Kingston Grammar School
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| Kingston Grammar School | |
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| Location | |
| Kingston upon Thames, Greater London |
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| Information | |
| School type | Independent |
| Founded | 1561 |
| Headteacher | Sarah Fletcher MA (Oxon) |
| Website | http://www.kgs.org.uk/ |
Kingston Grammar School is an independent co-educational school in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century.[citation needed] It is a registered charity under English law.[1]
In 2009 the GCSE results recorded 82.3% of all grades being A or A*.[citation needed] The Good Schools Guide described the school as "An academic school with a modern edge".[2]
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[edit] History
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The school's history is traceable into the Middle Ages, where there are references to schoolmasters like Gilbert de Southwell in 1272, described as "Rector of the Schools in Kingston", and to Hugh de Kyngeston in 1364 "who presides over the Public School there". Notable in the school's history are the founding and endowing of the Lovekyn Chapel by John and then Edward Lovekyn in 1309-1352 and later by William Walworth in 1371. The chapel is still used by the school.
After the dissolution of the chantries in 1547, the chapel fell to the Crown and was deconsecrated. It, and by now its substantial related endowments, fell to a court favourite, Richard Taverner. He preserved the chapel so when in 1561 the bailiffs of Kingston petitioned Queen Elizabeth I for a royal grammar school, the building was still usable. Elizabeth granted the school a Royal Charter in 1561.
The school became a direct grant grammar school in 1946[3] as a result of the Education Act 1944 and chose to become independent when direct grants were abolished by the 1974–9 Labour Government.[4] It is now a co-educational day school for students between the ages of ten and nineteen and is represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school has remained true to its Grammar School heritage by offering a high proportion of academic and sporting scholarships as well fee assisted places.
It celebrated the four hundredth anniversary of its charter in 1961 with a visit from Queen Elizabeth II. In 2005 Her Majesty opened the new Queen Elizabeth the Second building (a.k.a. the QEII Building), where she unveiled a plaque, met with students of Music and Geography and watched an excerpt of the play "Smike" after which the new Recording Studio was named.
The school has named its four houses after Queen Elizabeth (Queens house), William Walworth (Walworth house), Richard Taverner (Taverner house) and Edward Lovekyn (Lovekyn house). It also celebrates the school's founders once a year with a day of Commemoration in March. In 2011 the school celebrated its 450th anniversary with a number of high profile events, including music concerts, sports events and the hosting of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Any Questions?’.
[edit] Facilities
The school is on London Road, and there are three main buildings:
- The Chemistry, Physics, Biology, German, French, Spanish, History and Politics, Economics and Psychology departments are housed in the Fairfield Building.
- Geography, English, Religious Studies, Classics, Mathematics, Music and Drama departments are housed in the recently opened Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) Building.
- The main London Road Building, which connects to the Finlay Gallery which contains the D.T. and Art departments.
- The Christopher Charles building, a recent addition to the school, houses solely the Sixth-form common room as well as a few municipal classrooms.
The school's sports ground, with several acres of playing fields and a boathouse on the Thames, is at Thames Ditton, opposite Hampton Court Palace.
[edit] Notable former pupils
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- Paul Butler (bishop) — Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
- William Gilbert Chaloner — paleobiologist, Royal Holloway
- Richard Ian Cheetham — Bishop of Kingston-upon-Thames
- James Cracknell — Olympic rowing gold medallist, adventurer
- Richard Dodds — captain of Great Britain Olympic 1988 gold medal hockey team
- Neil Fox — Dr Fox, radio DJ
- Michael Frayn — playwright and novelist
- Edward Gibbon — author, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
- Air Marshall Sir Gerald Gibbs (RAF officer) — RAF officer
- Tanya Gold — The Guardian journalist
- Jonathan Kenworthy, sculptor
- Tyler Mason — Soldier, recipient of the QCVS
- Leif Mills — author and former trade unionist
- Neil Mullarkey — actor, writer and comedian
- Jonathon Riley — Director General and Master of the Armouries
- R. C. Sherriff — playwright, who donated five rowing "eight"s (named after his plays: "Journey's End", "White Carnation", "Home at Seven", "Long Sunset" and "Badger's Green") to the school boat club in the 1960s and 1970s
- Sir Denis Spotswood — Chief of the Air Staff, 1971-1974
- Howard Stoate — MP for Dartford
- Andy Sturgeon — garden designer
- Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth
[edit] References
- ^ Kingston Grammar School, Registered Charity no. 1078461 at the Charity Commission
- ^ Good Schools Guide
- ^ Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, 31 May 1946, columns 234W–234W.
- ^ Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, 22 March 1978, columns 545–545.
[edit] Sources
- Chantry Chapel to Royal Grammar School: the History of Kingston Grammar School 1299–1999 by The Rev David Ward and Gordon W. Evans
