Sir John Deane's College
Encyclopedia
Sir John Deane's College is a sixth form college
in Northwich
, Cheshire
, UK
. It was formerly Sir John Deane's Grammar School, which was founded in 1557.
and the Rudheath district of Northwich, but rose to become Rector of Great St Bartholomew
in Smithfield
, London
, and Prebendary
of Lincoln
. He worked under both Protestant and Roman Catholic régimes during the English Reformation
. He established a grammar school for poor boys in Witton
on Michaelmas
1557, "in the name of Jesus". It was to be maintained by feoffee
s (a kind of charity), who were given land in Chester
and the Wirral., the result of Sir John's astuteness during the dissolution of the monasteries
. As well as prescribing rules for the Feofees, Schoolmaster and schoolboys, the foundation statues record his interest in an old Cheshire custom whereby schoolboys "a weeke before Christynmas and Easter, barre and keep forth of the Schoole the schoolmaster, in such sort is other schollers doe in greete schooles." Sir John required his Grammar School to enforce the custom and allow the boys to play with bows and arrows, "to the end that the Schollars (sic) have not any evil opinion of the Schoolmaster." It was generally known as Witton Grammar School, or Witton Free Grammar School, in the early centuries. It had a close relationship with St Helen's Witton
, and its early buildings were on the same site. The School had a reputation as hotbed of Puritan
ism in the early 17th century, and this is still perhaps its greatest contribution to public life. However, it fell into decline and became the smallest of the four ancient grammar schools of Cheshire. During the early 19th century, the feoffees and the headmaster began legal action in a dispute over the headmaster's salary, and eventually wider mismanagement. The case went to the Court of Chancery
and took decades to resolve, sapping much of the school's strength.
In the early 20th century, three financial decisions radically changed the character of the school, by then generally referred to as Sir John Deane's Grammar School or Northwich Grammar School. Firstly, it received a generous 350th anniversary benefaction from Sir John Brunner, allowing the governors to construct new buildings on its current riverside site. Secondly, the feoffees made poor investment decisions, culminating in the sale of property in Chester
, that later became a high-value shopping district. Thirdly, they decided that in view of the school's long-term financial weakness, the original mandate was best fulfilled by entering the state system. The school came under the auspices of Cheshire County Council
as the boys' grammar school for the Northwich area. For some time it continued to have boarders
in Riversdale (an old house), which also functioned at times as the headmaster's house. This phase ended in 1977, when RoSLA and the County Council's policy of comprehensive education saw Northwich move from selective, single-sex
11-18 schools to comprehensive
mixed 11-16 schools with Sir John Deane's becoming the town's sixth form college.
Echoes of the College's history remain today. Sir John Deane is commemorated in an annual Founder's Day service at St Helen's
, usually in October. A large portrait of Sir John Brunner hangs in the College Hall. There are also subtler signs, such as the fine original buildings, the presence of a flourishing boat club
in a state school, and the distinctive college arms.
; the college is around half a mile away from Northwich town centre, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
. The college provides various qualifications. The college’s main aim is to provide advanced level courses for full-time students aged from between 16 to 18. In 1998, the college introduced its part-time adult courses. This initiative has seen high interest in recent years with over 1,600 adults taking part in courses during the 2002/2003 academic year.
In the last Ofsted
inspection, the Inspectors gave the college’s quality of provision outstanding in all of the curriculum areas inspected. The inspectors also noted that the colleges overall retention and pass rates are very high and are significantly above the national averages for other sixth form colleges.
The College underwent a £28m demolition and extension program. The new college was finished in late 2010 and fully opened in early 2011,with each department having its own area in the new building with the original being used for a new canteen and student services.
The college also has leisure facilities, including an outdoor astroturf pitch,football and rugby pitches, tennis courts,sports hall and a swimming pool.
, Middlewich High School
, Weaverham High School
, Hartford High School
, County High School Leftwich
. These schools do not have their own sixth forms. Students applying from these schools usually receive conditional offers based on their GCSE results. Details of entry requirements will be discussed with Partner High school students when senior staff from the College visit their schools in the Autumn Term of their Year 11.
The college allows applications from students attending other schools in Cheshire and beyond, and each year over three hundred such applications are accepted. Before 2006, the college dealt with applications in the order in which they were received. The college reserves the right to close its lists when numbers reach a certain limit, and that after that time, applications will only be accepted provisionally until final numbers are known in September. This practice is reviewed annually. All students will be advised in the course of their application interview on entry requirements, but as a general guide, should obtain six or more GCSE subjects at grade C and above, with at least two at grade B. Or if from a non partner high school four B grades and two C grades should be achieved.
The College would normally expect students to achieve Grade Bs in each of the subjects to be study at A Level, or in a related subject.
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
in Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was formerly Sir John Deane's Grammar School, which was founded in 1557.
History
Sir John Deane was born in Shurlach, between DavenhamDavenham
Davenham is a rural village and civil parish approximately south of the town of Northwich, part of the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 5,655. The village is close to the A556 and A533 roads and both the River Dane and...
and the Rudheath district of Northwich, but rose to become Rector of Great St Bartholomew
St Bartholomew-the-Great
The Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great is an Anglican church located at West Smithfield in the City of London, founded as an Augustinian priory in 1123 -History:...
in Smithfield
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
, London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, and Prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of Lincoln
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
. He worked under both Protestant and Roman Catholic régimes during the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. He established a grammar school for poor boys in Witton
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
on Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
1557, "in the name of Jesus". It was to be maintained by feoffee
Feoffee
A Feoffee is a trustee who holds a fief , that is to say an estate in land, for the use of a beneficial owner. The term is more fully stated as a feoffee to uses of the beneficial owner. The use of such trustees developed towards the end of the era of feudalism in the middle ages and became...
s (a kind of charity), who were given land in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and the Wirral., the result of Sir John's astuteness during the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. As well as prescribing rules for the Feofees, Schoolmaster and schoolboys, the foundation statues record his interest in an old Cheshire custom whereby schoolboys "a weeke before Christynmas and Easter, barre and keep forth of the Schoole the schoolmaster, in such sort is other schollers doe in greete schooles." Sir John required his Grammar School to enforce the custom and allow the boys to play with bows and arrows, "to the end that the Schollars (sic) have not any evil opinion of the Schoolmaster." It was generally known as Witton Grammar School, or Witton Free Grammar School, in the early centuries. It had a close relationship with St Helen's Witton
St Helen Witton Church, Northwich
St Helen Witton Church, Northwich, is in the centre of the town of Northwich, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. The church is now known as "St Helen's, Witton" or "Northwich Parish Church". It is an active Anglican parish church...
, and its early buildings were on the same site. The School had a reputation as hotbed of Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
ism in the early 17th century, and this is still perhaps its greatest contribution to public life. However, it fell into decline and became the smallest of the four ancient grammar schools of Cheshire. During the early 19th century, the feoffees and the headmaster began legal action in a dispute over the headmaster's salary, and eventually wider mismanagement. The case went to the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...
and took decades to resolve, sapping much of the school's strength.
In the early 20th century, three financial decisions radically changed the character of the school, by then generally referred to as Sir John Deane's Grammar School or Northwich Grammar School. Firstly, it received a generous 350th anniversary benefaction from Sir John Brunner, allowing the governors to construct new buildings on its current riverside site. Secondly, the feoffees made poor investment decisions, culminating in the sale of property in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, that later became a high-value shopping district. Thirdly, they decided that in view of the school's long-term financial weakness, the original mandate was best fulfilled by entering the state system. The school came under the auspices of Cheshire County Council
Cheshire County Council
Cheshire County Council was a County Council, of the second highest level of United Kingdom Government for the residents of Cheshire. Founded in 1889, it ceased to exist on 1 April 2009, when it and the district councils in Cheshire were replaced by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and...
as the boys' grammar school for the Northwich area. For some time it continued to have boarders
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Riversdale (an old house), which also functioned at times as the headmaster's house. This phase ended in 1977, when RoSLA and the County Council's policy of comprehensive education saw Northwich move from selective, single-sex
Single-sex education
Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. The practice was predominant before the mid-twentieth century, particularly in secondary education and...
11-18 schools to comprehensive
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...
mixed 11-16 schools with Sir John Deane's becoming the town's sixth form college.
Echoes of the College's history remain today. Sir John Deane is commemorated in an annual Founder's Day service at St Helen's
St Helen Witton Church, Northwich
St Helen Witton Church, Northwich, is in the centre of the town of Northwich, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. The church is now known as "St Helen's, Witton" or "Northwich Parish Church". It is an active Anglican parish church...
, usually in October. A large portrait of Sir John Brunner hangs in the College Hall. There are also subtler signs, such as the fine original buildings, the presence of a flourishing boat club
Boat club
A boat club is a sports club based around boats, especially rowing and yachting, but also canoeing, motor boats and other small boats....
in a state school, and the distinctive college arms.
The College today
Sir John Deane's College re-established itself as a voluntary controlled sixth form college in September 1978. It is a single site campus, parallel to the River WeaverRiver Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
; the college is around half a mile away from Northwich town centre, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health...
. The college provides various qualifications. The college’s main aim is to provide advanced level courses for full-time students aged from between 16 to 18. In 1998, the college introduced its part-time adult courses. This initiative has seen high interest in recent years with over 1,600 adults taking part in courses during the 2002/2003 academic year.
In the last Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
inspection, the Inspectors gave the college’s quality of provision outstanding in all of the curriculum areas inspected. The inspectors also noted that the colleges overall retention and pass rates are very high and are significantly above the national averages for other sixth form colleges.
The College underwent a £28m demolition and extension program. The new college was finished in late 2010 and fully opened in early 2011,with each department having its own area in the new building with the original being used for a new canteen and student services.
The college also has leisure facilities, including an outdoor astroturf pitch,football and rugby pitches, tennis courts,sports hall and a swimming pool.
Admissions policy
The college has Partner High schools, namely: Rudheath Community High SchoolRudheath Community High School
Rudheath Community High School is a medium sized non-denominational co-educational comprehensive school that educates approximately 762 children between 11 and 16 years of age. It is located in the village of Rudheath, near Northwich in Cheshire, England. The current headteacher is Mr M Wood...
, Middlewich High School
Middlewich High School
Middlewich High School is a small specialist Science, Mathematics & Computing secondary school in Middlewich, Cheshire. It is a mixed-sex school containing 11–16 year olds and has 700 pupils on roll as of the last OFSTED report: less than the average comprehensive. In its last OFSTED report,...
, Weaverham High School
Weaverham High School
Weaverham High School is a large non-denominational co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Weaverham, Cheshire. It is a mixed-sex school containing 11–16 year olds and has 1068 pupils on roll as of the last OFSTED report....
, Hartford High School
Hartford High School
Hartford High School is a comprehensive secondary school on Chester Road in Hartford, Cheshire, for students aged between eleven and sixteen. The school is unique in having dual specialist college status in both languages and sports...
, County High School Leftwich
County High School Leftwich
The County High School Leftwich is a small sized Media Arts co-educational comprehensive school that serves approximately 950 students between 11 to 16 years of age. It is next to the A556 bypass at the A533 junction, and near the River Dane.-Admissions:...
. These schools do not have their own sixth forms. Students applying from these schools usually receive conditional offers based on their GCSE results. Details of entry requirements will be discussed with Partner High school students when senior staff from the College visit their schools in the Autumn Term of their Year 11.
The college allows applications from students attending other schools in Cheshire and beyond, and each year over three hundred such applications are accepted. Before 2006, the college dealt with applications in the order in which they were received. The college reserves the right to close its lists when numbers reach a certain limit, and that after that time, applications will only be accepted provisionally until final numbers are known in September. This practice is reviewed annually. All students will be advised in the course of their application interview on entry requirements, but as a general guide, should obtain six or more GCSE subjects at grade C and above, with at least two at grade B. Or if from a non partner high school four B grades and two C grades should be achieved.
The College would normally expect students to achieve Grade Bs in each of the subjects to be study at A Level, or in a related subject.
Old Wittonians and former schoolmasters
Old boys of the Grammar School are referred to as 'Old Wittonians', also the name of the school magazine, and this is used for old members of the College. Notable men linked associated with the school (Old Wittonians unless noted) include:- Sir John BerkenheadJohn BirkenheadSir John Birkenhead or Berkenhead was a British political writer and journalist, imprisoned several times during the Commonwealth for his obtrusive royalism....
, CavalierCavalierCavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
journalist, poet and politician - Sir George Cory, 19th/20th century chemist and historian, taught at the school sometime between 1884 and 1886.
- John GreenwayJohn GreenwayJohn Robert Greenway is a former British politician who sat as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ryedale from 1987 until the constituency's abolition in 2010.-Early life:...
MP, 20th/21st century Conservative politician for RyedaleRyedale (UK Parliament constituency)Ryedale was a constituency in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... - Eaton HodgkinsonEaton HodgkinsonEaton A. Hodgkinson was an English engineer, a pioneer of the application of mathematics to problems of structural design.-Early life:...
, a 19th century engineer, had a brief and unhappy time at the school - Philip HollandPhilip HollandSir Philip Welsby Holland was a British Conservative Party politician.Born in Northwich, Holland was educated at Sir John Deane's Grammar School, Northwich. He served with the Royal Air Force from 1936 to 1946 and was in the Middle East from 1938 to 1942...
, 20th century ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician - Charles James HughesCharles J. Hughes (footballer)Charles James Hughes, J.P. was an English footballer and referee who was a pioneer of the early English game, being included in the publication 'Association Football and the Men who made it'.-Early Life:...
JP, pioneer of Association Football, co-founder of Northwich Victoria F.C.Northwich Victoria F.C.Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
, FA Cup Finals referee. - Diana JohnsonDiana JohnsonDiana Ruth Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Hull North since 2005; she was the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for Schools in the Department for Children, Schools and Families until the resignation of Gordon Brown as...
, Labour MP for Hull NorthKingston upon Hull North (UK Parliament constituency)Kingston upon Hull North is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... - Phil LeesonPhil Leeson- Life:He was born in Barnton, Cheshire, was educated at Sir John Deane's grammar school, Northwich and between 1943 to 1947 served in the British Army...
, 20th century development economist and Communist activist - Dr Terence Melia CBE, Chairman of the Learning and Skills Development AgencyLearning and Skills Development AgencyThe Learning and Skills Development Agency was a publicly-funded body in the United Kingdom that supported further education in England. At the end of March 2006 its functions were divided into the Quality Improvement Agency and the Learning and Skills Network and its trading subsidiary, Inspire...
from 2000-3 - Nathan PagetNathan Paget-Life:He was the son of Thomas Paget, rector of Stockport, Cheshire, and nephew of John Paget, and was born at Manchester in 1615. He graduated M.A. at Edinburgh, and on 25 November 1638 entered as a student of medicine at the University of Leyden, where he graduated M.D...
, 17th century physician and Puritan activist - Thomas Pierson, 17th century conformist Puritan presbyter
- John Sharps, 20th century GaskellElizabeth GaskellElizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...
scholar - Sir Brian Smith CBE, Freeman of the City of London
- Richard Steele, 17th century Presbyterian minister and Puritan writer, buried at Great St Bartholomew's)
- Stuart Thompson, 21st century engineer on the Three Gorges DamThree Gorges DamThe Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
- Robert WestallRobert WestallRobert Atkinson Westall was the author of many books, mostly children's fiction, though also for adults, and non-fiction. Many of his novels, while supposedly aimed at a teenage audience, deal with many complex, dark and in many ways adult themes...
, 20th century children's author and longstanding Head of Art at the school, wrote a short story entitled Sir John Deane's in 2010. In 2007, the manuscript was displayed at the Weaver Hall MuseumSalt Museum, NorthwichThe Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse, Northwich, Cheshire, records the social, cultural and industrial history of west Cheshire. It was formerly known as the Salt Museum, reflecting its earlier focus on the history of salt extraction, a local industry dating back to Roman times...
, a few minutes' walk from the College. - Percy Young, 20th century writer and musicologist
- Edwin HaslamEdwin HaslamEdwin Haslam is a physical organic chemist and an author of books on polyphenols. He is an alumnus of Sir John Deane's College in Northwich, Cheshire, United Kingdom....
, author - Martin Edwards(author), crime novelist