The King's School, Chester
Encyclopedia
The King's School, Chester is a British coeducational independent
7-18 school situated just outside the city of Chester
. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
.
The school traditionally has an academic bias, and has a strong academic record.
in 1541 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
. Other King's Schools are at Canterbury
, Ely
, Gloucester
, Peterborough
, Rochester
and Worcester
. The King's school at Chester was formed following the dissolution of St Werburgh's Abbey, which became Chester Cathedral. The statutes provided that there should be "24 poor and friendless boys between the ages of 9 and 15".
The School was housed in the former Monastic Refectory for most of its the next 400 years until 1869. The school was variously called "The Free School" and "The Grammar School". It was not known as The King's School until the mid 19th century when it was referred to as the "Grammar School of King Henry VIII". Dedicated school buildings were opened by Gladstone in 1876 adjoining the North West corner of the Cathedral, where the modern day Barclays Bank now stands. This history is still celebrated with a cathedral service every term and there continue to be strong links with the Cathedral. Little is known about the school during the Civil War, but King's pupils were known as 'Roundhead Scholars'.
From the late 19th to early 20th century, the school ran a Boarding House under the charge of one of the masters. In 1885, this was located at 98 Watergate Flags, but later moved to Eaton Road. By 1911, the governors had acquired new premises at Arnold House, Walpole Street, which became the Junior School and school boarding house. The latter was closed in 1931 due to the lack of pupils wishing to board.
During the Great War, games sessions were replaced by military training. A Cadet Corps was founded in 1916, and shooting practice took place every day of the week. Rough grass land at Arnold House was dug and planted with potatoes, whilst senior boys assisted with the hay harvests and with the national re-afforestation programme.
The inter-war years saw the arrival of typewriters, the installation of electricity in 1922, a telephone exchange and new tuck shop. Major changes became necessary during the Second World War.drill parade Parts of the Cathedral were adapted as air raid shelters, whilst some of the playing fields were ploughed up and used to produce crops. Pupils contributed towards the war effort in many ways; helping out on local farms, collecting scrap metal, and training as First Aid workers.
As pupil numbers rose during the 1940s, The King's School took over part of the former Bluecoat School
buildings on Upper Northgate Street. By the early 1950s, a 999 year lease had been secured with the Eaton Estate for the current 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) site on Wrexham Road on the outskirts of the city. Designing the buildings started in 1956, and in 1960 the whole school moved to the new site, and the royal connection continued when the school was opened by Her Majesty The Queen Mother. Further building extensions, including a sixth form centre and sports hall, were subsequently opened by HRH Princess Margaret in 1989.
The school became fully co-educational in 2003, taking girls into the school at all ages. During this period, further development included a purpose built music school and a floodlit astro turf.
The school celebrated 50 years at its Wrexham Road site in 2010 with a weekend of events and the unveiling of a copper sculpture. In summer 2011 a new theatre will be opened.
Most recently, 50% of students attained at least one A grade at A level,and 83% As and A*s at GCSE. Although not all final year students go on to places at university, the school boasts that they have a high level of students attending top universities each year.
With the advent of co-education, the school experienced a significant degree of redevelopment and enlargement. Many new facilities were built. Amongst the completed developments are the all-weather outdoor sports pitch and the expansion to the Art
and Design Technology
departments. Four new general purpose classrooms for the Junior School were built and there are two specialist classrooms for the Junior School. Other new facilities are the tennis
/netball
courts, teaching classrooms and laboratories for the Senior School, and a new music school ( named as the Tim Turvey Music School). Adjacent farmland has also been acquired for use as football pitches. The state of the art Vanbrugh Theatre opened in June 2011, named after former pupil, Sir John Vanbrugh
, celebrated theatre architect and dramatist.
The school
has a state-of-the-art Music
School, equipped with a recording studio
, a large recital room, and a music technology room. It has a successful Schola Cantorum which recently toured Paris and sang at Notre Dame.
Annual productions of musical theatre
at King's have occurred for much of the past half-century in the latter half of the Lent (Spring) term. Under the headmastership of Roger Wickson, there were biennial productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, often performed in collaboration with The Queen's School, Chester
, in which he played a starring role in addition to producing and directing. Notable shows in the past 5 years include West Side Story, Assassins
, Into The Woods
, Timberlake Wertenbaker
's Our Country's Good
, and Les Misérables
. Recent Sixth Form drama productions have included Jonson's 'The Alchemist
' and Bertolt Brecht
's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
.
Trips abroad are arranged by several departments fairly regularly. In addition to annual foreign language exchange visits, these include the art, history, physics and physical education departments. An international expedition is also undertaken from time to time, with recent destinations including India
, Morocco
and Tanzania
. The importance of such trips has recently led to the appointment of an "Educational Visits Co-ordinator".
The school encourages the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme
, and students regularly gain their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards during their time at the school, or shortly afterwards.
The King's School's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a voluntary contingent within the CCF
of the Ministry of Defence
, originally formed during the First World War. It consists of the mandatory Army Section, with an additional RAF Section. Its nominal roll currently includes approximately 133 cadets. Notable achievement of the contingent include the Award of International Air Cadet Exchange in 2005. Numerous Gliding scholarships, Leadership and Personal achievements have been gained including two Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Foundation Medals in recent years. For example, in 2005, individual cadets were awarded a RN Special Flying Award (Powered) and an RAF Flying Scholarship. In 2009 and 2010 three more RAF Flying Scholarships were awarded to cadets from the contingent. The contingent participate annually in the Welbeck Pentathlon Competition, and has had outstanding achievements in 2005 (Jnr Team 1st Place, Snr Team 2nd Place), 2003 (Snr Team 1st Place, Jnr Team 2nd Place) and 2002 (Jnr Team 1st Place). The contingent has also won The King's and Cheshire Cups several times.
The school's boat house is situated on the River Dee
in the centre of Chester
, and stores over 100 boats. A dozen former pupils have rowed for Oxbridge
and there has been more than one Olympic
rower. Chris Bartley, Peter Rudge, and Olivia Whitlam are all ex-King's rowers, though the school's most notable former pupil to continue rowing is 2008 Olympic gold medallist Tom James
, who also won the 2007 Boat Race whist President of the Cambridge University Boat Club
. The five times British Indoor Rowing Champion and 2006 World Indoor Rowing Champion, Graham Benton
, was also a pupil at the school though he never rowed during his time there.
Founded in 1887, The King's School Rowing Club has an enviable reputation as one of the country's top school clubs. Rowing is offered as part of the sports curriculum in the third year, and forms part of the curriculum from then on for those who wish to participate. The school competes nationally at a high level and the 1st VIII has won the International Belgian Junior Championships for the past two years while on training camps to Ghent, Belgium.
The 2006/2007 hockey season saw the appointment of former England captain Russell Hornby. The School has also recently employed Pakistani Captain Ali Ghanzafar as coach for the 1st XI, thanks largely to Russell Hornby, an ex team mate of Ghanzafar's from Bowdon Hockey Club.
and Headmaster of King's College, Taunton.
Alumni of the school, known as Old King's Scholars, include:
The Chester Association of Old King's Scholars (CAOKS) exists to maintain links between former students, though it is independent of the school.. It is one of the longest established and most successful alumni associations in the country.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
7-18 school situated just outside the city of 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...
. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
.
The school traditionally has an academic bias, and has a strong academic record.
History
King's is one of seven schools established, or in some cases re-endowed and renamed, by King Henry VIIIHenry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1541 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...
. Other King's Schools are at Canterbury
The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School is a British co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in the historic English cathedral city of Canterbury in Kent. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group....
, Ely
The King's School, Ely
The King's School, Ely, is a coeducational independent day and boarding school in the cathedral city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. It was founded in 970 A.D., making it one of the oldest schools in the world, though it was given its Royal Charter by King Henry VIII in 1541...
, Gloucester
The King's School, Gloucester
The King's School, Gloucester is an independent school in the United Kingdom, taking students from the ages of 3-18, with around 500 students. The current Headmaster is Alastair Macnaughton.- Origins :...
, Peterborough
The King's School, Peterborough
The King's School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England comprehensive secondary school in Peterborough, England. On the 1st January 2011, the School became an academy and changed its name from 'The King's School, Peterborough'...
, Rochester
The King's School, Rochester
The King's School, Rochester is an independent school in Rochester, Kent. It is a cathedral school, and being part of the foundation of Rochester Cathedral, the Dean of Rochester Cathedral serves as the chair of the school's governing body...
and Worcester
The King's School, Worcester
The King's School, Worcester is an English independent school refounded by Henry VIII in 1541. It occupies a site adjacent to Worcester Cathedral on the banks of the River Severn in the centre of the city of Worcester...
. The King's school at Chester was formed following the dissolution of St Werburgh's Abbey, which became Chester Cathedral. The statutes provided that there should be "24 poor and friendless boys between the ages of 9 and 15".
The School was housed in the former Monastic Refectory for most of its the next 400 years until 1869. The school was variously called "The Free School" and "The Grammar School". It was not known as The King's School until the mid 19th century when it was referred to as the "Grammar School of King Henry VIII". Dedicated school buildings were opened by Gladstone in 1876 adjoining the North West corner of the Cathedral, where the modern day Barclays Bank now stands. This history is still celebrated with a cathedral service every term and there continue to be strong links with the Cathedral. Little is known about the school during the Civil War, but King's pupils were known as 'Roundhead Scholars'.
From the late 19th to early 20th century, the school ran a Boarding House under the charge of one of the masters. In 1885, this was located at 98 Watergate Flags, but later moved to Eaton Road. By 1911, the governors had acquired new premises at Arnold House, Walpole Street, which became the Junior School and school boarding house. The latter was closed in 1931 due to the lack of pupils wishing to board.
During the Great War, games sessions were replaced by military training. A Cadet Corps was founded in 1916, and shooting practice took place every day of the week. Rough grass land at Arnold House was dug and planted with potatoes, whilst senior boys assisted with the hay harvests and with the national re-afforestation programme.
The inter-war years saw the arrival of typewriters, the installation of electricity in 1922, a telephone exchange and new tuck shop. Major changes became necessary during the Second World War.drill parade Parts of the Cathedral were adapted as air raid shelters, whilst some of the playing fields were ploughed up and used to produce crops. Pupils contributed towards the war effort in many ways; helping out on local farms, collecting scrap metal, and training as First Aid workers.
As pupil numbers rose during the 1940s, The King's School took over part of the former Bluecoat School
Bluecoat School, Chester
The Blue Coat School is located in Upper Northgate Street, Chester, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.-History:Before the school was built, it was the site of a medieval hospital...
buildings on Upper Northgate Street. By the early 1950s, a 999 year lease had been secured with the Eaton Estate for the current 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) site on Wrexham Road on the outskirts of the city. Designing the buildings started in 1956, and in 1960 the whole school moved to the new site, and the royal connection continued when the school was opened by Her Majesty The Queen Mother. Further building extensions, including a sixth form centre and sports hall, were subsequently opened by HRH Princess Margaret in 1989.
The school became fully co-educational in 2003, taking girls into the school at all ages. During this period, further development included a purpose built music school and a floodlit astro turf.
The school celebrated 50 years at its Wrexham Road site in 2010 with a weekend of events and the unveiling of a copper sculpture. In summer 2011 a new theatre will be opened.
Academia
The school follows the standard curriculum of GCSE and A-Levels in the senior school, in the fifth and sixth forms.Most recently, 50% of students attained at least one A grade at A level,and 83% As and A*s at GCSE. Although not all final year students go on to places at university, the school boasts that they have a high level of students attending top universities each year.
Facilities & Development
- Walsh wing - teaching classrooms for modern languages and science
- Wickson library - the school's library, named after former headmaster Roger Wickson
- Tim Turvey music school - music teaching suite including a recital room and recording studio, named after the former headmaster.
- Sports Hall
- Swimming pool
- Cricket pavilion - rebuilt with help from the mothers' guild after the previous pavilion burned down
- All-weather sports pitch
- Vanbrugh Theatre - a new state of the art theatre with facilities opened 2011
With the advent of co-education, the school experienced a significant degree of redevelopment and enlargement. Many new facilities were built. Amongst the completed developments are the all-weather outdoor sports pitch and the expansion to the Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and Design Technology
Design Technology
Design and Technology is a school subject offered at all levels of primary and secondary school. In some countries such as England it is a part of the National Curriculum. It is offered in many countries around the world such as Brunei, Bermuda, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Jordan...
departments. Four new general purpose classrooms for the Junior School were built and there are two specialist classrooms for the Junior School. Other new facilities are the tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
/netball
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 ...
courts, teaching classrooms and laboratories for the Senior School, and a new music school ( named as the Tim Turvey Music School). Adjacent farmland has also been acquired for use as football pitches. The state of the art Vanbrugh Theatre opened in June 2011, named after former pupil, Sir John Vanbrugh
John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
, celebrated theatre architect and dramatist.
Extra-Curricular activities
The school's pupils engage in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including music and drama, as well as educational trips abroad, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, and a Combined Cadet Force contingent. The school's sporting activities are described in a separate section. Academically, extra-curriculum subjects such as lunchtime ancient Greek and ECDL are popular among students.The school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
has a state-of-the-art Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
School, equipped with a recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, a large recital room, and a music technology room. It has a successful Schola Cantorum which recently toured Paris and sang at Notre Dame.
Annual productions of musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
at King's have occurred for much of the past half-century in the latter half of the Lent (Spring) term. Under the headmastership of Roger Wickson, there were biennial productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, often performed in collaboration with The Queen's School, Chester
The Queen's School, Chester
The Queen's School is an independent day school for girls aged 4–18 located in Chester, England. The school was founded in 1878 and was originally called The Chester School for Girls. In 1882, Queen Victoria issued a royal decree naming the school as The Queen's School, the only school in England...
, in which he played a starring role in addition to producing and directing. Notable shows in the past 5 years include West Side Story, Assassins
Assassins (musical)
Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. It uses the premise of a murderous carnival game to produce a revue-style portrayal of men and women who attempted to assassinate Presidents of the United States...
, 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...
, Timberlake Wertenbaker
Timberlake Wertenbaker
- Biography :Wertenbaker grew up in the Basque Country of France near Saint-Jean-de-Luz. She attended schools in Europe and the US before settling permanently in London...
's Our Country's Good
Our Country's Good
Our Country's Good is a 1988 play written by British playwright, Timberlake Wertenbaker, adapted from the Thomas Keneally novel The Playmaker. The story concerns a group of Royal Marines and convicts in a penal colony in New South Wales, in the 1780s, who put on a production of The Recruiting...
, and Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
. Recent Sixth Form drama productions have included Jonson's 'The Alchemist
The Alchemist (play)
The Alchemist is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson. First performed in 1610 by the King's Men, it is generally considered Jonson's best and most characteristic comedy; Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature...
' and Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is a play by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, originally written in 1941...
.
Trips abroad are arranged by several departments fairly regularly. In addition to annual foreign language exchange visits, these include the art, history, physics and physical education departments. An international expedition is also undertaken from time to time, with recent destinations including India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. The importance of such trips has recently led to the appointment of an "Educational Visits Co-ordinator".
The school encourages the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award , is a programme of activities that can be undertaken by anyone aged 14 to 24, regardless of personal ability....
, and students regularly gain their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards during their time at the school, or shortly afterwards.
The King's School's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a voluntary contingent within the CCF
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
of the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, originally formed during the First World War. It consists of the mandatory Army Section, with an additional RAF Section. Its nominal roll currently includes approximately 133 cadets. Notable achievement of the contingent include the Award of International Air Cadet Exchange in 2005. Numerous Gliding scholarships, Leadership and Personal achievements have been gained including two Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Foundation Medals in recent years. For example, in 2005, individual cadets were awarded a RN Special Flying Award (Powered) and an RAF Flying Scholarship. In 2009 and 2010 three more RAF Flying Scholarships were awarded to cadets from the contingent. The contingent participate annually in the Welbeck Pentathlon Competition, and has had outstanding achievements in 2005 (Jnr Team 1st Place, Snr Team 2nd Place), 2003 (Snr Team 1st Place, Jnr Team 2nd Place) and 2002 (Jnr Team 1st Place). The contingent has also won The King's and Cheshire Cups several times.
Sport
The football team added the Chester and District Cup to their trophy cabinet in the 2007-2008 season with a 2-0 victory over Chester Catholic High School.The school's boat house is situated on the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
in the centre of 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 stores over 100 boats. A dozen former pupils have rowed for Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
and there has been more than one Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
rower. Chris Bartley, Peter Rudge, and Olivia Whitlam are all ex-King's rowers, though the school's most notable former pupil to continue rowing is 2008 Olympic gold medallist Tom James
Tom James
Thomas James MBE is a Welsh rower, Olympic Champion, and victorious Cambridge Blue.-Education:James was educated at The King's School, Chester, where he took up the sport of rowing...
, who also won the 2007 Boat Race whist President of the Cambridge University Boat Club
Cambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
. The five times British Indoor Rowing Champion and 2006 World Indoor Rowing Champion, Graham Benton
Graham Benton
In 2004 Graham Benton become the first "non-rower" to win the men's open event at the British Indoor Rowing Championships, an event dominated until that time by Olympic water rowers such as Matthew Pinsent , James Cracknell , and Jamie Schroeder .Graham has since gone on to win the Men's Open event...
, was also a pupil at the school though he never rowed during his time there.
Founded in 1887, The King's School Rowing Club has an enviable reputation as one of the country's top school clubs. Rowing is offered as part of the sports curriculum in the third year, and forms part of the curriculum from then on for those who wish to participate. The school competes nationally at a high level and the 1st VIII has won the International Belgian Junior Championships for the past two years while on training camps to Ghent, Belgium.
The 2006/2007 hockey season saw the appointment of former England captain Russell Hornby. The School has also recently employed Pakistani Captain Ali Ghanzafar as coach for the 1st XI, thanks largely to Russell Hornby, an ex team mate of Ghanzafar's from Bowdon Hockey Club.
The Headmaster
The school's current headmaster (since 2007) is Chris Ramsey, a graduate of Modern and Medieval Languages from Cambridge University. Ramsey previously served as Head of Modern Languages at Wellington College, BerkshireWellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
and Headmaster of King's College, Taunton.
Previous Headmasters
- 2000-2007 Tim Turvey, biologist
- 1981-2000 Roger Wickson, classicist and historian
- 1964-1981 Arthur Reginald Munday, classicist
- 1947-1964 Leslie Francis Harvey
Notable staff and students, past and present
The school boasts a number of staff who are themselves notable:- Barry HorneBarry Horne (footballer)Barry Horne is a Welsh former professional footballer and former chairman of the Professional Footballers Association.-Playing career:...
, current chemistry teacher and director of football, is a former Everton F.C.Everton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
midfielder. - Paul Shannon, current head of modern languages, is the writer/compiler of many books, articles and video scripts on railways.
- Roger Wickson, former headmaster (1981–2000) after a career dotted around several southern public schools, is the author of The Community of the Realm in Thirteenth Century England (Longmans, 1970).
Alumni of the school, known as Old King's Scholars, include:
- Sir John VanbrughJohn VanbrughSir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
, architect and dramatist - Martin LewisMartin Lewis (financial journalist)Martin Steven Lewis is journalist, television presenter, website entrepreneur and author in the United Kingdom, who specialises in ways to save money...
, Financial Journalist and Creator of MoneySavingExpert.com - Randolph CaldecottRandolph CaldecottRandolph Caldecott was a British artist and illustrator, born in Chester. The Caldecott Medal was named in his honor. He exercised his art chiefly in book illustrations. His abilities as an artist were promptly and generously recognized by the Royal Academy. Caldecott greatly influenced...
, Illustrator - Lieutenant General Sir James Dutton, former Commandant-General, Royal Marines
- Rob EastawayRob EastawayRobert Eastaway is an author who is active in the popularisation of mathematics. He is a former pupil of The King's School, Chester, England and has a degree in Engineering and Management Science from the University of Cambridge. He was President of the UK Mathematical Association for 2007/2008...
, mathematician and ex-puzzle writer for New ScientistNew ScientistNew Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of... - Trevor KletzTrevor KletzTrevor Kletz OBE is a prolific British author on the topic of chemical engineering safety. He is credited with introducing the concept of inherent safety, and was a major promoter of Hazop.-Early life and education:...
, author on industrial safety - Steve LeonardSteve LeonardStephen "Steve" Leonard is a British veterinarian and television personality.-Early life:Leonard's family moved to Cheshire, from Northern Ireland, when he was six weeks old....
, television vet and BBC presenter - Bert LipshamBert LipshamHerbert Broughall Lipsham was a professional footballer who won the 1902 FA Cup Final with Sheffield United.-Club career:...
, England International footballer and FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winner with Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
in 1902. - Hugh LloydHugh LloydHugh Lewis Lloyd, MBE was an English actor who made his name in television and film comedy from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was best known for appearances in Hugh and I and other sitcoms of the 1960s.-Life:...
, comedy actor - Patrick MercerPatrick MercerPatrick John Mercer OBE is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom, representing the constituency of Newark in Parliament. He is a frequent commentator on defence and security issues having served as infantry officer in the British Army and held the position of Shadow Minister for...
, Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... - Mike ParryMike ParryMike Parry is a British journalist and radio presenter.-Early life:Born in Chester, Parry attended The King's School, Chester, and later Trent Polytechnic.-Journalism career:...
, talkSPORT presenter - Ronald PickupRonald Pickup-Life and career:Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy and Eric Pickup, who was a lecturer. Pickup was educated at The King's School, Chester, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and became an Associate Member of RADA.His television work began with an episode...
, actor - Nickolas GraceNickolas GraceNickolas Grace is a British actor known for his roles on television, including Anthony Blanche in the acclaimed ITV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited and the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1980s series Robin of Sherwood...
, actor - Rob Leslie-CarterRob Leslie-CarterRobert Michael Leslie-Carter MICE, MAIPM is a British Engineer and Project Manager with consulting firm Arup, resident in Sydney Australia. He was named 'Project Manager of the Year' at the 2003 UK Association for Project Management awards for his role leading the new Laban Dance School in...
, Engineer - Graham BentonGraham BentonIn 2004 Graham Benton become the first "non-rower" to win the men's open event at the British Indoor Rowing Championships, an event dominated until that time by Olympic water rowers such as Matthew Pinsent , James Cracknell , and Jamie Schroeder .Graham has since gone on to win the Men's Open event...
, British and World Indoor Rowing Champion - Tom JamesTom JamesThomas James MBE is a Welsh rower, Olympic Champion, and victorious Cambridge Blue.-Education:James was educated at The King's School, Chester, where he took up the sport of rowing...
, Olympic gold medal oarsman - David WhitleyDavid WhitleyDavid Whitley is a British writer, author of YA/teen fantasy The Midnight Charter and the subsequent two books in the Agora Trilogy. The Midnight Charter was published in August 2009, and was Whitley's debut novel....
, Author of The Midnight CharterThe Midnight CharterThe Midnight Charter is a young adult fantasy novel by David Whitley. It is the first novel in the Agora Trilogy, and the author's debut novel. It was nominated for the 2010 Carnegie Medal, but lost to Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.-Concept:...
The Chester Association of Old King's Scholars (CAOKS) exists to maintain links between former students, though it is independent of the school.. It is one of the longest established and most successful alumni associations in the country.