Guildford County School
Encyclopedia
Guildford County School is a foundation
secondary school
and Sixth Form
College located on Farnham Road (A31
), Guildford
, England
, approximately 200 metres from Guildford town centre and opposite Farnham Road Hospital. It has around 950 students enrolled, including the Sixth Form, and about 87 teachers. The school's admissions policy is non-selective.
In September 2004, the School was granted with Specialist Music College
Status, designated by the Department for Education and Skills. The headteacher of the school is Peter Costello. The school is patroned by Julian Lloyd Webber
and Howard Goodall
.
The school became grant-maintained in September 1990 and three years later a three-storey building named after the former Chairman of Governors, Stanley Cobbett, was opened by the then MP David Howell alongside the Headmaster David Smith, his wife Linda and daughters Lucy (head girl), Anna and Ellie. With the change in the age of transfer from 12 to 11, the school roll grew to over 900. In 2000 the school became a Foundation School.
For the 2010 A-level results, the average point score per student (an aggregate of all the grades achieved by a candidate) at Guildford County was 713.5. This was the 58th highest score out of the 73 Surrey schools which declared results and was the lowest average score of any sixth-form college in the Guildford and Godalming area. 10% of achieved A-level entries were at grade A and 63% were at A-C.
at Guildford County School, named after Royal House
s and principal locations of Great Britain. These are:
During the winter season, boys' sports include rugby, football, cricket, basketball and badminton, whilst cricket and softball are the main sporting components in the summer. Girls' sports include netball, football, basketball and tag rugby, as well as badminton, dance, gymnastics and trampolining.
On 21 October 2008, all choirs and musical ensembles performed at the internationally acclaimed Queen Elizabeth Hall
in London to an audience of around 1000. This concert was held to celebrate The Voice and the use of singing as an educational tool; the members of Guildford County School were joined by several junior schools from around Surrey that have worked alongside GCS on this project for many months. The school now has many new facilities, due to the specialist music status, including another music studio. This has proved very useful for concerts and performances, and enabled music technology, an A-level option, to progress and develop as qualification and as an extracurricular activity for younger students.
group and Schola Cantorum. In 2007, the Boys Choir and Schola Cantorum both recorded CDs at the University of Surrey
. In 2010 the Boys Choir won a competition that resulted in them singing at an education conference at International Convention Centre
. There are also school orchestras such as a Chamber Orchestra and Big Band. Mountside Music works with the school, providing music lessons for pupils interested in music.
is another event at the school and allows choirs to perform. There are also many other annual concerts that allow bands and soloists to show off their talents, both at the school and the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
, Guildford.
House Music, an annual competition with an external adjudicator, allows pupils to perform as a house choir, as soloists and groups within houses. It also features There is also an evening performance for those who are commended by the adjudicator.
Foundation school
In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools....
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
and 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,...
College located on Farnham Road (A31
A31 road
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset.-Route of road:The road begins in the centre of Guildford, meeting the A3 road before running south west along the Hog's Back. It continues past Farnham, Alton and New Alresford before...
), Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, 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...
, approximately 200 metres from Guildford town centre and opposite Farnham Road Hospital. It has around 950 students enrolled, including the Sixth Form, and about 87 teachers. The school's admissions policy is non-selective.
In September 2004, the School was granted with Specialist Music College
Music College
Music Colleges were introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in England. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, music. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Music Colleges will receive extra...
Status, designated by the Department for Education and Skills. The headteacher of the school is Peter Costello. The school is patroned by Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber is a British solo cellist who has been described as the "doyen of British cellists".-Early life:Julian Lloyd Webber is the second son of the composer William Lloyd Webber and his wife Jean Johnstone . He is the younger brother of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber...
and Howard Goodall
Howard Goodall
210px|thumb|Howard Goodall at St. John the Baptist Church in Devon, United Kingdom, May 2009Howard Lindsay Goodall CBE is a British composer of musicals, choral music and music for television...
.
Grammar school
The oldest building at the former County School for Girls in Guildford date from the time of the First World War. More buildings were added during the following sixty years.Comprehensive
In 1977, the girls' grammar school became a mixed 12-18 comprehensive school. Between 1977 and 1979, a second teaching block was built together with another gymnasium.The school became grant-maintained in September 1990 and three years later a three-storey building named after the former Chairman of Governors, Stanley Cobbett, was opened by the then MP David Howell alongside the Headmaster David Smith, his wife Linda and daughters Lucy (head girl), Anna and Ellie. With the change in the age of transfer from 12 to 11, the school roll grew to over 900. In 2000 the school became a Foundation School.
Exam results
In the summer 2010 examinations round 66% of pupils attained five A*-C GCSE grades including maths and English, in line with the county average and higher than the 50% national average. 66% was the 37th highest rate in the county out of 73 schools in Surrey who declared their GCSE results.For the 2010 A-level results, the average point score per student (an aggregate of all the grades achieved by a candidate) at Guildford County was 713.5. This was the 58th highest score out of the 73 Surrey schools which declared results and was the lowest average score of any sixth-form college in the Guildford and Godalming area. 10% of achieved A-level entries were at grade A and 63% were at A-C.
House system
There are six housesHouse 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...
at Guildford County School, named after Royal House
Royal House
A royal house or royal dynasty consists of at least one, but usually more monarchs who are related to one another, as well as their non-reigning descendants and spouses. Monarchs of the same realm who are not related to one another are usually deemed to belong to different houses, and each house is...
s and principal locations of Great Britain. These are:
- Tudor (yellow)
- York (white)
- Windsor (purple)
- Stuart (blue)
- Hanover (green)
- Lancaster (red)
Sport
There are a wide variety of sports available at Guildford County School. The Winter House Sports competition involves many team sports, whilst athletics are the main component of the Summer House Sports competition.During the winter season, boys' sports include rugby, football, cricket, basketball and badminton, whilst cricket and softball are the main sporting components in the summer. Girls' sports include netball, football, basketball and tag rugby, as well as badminton, dance, gymnastics and trampolining.
Music
Guildford County School is a specialised music college.On 21 October 2008, all choirs and musical ensembles performed at the internationally acclaimed Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
in London to an audience of around 1000. This concert was held to celebrate The Voice and the use of singing as an educational tool; the members of Guildford County School were joined by several junior schools from around Surrey that have worked alongside GCS on this project for many months. The school now has many new facilities, due to the specialist music status, including another music studio. This has proved very useful for concerts and performances, and enabled music technology, an A-level option, to progress and develop as qualification and as an extracurricular activity for younger students.
Choirs
The school prides itself on its many choirs including: Boys Choir, Girls Choir, Senior Choir, Community Choir, Sixth Form barbershopBarbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
group and Schola Cantorum. In 2007, the Boys Choir and Schola Cantorum both recorded CDs at the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
. In 2010 the Boys Choir won a competition that resulted in them singing at an education conference at International Convention Centre
International Convention Centre
International Convention Centre or International Convention Center can refer to one of the following Convention centers:* International Convention Centre, Birmingham* International Convention Center...
. There are also school orchestras such as a Chamber Orchestra and Big Band. Mountside Music works with the school, providing music lessons for pupils interested in music.
Concerts
The annual Christmas service at Guildford CathedralGuildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
is another event at the school and allows choirs to perform. There are also many other annual concerts that allow bands and soloists to show off their talents, both at the school and the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey presents in-house productions which often tour and transfer to London's West End. Other performances include opera, ballet and pantomime. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, the company has two performance venues, a main theatre and the smaller Mill...
, Guildford.
House Music, an annual competition with an external adjudicator, allows pupils to perform as a house choir, as soloists and groups within houses. It also features There is also an evening performance for those who are commended by the adjudicator.
Guildford County School for Girls
- Liddy Oldroyd, directed Drop the Dead DonkeyDrop the Dead Donkey- Major characters :* Gus Hedges — The unctuous Chief Executive of the company, and yes-man to Sir Roysten Merchant. A management stereotype, complete with clichés and clumsy metaphors, he swiftly transforms GlobeLink from a serious news network to a ratings-chasing tabloid channel...
, Spitting ImageSpitting ImageSpitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
and After HenryAfter Henry (TV series)After Henry is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1988 to 1992. Starring Prunella Scales and Joan Sanderson, it had started on BBC Radio 4 in 1985, finishing in 1989. It was written by Simon Brett...