Ilkley Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Ilkley Grammar School is a co-educational comprehensive school
in Ilkley
, West Yorkshire
, England
, that specialises in humanities and sciences.
of £100 was made by George Marshall in 1601 to fund the salary of a schoolmaster - at the time, one William Lobley. Payments to Lobley were fitful, and the executors of Marshall's estate had to go to law to rectify the situation; the date of settlement of the issues - 1607 - is now taken as the date of origination of the school.
On 2 January 1635, a group of townspeople signed an undertaking to erect a dedicated schoolhouse, and records indicate that by April 1637 such a thing had been built. The building, in Church Street, still exists and is now a listed building, converted into a shop.
A further endowment of £200 was made by Reginald Heber in 1697 - £100 to the school and the same to the parish. However there were complaints over the next 150 years that the proceeds of the endowments were being diverted by successive vicars of Ilkley to other ends, and that the school was underfunded. Its curriculum, according to a report by the Brougham Commission in 1829, was free tuition in reading English, and the teaching of writing and accounts for a small fee. An 1860 report was more scathing; it alleged that few of the children at the school at that time could write or perform elementary sums; the school building and the admission policy were criticised, and the report concluded that the endowments' requirement for free access to all of the town's children "has done much to hinder the establishment of a good school, either for the poor, or the trading middle class, both of whom are greatly in need of one". The school closed down a short time after this report. Proposals by charity commissioners to restart the school as a fee-paying entity were resisted by the town, and came to nothing.
, Ilkley elected to avoid the formation of a school board (which would be entitled to levy rates on the population for the provision of schooling facilities) and instead launched a successful voluntary subscription for the erection of new school buildings, opened in July 1872, and known as the All Saints National Schools.
In the same period, under power given in the Endowed Schools Act 1869
to revise the terms and beneficiaries of endowments, a plan was drawn up by an assistant commissioner under the act to divert a number of endowments for the poor of the parish to fund a new school. The plan, for a school for circa 60 boys, paying fees of from £4 to £10 (or up to £40 for boarding), received assent in June 1872. The fruition of the plans was slow; the site of the current school was purchased in 1881 for £2420, and by 1890 a proposed design for a building estimated to cost £6500 had been drawn up. Building commenced in 1892; a headmaster - Frederick Swann, head of Chemistry and Physics at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
, was appointed in April 1893, and the first boys were admitted in December of the same year.
it was established as a county-maintained voluntary controlled secondary school, but retained grammar school status. It was administered by West Riding County Council from Yeadon.
In the summer of 2010 there are plans to redesign and extend the 6th form centre. There has been a grant put forward and plans drawn up, that include an external 'pod' for students to study in. This will be made using recycled materials including two old shipping containers. The pod will double up as a research pod, allowing students to learn about renewable energy's pros and cons, and would have been moved to the BSF
site in Ben Rhydding
, if the planning had been approved.
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...
in Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, 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...
, that specialises in humanities and sciences.
History
Early years
The earliest record of a school in Ilkley dates from 1575, with an examination of the religious beliefs of one Constantine Harrison, schoolmaster, by the church. An endowmentFinancial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
of £100 was made by George Marshall in 1601 to fund the salary of a schoolmaster - at the time, one William Lobley. Payments to Lobley were fitful, and the executors of Marshall's estate had to go to law to rectify the situation; the date of settlement of the issues - 1607 - is now taken as the date of origination of the school.
On 2 January 1635, a group of townspeople signed an undertaking to erect a dedicated schoolhouse, and records indicate that by April 1637 such a thing had been built. The building, in Church Street, still exists and is now a listed building, converted into a shop.
A further endowment of £200 was made by Reginald Heber in 1697 - £100 to the school and the same to the parish. However there were complaints over the next 150 years that the proceeds of the endowments were being diverted by successive vicars of Ilkley to other ends, and that the school was underfunded. Its curriculum, according to a report by the Brougham Commission in 1829, was free tuition in reading English, and the teaching of writing and accounts for a small fee. An 1860 report was more scathing; it alleged that few of the children at the school at that time could write or perform elementary sums; the school building and the admission policy were criticised, and the report concluded that the endowments' requirement for free access to all of the town's children "has done much to hinder the establishment of a good school, either for the poor, or the trading middle class, both of whom are greatly in need of one". The school closed down a short time after this report. Proposals by charity commissioners to restart the school as a fee-paying entity were resisted by the town, and came to nothing.
Fee-paying school
After the passing of the Elementary Education Act 1870Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
, Ilkley elected to avoid the formation of a school board (which would be entitled to levy rates on the population for the provision of schooling facilities) and instead launched a successful voluntary subscription for the erection of new school buildings, opened in July 1872, and known as the All Saints National Schools.
In the same period, under power given in the Endowed Schools Act 1869
Endowed Schools Act 1869
The Endowed Schools Act 1869 was introduced in Britain during William Ewart Gladstone’s first ministry.An Endowed Schools Commission was created to draw up new schemes of distribution for schools which received funding from the government; previous endowments had been seen as poorly distributed and...
to revise the terms and beneficiaries of endowments, a plan was drawn up by an assistant commissioner under the act to divert a number of endowments for the poor of the parish to fund a new school. The plan, for a school for circa 60 boys, paying fees of from £4 to £10 (or up to £40 for boarding), received assent in June 1872. The fruition of the plans was slow; the site of the current school was purchased in 1881 for £2420, and by 1890 a proposed design for a building estimated to cost £6500 had been drawn up. Building commenced in 1892; a headmaster - Frederick Swann, head of Chemistry and Physics at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Royal Grammar School Newcastle upon Tyne, known locally and often abbreviated as RGS, is a long-established co-educational, independent school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It gained its Royal Charter under Queen Elizabeth I...
, was appointed in April 1893, and the first boys were admitted in December of the same year.
Grammar school
In September 1939, girls were admitted. Some time after the 1944 Education ActEducation 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...
it was established as a county-maintained voluntary controlled secondary school, but retained grammar school status. It was administered by West Riding County Council from Yeadon.
Comprehensive
In 1970 it became a comprehensive school for ages 13–18. From April 1974 it was administered by the City of Bradford.Expansion
A number of extensions of the school have subsequently been made. As early as 1898, new classrooms and a gymnasium were constructed. Further classrooms were erected in the 1960s; and a major new building programme added 35 new teaching rooms in 2003.In the summer of 2010 there are plans to redesign and extend the 6th form centre. There has been a grant put forward and plans drawn up, that include an external 'pod' for students to study in. This will be made using recycled materials including two old shipping containers. The pod will double up as a research pod, allowing students to learn about renewable energy's pros and cons, and would have been moved to the BSF
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but...
site in Ben Rhydding
Ben Rhydding
Ben Rhydding is a Wharfedale village in the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Ilkley urban area and civil parish....
, if the planning had been approved.
Notable staff
- Keiron AndersonKeiron Anderson-External links:* *...
, Music teacher
Notable former pupils
- Sir John Lowther, 2nd Baronet, of WhitehavenSir John Lowther, 2nd Baronet, of WhitehavenSir John Lowther, 2nd Baronet FRS was an English gentleman and landowner at Whitehaven.He was born at Whitehaven, St Bees, Cumberland, the son of Sir Christopher Lowther, 1st Baronet, and his wife, Frances, daughter of Christopher Lancaster of Stockbridge, Westmoreland and educated at Ilkley,...
- Alexander CampbellAlexander CampbellAlexander Campbell may refer to:Canadian politicians:* Alexander Campbell * Alexander Franklin Campbell , Canadian politician...
, Editor from 1916-31 of the Daily Mirror - Major Lewis Kershaw DSO
- Rt Rev Michael TurnbullMichael TurnbullAnthony Michael Arnold Turnbull was the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England from 1994 until 2003.Turnbull was born in Wombwell, South Yorkshire. He was a student at Keble College, Oxford, graduating in 1958. He prepared for ordained ministry at Cranmer Hall and St John's College, University...
CBE, Bishop of Durham from 1994–2003 - Ian DennisIan DennisIan Dennis is a commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live and the station's Chief Football Reporter.Dennis grew up in West Yorkshire where he attended Ilkley Grammar School. He began working in radio with an unpaid Saturday job at BBC Radio York...
(born 1971), BBC sports commentator
Further reading
- Salmon, Norman, Ilkley Grammar School 1607–1957 (Ilkley, 1957)
- Wood, Peter, Olicana's Children (IGS Publications, 2009)