Wallington County Grammar School
| Wallington County Grammar School | |
|---|---|
| File:Wcgscrest.JPG | |
| Address | |
 | |
Croydon Road , , SM6 7PH England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Grammar, Academy |
| Established | 1927 |
| Department for Education URN | 136798 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Head teacher | Jonathan Wilden |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 899 |
| Website | http://www.wcgs.org.uk |
Wallington County Grammar School (WCGS) is a state-funded boys' grammar school located in the London Borough of Sutton.
Notable alumni
People educated at Wallington Grammar School
- Chris Bates, BBC Television Show 'The Apprentice', came 2nd in 2012.[1]
- Paul Deighton, Investment Banker, executive of London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
- John Marco Allegro, BBC broadcaster.
- Philip Yea, Vodafone Director, British Heart Foundation Chair, Prince Andrew, Duke of York Advisor.
- Prof Harold Barlow, University College London professor.
- Ryan Cummins, retired county cricketer, (Leicestershire and Northamptonshire).
- Nick Ross, presenter of Crimewatch.
- Malcolm Savidge, former Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North.
- M. J. Seaton, Physics Professor University College London, Royal Astronomical Society president.
- Chris Woodhead, former HM Chief Inspector of Schools.
- Adrian Simpson, presenter.
- David Bond, BBC Sports Editor.
- Douglas Allen, Baron Croham, Senior Civil Servant.
- Philip Wilcocks, Royal Navy officer (Rear Admiral).
- Mark Pallen, Professor of Microbial Genomics at the University of Warwick
History
WCGS opened on 19 September 1927 with 71 pupils, half a mile from the current site. The building had a single story, with a wooden extension. The school moved to its present site on Croydon Road in 1935.
During the Second World War, WCGS was damaged by a V-2 bomb. All the windows were blown out and the roof collapsed. WCGS continued to function, with teachers and students working to rebuild the structure, and it was "business as usual". 52 old boys were killed in action.
The school has been expanded beyond the original structure over the years, with the 1952 "New Block" ("English Block"), providing laboratories and classrooms. It now houses all English and Drama classes, as well as the dining hall.
The Sixth Form block, located near the school playing fields, was completed in 1973, now containing classrooms instead.
In 1997, an old boy of WCGS, Christopher Woodhead who was then HM Chief Inspector of Schools, opened a new Science block. This block contains science classrooms, laboratories and various science department administration offices. The second part of the building's development was completed in 2000.
Girls were admitted to the Sixth Form from September 1999.[2] WCGS gained academy status on 1 June 2011.
From 1968 till the mid-1990s the school was known as Wallington High School for Boys.
Headmasters
WCGS headmasters history:
- Mr W.T. Hutchins, 1927–1959
- Mr J. Hitchin, 1959–1975
- Mr R.S. Harrison, 1975–1990
- Dr J. Martin Haworth, 1990–2009 (early retirement in 2009)
- Mr Peter Smart, Acting 2009–2010; permanent 2010–2013 (retirement in 2013) [3]
- Mr Jonathan Wilden, 2013–Present
Houses
On entry to WCGS, pupils are placed into one of six different Houses, which compete against each other in sports and other activities. The Houses each have a local historical association, and students are assigned colours from their beginning in Year 7, and keep them all the way up to the Sixth Form:
- Ruskin: Yellow and black (named after John Ruskin, the poet)
- Woodcote: Green and black (a part of Wallington noted in Roman area records)
- Carew: Blue and red (a reference to a family of nobility resident in the area in Tudor times, the Carews)
- Radcliffe: Navy and sky blue (named after John Radcliffe, the 17th century physician, and sometime area resident)
- Mandeville: Maroon and white (named after Sir Geoffrey de Mandeville, resident and landholder after the Norman Conquest and mentioned in the actual Domesday book).
- Bridges: Blue and White (named after sometime area resident, Canon Alexander Henry Bridges, Rector of Beddington) which is frequently referred to as 'Henners' or 'Henry!' by school students and staff alike.
The House system is run by House Masters - teachers who direct the Houses, and House captains - senior students responsible for day-to-day House activities.
Academic
Academic Performance at Wallington County Grammar School is a good school which seeks to be an outstanding one. Students enter WCGS with very high levels of attainment. As the most recent Ofsted report noted, "students gain GCSE results which are consistently well above national averages.".[4] Progress and attainment in the Sixth Form are both outstanding. The 2012 Ofsted reports that Achievement of pupils, Behaviour and safety of pupils and Leadership and management are outstanding, while Quality of teaching is Good.[5]
WCGS was awarded "science college" status in 2005 for its excellence in Science and Mathematics. This meant extra funding for the school, which helped to further improve the standard of the school's science department. More recently, WCGS was awarded a second specialism - "WCGS Applied Learning".
As the most recent Ofsted report noted, "students at Wallington County Grammar School, WCGS, gain incredible GCSE results which are consistently well above national averages."[citation needed]
Extracurricular
A fundraising concert, known as the Battle of the Bands, was held on 20 October 2006 in order to help fund WCGS' new sports hall. On this occasion, the event was competitive, and the winner was to be decided by a panel of judges. The winners, Dazed, also gave an acoustic performance after the concert in memory of Jimmy Li, a pupil of Wallington County Grammar school who had died in a car crash in January 2006. In total, more than £1000 was raised. The event, which is open to entries from the entire student body, has become a recurring annual event and a popular item in the school's calendar. WCGS plans to host future RAG (Raising And Giving) events to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.
The most recent, and largest, addition to extracurricular activities is the sports hall, which was opened in April 2010. The development of the hall cost £1.34 million, of which £785,000 was funded by the LEA and the remainder was funded by the school's and PTFA's own fundraising efforts. The construction incorporates various cutting edge aesthetic features including a V-shaped roof and subtly undulating walls.[6]
Many extracurricular activities are offered by WCGS include Debating, Public Speaking, Chess, Christian Union, Football, Islamic Society, Art, Drama, Music, trips abroad, Cricket, Athletics, Cross-country running and Rugby union. As part of the school's drive to create more societies, newer clubs such as the Puzzle Club and a Film Club have also been founded.
The main sporting achievement of WCGS was in 1999, the 1st XV Rugby team won the final of the Daily Mail U18 Vase in a match played at Twickenham Stadium. The match against Lymm High School ended 16-9 in WCGS's favour.
On 17 March 2006, a Charity Bands Concert was held at the school (WCGS) to raise money for Madidima Primary School in South Africa. Seven bands formed by the school pupils performed to an audience in the WCGS school hall and a total of £545 was raised through ticket and refreshment sales.
WCGS has regular trips abroad, which have included cultural tours to China and Russia; geography expeditions to Iceland and a cruise around the Red Sea. It is customary that at least two or three members of school staff lead the trips, as well as prefects or other senior members of staff.
References
- ^ Chaudri, Kazim (20 October 2011). "Former Wallington Grammar school student Chris Bates reaches Apprentice final". yourlocalguardian.
- ^ [1] Archived 2010-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [2]
- ^ Ofsted Report, 27 March 1998
- ^ Ofsted Report, 14 November 2012
- ^ Sutton Council's Online Planning D2008/60133