Gravesend Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Gravesend Grammar School is a selective secondary 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...

 located in Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...

, England. The school accepts boys at age 11 by examination and boys and girls at 16, based on their GCSE results.

The school

Gravesend Grammar School was opened on 19 July 1893 in a lavish ceremony by Princess Beatrice of Battenberg
Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom
The Princess Beatrice was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Juan Carlos, King of Spain, is her great-grandson...

, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. The school was originally based in Darnley Road, Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...

 and later moved to the site of Milton Hall, the former home of G. M. Arnold, a former Mayor of Gravesend, and one of the founders of the school. The original building is currently used as an Adult Education Centre. The replacement building is still in use although many alterations and additions have been made to it since it was originally constructed, including being partly rebuilt after being bombed during World War II, having been mistaken for Eton College..

A second school building, known as the 'Centenary Building', was built in 1993, to commemorate the School's 100th year, and currently houses cutting-edge facilities including multiple computer facilities and chemistry labs. There are a number of mobile classrooms around the school site, used for various subjects, although these are beginning to be replaced by more permanent buildings.

In July 2009 a new sports centre was opened, adjacent to the sports hall, and named the Sanderson Sports Centre, after the former Head Master.

Overall, there are 57 classrooms, including six Computer Rooms, all of which contain Interactive Whiteboard
Interactive whiteboard
An interactive whiteboard , is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device...

s, as well as a library, a sports hall, several small music practice rooms, and a canteen available to all staff and pupils.

In 2004 the School gained specialist status as a Maths and Computing Specialist School. This guarantees the School extra government funding in order to continue the running and expansion of its facilities. The school also gained language specialist status, in 2008
  • Chairman of the Governing Body: Mr Graham Ralph BA (Hons).

  • Headteacher: Mr Geoffrey S. Wybar BA.

  • Deputy Headteacher: Mr Brian Simpson BA MA.

  • Assistant Headteachers: Mr Matt Allen BSc (Director of Specialist School), Mr Ben Chapelard (Director of Languages), Mr Malcolm Moaby (Head of Lower School), Mr Ashley Tomlin (Head of Middle School) and Mrs Sarah Tremain (Head of Senior School).

  • Director of Support Services: Mr Mike Fall BEng.


On the 1st August 2011 the school became an Academy Trust.

Names of the School

1890 - 1898 The Gravesend Municipal Technical School
1898 - 1904 The Gravesend Municipal Day School
1904 - 1914 The Gravesend County Day School
1914 - 1946 The County School for Boys, Gravesend
1946 - 1967 The Gravesend Grammar School for Boys
1967 - 1982 The Gravesend School for Boys
1982 - 1999 Gravesend Grammar School for Boys
1999 - present Gravesend Grammar School

House system

In 1926 the present House system
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...

 was introduced replacing the former houses of Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....

, Vikings and Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...

. Originally the pupils in each year group were divided into four houses reflecting where they lived. This distinction no longer applies with the choice of house now often linked to family connections:
Cliffe (Blue House tie) - Derived from the Overcliffe, for boys from the west of the Borough
Downs (Yellow House tie) - Reflecting the North Downs, for boys from the south of the Borough
Hill (Green House tie) - From Windmill Hill, for boys from the east of the Borough
Town (Red House tie) - As the name implies, boys drawn from the town area

In 1993 to reflect the growing size of the school, a fifth house was introduced:
School (Purple House tie)


In 2009 a sixth form of entry was created in Year 7 to accommodate the growing number of pupils. Pupils are members of all five Houses and uses the suffix B (7B, 8B etc).

Head boy team and prefects

Each year, a Head Boy and a team of five deputies are elected from the Lower Sixth (Year 12). Several weeks before the Easter Holiday, any student wishing to stand for either position must submit a manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...

 to the Head of Year. Hustings are then held, in which the candidates put forward their ideas and reasons for wishing to be elected. The Year 12 group and staff vote then for their choices for Head Boy and Deputies. The candidates with the most votes then have an interview with the Headteacher, and the successful candidates are announced just before the term ends. As the School now has a mixed sixth form the team is also mixed.

There are a large number of prefects in the school, ranging from subject prefects to pastoral ones in charge of areas of the school such as the Library or the Canteen. There is a dedicated team of about fifteen students to ensure appropriate use of ICT facilities at break and lunchtimes. All members of the Prefect and Head Boy teams are issued a blue, shield shaped badge with their position engraved on it.

Sixth form

The Sixth Form currently contains approximately 300 students, studying A Levels in a variety of subjects. Each week there is a "General Education" session for the Lower Sixth, in which various speakers, such as the local MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 or representatives from Israeli and Palestinian Support Charities, speak. The school also provides free "Driveability" sessions for the Year 12 students that outline the various risks and responsibilities of learning to drive. There are several extracurricular clubs specifically for the Sixth Form, including an A+ computing course, and a Film Club.

Careers

Pupils begin to prepare for career choices in Year 9, where they start to have one lesson a fortnight being taught various aspects of careers, including interview techniques and how to write CV
Résumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...

s. These lessons continue until the end of year 11. In addition, all year 11 pupils have a week's work experience in a variety of locations, from local prep schools to companies in London. They also have group careers interviews with a Connexions
Connexions
Connexions is a global repository of educational content provided by Rice University. The entire collection is available free of charge, and students and learners alike can explore all the content they desire....

 advisor, with one on one sessions if requested. The school has a Careers Library that any student can use, that contains prospectuses and information from various Universities, as well as information about possible careers paths.
In year nine this is included in life skills (cooking, first aid etc.) and in year ten this is included in study skills. In y11 this careers are the main focus.

Sport

Sport plays a very big part of life at the school, to the extent that for the last two years, all GCSE students take Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....

 short courses. There are a number of specialist PE teachers who coach a variety of teams, including Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

, Badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

, Rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...

, and Hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...

, as well as facilities for Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, Table Tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...

 and Athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...

. Handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...

 was introduced in 2010.

The school often partakes in oversea Rugby Tours, these have been as far afield as South Africa, and Canada. In 2005 Gravesend Grammar School visisted Canada on a 3 week tour and were undefeated, on the final few days of the tour Gravesend Grammar finalised a winning tour with a win for both 1st and second team against the Ontorio's state team.
During July and August of 2011, the Senior Rugby Squad will travelled to Los Angeles, New Zealand and Hong Kong. The squad travelled for 20 days visiting the cities of Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand, originally the tour was scheduled to visit Christchurch in the South Island, however due to the 2011 earthquake the itinerary was changed. Six matches were be played, 4 in New Zealand.

Drama and music

The school GCSE and A Level groups have recently staged productions such as Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...

, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is a play by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, originally written in 1941...

, West Side Story, The Royal Hunt of the Sun
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
The Royal Hunt of the Sun is a 1964 play by Peter Shaffer that portrays the destruction of the Inca empire by conquistador Francisco Pizarro.-Premiere:...

, Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...

, The Madness of King George
The Madness of King George
The Madness of King George is a 1994 film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play, The Madness of George III. It tells the true story of George III's deteriorating mental health, and his equally declining relationship with his son, the Prince of Wales, particularly...

, Grimm Tales
Grimm Tales
Grimm Tales is a play by British poet Carol Ann Duffy, based on the original fairy tales written down by the Brothers Grimm. The play was first published in 1996. In 1997 she published a sequel, More Grimm Tales. Not all of the stories that were produced by the Brothers Grimm were adapted in the play...

, The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...

, The Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 American comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate young florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human flesh and blood. The film's concept is thought to be based on a 1932...

and The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...

. The most recent being Year 10's Grimm Tales
Grimm Tales
Grimm Tales is a play by British poet Carol Ann Duffy, based on the original fairy tales written down by the Brothers Grimm. The play was first published in 1996. In 1997 she published a sequel, More Grimm Tales. Not all of the stories that were produced by the Brothers Grimm were adapted in the play...

. It went extremely well, and all of the staff were very pleased at the dedication and commitment of the Year 10 boys. New productions have been staged including some written by student and teachers like The Letter of Marque , directed by Carrie Lee-Grey (SMOOSH) and Written by Ashley Tomlin.
There are a number of musical organisations in the School, including Guitar and Recorder Clubs, a Chamber Orchestra and a Choir.

Trips

Recent years have seen educational visits to France, Italy, and Germany, including various exchanges, as well as slightly less adventurous trips to places such as The Globe Theatre, Chessington World of Adventures, the Phoenix Theatre, Whipsinade Zoo and The British Museum. Groups of senior students went to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 on a World Challenge Expedition
World Challenge
World Challenge is British worldwide expeditionary branch of Thomson Holidays with businesses in the UK, Asia Pacific, The United States and the Middle East, founded in 1987...

 in 2005, to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

 in July 2007 an then to Zambia and Botswana in 2010. The School also hold more recreational visits, such as recent Rugby Tours to Canada and South Africa, and the Annual Ski Trip to Italy, as well as an additional ski trip to Canada in 2011. The school has also taken pupils to canoe down the Ardèche and has taken pupils scuba diving in Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...

. In spring of 2008 pupils went to Spain. The Senior Rugby Team toured to Los Angeles, New Zealand and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

 in the Summer of 2011. In the summer of 2013 there will be an expedition to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

 and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

.

Motto and school song

The school 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...

, Consule Cunctis, was adopted in 1925, and whilst originally translated as "Do thou take thought for the good of all men", is now taken to mean "take thought for everyone". Originally, the school song was "Forty Years On", the school song for Harrow School, but in 1926 two friends of the Headmaster wrote a new song, also called "Consule Cunctis". "Forty Years On" continued to be sung along with the new song at important dates in the school calendar, such as Speech Day, until the late Forties. To reflect the ever increasing numbers and diversity of the school, and particularly the inclusion of female students within the sixth form, the words have changed, in theory at least, from "four hundred fellows" to "one thousand students".

Head Masters

1893 - 1898 J.T. Dalladay AMC
1898 - 1924 H.F.A. Wigley BA FCS
1924 - 1946 Rev Samuel Lister MSc
1946 - 1963 William H.E. Stevens BSc
1963 - 1968 H. Peter Arnold-Craft MA
1968 - 1974 Roy Cooke MA
1974 - 1977 James A. Brogden MA
1978 - 1985 Peter T. Sanderson DLC
1985 - 2000 Peter J. Read BSc MPhil MA
2000 - present Geoffrey S. Wybar BA

Deputy Head Masters

1893 - 1898 S.A. Sworn MA
1898 - 1907 J.T. Dalladay AMC
1907 - 1931 D. Foster
1931 - 1936 H. Law
1936 - 1958 A. Richards
1958 - 1964 Les C. Furley
1964 - 1973 E.W. Walker
1973 - 1977 Peter T. Sanderson DLC
1979 - 1986 John E. Edwards
1986 - 1990 Robin H. Curtis
1990 - present Brian Simpson BA MA
2004 - 2008 Dr Joanne L. Seymour

Notable former pupils

  • Squadron Leader
    Squadron Leader
    Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...

     Robert Anthony Maurice Palmer
    Robert Anthony Maurice Palmer
    Robert Anthony Maurice Palmer VC, DFC & Bar was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....

     VC
    Victoria Cross
    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

     DFC & Bar (1920–1944).
  • Sir Richard Southwood
    Richard Southwood
    Sir Thomas Richard Edmund Southwood DL, FRS was Professor of zoology and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford....

     Kt DL FRS (1931–2005), Professor of Zoology and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, 1989-1993.
  • Professor Brian Newbould
    Brian Newbould
    Brian Newbould is a composer, conductor and author who has finished Franz Schubert's Unfinished Symphony and more symphonic works and even extra symphonies. He was educated at Gravesend Grammar School.-References:...

    , Professor of Music, Hull University, 1979-2001.
  • Johnny Hills
    Johnny Hills
    John Raymond 'Johnny' Hills is a former English professional footballer who played for Gravesend & Northfleet, Tottenham Hotspur and Bristol Rovers.-Playing career:...

     (1934- ), professional footballer.
  • Jonathan A. Martin OBE (1943- ), former Head of BBC Sport, 1982-2000.
  • David Nicholls
    David Nicholls (cricketer)
    David Nicholls, born at East Dereham, Norfolk on 8 December 1943 and died at Dartford, Kent on 10 June 2008, was a cricketer who played for Kent during the 1960s and 1970s....

     (1943–2008), Kent cricketer.
  • Peter Jones (1944- ), Chairman of the Horserace Totaliser Board (the Tote
    The Tote
    The Tote, formerly the Horserace Totalisator Board, is a British bookmaker with head offices in Wigan. It was owned from its formation in 1928 by the UK Government but was sold to Betfred in July 2011. Under the brand totesport the Tote has 514 high street betting shops, outlets on Britain's 60...

    ), 1997–2008, President of the Racehorse Owners' Association, 1990–1993 and Chairman Dorset Police Authority, 1997-2003.
  • David A. Cooke
    David A. Cooke (rugby union)
    For the England rugby union international of the same name, born in 1955, please see David H Cooke .For other people with the same name please see David Cooke ....

     (1949- ), England Rugby International.
  • Geoff Whitehorn
    Geoff Whitehorn
    Geoffrey Charles 'Geoff' Whitehorn is a guitarist and singer-songwriter, who has played as a member of If, Crawler and Procol Harum.- History :...

     (1951- ), guitarist and singer-songwriter, member of Procul Harum.
  • Rt Rev Tony Porter
    Tony Porter
    Anthony Porter is the suffragan Bishop of Sherwood in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.-Early life and education:...

     (1952- ), Bishop of Sherwood
    Bishop of Sherwood
    The Bishop of Sherwood is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, in the Province of York, England. The title takes its name after the Royal forest of Sherwood in Nottinghamshire....

    , 2006–present.
  • Richard T. Russell
    Richard T. Russell
    Richard Thomas Russell is the creator of the BBC Basic for Windows programming language and the author of the Z80 and MS-DOS versions of BBC BASIC....

     (1952- ), author of the BBC BASIC
    BBC BASIC
    BBC BASIC is a programming language, developed in 1981 as a native programming language for the MOS Technology 6502 based Acorn BBC Micro home/personal computer, mainly by Sophie Wilson. It is a version of the BASIC programming language adapted for a U.K...

     for Windows programming language.
  • Paul Greengrass
    Paul Greengrass
    Paul Greengrass is an English film director, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of real-life events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras.-Life and career:...

     (1955- ), BAFTA winning and Academy Award nominated film director.
  • Dr Mike Clarke (1959- ), Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
    Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
    Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...

     (RSPB), 2010–present.
  • Stephen Webster (1960- ), jewellery designer.
  • Dr Mike Woodin
    Mike Woodin
    Michael Edward Woodin was the Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales and a city councillor for Oxford from 1994 to 2004...

     (1965–2004), principal speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales
    Green Party of England and Wales
    The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...

    .
  • Howard Saunders (1968- ), musician and composer from Lunatic Calm
    Lunatic Calm
    Lunatic Calm were a UK-based electronic music group formed in 1996. Despite a wide-ranging sound palette, the group was best known for their high impact, industrial-tinged big beat compositions.-History:...

  • Alex Hryniewicz (1983- ), BAFTA winning TV producer.

Other

  • At the end of each academic year, a school magazine, "The Miltonian" is published. Generally it includes Valedictories to leaving staff members, reviews of sporting seasons and drama productions, accounts of school trips and other events that took place during the previous year.

External links

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