Oxted School
Encyclopedia
Oxted School is a mixed comprehensive
secondary school
in the English
town of Oxted
, Surrey
. It was opened in 1929 as the first mixed grammar school
in Surrey and now has over 2000 pupils aged 11–18) (Years 7-13). The school has a specialist status in science and mathematics.
The school was the first mixed grammar school in Surrey when it opened. The sexes were strictly segregated and they had separate staircases, playgrounds and had to sit at separate sides of the classroom in lessons. As a punishment, girls would have to write lines; boys were caned by the headmaster.
Most of the 400 Sixth form
go on to university at the end of their time at the school.
, adapted from the novel by Joan Barfoot
, to The Edinburgh Fringe
Festival in 1992. The company returned to Edinburgh in 1999 with two productions, Find Me and Molly. Recent productions include Under Milk Wood
, Oliver
, Into the Woods
, Guys and Dolls
and Sleeping Beauty
. The 2011 school production was the musical West Side Story.
The school reopened as usual in the September with temporary hut classrooms. Some of these huts still remain.
The replacement building is called The Meridian Buildinghttp://networks.oxted.surrey.sch.uk/archive/meridian/ as The Greenwich Meridian runs directly alongside it. It contains 23 classrooms, library and canteen. It was opened officially in April 2000 by the former headteacher, Roger Coles.
Karen Brown great British hockey player she is the most capped British hockey player of all time
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...
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...
in the English
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...
town of Oxted
Oxted
Oxted is a commuter town in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, north of East Grinstead and south-east of Croydon.- History :The town lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Tandridge hundred....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. It was opened in 1929 as the first mixed grammar 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...
in Surrey and now has over 2000 pupils aged 11–18) (Years 7-13). The school has a specialist status in science and mathematics.
History
Oxted County School, as named until 1999 when it became known as Oxted School, was built in 1929 at the cost of £35,000. In its first term it had only 22 pupils but this increased to 120 after two years. It was originally designed to grow to 250 pupils. Now, in 2010 it has well in excess of 2000 pupils.The school was the first mixed grammar school in Surrey when it opened. The sexes were strictly segregated and they had separate staircases, playgrounds and had to sit at separate sides of the classroom in lessons. As a punishment, girls would have to write lines; boys were caned by the headmaster.
Current status
The school has a 65%+ 5 GCSE or above pass rate; over 95% of its students receive 5 GCSEs grade C and above.Most of the 400 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,...
go on to university at the end of their time at the school.
ODD Youth Theatre
The school has a performing arts department and its own theatre company called The Odd Youth Theatre. It is run by David Morris, the head of Drama. Having previously been known as The Performing Arts Society, the new name Odd Youth Theatre (Oxted Dance and Drama) was adopted when the company took Dancing In The DarkDancing in the Dark
-In film:*Dancing in the Dark , a 1949 film based on a play by Howard Dietz*Dancing in the Dark , a 1986 film by Anthony Kramreither*"Dancing in the Dark", an episode of The Golden Girls, which first aired in 1989...
, adapted from the novel by Joan Barfoot
Joan Barfoot
Joan Louise Barfoot is a Canadian novelist. She has published 11 novels, including Luck , which was a nomineee for the 2005 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and Critical Injuries , which was longlisted for the 2002 Man Booker Prize...
, to The Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
Festival in 1992. The company returned to Edinburgh in 1999 with two productions, Find Me and Molly. Recent productions include Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, adapted later as a stage play. A movie version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released during 1972....
, Oliver
Oliver
The surname Oliver is of several different origins.-Etymology:The surname Oliver is derived from the Old French personal name Olivier. The Oliver surname seems to be French Norman in origin. The Olivers were probably part of William the Conqueror's Norman Invasion of Britain in 1066...
, Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
, Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
and Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince...
. The 2011 school production was the musical West Side Story.
Buildings
- The original building of 1929
- The 1951 extension of the original building
- The PE Block (1960s)
- The Art Block (1987)
- The Drama Studio (1991)
- The Science Block (1993)
- The Design and Technology Block (1997)
- The Meridian Building (1999/2000). This replaced the destroyed 1960s Humanities Block, see below.
- A few hut classrooms constructed over the years
- The Eden Building (Mathematics) completed in summer 2008.
The Fire in 1998
On August 16 1998, former students of the school allegedly set fire to bins outside the Humanities Block, resulting in a fire that destroyed the entire building. This contained 22 classrooms, library, canteen, thousands of books and 125 computers.The school reopened as usual in the September with temporary hut classrooms. Some of these huts still remain.
The replacement building is called The Meridian Buildinghttp://networks.oxted.surrey.sch.uk/archive/meridian/ as The Greenwich Meridian runs directly alongside it. It contains 23 classrooms, library and canteen. It was opened officially in April 2000 by the former headteacher, Roger Coles.
Notable Former Pupils
- Nicky ForsterNicky ForsterNicholas Michael "Nicky" Forster is a former professional footballer who has also been player-manager at Brentford, and is now manager of Dover Athletic...
, professional footballer - Ian PearceIan PearceIan Anthony Pearce is an English footballer who plays as a defender, spending the majority of his career in the Premier League. He is currently playing for Kingstonian in the Isthmian Premier League....
, professional footballer - Alison StreeterAlison StreeterAlison Streeter MBE is a British long-distance swimmer. She has swum across the English Channel 43 times, more than anyone in the world and earning her the title of Queen of the English Channel. This total includes a triple-channel swim. She also completed seven Channel crossings in one year...
, record-holding swimmer, International Swimming Hall of FameInternational Swimming Hall of FameThe International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around... - Ronnie BiggsRonnie BiggsRonald Arthur "Ronnie" Biggs is an English criminal, known for his role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, for his escape from prison in 1965, for living as a fugitive for 36 years and for his various publicity stunts while in exile. In 2001, he voluntarily returned to the United Kingdom and...
, perpetrator of the Great Train Robbery of 1963. - Tommy HillTommy HillTommy Hill is a British motorcycle road racer, he was born 9 February 1985 in Beckenham, Kent. His greatest success has come in the British Superbike Championship, in which he is the 2011 Champion, but he has also contested the World Superbike and World Supersport championships.-Personal:Hill's...
, winner of the 2011 British Superbike Championship season2011 British Superbike Championship seasonThe 2011 British Superbike season was the 24th British Superbike Championship season. No major rules were changed from the previous year with the showdown section of the season staying and the continuation of the evolution class below the main superbike class...
.
Karen Brown great British hockey player she is the most capped British hockey player of all time