Magdalen College School, Brackley
Encyclopedia
Magdalen College School, Brackley is one of three "ancient" Magdalen College
Schools, the others being its sister college
s in Oxford
and Wainfleet, Lincolnshire
. Located in Brackley
, South Northamptonshire
, the school is on two sites (see history section): the former Secondary Modern site accommodates secondary schooling to Year Eleven, after which students transfer to the St John's site (the old MCS) for most of their lessons during the Sixth Form. Today the school has approximately 1,500 students, and averages 59% A*–C at GCSE.
The school is "voluntary controlled" by the governing body and has a specialism in mathematics
and computing
. The St John's site is still owned by Magdalen College, and they are represented on the governing body.
The school's initial purpose was to allow pupils of the college in Oxford to escape the plague affecting Oxford at the time.
In September 1973 MCS merged with the Girls Grammar School (Brackley High) and Brackley Secondary Modern School to form a new comprehensive school on two sites, while the girls' school was converted into the new Southfield Primary school. This school has approximately 1500 students
It is constructed of stone rubble and is one of the largest school chapels, and the oldest school chapel still in use in England. It remains in regular use by the school, Church of England
and local community.
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
Schools, the others being its sister college
Sister college
Harvard University and Yale University in the USA and Oxford University and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom have a tradition of pairing their respective residential colleges or Houses with one another. Colleges that are paired are referred to as sister colleges, and have a ceremonial and...
s in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Wainfleet, Lincolnshire
Wainfleet, Lincolnshire
Wainfleet All Saints is an ancient port and market town on the east coast of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the B1195 between Spilsby and Boston. The town stands on the small rivers Steeping and Limb that form Wainfleet Haven. The town is close to Skegness, Boston, Spilsby, the Lincolnshire...
. Located in Brackley
Brackley
Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Oxford and miles form Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London, Birmingham and the English Midlands and between Cambridge and Oxford...
, South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire is a local government district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is based in Towcester.The district is rural and sparsely populated with just over 79,293 people in 2000 and 91,000 in 2008, a 14.8% increase. The largest town in the district is Brackley, which has a...
, the school is on two sites (see history section): the former Secondary Modern site accommodates secondary schooling to Year Eleven, after which students transfer to the St John's site (the old MCS) for most of their lessons during the Sixth Form. Today the school has approximately 1,500 students, and averages 59% A*–C at GCSE.
The school is "voluntary controlled" by the governing body and has a specialism in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
. The St John's site is still owned by Magdalen College, and they are represented on the governing body.
History
The site now occupied by the school was originally the Hospital of St. James and St. John, founded around 1150 by Robert le Bossu, Earl of Leicester. In 1484 it was given to Magdalen College, Oxford. By 1548 there was a school at the site.The school's initial purpose was to allow pupils of the college in Oxford to escape the plague affecting Oxford at the time.
In September 1973 MCS merged with the Girls Grammar School (Brackley High) and Brackley Secondary Modern School to form a new comprehensive school on two sites, while the girls' school was converted into the new Southfield Primary school. This school has approximately 1500 students
Chapel
Formerly a chapel for the hospital of St. James and St. John, the earliest datable parts are late-12th Century, although many parts are 13th century. The chapel underwent a major restoration between 1869-1870 by Buckeridge.It is constructed of stone rubble and is one of the largest school chapels, and the oldest school chapel still in use in England. It remains in regular use by the school, Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and local community.
Head teachers
- 1548-1552 - Thomas Godwin
- 1552-1558 - Thomas Bede
- 1952-1973 - Eric Forrester
- 1973-1993 - Keith Marsh
- 1993-2006 - Elaine Wotherspoon
- 2006-present - Ian Colling
Notable alumni
Notable former pupils include:- Dr Samuel James Richardson, General Secretary of the United Nations (second to Ban Ki Moon)
- Robert AddieRobert AddieRobert Alastair Addie was an English actor who was best known for playing Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the television series Robin of Sherwood.-Career:...
, Actor - Sir John ColesJohn Coles (diplomat)Sir Arthur "John" Coles, GCMG is a retired British diplomat. He served as the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1994-1997.- Offices held :-References:...
, British Ambassador to Jordan, 1984-1988; British High Commissioner to Australia, 1988-1991; Head of the British Diplomatic Service (Permanent Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 1994-7. - Denis Judd, Historian of the British Empire, London Metropolitan University.
- Professor Robin DunbarRobin DunbarRobin Ian MacDonald Dunbar is a British anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist and a specialist in primate behaviour. He is currently Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and the Director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology of the University of Oxford and the...
, Evolutionary Psychologist. - Allan LeightonAllan LeightonAllan Leighton is an English businessman, former CEO of Asda and former non-executive Chairman of the Royal Mail.-Biography:Born in Hereford, the son of a Co-op stores manager, he was raised in Oxford...
, Former Chief Executive Officer, Asda Group, and former Chairman, Royal Mail Group. - Taylor ParkesTaylor ParkesTaylor Parkes is a British journalist. He is best known for his music journalism which appeared in Melody Maker from 1993 to 1998, notable for a style which mixed dark humour, especially in bitterly critical pieces, with an intellectual tone, influenced by the likes of Simon Reynolds and Paul Morley...
, Journalist. - Anna ReynoldsAnna ReynoldsAnna Reynolds is a British novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. She is the author of Tightrope and Jordan, which was voted "Best Play of 1992" at the Writers Guild Awards, and co-author of The Winding Sheet, a film that won a Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival...
, Playwright.