket a number of times across all age groups.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007 the Girls Division began cheerleading training under Rachael Burrows, a national champion and 2009 European Champion. In 2008 the Kings Cubs (Years 8 and 9) and the King's Lions (Year 11) cheerleaders became national champions in their age group with The King's Kittens (Year 7) placed 5th.^{[citation needed]}

Recreation

The School's outdoor activities club organises trips to Yorkshire or the Peak District, that include walking, climbing and caving.^{[citation needed]}

Headmasters

• 2011– : Dr Simon Hyde
• 2001–2011: Dr Stephen Coyne
• 1987–2001: Adrian Silcock
• 1966–1987: Alan Cooper
• 1933–1966: Thomas Taylor Shaw
• –1933 : Francis Duntz Evans
• 1880–: Darwin Wilmot
• 1849–1872 : Rev. Thomas Brooking Cornish
• 1837–1849: William Alexander Osborne
•  : Thomas Bourdillon
• 1828–1837: Rev. Francis Stonehewer Newbold
• 1790–1828: Dr David Davies
• 1774–1790: Henry Ingles
• 1749–1774: Rowland Atkinson
•  : Christopher Atkinson
•  : Edward Ford
•  : Rev. Joseph Allen
•  : George Hammond
•  : Edward Denham
• 1694–: Timothy Dobson
• 1689–1690: Caleb Pott
• 1689–: Timothy Dobson
• 1676–1689: Rev. John Ashworth
• 1674–1676: Thomas Brancker
• 1667–1674: Ralph Gorse
• –1667: Edward Powell
•  : Henry Crosedale
• 1631–: Thomas Bolde
• 1588–1631: William Legh
• 1560–1588: John Brownswerde
• 1554–1560: John Bolde
• 1502–1554: William Bridges (first)

Notable former pupils

See also: Category:People educated at The King's School, Macclesfield

• Peter Moores, ex-England Cricket Coach
• Rev. Thomas Taylor, priest and historian
• Alan Beith, politician
• Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent of Sky News (in the Junior School)
• Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris, of the rock band Joy Division
• Stuart Wilson, Big Brother 2004 contestant
• Peter Kenyon, Chelsea Chief Executive
• Duncan Robinson, master of Magdalene College, Cambridge
• Michael Jackson, former Channel 4 Chief Executive
• John Bradshaw, the chief prosecutor of Charles I and the first man to sign his death warrant
• Sir Eric Jones, Previous Director of GCHQ
• Christian Blackshaw, classical pianist

Publications

Published books by King's School teachers:

• Banner, Gillian (1999). Holocaust Literature: Schulz, Levi, Spiegelman and the Memory of the Offence. Vallentine Mitchell. ISBN 978-0853033714. 
• Palazzo, Lynda (2002). Christina Rossetti's Feminist Theology. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0333920336. 
• Hill, David (2003). For King's and Country. Chameleon Press.