Dean Close School
Encyclopedia
Dean Close School is a co-educational independent school
in Cheltenham
, Gloucestershire
, England
. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest private land area in the town. Students may be enrolled as young as 3 in the pre-preparatory school, and continue through to 18 at the senior school. The school adheres to National Curriculum guidelines, while retaining independent status as a selective, fee-paying institution. Dean Close is a public school
, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
.
of Cheltenham and Dean
of Carlisle Cathedral
, Rev Francis Close
(1797–1882). Alumni include the poet James Elroy Flecker
, whose father was the school's first headmaster (the old Flecker Hall was named after him), and the artist Francis Bacon
.
In the First World War more than 120 former pupils were killed; their names, along with the names of young men killed during the Second World War are recorded in the memorial
chapel
, which was consecrated in 1923.
The school buildings were requisitioned by the Home Office
during World War II and the staff and pupils were relocated to nearby Monkton Combe School
. Ultimately, the buildings were not required by the government, and were handed back in 1940. In December of the same year, the school was hit by five bombs during air raids
. Two of the bombs caused substantial damage to the junior school and shrapnel
damage can be observed on what was the Careers building, now an administrative office.
In 1967, the first girl was admitted for tutorials, and by 1969 the school had started encouraging female applicants to study full-time. Enrolment increased over the next 35 years to create a balanced co-educational environment, with equal numbers of boys and girls in boarding
and day houses.
Dean Close hit headlines in 2008 when the media and parents discovered that headmaster Rev Timothy Hastie-Smith, (1998 – 10 October 2008) had appointed a teacher despite knowing that he had been involved in a scandal at his former school, Shrewsbury School
. He was elected Chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference for the 2008–09 academic year but relinquished both positions as a consequence of the scandal.
universities, with almost one in six achieving places at Oxbridge
in recent years.
In 2009, Dean Close pupils achieved the best GCSE results in the School's history with 58.1% attaining A/A*, and with an overall pass rate of 97.6%.
However, in 2010, the same record was yet again broken, with 61.7% of pupils achieving A/A* , with an overall pass rate of 98.3%
The school has visited the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with their own theatre company, Close Up Theatre, every year since 2004.
See also :Category:Old Decanians.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, 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...
. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest private land area in the town. Students may be enrolled as young as 3 in the pre-preparatory school, and continue through to 18 at the senior school. The school adheres to National Curriculum guidelines, while retaining independent status as a selective, fee-paying institution. Dean Close is a public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
.
History
The school, originally "The Dean Close Memorial School", was founded in 1886 in memory of local former RectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Cheltenham and Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England...
, Rev Francis Close
Francis Close
Francis Close was the Anglican Rector of Cheltenham , and Dean of Carlisle from 1856–1881.-Biography:...
(1797–1882). Alumni include the poet James Elroy Flecker
James Elroy Flecker
James Elroy Flecker was an English poet, novelist and playwright. As a poet he was most influenced by the Parnassian poets.-Biography:...
, whose father was the school's first headmaster (the old Flecker Hall was named after him), and the artist Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon (painter)
Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
.
In the First World War more than 120 former pupils were killed; their names, along with the names of young men killed during the Second World War are recorded in the memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, which was consecrated in 1923.
The school buildings were requisitioned by the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
during World War II and the staff and pupils were relocated to nearby Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School is an independent boarding and day school of the British public school tradition, near Bath, England. The Senior School is located in the village of Monkton Combe, while the Prep School, Pre-Prep and Nursery are in Combe Down on the southern outskirts of Bath...
. Ultimately, the buildings were not required by the government, and were handed back in 1940. In December of the same year, the school was hit by five bombs during air raids
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
. Two of the bombs caused substantial damage to the junior school and shrapnel
Fragmentation (weaponry)
Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
damage can be observed on what was the Careers building, now an administrative office.
In 1967, the first girl was admitted for tutorials, and by 1969 the school had started encouraging female applicants to study full-time. Enrolment increased over the next 35 years to create a balanced co-educational environment, with equal numbers of boys and girls in boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and day houses.
Dean Close hit headlines in 2008 when the media and parents discovered that headmaster Rev Timothy Hastie-Smith, (1998 – 10 October 2008) had appointed a teacher despite knowing that he had been involved in a scandal at his former school, Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
. He was elected Chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference for the 2008–09 academic year but relinquished both positions as a consequence of the scandal.
Academic achievement
A-Level results in 2007 saw the school achieve a 100% pass rate with 81% of exams graded A–B. These results have put Dean Close in the top 100 schools in England as ranked by UCAS points per candidate. A majority of pupils attend Russell GroupRussell Group
The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies...
universities, with almost one in six achieving places at Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
in recent years.
In 2009, Dean Close pupils achieved the best GCSE results in the School's history with 58.1% attaining A/A*, and with an overall pass rate of 97.6%.
However, in 2010, the same record was yet again broken, with 61.7% of pupils achieving A/A* , with an overall pass rate of 98.3%
Drama
There are 10 drama productions every year on average, from whole school musicals to pupil-produced plays.The school has visited the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with their own theatre company, Close Up Theatre, every year since 2004.
Sport
In the summer of 2009, Dean Close U18 boys hockey team won the Schools National Hockey competition. They also reached the schools National Hockey Finals again in 2010 and 2011.Houses (Senior)
- Brook Court — Boys' boarding
- Dale — Boys' day
- Fawley — Girls' boarding
- Field — Boys' day
- Gate — Boys' boarding
- Hatherley - Girls' day (opened September 2011)
- Mead — Girls' day
- Shelburne — Girls' boarding
- Tower — Boys' boarding
Houses (Prep school)
- Caledecote — Boarding boys (Year 6-8)
- Fortfield — Boarding girls (Year 6-8)
- Wilton — Boarding Junior (Year 3-5)
- Oaksey — Day
- Deacon — Day
- Yeaman — Day
Notable Old Decanians
- Former students of the school are known as 'Old Decanians', decanus being the Latin for dean.
- George AdamsonGeorge AdamsonGeorge Adamson , also known as the "Baba ya Simba" , was a British wildlife conservationist and author...
, environmentalist. - Oliver Claude AllisonOliver Claude AllisonOliver Claude Allison, CBE, born 1908 was Bishop in the Sudan for over 20 years in the second part of the 20th century . Educated at Dean Close School, Cheltenham and Queen's College, Cambridge , he was ordained in 1933 and began his ecclesiastical career with a curacy in Boscombe.1932-36 Curate...
, bishop. - Francis BaconFrancis Bacon (painter)Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
, artist. - Richard St. Barbe BakerRichard St. Barbe BakerRichard St. Barbe Baker was an English forester, environmental activist and author, who contributed greatly to worldwide reforestation efforts. As a leader, he founded an organization, still active today, whose many chapters carry out reforestation internationally.-Early years:He was born in...
, environmentalist, forester and writer. - Francis BerryFrancis BerryFrancis Berry was a British academic, poet, critic and translator.He was born in Ipoh, Malaya, and educated at the University of London and the University of Exeter. After serving as a soldier, and then as a schoolteacher in Malta, he held various appointments in English literature...
, poet and critic. - Denis Burkitt, surgeon.
- Ernest CossartErnest CossartErnest Cossart was a British-born Hollywood actor. Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, his real name was Emil von Holst. He was the brother of composer Gustav Holst. His daughter was the actress Valeria Cossart....
, actor. - Basil DaleBasil Montague DaleThe Rt Rev Basil Montague Dale, DD was the Anglican Bishop of Jamaica from 1950 until 1955. He was educated at Dean Close School and Queens' College, Cambridge and ordained in 1927. His first post was as Curate of St Andrew’s, Catford after which he was Priest in charge of All Saints, Putney. ...
, former Anglican Bishop of Jamaica. - William DimolineWilliam Alfred DimolineMajor-General William Alfred Dimoline CB CMG CBE DSO MC was an officer in the British Army during World War I and World War II...
, British general. - Verrier ElwinVerrier ElwinVerrier Elwin was a self-trained anthropologist, ethnologist and tribal activist, who began his career in India as a Christian missionary...
, missionary. - Robert EvansRobert John Weston EvansProfessor Robert John Weston Evans FLSW FBA is a historian, whose speciality is the post-medieval history of Central and Eastern Europe. He was educated at Dean Close School, Cheltenham and Jesus College, Cambridge. Evans is Regius Professor of Modern History in the University of Oxford, and a...
, Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. - James FleckerJames Elroy FleckerJames Elroy Flecker was an English poet, novelist and playwright. As a poet he was most influenced by the Parnassian poets.-Biography:...
, English poet, novelist and playwright. - Jon FosterJon Foster (writer)Jon Foster is a BAFTA winning English comedy writer. He grew up in Cheltenham, attending Dean Close School and then studied English and History at Trinity College Dublin graduating in 2005.-Television Work:...
, English comedy writer. - Andrew Goudie, geographer and Master of St Cross College, Oxford.
- Brian JonesBrian JonesLewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
, musician, guitarist and founding member of The Rolling Stones. - G. Wilson KnightG. Wilson KnightGeorge Richard Wilson Knight was an English literary critic and academic, known particularly for his interpretation of mythic content in literature, and his essays The Wheel of Fire on Shakespeare's drama...
, literary critic and academic. - Gordon LuceGordon H LuceGordon Hannington Luce was a colonial scholar in Burma. He was born on 20 January 1889 and died on 3 May 1979. His outstanding library containing books, manuscripts, maps and photographs - The Luce Collection - was acquired by the National Library of Australia in 1980, as part of its major research...
, scholar and member of the Cambridge Apostles. - Samer MajaliSamer MajaliSamer Majali is a Jordanian businessman and the current CEO of Gulf Air . Majali has also served as the CEO of Royal Jordanian airlines from 2002-2009, and was credited for transforming the airline into one of the most successful in the region. Under his management, the airline recorded its first...
, businessman. - Ben MarsdenBen MarsdenBenjamin Marsden is an English field hockey player who plays as a half back.Competing for England and Great Britain at numerous tournaments, he is representing Great Britain in Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
, hockey player for England. - Mpumelelo MbangwaMpumelelo MbangwaMpumelelo Mbangwa is a former Zimbabwean cricketer and currently, a cricket commentator. He played fifteen Tests and twenty nine One Day Internationals for Zimbabwe. After being dropped from the international side after the 2002 Champions Trophy, he took up work as a cricket commentator for...
, cricketer and commentator. - John MetcalfJohn Metcalf (composer)John Metcalf is a British and Canadian composer. He has worked in many forms, including large-scale operas, choral and orchestral works, and a great deal of chamber music, both instrumental and vocal...
, composer. - Robert MorelandRobert MorelandRobert John Moreland is a British management consultant and politician. After a single term as a Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament, he served on the Economic and Social Committee of the European Union for twelve years and was elected to two local authorities...
, consultant and politician. - Geoffrey PageGeoffrey PageAlan Geoffrey Page DSO, OBE, DFC & Bar was a British flying ace of the Second World War, and a founding member of the Guinea Pig Club.-Early life:...
, World War II fighter pilot. - Hugh QuarshieHugh Quarshie- Early and Personal Life :Quarshie is of mixed Ghanaian, English and Dutch ancestry and was born in Accra, Ghana, to Emma Wilhelmina and Richard Quarshie, and emigrated with his family to the United Kingdom when he was aged three...
, actor. - Bernard Ribeiro, former president of the Royal College of Surgeons.
- Jim ThompsonJim Thompson (bishop)James Lawton "Jim" Thompson was an Anglican bishop. He was firstly the area Bishop of Stepney from 1978 to 1991 and later the diocesan Bishop of Bath & Wells in succession to George Carey who had become Archbishop of Canterbury...
, bishop. - William WelchWilliam Neville WelchNeville Welch was the inaugural Bishop of Bradwell from 1968 to 1973. Born on 30 April 1906 he was educated at Dean Close School, Cheltenham and Keble College, Oxford and studied for ordination at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford before a curacy in Kidderminster. From 1934 he was Secretary to the Mission...
, bishop. - Tom Johnson (rugby union)Tom Johnson (Rugby Union)Tom Johnson is a professional Rugby Union player for Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership. Tom was educated at Dean Close School, Cheltenham. His position of choice is Flanker or Number eight....
, professional rugby union player for Exeter ChiefsExeter ChiefsExeter Rugby Club are a rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon.The Exeter club was formed around 1871 and played its first match in 1873. The first team has been rebranded as the Exeter Chiefs and play in a strip of Black , White ....
and England - Peter BrownePeter BrownePeter Browne , Irish divine and bishop of Cork and Ross, was born in County Dublin, not long after the Restoration.He entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1682, and after ten years' residence obtained a fellowship...
, professional rugby union player for Harlequins - Henry C. Staelens, founder of UK sportswear brand, Hexx
- George Adamson
See also :Category:Old Decanians.