Alcester Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Alcester Grammar School is a selective entry state grammar school
in England
situated in Alcester
, Warwickshire
.
, getting consistently very high GCSE
results. Entry is at age 11 for year 7, with selection by Eleven plus verbal reasoning exam; and at age 16 for year 12 (sixth form
), with good enough GCSE grades, dependent on number of places.
There are approximately 1000 students at the school and over 100 staff. The school takes in three forms of about 30 at year 7, meaning that about 450 students are in years 7-11. The sixth form has over 500 students.
Status in 2003, and recently achieved Specialist Science College
Status, along with many other awards. In their most recent OFSTED
inspection, the school was described overall as "Outstanding", the highest grade a school can currently achieve on an inspection. A copy of the inspection report can be viewed on the school website.
sports hall was constructed during the summer of 2005. Many rooms elsewhere in the school have had new ceilings and been painted. The sports hall is used mainly for physical education lessons as well as whole school assemblies.
The sixth form has recently undergone changes due to a new head of sixth form, including new business wear
dress code and replacement of the common room and two study rooms with 'The Studio' (a small café with seating in three separate rooms). In 2010, a new physics block was also completed.
On 1 April 2011, Alcester Grammar School became the first school in south Warwickshire to achieve academy status.
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
situated in Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
Admissions
The school is recognised as one of the top schools in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, getting consistently very high GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
results. Entry is at age 11 for year 7, with selection by Eleven plus verbal reasoning exam; and at age 16 for year 12 (sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
), with good enough GCSE grades, dependent on number of places.
About the school
As the school website says:
Alcester Grammar is a very successful, selective, rural, grammar school, providing a variety of courses at both National Curriculum and post 16 levels. The school has a large VI form and offers one of the widest ranges of both 'A' and 'AS' levels in the country.
The school sets out to provide a relaxed and constructive atmosphere, in which pupils are encouraged to develop their individual talents. Since it is school, boys and girls are jointly involved in most aspects of school life. We have no doubt that co-education is a fitting preparation for life.
There are approximately 1000 students at the school and over 100 staff. The school takes in three forms of about 30 at year 7, meaning that about 450 students are in years 7-11. The sixth form has over 500 students.
School Achievements
The school was awarded Specialist Performing Arts CollegeArts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
Status in 2003, and recently achieved Specialist Science College
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...
Status, along with many other awards. In their most recent OFSTED
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
inspection, the school was described overall as "Outstanding", the highest grade a school can currently achieve on an inspection. A copy of the inspection report can be viewed on the school website.
Improvements
A multi-million poundPound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
sports hall was constructed during the summer of 2005. Many rooms elsewhere in the school have had new ceilings and been painted. The sports hall is used mainly for physical education lessons as well as whole school assemblies.
The sixth form has recently undergone changes due to a new head of sixth form, including new business wear
Informal attire
Informal attire, also called international business attire or Western business attire is a dress code, typified by a suit and necktie, for men. On the scale of formality, informal attire is more formal than casual but less formal than semi-formal. It is more presentational than semi-casual, but...
dress code and replacement of the common room and two study rooms with 'The Studio' (a small café with seating in three separate rooms). In 2010, a new physics block was also completed.
On 1 April 2011, Alcester Grammar School became the first school in south Warwickshire to achieve academy status.
Notable former pupils
- Sarah DouglasSarah DouglasSarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the...
, actress - Simon DavisSimon Davis (comics)Simon Davis a British comics artist best known for his fully painted art work on Sinister Dexter, Black Siddha and Stone Island...
, comics artist