King's School, Chester
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53°10′01″N 2°54′00″W / 53.167°N 2.900°W
| The King's School, Chester | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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Wrexham Road , , CH4 7QL | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent |
| Motto | Rex dedit, benedicat Deus (The King gave it, may God bless it) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
| Established | 1541 |
| Founder | King Henry VIII |
| Local authority | Cheshire West and Chester |
| Chairman of the Governors | D S Hempsall MA PhD FRSA |
| Headmaster | C D Ramsey MA (Cantab.) |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 7 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 900 (approx.) |
| Houses | 4 |
| Colour(s) | Green, blue and white |
| Former pupils | Old King's Scholars |
| Affiliation | HMC |
| Website | http://www.kingschester.co.uk/ |
The King's School, Chester is a co-educational independent school for children aged between 7 and 18 years of age. It is situated just outside the city of Chester, England. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
History
The King's School was founded in 1541 by King Henry VIII, following the dissolution of St. Werburgh’s Abbey, which later became the Chester Cathedral. The statutes provided that there should “24 poor and friendless boys between the ages of 9 and 15”. The School was housed in the former Monastic Refectory until 1869. It was not known as The King’s School until the mid 19th Century, when it was referred to as the "Grammar School of King Henry VIII", or alternatively the "Free School" and the "Grammar School".
Dedicated school buildings were opened by William Gladstone in 1876, which adjoined the northwest corner of the cathedral. The school maintains ties with the cathedral, holding a cathedral service every term. Little is known about the school during the Civil War, however King's pupils were known as "Roundhead Scholars".
From the late 19th Century to the early 20th century, the school ran a boarding house under the charge of one of the masters. In 1885, this was located at 98 Watergate Flags, but later moved to Eaton Road. By 1911, the governors had acquired new premises at Arnold House, Walpole Street, which became the Junior School and school boarding house. The latter was closed in 1931 due to the lack of pupils wishing to board.
During the First World War, game sessions were replaced by military training. A Cadet Corps was formed in 1916, and shooting practice took place every day of the week. Rough grassland at Arnold House was dug up and planted with potatoes, and senior boys assisted with the hay harvests and with the national re-forestation programme.
The inter-war years saw the arrival of typewriters, the installation of electricity, a telephone exchange and a new tuck shop. Parts of the cathedral were transformed into air raid shelters and a number of the playing fields were ploughed up and used to produce crops. Pupils contributed towards the war effort in many ways; many helped out on local farms, collected scrap metal, and trained as first-aid workers.
Due to the rapidly increasing numbers of pupils during the 1940s, The King’s School took over part of the former Bluecoat School buildings on Upper Northgate Street. By the early 1950s, a 999-year lease had been secured with Eaton Hall (the country house of the Duke of Westminster) for the current 32-acre site on Wrexham Road on the outskirts of the city.
The designing of the new buildings started in 1956, and in 1960 the whole school moved to the new site. The royal connection continued when the school was opened by Her Majesty The Queen Mother. Further building extensions, including a sixth-form centre and sports hall, were subsequently opened by Princess Margaret in 1989.
In recent years, the school has developed even further, for example by becoming mixed in 2003. Also, in June 2011 the Vanbrugh Theatre opened its doors for the first time after a £1.2 million renovation of the original school hall. The school celebrated 50 years at its Wrexham Road site in 2010 with a weekend of events and the unveiling of a copper sculpture.
Motto and the school badge
The school motto is "The King gave it, may God bless it", which was given by John Saul Howson, D.D., Dean of Chester. John Saul Howson was the chief instrument in the building and endowing of the King's School, and in its reorganisation on a broader basis.[1] The School uses the arms of King Henry VIII.
Life at King’s
Academia
King's has a very good academic reputation, consistently achieving some of the best results in the UK at both GCSE and A level. In 2011, more than 28 per cent of A-level results were at A* grade, and 67.2 per cent at A*/A grade. In addition, 94.9 per cent of GCSE grades were at A*/B and a third of all King’s pupils gained all A/A* grades. Shortly after The King’s School's A-Level and GCSE results were released, The Daily Telegraph published its A-level and GCSE independent-school league tables which placed King's as the top performing school in Cheshire and the second highest in the North West for A level results[2] and third for GCSE results.[3] The majority of school-leavers go on to the top universities in the country, including Cambridge and Oxford.[4]
In September 2011, King’s adopted a new curriculum alongside its shift from an eight-period to a five-period day. This involved substantial changes, introducing 'enrichment' lessons and replacing the GCSE courses with IGCSE.[5]
Extra-curricular activities
The school's pupils engage in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including music and drama, as well as educational trips abroad, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, and a Combined Cadet Force contingent. The school's sporting activities are described in a separate section.
The school has a Music School, equipped with a recording studio, a large recital room, and a music technology room. It has a Schola Cantorum which recently toured Paris and sang at Notre Dame.
Annual productions of musical theatre at King's have occurred for much of the past half-century in the latter half of the Lent (Spring) term. Under the headmastership of Roger Wickson, there were biennial productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, in which he played a starring role in addition to producing and directing. Notable shows in the past 5 years include West Side Story, Assassins, Into The Woods, Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good, and Les Misérables. Recent sixth-form drama productions have included Waiting for Godot.
Trips abroad are arranged by several departments fairly regularly. In addition to annual foreign language exchange visits, these include the art, history, physics and physical education departments. An international expedition is also undertaken from time to time, with recent destinations including India, Morocco and Tanzania. The importance of such trips has recently led to the appointment of an "Educational Visits Co-ordinator".
The school encourages the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme, and students regularly gain their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards during their time at the school, or shortly afterwards.
The King's School's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a voluntary contingent within the CCF of the Ministry of Defence, originally formed during the First World War. It consists of the mandatory Army Section, with an additional RAF Section. Its nominal roll currently includes approximately 133 cadets[citation needed]. Notable achievement of the contingent include the Award of International Air Cadet Exchange in 2005. Numerous Gliding scholarships, Leadership and Personal achievements have been gained including two Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Foundation Medals in recent years. For example, in 2005, individual cadets were awarded a RN Special Flying Award (Powered) and an RAF Flying Scholarship. In 2009 and 2010 three more RAF Flying Scholarships were awarded to cadets from the contingent. The contingent participate annually in the Welbeck Pentathlon Competition, and has had outstanding achievements in 2005 (Jnr Team 1st Place, Snr Team 2nd Place), 2003 (Snr Team 1st Place, Jnr Team 2nd Place) and 2002 (Jnr Team 1st Place). The contingent has also won The King's and Cheshire Cups several times.
Publications
The Herald is the school's magazine and is published on a termly basis for parents and pupils. Its articles are about current pupils, teachers and former pupils. The Spring 2012 edition is available to view online here [6]
Sport
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| Location | The Groves, Chester |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°11′20″N 2°52′52″W / 53.189°N 2.881°W |
| Home water | River Dee |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Affiliations | Amateur Rowing Association |
| Website | sites |
| Notable members | |
| |
Football
The football team added the Chester and District Cup to their trophy cabinet in the 2007–2008 season with a 2–0 victory over Chester Catholic High School.
Rowing
The school's boat house is situated on the River Dee in the centre of Chester, and stores over 100 boats. A dozen former pupils have rowed for Oxbridge and there has been more than one Olympic rower. Chris Bartley, Peter Rudge, and Olivia Whitlam are all ex-King's rowers, though the school's most notable former pupil to continue rowing is 2008 Olympic gold medallist Tom James, who also won the 2007 Boat Race whist President of the Cambridge University Boat Club. The five times British Indoor Rowing Champion and 2006 World Indoor Rowing Champion, Graham Benton, was also a pupil at the school though he never rowed during his time there.
Founded in 1887, The King's School Rowing Club has an enviable reputation as one of the country's top school clubs. Rowing is offered as part of the sports curriculum in the third year, and forms part of the curriculum from then on for those who wish to participate. The school competes nationally at a high level and the 1st VIII has won the International Belgian Junior Championships for the past two years while on training camps to Ghent, Belgium.
Hockey
The 2006/2007 hockey season saw the appointment of former England captain Russell Hornby. The School has in the past employed Pakistani Captain Ali Ghanzafar as coach for the 1st XI, thanks largely to Russell Hornby, an ex team mate of Ghanzafar's from Bowdon Hockey Club. In 2011 King's appointed hockey coach, Simon Egerton, who is a member of the England hockey team.[7]
Facilities and development
Since 1950, The King’s School has been based at its Wrexham Road site on the outskirts of Chester. It has a Sixth Form Centre, a library (the Wickson Library) and a music school (the Tim Turvey Music School). Sports facilities include a swimming pool, all-weather sports pitches, grass sports pitches, a cricket pavilion, and a boat house on the River Dee. During the summer of 2011, there was a £1.2 million renovation of the school hall, creating the Vanbrugh theatre - (named after former pupil, Sir John Vanbrugh, theatre architect and dramatist) which has retractable raked seating. The project was part-funded by a legacy from former pupil Roger Snelson, and the theatre was opened by former pupil Ronald Pickup.[8]
After the school became mixed, the school started a major redevelopment and enlargement programme,[9] including:
- changing rooms and toilets (2002)
- classrooms for the Junior School (2002)
- all-weather pitch with floodlighting (2003)
- Tim Turvey Music School (named after the former headmaster) (2007)
- refurbishment of science labs (2007-2008)
- language lab (2008)
- extension of kitchen facilities (2008)
- redevelopment of the old library into offices and a classroom (2008)
- redevelopment of the “House” into offices and change of use of the “Tower” (where the offices used to be) to house the Economics and Business Studies Department (2009)
- Vanbrugh Theatre (2011)
Adjacent farmland has also been acquired for use as football pitches. This year, the Sixth Form Centre will be improved, creating a new entrance and extending the common room.
Controversies
In 2004, former teacher Barry Lewis left the school. A year later he was convicted for possession of indecent images of young children.[10] This was unrelated to any pupil at the school.[citation needed]
In July 2006 two boys were forced to leave the school after a drugs probe was conducted.[11]
In April 2009, Director of Studies Bernie Routledge resigned after a confidential compromise agreement, sparking rumours of a six-figure 'pay-off'. Students used social networking sites to make public the internal stories and student dissent. Headmaster Chris Ramsey dismissed the rumours as "unfounded" and claimed it was merely students spreading "in-jokes and rumours and gossip".[12].
In January 2012, a story emerged in the press that the current headmaster, Chris Ramsey, had drawn up a 'hit list' of individuals he wanted removed from the teaching staff at the school, although this is categorically denied by the school.[13] These apparently included Paul Fentem, former head of classics and Tim Keeley, former head of biology. Paul Fentem is currently claiming unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal in Shrewsbury where other members of the teaching staff have also provided evidence both in support of the school and Mr Fentem. Retired Deputy John Hargreaves claimed in a statement that Chris Ramsey had a 'vendetta' against the two teachers after they allegedly undermined his leadership. The King's School's barrister Caspar Glyn said in a statement regarding the tribunal that 'the King's School has better things to do'.[14]
In March 2012, five pupils were suspended for allegedly publishing offensive cartoons about members of staff on a 'memes' page on Facebook. Two of those suspended were sons of a governor who supported the school's actions.[15]
Headmaster
The school's current headmaster (since 2007) is Chris Ramsey, a graduate of Modern and Medieval Languages from Cambridge University. Ramsey previously served as Head of Modern Languages at Wellington College, Berkshire and Headmaster of King's College, Taunton.
Previous headmasters
- 2000–2007 Tim Turvey, biologist
- 1981–2000 Roger Wickson, classicist and historian
- 1964–1981 Arthur Reginald Munday, classicist
- 1947–1964 Reverend Canon Leslie Francis Harvey
Notable alumni
Post-1900
- Tom James, Olympic gold medal oarsman[16][17]
- Graham Benton, British and World Indoor Rowing Champion[16]
- Olivia Whitlam, Olympic rower[16]
- James Fair, England and Great Britain hockey goalkeeper[16]
- Lieutenant General Sir James Dutton, former Commandant-General, Royal Marines[16]
- Matthew Hancock, former chief of staff to George Osborne, and Member of Parliament for West Suffolk[16][18]
- Patrick Mercer, Member of Parliament for Newark[16][19][20]
- Sir Glyn Smallwood Jones, colonial administrator and last Governor of Nyasaland[16]
- Steve Leonard, television vet and BBC presenter[16]
- Mike Parry, journalist and radio presenter[16][21]
- Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent with Sky News
- Martin Lewis, financial journalist and founder of the MoneySavingExpert.com consumer finance website[16][22]
- Andrew Lilico, economist and member of the Shadow Monetary Policy Committee[16]
- Rob Eastaway, mathematician and ex-puzzle writer for New Scientist[16]
- Hagan Bayley FRS, scientist and Head of Chemical Biology at the University of Oxford[16]
- Michael Burdekin OBE, FREng, FRS, civil engineer and Emeritus Professor of the University of Manchester[16][23]
- Sir John Carroll, mathematician, physicist and former Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen[16]
- Rob Leslie-Carter, Engineer
- Arnold Frederic Wilkins OBE, radar pioneer[24]
- George Drewry Squibb, lawyer[16][25]
- Trevor Kletz, safety engineer and author on industrial safety[16]
- David Whitley, Author of The Midnight Charter[16][26]
- Ronald Pickup, actor[16]
- Nickolas Grace, actor[16]
- Hugh Lloyd, comedy actor[16][27]
- George Guest, organist and choirmaster at St John's College, Cambridge[16][28]
- Graham Scott, international concert pianist and Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music[16]
- Godfrey Ashby, former Bishop of St John's, South Africa
- Joe Benson, Young Geographer of the Year
Pre-20th century
- Sir John Vanbrugh, architect and dramatist[16][29]
- Randle Ayrton, film and stage actor, producer and director[16]
- Lord Bradbury of Winsford GCB, civil servant and chief economic advisor to the government during World War I[16]
- Thomas Brassey, civil engineer[16][30]
- Edward Brerewood, mathematician, logician and antiquary[16]
- Charles Burney, music historian, musician, composer and philosopher[16]
- John Byrom FRS, poet and developer of geometric shorthand[16]
- Randolph Caldecott, illustrator[16]
- William Chaderton, academic, clergyman and former Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge[16]
- John Churton Collins, literary critic and former Professor of English Literature at the University of Birmingham[16]
- Piers Claughton, clergyman and former Archdeacon of London[16]
- Thomas Claughton, first Bishop of St Albans and former Oxford Professor of Poetry[16]
- George Cotton, clergyman and educator, known for establishing schools in British India[16]
- Sir Peter Denis, 1st Baronet, naval officer and Member of Parliament[16]
- John Downham, clergyman and theologian[16]
- Joseph Everett Dutton, pathologist, physician and tropical medicine specialist[16]
- Thomas Falconer, clergyman and classical scholar
- Thomas Francis, physician, former president of the Royal College of Physicians and former Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford[16]
- Christopher Goodman, clergyman and writer[16]
- William Lee Hankey, painter and illustrator[16]
- General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, former Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces[16]
- George Lloyd, clergyman[16]
- Bert Lipsham, England International footballer and FA Cup winner with Sheffield United in 1902.
- John Smyth MacDonald FRS, physiologist[16]
- George Ormerod, antiquary and historian[16]
- Sir Ralph Champneys Williams, colonial Governor of the British Windward Islands and Newfoundland and Labrador[16]
- Thomas Wilson, clergyman[16]
The Chester Association of Old King's Scholars (CAOKS), founded in 1866, exists to maintain links between former students. It is one of the longest established alumni associations in the country. The school has recently established OAKS (Organisation of Alumni of The King's School) to maintain relations with former pupils. OAKS is free to join and open to all alumni.[31]
References
- ^ "Howson, John Saul (DNB00) - Wikisource". En.wikisource.org. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ League Tables. "A-level results 2011: independent schools". Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ League Tables. "GCSE results 2011: independent schools". Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ Antonia Merola. "A-levels: The King's School Chester". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ http://www.kingschester.co.uk/uploads/file/KingsCurriculum2011.pdf
- ^ "The King's School Chester Herald, Spring 2012". Kingschester.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ "King's hockey coach wins European Indoor Gold Medal with national team". The King's School Chester. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- ^ "Actor Ronald Pickup opens the Vanbrugh Theatre at The King's School in Chester". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ "The King's School Chester - developments". Kingschester.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ Ex-Teacher charged with sex offences
- ^ children forced to leave school after drugs probe
- ^ "Chester King's School headmaster quells "unfounded rumours"". Chester Chronicle. 2 April 2009.
- ^ "Evening Leader Denbighshire - 20/01/2012 digital edition". Edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ "Headmaster drew up 'hit list' of staff he wished to remove, tribunal told". Chester Chronicle. 26 January 2012.
- ^ "Facebook jibes land Chester King's School pupils in mire". Chester Chronicle. 15 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw "Inspirational Alumni Members". The King's School Chester. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- ^ "BBC SPORT | Wales | Profile: Tom James". BBC News. 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ "The Conservative Party | People | Members of Parliament | Matthew Hancock MP". Conservatives.com. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ "Profile: Patrick Mercer". BBC News website. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
- ^ "The Conservative Party | People | Members of Parliament | Patrick Mercer OBE MP". Conservatives.com. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ "Chester City FC: Mike Parry's on a mission". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ Paul Taylor (2007-02-21). "Mr Supersaver's on a mission | Manchester Evening News - menmedia.co.uk". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ The Steel Construction Institute (2012). Owens, Graham W.; Davison, Buick (eds.). Steel Designers' Manual (7th ed. ed.). Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. xix. ISBN 978-1-4051-8940-8.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help) - ^ Watson, Raymond C. (2009). Radar Origins Worldwide:History of Its Evolution in 13 Nations Through World War II. Victoria, Canada: Trafford Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-4269-2110-0.
- ^ P. L. Dickinson And G. K. Ireland (1994-01-12). "Obituary: George Squibb - People - News". The Independent. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ "The King's School Chester - news archive". Kingschester.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ 9:25PM BST 14 Jul 2008 (2008-07-14). "Hugh Lloyd". Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ John Gummer. "Obituary: George Guest". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
- ^ "Sir John Vanbrugh (British dramatist and architect) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ^ Helps, Arthur (2005) [1888]. Life and Labours of Thomas Brassey, 1805–1870. Elibron Classics. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4021-0563-0.
- ^ "The King's School website". Kingschester.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-29.