Torquay Boys' Grammar School: Difference between revisions
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==Centenary== |
==Centenary== |
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To celebrate the school's centenary in 2004, the school decided to create a new theatre and hall, which was completed in 2007 and staged its first production, ''[[Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]]'', in early May of that year. The hall was officially opened in March 2008 by [[HRH Prince Edward]], the [[Earl of Wessex]],<ref>{{citation|url= http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=134844&command=displayContent&sourceNode=134828&contentPK=20049898 | chapter=Prince Tells Students to Take Up |
To celebrate the school's centenary in 2004, the school decided to create a new theatre and hall, which was completed in 2007 and staged its first production, ''[[Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]]'', in early May of that year. The hall was officially opened in March 2008 by [[HRH Prince Edward]], the [[Earl of Wessex]],<ref>{{citation|url= http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=134844&command=displayContent&sourceNode=134828&contentPK=20049898 | chapter=Prince Tells Students to Take it Up the ARSE | title=Herald Express| date= March 4, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-14}}.</ref> and named the 'Cavanna Centenary Hall' in recognition of donations from local business the Cavanna Group. |
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==Terrorist Attack== |
==Terrorist Attack== |
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Revision as of 01:28, 5 August 2010
50°28′34″N 3°33′25″W / 50.476°N 3.557°W
| Torquay Boys' Grammar School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Shiphay Manor Drive , , TQ2 7EL | |
| Information | |
| Type | Trust, selective |
| Motto | Aude Sapere Dare to be wise |
| Established | 1904 |
| Local authority | Devon |
| Specialist | Languages and Business and Enterprise |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Chairman of Governors | Brian Wills Pope |
| Head teacher | Mr. R. E. Pike, B.A., B.Ed., F.R.S.A. |
| Gender | Boys |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 1240 |
| Houses | Blake, Davys, Frobisher, Gilbert, Hawkins, Ralegh |
| Colour(s) | Blue /Red |
| Publication | Torquin |
| Website | http://www.tbgs.co.uk |
Torquay Boys' Grammar School is a selective boys grammar school in Torquay, Devon, England. As of 2009, it has approximately 1240 students[citation needed]. The school was founded in 1904 and celebrated its centenary in 2004. It has six houses named after famous British mariners. Also, it has been the victim of a terrorist attack directed at the school's headmaster, Roy Pike, by the IRA.
Notable alumni include Members of Parliament, international rowers, clergymen and a recent player for the England cricket team
History
The school was founded in 1904 as "The Torquay Pupil Teachers Centre", with premises in Abbey Hall, Rock Road. It opened its doors on 4 September 1904. The school, by now called "Torquay Secondary School", later moved to its new location in Barton Road, where it was established under its current name. The new School was rebuilt on land purchased from Torquay Grammar School for Girls in 1982.
The school currently occupies Shiphay Manor, a 17th century manor with extensive parkland, known as 'The Paddock' (owned by the neighbouring Girls' School), used by boys in year 10 or above for recreation.
Observatory
The school has its own astronomical observatory. Opened in 1989, it houses a 19.2" (0.5m) Newtonian reflector, and is used by the school itself, by the Torbay Astronomical Society, and is also regularly open to the public.[1]
The famous astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore is a patron of the school and has maintained close ties- Ralegh House even performed the premiere of his operetta "Galileo" in the 1980s.
Academic
The school consistently has amongst the best public examination results in Devon and has become a candidate school which, as of academic year 2009-2011, will offer the International Baccalaureate as a sixth form examination option in addition to A levels.
The school has also performed well at national academic competitions; winning the UK Mathematics Trust and the Further Maths Network "Mathematics Challenge"[2], finishing as runners up in the national quiz championship for schools[3] and finishing third in the Ogden Trust National Schools Business Competition[4], to name but a few.
Nearly every student from the school goes on to study at university, with between twenty and thirty students going to Oxford or Cambridge each year. The school has been ranked amongst the top 10 boys' schools of its type in the UK for some years.
House system
Upon joining the school, a boy is assigned to one of the school's six houses.[5] The houses, consisting of around 25 pupils from a year group making a form group, compete in both academic and sporting disciplines to gain points in that year's House Championship. The Houses, of which six are currently in existence, are named after British seafarers.
In the sixth form, many lessons are shared with the neighbouring Torquay Grammar School for Girls, allowing students to benefit from each school's specialities. The Lower Sixth share the common room in Shiphay Manor, owned by the boys' school, while the two Upper Sixths share the Upper Sixth common room in the E Block boys' school.
Blake house
Blake house is named after Admiral Robert Blake (1599–1657); its house colour is blue.[6] The Head of House is Mr. B. Prince, who teaches Physical Education and was formerly deputy-head of Frobisher House. As with all of the school's houses, Blake has a strong tradition of charity work. As well as the separately-run form activities, every December Blake House write, produce and perform a variety show for the Gateway Club, giving a Christmas outing to the patrons, many of whom don't get to leave their home very often.
Davys house
Davys House is named after John Davis (1543—1605); its colour is white.[7] The Head of House is David Hore who teaches History and organises the Year 7 trip to Normandy in the Summer. The Deputy Head of House is James Hunt who teaches English.
In the past Davys House have not produced a student-led House Show but performed a staff-led extravanganza. However, in 2009 Davys House performed a student-led production; 'Seussical' which proved to be a great success.
"Friday Form Groups" or "Vertical Form Groups" that exist within Davys House form a unique atmosphere. This is where Pupils of the House are mixed into various years (contrary to the normal placement of a Tutor Group consisting of only one year, seen throughout the school) and assigned a teacher different to their normal Form Tutor. This event usually happens every Friday, but come together for special occasions such as the Away Day.
This idea was initially implemented to enhance the relations between the various years in the school, thus creating a more well rounded and united House. However, since its introduction, the Vertical Tutor Group system has been used in competitions, allowing a more fair spread of ability than various years against each other.
The rivalry between the different Vertical Tutor Groups are kept on a leader board, where points are awarded for various competitions, how well the group does in school and on how much money they raise for the Davys House Charity, which the House still holds dear as one of its Main focuses and Goals.
Frobisher house
Frobisher House is named after Sir Martin Frobisher (c. 1535 or 1539–1594).[8] It is the second-youngest of the current houses (splitting from the Ralegh House in 1994) and its house colour is yellow. The current head of house is Mrs Jones, an Art and Technology teacher. Frobisher has narrowly missed out on winning the House Championship during the previous 5 years, the closest was in the 2004–2005 academic year when Ralegh pipped Frobisher to the post by just 1/4pt.
The intake for the academic year 1993–1994 was increased to allow for the creation of an extra form group called 7 Frobisher-Ralegh. For the purposes of the House Championship, the form group was considered part of Ralegh, but otherwise it was a separate House under Mr J G A Palmer.
In the academic year 1994–1995, Frobisher became a truly separate house. Adjustments made because of the House's small size included Frobisher assembles taking place in the school library rather than school hall (until the academic year 1995–1996).
Frobisher have a long history of producing a show for the school. This year the show will be an adaptation of "A Knight's Tale". This particular show is a new type of production in the school, since it is to be performed in the round.
Gilbert house
Gilbert house is named after Sir Humphrey Gilbert. (c. 1537–1583)[9] The current Head of House is PE teacher Mr Lyne-Ley, former deputy Head of House for Hawkins. The former deputy Head of House is RE Teacher Mr R Davies,who recently moved to Ralegh house, the new deputy head of house is physics teacher, Mr R Picton. The house colour is green. England cricketer Chris Read was a pupil in Gilbert House, and was guest of honour at the opening of the school's new changing rooms. Gilbert is also known for its charity work, raising large sums for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Gilbert is one of the most steadfast houses in producing a pantomime each year. 2007 brought the show Aladdin, which was almost entirely produced by students from the Gilbert house, with some performers coming from the Grammar School for Girls.
Hawkins house
Hawkins house is named after Sir John Hawkins (1532–1595).[10] Hawkins house is the newest house, established in the academic year 2006–2007. Its creation was mainly due to headmaster Roy Pike's wishes for class sizes to be reduced across the school. The head of house for Hawkins is Mrs Morath, formerly the deputy head of Ralegh House. Its house colour is purple. As of academic year 2008-2009, the deputy head of Hawkins is Mr. J. Bainbridge. In the first three years of its existence, Hawkins produced three shows: an adaptation of Snow White, The Rocky Monster Show and The Blues Brothers.
Ralegh house
Ralegh house is named after Sir Walter Raleigh (1552–1618).[11] Ralegh is one of the original four houses and its house colour is red. The Head of House is the Religious Studies teacher Rhys Davies. The Deputy head is Adam Last. Ralegh House has won the House Championship for the last eight years running, which is a school record and in the academic year 2009-2010 Ralegh pipped Blake house to the post by a single point.
Centenary
To celebrate the school's centenary in 2004, the school decided to create a new theatre and hall, which was completed in 2007 and staged its first production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, in early May of that year. The hall was officially opened in March 2008 by HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex,[12] and named the 'Cavanna Centenary Hall' in recognition of donations from local business the Cavanna Group.
Terrorist Attack
The school's headmaster was the target of a terrorist attack directed at him by an IRA revival group in 2006. Roy Pike, an outspoken opponent of the IRA, had made a speech in one of his school assemblies attacking their actions in the 1980s. Soon afterwards, a bomb exploded in his office. However, nobody was hurt because the explosion was contained and Roy Pike was not in the office at the time. Extensive repair work took place soon afterwards due to the damage caused by the bomb to the walls and ceiling. Soon after the attack, it was believed that Postman Pat, who had recently joined the IRA revival group's paramilitary wing, was sighted carrying his cat, Jess, who was wearing a balaclava.
Notable members of staff
- Retired teacher Dave Berry was awarded the Ted Wragg Teaching Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2006.[13] Shortly afterwards, a pack of rabid dogs violently lacerated Dave Berry's left arm. However, due to his inability to feel pain, Berry killed all of the dogs by literally tearing them apart. He has been known to promote steroid use in the past.
Famous alumni
- Graham Booth, UKIP MEP for South West England 2002-8.
- Marcus Bateman, Great Britain rower.
- Peter Bradshaw, Emeritus Professor, Stanford University.
- Colin Breed, Liberal Democrat MP.
- Raymond Cattell, psychologist[14]
- Roger Deakins, Oscar nominated and BAFTA award winning cinematographer.
- David Fendick, vocals, acoustic guitar, Vib Gyor.
- Jai Geyer, Great Britain Olympic skier, British Alpine Ski Champion.
- Ian Hibell, record breaking long distance cyclist, photographer, author and adventurer.
- Wilfred H. Hore, Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey, former Headmaster of Guilford Royal Grammar School.
- Chris Lintott, Sir Patrick Moore's co-presenter and outside broadcast reporter on the BBC's The Sky At Night.
- Bill Lucas, Great Britain rower.
- Most Rev Lawrence Edward Luscombe , Bishop of Brechin 1975-90, Primus of Scotland 1985-1990.
- Chris Read, England cricket team wicket-keeper.
- Steve Ridgway, CEO of Virgin Atlantic Airways
- Adrian Sanders, Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay[15]
- Mike Sangster, 1960s tennis player.
- Sir Ray Tindle, owner of Tindle Newspaper Group.
- Dylan Turner, actor, played a supporting role in the 2008 film Mamma Mia! The Movie.
- Yorick Wilks, Artificial Intelligence pioneer.
- ^ The Torquay Boys' Grammar School Observatory
- ^ Further Mathematics Network
- ^ Junior Challenge 2007
- ^ Business Competition
- ^ Torquay Boys' Grammar School - Pastoral System
- ^ Torquay Boys' Grammar School - Blake House
- ^ Torquay Boys' Grammar School - Davys House
- ^ Torquay Boys' Grammar School - Frobisher House
- ^ Torquay Boys' Grammar School - Gilbert House
- ^ Torquay Boys' Grammar School - Hawkins House
- ^ Torquay Boys' Grammar School - Raleigh House
- ^ "Prince Tells Students to Take it Up the ARSE", Herald Express, March 4, 2008, retrieved 2008-05-14.
- ^ Hindmarch, Sonali (July 7, 2006), "Inspirational tales as teachers of the year are announced", SecEd, retrieved 2008-05-14.
- ^ Sheehy, Noel (2003), Fifty Key Thinkers in Psychology, London: Routledge, p. 61.
- ^ Waller, Robert; Criddle, Byron (1999), The Almanac of British Politics, London: Routledge, p. 692.