Liverpool Blue Coat School

Liverpool Blue Coat School

Motto	Non Sibi Sed Omnibus (Not for Oneself but for All)
Established	1708
Type	foundation, grammar
Religion	None
Headteacher	Mrs Debbie Silcock
Founders	Bryan Blundell and Rev. Robert Styth
Specialism	Science and Mathematics
Location	Church Road Wavertree Liverpool L15 9EE England
Local authority	Liverpool
DfE URN	104704
Ofsted	Reports
Students	915
Gender	Mixed (since 2002)
Ages	11–18
Website	Liverpool Blue Coat School

The Liverpool Blue Coat School is a voluntary aided secondary school located in Wavertree, Liverpool and is Liverpool's only Grammar School. The school was for many years a boys' school but as of September 2002 it has reverted to its original coeducational remit.

The Blue Coat School holds a long-standing academic tradition; examination results consistently place the school top of the local, and near the head of national GCSE and A-level league tables.

In 2004 the school received a government grant of almost £8 million, together with more than £1 million from the school's foundation governors, facilitating a major expansion and redevelopment of the school site.

History

The school was founded in 1708 by Mr Bryan Blundell and Rev Robert Styth as "a school for teaching poor children to read, write and cast accounts". The original Blue Coat School expanded rapidly and a new building, the present Bluecoat Arts Centre, opened in 1718. At the start of the 20th century it was decided that the School needed to move from the polluted town centre to somewhere quieter, and the village of Wavertree was the site chosen. The architects chosen for the design of the new building were Briggs, Wolstenholme & Thornely, most notable for the design of the Port of Liverpool Building. In 1906 the school took possession of the building and was later designated a Grade II* listed building. Later additions include a clock tower and the Fenwick Memorial Chapel: used for assemblies by the school.

At 7pm on 25 August 1958 a fire broke out at the school, on the roof of the North Front. Although 170 boarding pupils were in the building at the time, nobody was hurt during the fire, though the building sustained some water and smoke damage.

Twenty-first century redevelopment

In 2004, work commenced on a substantial redevelopment of the Wavertree site. The original buildings remained intact, but the southern wing of the school was converted into private accommodation and sold to part-fund the development. The school chapel, clock tower, board room, and former music room, together with administrative rooms and the formal entrance to the original building, were transferred to a new school foundation and made available to hire for weddings and other private functions.

A number of buildings that had been added to the northern side of the site during the second half of the twentieth century - including the swimming pool, sixth form centre, sports hall and squash courts - were demolished to make way for new facilities. The North Wing of the original school was renovated, and a new building extended the wing into the area previously known as the North Yard. New facilities within this redevlopment included modern laboratories, a new school entrance and administration block, music rooms, a recording studio, and dance studio, plus dining and sports halls.

The remainder of the former North Yard was upgraded to provide improved outdoor sports facilities.

The old dining hall, beneath the Shirley Hall in the centre of the original building, was converted into a new library, with a mezzanine ICT suite. The previous library space, itself a former dormitory, was refurbished as a sixth form facility.

Church of England status

The Department for Education and Skills is currently considering the school's legal status receiving notification from the Diocese of Liverpool that the Liverpool Blue Coat School is a Church of England school. The Diocese took action when it discovered that a 2000 agreement between the school and the Charity Commission had committed the school to teaching the doctrines of the Church of England, in line with its founders' intentions.

Church of England status would give the Diocese the right to conduct inspections. If these identified a problem, the school would be required to find a solution, although not necessarily the solution proposed by the Diocese. It is likely that the Church of England would find the appointment of a non-Christian headteacher to be such a problem.

The school authorities and the parent-teacher association have stated that they are opposed to Church of England status, arguing that the school has both a Christian and multicultural ethos, and that designated Church of England status would inevitably change its character. They point out that one recent headmaster was a notable Welsh Presbyterian.

The Diocese has stated that under the Education Act 1998, any school that teaches Anglican doctrines automatically receives Church of England status, so neither the Diocese nor the school has any choice in the matter. They claim that the Diocese's policies on selection and multiculturalism are essentially identical with the school's. They also point out that the Bishop of Liverpool and the Dean of Liverpool have ceremonial roles in the school's governing body, that the school has had an Anglican chaplain for at least 40 years, and that the school's Founders' Day service has long been held in the Church of England's Liverpool Cathedral.

Tricentenary appeal

The school celebrated its 300th birthday in 2008, making it the longest educating school in Liverpool. A number of celebrations took place, and to mark the occasion the school undertook to raise £1,000,000 to fund two new developments: to provide an all-weather playing surface on the present playing fields; and to convert part of the East Wing of the original building into a Year 13 study area.

The foundation trustees donated £100,000 the tricentenary appeal fund, and the school has organised a range of fund-raising activities, including annual summer fairs. As of September 2007 the total raised stood at £416,886.

Clubs & societies

The school offers many extracurricular activities, including:

• Art Club
• Badminton Club
• Bridge Club
• Chess Club
• Christian Union
• Community Service
• Computer Club
• Craft Club
• Creative Writing Club
• Dance Club
• Debate Club
• Dramatics Society
• Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme
• Dungeons and Dragons Group
• Football Team
• Gym Club
• Hockey Club
• Law Society
• Maths Games Club
• Medical Ethics
• Midbank
• Muscle Club
• Music Society: Orchestra, Jazz Band, Concert Band, Choir
• Social Services Committee
• School Library

The school is also known for organising trips to Kenya every two years, where charitable sixth form students fundraise to help some of the poorest Kenyans in a month long scheme during the summer holidays.

The East Wing

East wing clock tower

The East Wing of the school comprises the clock tower, chapel, the former administration block and the former music rooms, plus a residential apartment. Thanks to a large investment by the school's charitable foundation the whole of the East Wing was fully refurbished as part of the school redevelopment. Notable improvements include:

• All four clock faces on the clock tower being replaced, and the clock mechanism repaired
• Extensive repairs to the roof and masonry work
• Redecoration and restoration of the chapel and its organ
• Restoration of the historic board room
• Installation of catering facilities for private functions
• The mothballing of the former headmaster's study and office areas for use as a future Year 13 study centre.

The facilities of the Foundation, including chapel, board room, reception areas and the Shirley Hall are all available for hire, including for weddings and religious services, as of July 2006.

Prefect system

There are usually between 40-55 prefects appointed from the sixth form, representing about one sixth of the sixth form as a whole. Students in Years 12 and 13 are eligible to become prefects.

Prefects are charged with maintaining order in the corridors during break and lunchtimes, alongside members of the teaching staff. The prefects also play a significant role in other events, including the school entrance examination, prize giving ceremony, and Founders' Day service, and also assist with after-school Parents Association events, such as discos, fairs and quizzes.

There are four ranks of prefect, appointed by staff nomination and interview:

• Prefect
• Senior Prefect
• Deputy Head of School
• Head of School

There are also prefects with responsibility for specific facilities, such as Library and IT provision, nominated by senior teaching staff from each specialism.

Since the readmittance of girls to the school in September 2002, a Head Boy and Head Girl have been appointed, sharing the title of Head of School. The Heads of School are supported two Deputy Head Boys and two Deputy Head Girls, and a team of Senior Prefects, and are members ex officio of both the Sixth Form Council and the School Council. The Heads of School also attend school Leadership Group meetings and Parents Association meetings. They have their own office facilities, and play an active role in all parts of school organisation, including parents evenings and other after-school events.

The Heads of School and their deputies also play a part in deciding school policy, especially with regard to the sixth form. Providing a formal communications channel between the teaching staff and the sixth form, they meet regularly with the headteacher and the head of sixth form to discuss issues important to their peers.

Music Society

The school has an active Music Society, including an orchestra, concert band, choir and jazz band, participating in concerts held throughout the school year. The orchestra takes part in the annual Liverpool Music Festival, and occasions such as prize giving and Founders' Day. The school choir and concert band, which incorporates players of all musical abilities, plays in all school concerts. The choir has toured internationally, including to Venice in 2003, Prague and Vienna in 2005, and northern Spain in 2007. As part of the school's 300th birthday celebrations, the music department organised two major concerts, one in St George's Hall and the other at the Philharmonic Hall.

Headmasters and headteachers

Headteacher	Start year	End year
Rev Robert Stythe, MA	1708	1713
Mr William Trenton	1717	1723
Mr Theophilus Price	1723	1725
Mr Horton	1725	1775
Rev John Shakleton	1776	1779
Mr John Smith	1779	1799
Mr Robert Parkes	1800
Mr George Chambers	1801	1811
Mr John Fallows	1812	1816
Mr R W Bamford	1817	1819
Mr William Forster	1820	1848
Mr Thomas Wood, BA	1849	1862
Mr Thomas Haughton	1863	1867
Mr George Tinker	1868	1869
Mr Thomas Haughton	1870	1888
Mr Arthur Mercer	1889	1920
Mr Harry C Hughes	1920	1926
Rev R Bruce Wilson, BA	1927	1944
Rev T C Heritage, MA	1944	1945
Mr G G Watcyn, BA	1945	1968
Mr H Peter Arnold-Craft JP, MA(Oxon)	1968	1989
Mr John C Speller BA, MA(Ed), FRSA	1989	1997
Mr Michael R Bell BA(Hons) FIMgt	1997	2001
Mr Michael George 'Sandy' Tittershill CertEd. NPQH	2001	2008
Mrs Debbie Silcock BSc PGCE NPQH	2008

Heads of Subjects and Senior Management

Heads of Subjects

• Art - Mrs Watson
• Biology - Mr Kenny
• Business Studies and Economics - Mr Jamieson
• Chemistry - Mrs J Beggs
• Citizenship - Mrs M Roberts
• Design Technology - Mr L Ainsworth
• English - Mr T Kershaw
• French - Mrs Jackson
• Geography - Mr J Lamb
• History - Mr M Pearson
• Information Technology - Mr P Keating
• Latin - Mr P Watson
• Maths - Miss K Wilson
• Music - Mr S Emery
• Philosophy - Miss Moss
• Physical Education - Mr John Rees
• Physics - Dr P Wilde
• Politics - Mr Cox
• Psychology - Miss A Murphy
• Religious Studies - Mrs H McDonnell
• Spanish - Mrs G Irvine

Senior Management

• Mr S Shipgood - Head of Key Stage 3
• Mr N Barends - Head of Key Stage 4
• Ms L A Holland - Deputy Head of Sixth Form
• Mrs C MacKenzie - Head of Sixth Form
• Mr Cox - Deputy Head and Head of Pastoral Care
• Mr Pennington - Deputy Head
• Mrs Silcock - Head Teacher
• Mr C Flynn - Bursar

Notable former pupils

See also: Category:People educated at Liverpool Blue Coat School

• Richard Ansdell, R.A., noted 19th century artist
• Mitch Benn, musician and comedian
• Daniel Cavanagh, musician
• Craig Curran, footballer
• Bill Foulk, promoter, Isle of Wight Festival, 1968-70^{[citation needed]}
• Ray Foulk, promoter, Isle of Wight Festival, 1968-70^{[citation needed]}
• Ronnie Foulk, promoter, Isle of Wight Festival, 1968-70^{[citation needed]}
• Dan Haggis, Musician and Drummer of The Wombats
• Evan Harris, former Member of Parliament
• Jonathan Harvey, writer
• Lizzie Magee, Young Apprentice 2011 contestant.
• Kevin Nolan, professional footballer
• Andrew Norton, American politician^{[citation needed]}
• Stephen Parry, Olympic swimmer
• Lord Rennard, former Liberal Democrat chief executive
• Paul Roderick, head coach of the Long Island Rough Riders professional soccer team.
• Mathew Sloane, writer^{[citation needed]}
• 'Mr Bang On!', Underground Liverpool Hip-Hop sensation.

External links

• Official School website
• BBC Education League Tables listing
• Ofsted inspection report (June 2004)
• Extract from Discovering Historic Wavertree
• Blue Coat Arts Centre
• South Wing Apartments Development
• Leavers Ball 2006 Pictures
• Details from listed building database (213906) - school. Images of England. English Heritage.
• Details from listed building database (213907) - chapel. Images of England. English Heritage.