Wolverhampton Grammar School
 |
|
| Established | 1512 |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent school |
| Headteacher | Mr Vincent Darby |
| Founder | Sir Stephen Jenyns |
| Location | Compton Road Wolverhampton West Midlands WV3 9RB England |
| Local authority | Wolverhampton |
| DfE URN | 104411 |
| Students | 6726 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 7–18 |
| Website | wolverhamptongrammarschool.com |
Wolverhampton Grammar School is a co-educational independent school located in the city of Wolverhampton.
Initially Wolverhampton Boys Grammar School, it was founded in 1512 by Sir Stephen Jenyns, a master of the ancient guild of Merchant Taylors, who was also Lord Mayor of London in the year of Henry VIII's coronation. Jenyns was born in the city of Wolverhampton circa 1448.
In the year 1519 he was one of the wealthiest men in the country and is reported to have paid more tax than any other person in that year.[citation needed]
In 1875, the school moved to its present site on the Compton Road from its previous site on John Street in the centre of Wolverhampton. This move was overseen by the Chairman of Governors, Sir Rupert Kettle.
In September 1984, after 472 years as an all boys school, the school admitted girls to the sixth form and in other embraces of modernity was the largest single user of assisted places funds, with over 40% of pupils in the 1980s and early 1990s reliant upon assisted places funding. This resulted in the school adopting its current name of Wolverhampton Grammar School.
In September 1992, the school became fully co-educational, admitting girls from the age of 11, a move seen as somewhat controversial at the time; however, other mixed grammar schools had existed for many years previously, while other single sex grammar schools had merged to continue as mixed grammar schools or mixed comprehensives.
The current headmaster, Vincent Darby was appointed in September 2008, replacing Dr Bernard Trafford, who had been head since September 1990.
Recently the school has undergone development to improve facilities available to pupils. This included construction of a rock climbing wall, which replaced an Eton Fives court behind the sports centre. A new large extension to the music block was also completed in 2005, and officially opened by Robert Plant. In December 2007, a new block for the arts was opened on Merridale Lane, beyond Moreton's Piece, with a production of As You Like It and an exhibition by artist in residence, Derek Jones. It houses a number of art classrooms on two storeys, a gallery space (The Viner Gallery) and a 150-200 seat studio theatre (The Hutton Theatre, named after the late headmaster Patrick Hutton), a versatile performance space with extensive technical facilities.
In May 2010 Mr Vincent Darby revealed that he was to open a new junior school in September 2011, adding a year 3, 4 and 5. The old art block has subsequently been converted into the new languages suite and the current languages building - the Hallmark - is now the junior school. The new school has been named Wolverhampton Grammar Junior School (WGJS)to reflect consistency with the Wolverhampton Grammar School brand and will be led by Mr Andrew Hymer.
Since Mr Darby's arrival the school uniform has seen a staged improvement: the second phase of this change will take effect from September 2011 when students will once again adopt the grey trousers / grey kilts for years 7 and 8 with year 9 and above wearing grey straight skirts. A quincentenary tie will also be introduced to mark the start of the school's 500th anniversary celebrations.
[edit] Notable alumni (Old Wulfrunians)
- John Abernethy, F.R.C.S. English surgeon - founder of the school of medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital
- Thomas Attwood - founder of the Birmingham Political Union and National Political Union (1829) in 1829, which pushed for democratic reform, feted as a hero after the Great Reform Act 1832, later an MP for Birmingham.
- Sir Arthur Benson 1907-1987, Chief Secretary to Central African Council, Governor of North Rhodesia 1954 - 1959
- Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet (1772-1828), inventor and rocket designer.
- Robert William Felkin, 1853-1926, LRCS (Edinburgh), MD (Marburg), FRSE, FRGS, medical missionary, ceremonial magician and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, author on Uganda and Central Africa, early anthropologist.
- Chris Kelly, Conservative MP for Dudley South at 2010 general election, attended from 1989 to 1996 including sixth form.[1]
- Mervyn Allister King - Current Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the Monetary Policy Committee.
- Sir David Wright, a British diplomat, ambassador to Japan 1996-1999.
- Sir Norman Brook, 1st Baron Normanbrook of Chelsea 1902-1967, Head of the British Civil Service in the late 1950s and 1960s. Described by the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as "the great technician of cabinet government in the mid twentieth century", also Chairman of the BBC Board of Governors 1963-1967.
- Augustus Edward Hough Love, Mathematician. Developer of the theory of Love Waves.
- Sir Owen Rowlands, didact
- Mark Moore, headmaster of Clifton College.
- Sathnam Sanghera, Times journalist and author.
[edit] References
- Gerald Poynton Mander, The History of the Wolverhampton Grammar School (Wolverhampton: Steens, 1913)
