Ranelagh School

Ranelagh School

Motto	coelitus Mihi Vires
Established	1908
Type	Secondary voluntary aided school Academy
Religion	C of E
Headteacher	Mrs Kathy Winrow
Founder	Earl of Ranelagh, Richard Jones
Specialism	Maths & Computing Arts Business & Enterprise
Location	Ranelagh Drive Bracknell Berkshire RG12 9DA England
Local authority	Bracknell Forest
DfE number	???/4603
DfE URN	110082
Ofsted	Reports
Students	920
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	11–18
Website	ranelagh.bracknell-forest.sch.uk

Ranelagh School is a Church of England school close to the centre of Bracknell. It is one of the six secondary schools in Bracknell Forest.

Admissions

Ranelagh is a publicly and voluntary funded school. Attendance is limited to Church of England children whose parents attend church at least 12 months prior to admission. It is one of many schools criticised in the UK and was subject to former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls' investigation into UK schools that operated with public funding on this basis. It is in the Diocese of Oxford and next to the Waterloo to Reading Line.

History

Cranbourne Hall was a Queen Anne style mansion built in 1709 just off Drift Road, Winkfield, and which was demolished in 2008. The Earl's residence was Cranbourne Lodge of which only Cranbourne Tower is remaining. Cranbourne (sometimes Cranborne), which was a part of Winkfield parish, is about two miles from Winkfield itself, and lies mainly on Drift Road and North Road.

Earl of Ranelagh

1st Earl of Ranelagh

It was home to one of the oldest schools in Berkshire, established by the 1st Earl of Ranelagh, Richard Jones, for 20 boys and 20 girls. The first master was William Waterson who ran the school for 50 years, he was also the vicar of Winkfield. Earl Ranelagh was a devout Christian, he required that the master was in holy orders, and insisted the Catechism was taught every Wednesday and Friday. The boys were to learn reading writing and arithmetick (sic), and the girls reading, writing, spinning, knitting and sewing. A set of clothes rather like the more well-known Blue Coat School was provided for the children and so it became sometimes known as the Green School. Every Whit Monday the children paraded outside the lychgate of Winkfield Church to be given new uniforms. The school was then run by John Boyce from 1759-72 and later his son George from 1772-1824.

In 1709 the hours of the school were in summer 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., and winter 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Attendance was often poor, and many pupils were expelled for non attendance, in 1769 15% were expelled for this reason. Earlier there were no school holidays, in 1820 there were four weeks in August, one week at Christmas and Easter, and a week at Whitsun was added in 1824.

The front door opens into a full-height hall, originally a chapel, which has stained glass windows at the far end. The master’s rooms were at the back with rooms in each wing to house the children. In the 1830s the single storey wings were made double storey. By 1880 the school had reached a capacity of 100 and Cranbourne Hall was sold. The school expanded to a site in Lovel Road and became known as Cranbourne Ranelagh School.

Foundation

In 1908 some of the proceeds from the sale of the Hall were used to establish a grammar school in Bracknell. This became the highly regarded Ranelagh Church of England Comprehensive School. Cranbourne Hall was demolished in 2008.

Ranelagh opened as a secondary school and pupil-teacher centre on its present site in Bracknell in 1908. The school was partly funded by the Ranelagh Foundation, a charitable trust, which had been involved in education in the ancient parish of Winkfield since the founding of the original school in 1709. When the school opened in Bracknell, there were four full time teachers including the first headmaster, Ernest Cleave.

By the outbreak of World War II the number on roll had risen to one hundred and there were then eight full time teachers including the second headmaster, James Bury. An additional playing field had been purchased in Larges Lane. During the war there were, at one time, two schools sharing the use of the buildings.

The coming of the New Town and changes in national educational policy led to a major expansion of the school between 1953 and 1981 under the headships of Donovan Martin and Nick Dolby (Dolbs).

Grammar school

The school became a Church of England voluntary aided grammar school following the Education Act 1944.

Extensions were made to the buildings between 1955-64, and between 1979-81.

Comprehensive school

In 1981, it began to develop as a comprehensive school.

Since 1993, under the headship of Kathryn Winrow, the school has expanded in numbers. Additional accommodation has upgraded the site with additional classrooms, a sixth form centre, a business centre, music block, a sports hall and currently an arts-design centre.

Today

The school has been awarded "Academey Status" in August 2011 and was awarded Beacon School Status and is a Specialist College in Maths, Visual Arts and Business & Enterprise. In February 2006, the school received an outstanding OFSTED report and has been included in HMCI Annual Report (for the second time) as one of the most successful schools in the country.

Throughout the 20th century Ranelagh School has developed a wide reputation for high academic standards, excellence in music and drama and for providing a community in which pupils can develop their interests and talents.

Today Ranelagh has had many of talented students to go through the schools system, ranging from Nicholas Hoult (Skins & About a boy) too Lee Simmonds (West end & Nickelodeon star)

Academic performance

It gets exceptionally good GCSE results, the best for state schools in Bracknell Forest. At A level, the results are less good, just above the England average, and second best in the LEA (to Edgbarrow School).

Alumni

• Nicholas Hoult, actor/model

Ranelagh Grammar School

• Michael Alder, Controller of English Regional Television at the BBC from 1970-86
• Prof William Birch, President from 1976-7 of the Institute of British Geographers, and Professor of Geography from 1990-4 at the University of Bristol
• Bob Edwards CBE, Editor in 1961 and 1963-5 of the Daily Express, from 1966-72 of the Sunday People and from 1972-84 of the Sunday Mirror
• Anne Snelgrove, Labour MP for South Swindon since 2005

References

• Memories of Bracknell Forest: Historic Houses

External links

• Official site
• Chelsea Flower Show
• Pupils' artwork at the Saatchi Gallery
• EduBase
• History of the original Cranbourne School based at Cranbourne Hall
• Pictures of Cranbourne School before its demolition in 2009
• Robin Gibb in April 2009
• Design & Technology in March 2001