The Gryphon School
Encyclopedia
The Gryphon School is a Church of England
comprehensive
school for 11–18 year olds in Sherborne
, Dorset
, England. Established in September 1992, pupil numbers have grown steadily from 850 to over 1,400. The sixth form
has around 400 students and teaches a variety of A-levels. In September 2005 the school achieved Business and Enterprise Specialist School
, Dorset’s first.
. Students are assigned a house as to which they are a part of during inter-house events such as rugby, football and hockey in addition to the more known "sports day".
The only remaining aspect of St Aldham's School which stood on the schools site prior to 1992 is the now out of use swimming pool which remained open until the end of the 2005/06 educational year where pupils participated in an inter-house swimming gala as part of sports day. The rumour for closure of the pool created by students is of a rat infestation however this bears no resemblance to the true reason which is that of any outside swimming pool, very expensive to maintain. The Gryphon School now have used the Oxley Sports Centre swimming pool in the past, as a substitute for its closure.
pupils take:
and new for the academic year 08/09; Project 7
Pupils go on a variety of trips including a residential to Carey Camp. In previous years pupils have gone to Chichester
during Year Seven and Carey Camp in Year Eight
but as of 2008/2009 Year Sevens go to Carey Camp. In Year Eight pupils take the same subjects as in the previous Year but at the end of Year Seven are given the choice of two additional modern foreign languages: Spanish or German.
they would like to do Double Design and Technology with a language, which may be French, Spanish or German.
During the Spring Term Year Nine pupils have a series of information assemblies and tasters for GCSE subjects that they have not already studied in Key Stage 3
(KS3), they then choose what courses they would like to sit for GCSE and can choose the extended or reduced core routes.
They Consist of;
Extended Core
English Language, English Literature
Science, Additional Science
Maths, Full Course RE
Citizenship (1/2 a GCSE, if pupils are on site on a Monday), and five additional options choices.
Reduced Core
English Language, Science
Mathematics, Short Course RE (1/2 a GCSE)
ICT (OCR) Nationals, And 2 In school additional options choices, a vocational choice on a Monday and a separate one on a Tuesday or a vocational activity on both Monday and Tuesday.
and Year Eleven
students follow the choices they made in Year Nine and follow a series of exams.
1-A table showing the percentage of Gryphon School students who got 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths at GCSE level.
2-A table showing A and B grade results as a percentage of entries for Sixth Formers.
college which consists of Years 12 and 13. The sixth form students have the opportunity to take AS and A2 level courses in a wide variety of subjects. As not being part of the "compulsory" education students make use of many perks such as a dedicated common room towards the far side of the school, away from any educational facilities apart from one English room equipped with I.T. facilities and rooms reserved for AS and A2 teaching. Other perks include access to the school canteen over students enrolled on a compulsory basis.
Sixth Form students can also gain "Student Transport Cards" from Somerset County Council
to reduce the cost of the "Yeovil Bus".
a service into the school.
Amongst the council funded services is the school operated and privately hired Damory Coaches
"857 Stoford/Yeovil - Sherborne" service. This service makes use of Damory Coaches Double Decker buses which are commissioned for educational use by the school during morning and after school periods. Unlike other buses, which are subsidised by Dorset County Council tax payers; the 857 service, known amongst school students as the "Yeovil Bus" is heavily subsidised in excess of over £20,000 per school per year by the School Bursary. The amount subsidised is still not enough to cover the large bill to provide such a service and consequently students parents or guardians end up paying £500+ a year, per student to cover the cost of their individual placement. With the bus (a Scania ELC Olympus) seating 100 people this brings the total bill per year to roughly £70,000. Following the end of 2008/09 school calendar the demand for school bus allocations for Yeovil has increased and consequently the school has made use of both of their new 17-seater mini-buses covering the demand.
The 857 Damory Coaches service took over from the previous First Group double decker 657 service which ran the same route and again was provided by the school. The reason for the change in provider occurred following the Firsts lack of respect for timeliness and safety.
Another double decker the "668 King Stag/Hazelbury Bryan/Sturminster Newton/Stalbridge" is run by Damory Coaches again this route is heavily subsided by the school and still costs £65 a month, per person.
From September 2011, all school bus services with the exception of the invited First 57 service, on which students must pay, are to be operated by Damory Coaches. See Dorset For You for further information.
in the evening and at weekends, an AstroTurf
was added to the outdoor facilities.
It is a busy facility and the largest in the of its kind in the area, the centre has a main sports hall, two competition standard squash courts, an aerobics
/dance studio
and a fully air conditioned fitness suite
. Outdoor facilities include six tennis courts or five netball courts
, an outdoor swimming pool (which has not been used for over five years due to cost and deterioration) plus a floodlit
astroturf
pitch.
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...
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...
school for 11–18 year olds in Sherborne
Sherborne
Sherborne is a market town in northwest Dorset, England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. The population of the town is 9,350 . 27.1% of the population is aged 65 or...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England. Established in September 1992, pupil numbers have grown steadily from 850 to over 1,400. The 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,...
has around 400 students and teaches a variety of A-levels. In September 2005 the school achieved Business and Enterprise Specialist School
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
, Dorset’s first.
History
The Gryphon school was created from an amalgamation of three schools: Lord Digby's Girls School, Foster's Grammar School for Boys and St Aldhelms Secondary Modern School. This merger is not forgotten and many pupils understand how their school was formed through a miniature history lesson provided in Physical Education lessons. This miniature history lesson ties in with the school's sporting competitiveness and the names of the three merged schools and the new school name "The Gryphon School" still exist as sporting 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...
. Students are assigned a house as to which they are a part of during inter-house events such as rugby, football and hockey in addition to the more known "sports day".
The only remaining aspect of St Aldham's School which stood on the schools site prior to 1992 is the now out of use swimming pool which remained open until the end of the 2005/06 educational year where pupils participated in an inter-house swimming gala as part of sports day. The rumour for closure of the pool created by students is of a rat infestation however this bears no resemblance to the true reason which is that of any outside swimming pool, very expensive to maintain. The Gryphon School now have used the Oxley Sports Centre swimming pool in the past, as a substitute for its closure.
Year Seven and Eight
In Year SevenYear Seven
Year Seven is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the seventh year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between eleven and thirteen.-Australia:...
pupils take:
- English
- Maths
- Science
- Art
- DT (Design Technology)
- Drama
- Geography
- History
- ICT
- PE (Physical Education)
- RE (Religious Education)
and new for the academic year 08/09; Project 7
Pupils go on a variety of trips including a residential to Carey Camp. In previous years pupils have gone to Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
during Year Seven and Carey Camp in Year Eight
Year Eight
Year Eight is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the eighth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between twelve and thirteen.-Australia:...
but as of 2008/2009 Year Sevens go to Carey Camp. In Year Eight pupils take the same subjects as in the previous Year but at the end of Year Seven are given the choice of two additional modern foreign languages: Spanish or German.
Year Nine
In Year Eight, pupils choose whether in Year NineYear Nine
Year Nine is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the ninth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between thirteen and fourteen....
they would like to do Double Design and Technology with a language, which may be French, Spanish or German.
During the Spring Term Year Nine pupils have a series of information assemblies and tasters for GCSE subjects that they have not already studied in Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
(KS3), they then choose what courses they would like to sit for GCSE and can choose the extended or reduced core routes.
They Consist of;
Extended Core
English Language, English Literature
Science, Additional Science
Maths, Full Course RE
Citizenship (1/2 a GCSE, if pupils are on site on a Monday), and five additional options choices.
Reduced Core
English Language, Science
Mathematics, Short Course RE (1/2 a GCSE)
ICT (OCR) Nationals, And 2 In school additional options choices, a vocational choice on a Monday and a separate one on a Tuesday or a vocational activity on both Monday and Tuesday.
Year Ten and Eleven (GCSE)
During Year TenYear Ten
Year Ten is an educational year group in schools in many countries including Bangladesh, England, India, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the tenth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between fourteen and sixteen.-Bangladesh:In schools in...
and Year Eleven
Year Eleven
Year Eleven is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the eleventh year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between fifteen and seventeen....
students follow the choices they made in Year Nine and follow a series of exams.
Exam Results
| Exam | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GCSE1 | 55% | 61.09% | 53% |
| A Level2 | - | 51.39% |
1-A table showing the percentage of Gryphon School students who got 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths at GCSE level.
2-A table showing A and B grade results as a percentage of entries for Sixth Formers.
Sixth form college
The Gryphon School has a sixth formSixth 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 which consists of Years 12 and 13. The sixth form students have the opportunity to take AS and A2 level courses in a wide variety of subjects. As not being part of the "compulsory" education students make use of many perks such as a dedicated common room towards the far side of the school, away from any educational facilities apart from one English room equipped with I.T. facilities and rooms reserved for AS and A2 teaching. Other perks include access to the school canteen over students enrolled on a compulsory basis.
Sixth Form students can also gain "Student Transport Cards" from Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...
to reduce the cost of the "Yeovil Bus".
Transport
Many students travel from far villages and towns or out of catchment; The Gryphon School caters private AM and PM bus services provided by local tour and coach hire operators (South West Tours, Bakers, Vale Coaches etc.). If a service is destined within Dorset students are eligible for free transport as provided by Dorset County Council "School Transport" scheme. By school invitation in 2002, First Group, the local bus service operator were allocated a bay in the bus park and allowed access twice a day to offer students in both Sherborne and YeovilYeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
a service into the school.
Amongst the council funded services is the school operated and privately hired Damory Coaches
Damory Coaches
Damory Coaches is a bus and coach operator based in Blandford Forum in Dorset, England. Officially registered as Hants & Dorset Motor Services Limited, Damory Coaches is a subsidiary of Wilts & Dorset, which is itself part of the much larger Go-Ahead Group...
"857 Stoford/Yeovil - Sherborne" service. This service makes use of Damory Coaches Double Decker buses which are commissioned for educational use by the school during morning and after school periods. Unlike other buses, which are subsidised by Dorset County Council tax payers; the 857 service, known amongst school students as the "Yeovil Bus" is heavily subsidised in excess of over £20,000 per school per year by the School Bursary. The amount subsidised is still not enough to cover the large bill to provide such a service and consequently students parents or guardians end up paying £500+ a year, per student to cover the cost of their individual placement. With the bus (a Scania ELC Olympus) seating 100 people this brings the total bill per year to roughly £70,000. Following the end of 2008/09 school calendar the demand for school bus allocations for Yeovil has increased and consequently the school has made use of both of their new 17-seater mini-buses covering the demand.
The 857 Damory Coaches service took over from the previous First Group double decker 657 service which ran the same route and again was provided by the school. The reason for the change in provider occurred following the Firsts lack of respect for timeliness and safety.
Another double decker the "668 King Stag/Hazelbury Bryan/Sturminster Newton/Stalbridge" is run by Damory Coaches again this route is heavily subsided by the school and still costs £65 a month, per person.
From September 2011, all school bus services with the exception of the invited First 57 service, on which students must pay, are to be operated by Damory Coaches. See Dorset For You for further information.
Leisure Centre
The Gryphon Leisure Centre has shared the same site as the school since 1994 and is run by West Dorset District Council. The PE facilities are used by the leisure centreLeisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
in the evening and at weekends, an AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
was added to the outdoor facilities.
It is a busy facility and the largest in the of its kind in the area, the centre has a main sports hall, two competition standard squash courts, an aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
/dance studio
Dance studio
A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose....
and a fully air conditioned fitness suite
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
. Outdoor facilities include six tennis courts or five netball courts
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, an outdoor swimming pool (which has not been used for over five years due to cost and deterioration) plus a floodlit
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
pitch.