Bemrose School
Encyclopedia
Bemrose School was a grammar school
for boys in Derby
, England
, until 1975, when it became a comprehensive
. It became comprehensive in 1989. There were a few difficult years as the school worked to establish itself as an all ability school for Derby. It became a Foundation School and then a Foundation Trust school, partnered with Littleover Community School, in 2009. Now known as 'The Bemrose School', there have been eight years of steady improvement - the percentage of students attaining 5 good GCSEs has risen from single figures (at the lowest ebb) to 64% in 2011. The school is expected to rise further in the coming years.
were built on the new site in 1928-1930 at a cost of £71,746, and when the school moved into them in 1930 it was renamed Bemrose School, in honour of the services to education of the Bemrose family of Derby, and in particular of Dr Henry Howe Bemrose. The new school was officially opened on 11 July 1930 by Sir Charles Trevelyan
, President of the Board of Education.
A memorial to the sixty-eight old boys of the former Derby Municipal Secondary School who died in the First World War was moved to the new school's main corridor where it remains to this day.
The school was originally divided into seven houses, each with its own colour and motto
: Burke (Nil nisi bene), Drake (Semper audacter), Gainsborough (Vis unita fortior), Nelson, Newton (Consilio et animis), Sidney (Animo et fide), and Wellington (Pactum serva).. In present times, the houses remain but there are now just four named after stately homes in Derbyshire - Chatsworth, Hardwick, Haddon, Kedleston.
The school became a grammar school
, until in 1975 it was merged with Rykneld Boys' Secondary Modern School to make a new comprehensive school
, when girls were first admitted.
These headmasters were followed by Mr R Hobson, Mr R Kenny, Mr J Chartres, Mr R Feist and the current headteacher, Ms J Ward - the first woman to hold the position at Bemrose.
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...
for boys in Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, 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...
, until 1975, when it became a comprehensive
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
. It became comprehensive in 1989. There were a few difficult years as the school worked to establish itself as an all ability school for Derby. It became a Foundation School and then a Foundation Trust school, partnered with Littleover Community School, in 2009. Now known as 'The Bemrose School', there have been eight years of steady improvement - the percentage of students attaining 5 good GCSEs has risen from single figures (at the lowest ebb) to 64% in 2011. The school is expected to rise further in the coming years.
History
A new school called the Derby Municipal Secondary School for Boys was founded in Abbey Street, Derby, and opened on 12 September 1902. In December 1923, a new site for the school was acquired in Uttoxeter Road, Derby, and for some years was used for games. New school buildings designed by the architect Alexander MacphersonAlexander Macpherson
Alexander MacPherson, , was an English architect. Although born in Nottingham he worked for the majority of his career in and around Derby, where he had moved in 1880. He served as president of the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Architectural Society.-Career:He was for many years in partnership...
were built on the new site in 1928-1930 at a cost of £71,746, and when the school moved into them in 1930 it was renamed Bemrose School, in honour of the services to education of the Bemrose family of Derby, and in particular of Dr Henry Howe Bemrose. The new school was officially opened on 11 July 1930 by Sir Charles Trevelyan
Sir Charles Trevelyan, 3rd Baronet
Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, 3rd Baronet PC , the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland, was a British Liberal, and later Labour, politician and landowner...
, President of the Board of Education.
A memorial to the sixty-eight old boys of the former Derby Municipal Secondary School who died in the First World War was moved to the new school's main corridor where it remains to this day.
The school was originally divided into seven houses, each with its own colour and motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: Burke (Nil nisi bene), Drake (Semper audacter), Gainsborough (Vis unita fortior), Nelson, Newton (Consilio et animis), Sidney (Animo et fide), and Wellington (Pactum serva).. In present times, the houses remain but there are now just four named after stately homes in Derbyshire - Chatsworth, Hardwick, Haddon, Kedleston.
The school became a grammar school
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...
, until in 1975 it was merged with Rykneld Boys' Secondary Modern School to make a new comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
, when girls were first admitted.
Headmasters
- 1930-1940s: Mr W. A. Macfarlane MA (Oxon.University of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
) (previously head of the Derby Municipal Secondary School for Boys, 1923-1930) - 1952-1957: Mr Eric G. Bennett MA (Cantab.University of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
) - 1957-1971: Dr Raymond Chapman PhDDoctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(Innsbruck), previously head master of Firth Park Grammar School, SheffieldSheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely... - 1971-1980s: Mr W. M. Wearne MAMaster of Arts (postgraduate)A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, previously head master of the Anglo-Colombian School, BogotaBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
These headmasters were followed by Mr R Hobson, Mr R Kenny, Mr J Chartres, Mr R Feist and the current headteacher, Ms J Ward - the first woman to hold the position at Bemrose.
Notable Old Bemrosians
- See also Old Bemrosians.
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(born 1947), industrialist - Stephen MarleyStephen Marley (writer)Stephen Marley is a British author and video game designer, best known for his Chia Black Dragon series. He was born in Derby of Irish parents and was educated in Bemrose School in Derby and at Nottingham. He graduated in Social Anthropology in 1971 in London, gained an M.Sc in the Sociology of...
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since 2006