The Priory School (Shrewsbury)
Encyclopedia
The Priory School is a secondary school
in the Shropshire market town of Shrewsbury
, Shropshire
, England
. The school was opened in September 1939 and became a Business and Enterprise College
in 2003, with the addition of Applied GCSE courses to the curriculum. The headmistress is Ms Candy Garbett and the Chairman of Governors is Mr John Hodges. The Priory was formerly a girls' grammar school
, but has since become a mixed comprehensive school
.
The Business and Enterprise training centre was opened in September 2004, equipping the school with conference and meeting facilities, often hired out by local groups and businesses. The school became an Enterprise Hub in April 2006, and was awarded High Performing Specialist School status at the start of the academic year 2007-2008. The school has also recently received 'Leading Edge' status.
The school has no sixth form, but is in partnership with the two main local 16+ colleges (Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
and Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology), which almost all of the students go on to attend.
Each of the school's six houses
, named after famous people from or associated with Shropshire, battle it out for the 'House Cup', received by the house with the most points at the end of the house year. They are called : Acton, Baxter, Clive, Darwin, Houseman and Webb. This runs from the start of the summer term to the end of the following spring term, so students in year 11 are always still at school when the cup is awarded. Points are gained for receiving "learning credits" (for students in KS3
), "commendations" (for students in KS4
) and for participating in sports or drama activities. At the end of term all the learning credits are put into a hat and the person picked out gets an ipod shuffle or other prize.
Every year the school holds a variety concert organised and presented by Year 11 Drama and Music Officials, with support from the School Improvement Facilitators (formerly Heads of Department) of Drama and Music. It was formerly known as the Eisteddfod but was renamed the 'Priory Review' followed by the year, for example Pr09 pronounced Pro Nine). The event showcases dancing, singing, bands, drama sketches and even stand-up comedy, all performed by students. The acts earn house points for enduring the rigorous audition process and further points if they are accepted into the school and public performances. Additionally, the school holds many events every year to try and raise money for charity, recently dressing in all of the colours of the rainbow.
Since introducing Drama GCSE into the curriculum, the school has produced and cast many theatre productions, which are performed to a public audience, normally in the second week of November. In 2002 there was a production of Joseph, 2003 Grease
, 2004 Oliver!
, 2005 Our Day Out
, 2006 The Crucible
, 2007 Les Misérables
, 2008, Jesus Christ Superstar,2009 West Side Story and most recently Kaleidoscope. (15.10.2010) This was to remember and celebrate the life of Mr. Pashley, a teacher at the Priory School who died in May 2010. Pupils performed acts in honour of him.
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 Shropshire market town of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
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...
. The school was opened in September 1939 and became a Business and Enterprise College
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...
in 2003, with the addition of Applied GCSE courses to the curriculum. The headmistress is Ms Candy Garbett and the Chairman of Governors is Mr John Hodges. The Priory was formerly a girls' 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...
, but has since become a mixed comprehensive school
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...
.
The Business and Enterprise training centre was opened in September 2004, equipping the school with conference and meeting facilities, often hired out by local groups and businesses. The school became an Enterprise Hub in April 2006, and was awarded High Performing Specialist School status at the start of the academic year 2007-2008. The school has also recently received 'Leading Edge' status.
The school has no sixth form, but is in partnership with the two main local 16+ colleges (Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is a post-secondary co-educational sixth form college located in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The college, which is commonly referred to as SSFC, currently has an enrolment of approximately 1,300 students, generally ranging between the ages of...
and Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology), which almost all of the students go on to attend.
Each of the school's six houses
House 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...
, named after famous people from or associated with Shropshire, battle it out for the 'House Cup', received by the house with the most points at the end of the house year. They are called : Acton, Baxter, Clive, Darwin, Houseman and Webb. This runs from the start of the summer term to the end of the following spring term, so students in year 11 are always still at school when the cup is awarded. Points are gained for receiving "learning credits" (for students in KS3
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...
), "commendations" (for students in KS4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
) and for participating in sports or drama activities. At the end of term all the learning credits are put into a hat and the person picked out gets an ipod shuffle or other prize.
Every year the school holds a variety concert organised and presented by Year 11 Drama and Music Officials, with support from the School Improvement Facilitators (formerly Heads of Department) of Drama and Music. It was formerly known as the Eisteddfod but was renamed the 'Priory Review' followed by the year, for example Pr09 pronounced Pro Nine). The event showcases dancing, singing, bands, drama sketches and even stand-up comedy, all performed by students. The acts earn house points for enduring the rigorous audition process and further points if they are accepted into the school and public performances. Additionally, the school holds many events every year to try and raise money for charity, recently dressing in all of the colours of the rainbow.
Since introducing Drama GCSE into the curriculum, the school has produced and cast many theatre productions, which are performed to a public audience, normally in the second week of November. In 2002 there was a production of Joseph, 2003 Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, 2004 Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, 2005 Our Day Out
Our Day Out
Our Day Out is a television play about deprived children from Liverpool in the United Kingdom. It was written by Willy Russell and first aired on 28 December 1977, at 9pm on BBC2...
, 2006 The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
, 2007 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....
, 2008, Jesus Christ Superstar,2009 West Side Story and most recently Kaleidoscope. (15.10.2010) This was to remember and celebrate the life of Mr. Pashley, a teacher at the Priory School who died in May 2010. Pupils performed acts in honour of him.
Notable alumni
- Kevin SeaburyKevin SeaburyKevin Seabury was a professional footballer who most notably played for his home-town club Shrewsbury Town.Seabury was raised in the Belle Vue area of Shrewsbury, and was a pupil at The Priory School....
, footballer - Adam ShantryAdam ShantryAdam John Shantry is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm medium-fast bowler.Shantry made the bold move of playing for Balwyn CC before playing for Shropshire as a youngster, joining Northamptonshire in 2003 and then moving to Warwickshire two years later...
, cricketer - Stevie DaviesStevie DaviesStevie Davies is an award-winning Welsh novelist. She is currently a lecturer at the Swansea University, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature....
, Author