Chesham High School
Encyclopedia
Chesham Grammar School is a co-educational grammar school
on White Hill, Chesham
, Buckinghamshire
. There are about 1200 male and female students aged between eleven and eighteen, including nearly 350 in the sixth form
. In 2007 the Department for Education
awarded the school specialist school
status as a Humanities College
. In August 2011 the school became an Academy.
which set up the tripartite arrangements of grammar, technical
and secondary modern schools. The all-boys school was originally housed in only one building, which is now the sixth form block known as "Tringwood". In 1961, the school became known as Chesham Technical High School and during the 1960s, there was huge development in the area, and it became a co-educational grammar school. In 1970, the school changed its name to Chesham High School as it moved away from its technical roots. The name of the school changed to Chesham Grammar School on 7 May 2010. It is as a Grammar School that CGS has seen considerable expansion, improved results and has carved its niche as a co-educational selective school.
Recent years have seen major expansion of the school, including a new maths block, a textiles block, an art block, expansion of the English block, a new library, and a new drama/psychology block. There is now a new technology/art building built over what was A1, the main art room. A leisure centre has been added, where once a number of the old prefab buildings stood.
In 2011, GCSE level results were the best in the history of the school, with 60% of results being awarded at A*/A.
, which operates a selective secondary education system throughout the county.
Pupils have to achieve a mark of 121 or above in the 11+
examination to be eligible to attend the school, although some acquire a place via the appeals process. The school's catchment area spans several miles around the school in to Amersham
, Chorleywood
and Chesham Bois
, though as with many Grammar Schools on county borders, a significant proportion of its pupil population comes from Hertfordshire. As Chesham town is a terminus on the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, many pupils travel from North London. Traditionally with five forms in year 7, and capacity of 180, the school will accommodate pupils who sit the 12 plus exam. The school's progress profile shows that these pupils perform just as well at GCSE and A level. The new 2009/10 academic year saw the highest number of admissions into Year 12 in the history of the school, with 233 pupils being accepted. Although this was untypically large, the school will accept sixth form applications from its own pupils and from elsewhere with a grade B in the relevant subject and with a minimum of grade C in English and Maths (B, if they are to be taken at A level). There is also a requirement for an average of 46 points from the best eight GCSE examinations.
The school is currently consulting on some of its admission arrangements which will ease the transfer to CGS within a school year.
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...
on White Hill, Chesham
Chesham
Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. There are about 1200 male and female students aged between eleven and eighteen, including nearly 350 in the 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,...
. In 2007 the Department for Education
Department for Education
The Department for Education is a department of the UK government responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education....
awarded the school specialist school
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
status as a Humanities College
Humanities College
Humanities Colleges were introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, humanities. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Humanities...
. In August 2011 the school became an Academy.
History
The school was founded in 1947 as the Chesham Technical School - a result of the Education Act 1944Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
which set up the tripartite arrangements of grammar, technical
Secondary Technical School
A Secondary Technical School was a type of secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed in the mid-20th century under the Tripartite System of education. For various reasons few were ever built, and their main interest is on a theoretical level....
and secondary modern schools. The all-boys school was originally housed in only one building, which is now the sixth form block known as "Tringwood". In 1961, the school became known as Chesham Technical High School and during the 1960s, there was huge development in the area, and it became a co-educational grammar school. In 1970, the school changed its name to Chesham High School as it moved away from its technical roots. The name of the school changed to Chesham Grammar School on 7 May 2010. It is as a Grammar School that CGS has seen considerable expansion, improved results and has carved its niche as a co-educational selective school.
Headmasters
- Sidney Chapman 1947-1966
- Paddy Evans 1966-1967
- Ken Stokes 1967-1992
- Tim Andrew 1992-2007
- Nigel Fox 2005-2006 (during Tim Andrew's sabbatical)
- Philip Wayne 2007-present
Recent years have seen major expansion of the school, including a new maths block, a textiles block, an art block, expansion of the English block, a new library, and a new drama/psychology block. There is now a new technology/art building built over what was A1, the main art room. A leisure centre has been added, where once a number of the old prefab buildings stood.
In 2011, GCSE level results were the best in the history of the school, with 60% of results being awarded at A*/A.
Admissions
Admission to the school is brokered through Buckinghamshire County CouncilBuckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
, which operates a selective secondary education system throughout the county.
Pupils have to achieve a mark of 121 or above in the 11+
Eleven plus
In the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
examination to be eligible to attend the school, although some acquire a place via the appeals process. The school's catchment area spans several miles around the school in to Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
, Chorleywood
Chorleywood
Chorleywood is a village and civil parish in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It had a population of 6,814 people at the 2001 census. The parish of Chorleywood as a whole has a population of 10,775. The town lies in the far south west of Hertfordshire, on the...
and Chesham Bois
Chesham Bois
Chesham Bois is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, adjacent to both Amersham and Chesham.-History:...
, though as with many Grammar Schools on county borders, a significant proportion of its pupil population comes from Hertfordshire. As Chesham town is a terminus on the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, many pupils travel from North London. Traditionally with five forms in year 7, and capacity of 180, the school will accommodate pupils who sit the 12 plus exam. The school's progress profile shows that these pupils perform just as well at GCSE and A level. The new 2009/10 academic year saw the highest number of admissions into Year 12 in the history of the school, with 233 pupils being accepted. Although this was untypically large, the school will accept sixth form applications from its own pupils and from elsewhere with a grade B in the relevant subject and with a minimum of grade C in English and Maths (B, if they are to be taken at A level). There is also a requirement for an average of 46 points from the best eight GCSE examinations.
The school is currently consulting on some of its admission arrangements which will ease the transfer to CGS within a school year.