Wallington County Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Wallington County Grammar School (W.C.G.S.) is a state-funded boys' grammar school
located in Wallington
, Sutton
, London
. Places at the school are invariably oversubscribed and entrance is via competitive exam. Old boys are referred to as "Old Walcountians".
During the Second World War, the school was damaged by a V2 bomb in the summer of 1944. All the windows were blown out and the roof of the school hall collapsed. However the school continued to function, with prefects, teachers and students working to rebuild the ruined structure, and it was "business as usual" before the war ended. Due to the lack of accommodation the first year entry boys had their morning lessons at Carew Manor, walking at lunchtime through Beddington Park to the main school. 52 old boys from the school were killed in action during the course of the war, and they are commemorated by a memorial in the school hall. A memorial plate awarded by the Mayor of Dunkirk is also on display in the school hall.
The school has been expanded beyond the original structure over the years, with the "New Block" (now called the "English" Block) completed in 1952, which provided laboratories and additional classrooms. It now houses all English and Drama classes, as well as the dining hall and the offices of several Subject Leaders.
The Sixth Form
block, located near the school playing fields, was completed in 1973, and now contains History, Economics, Philosophy and Physical Education classrooms, as well as the school's Learning Resource Centre, Sixth Form Common Room and Offices. The completion of this block allowed for the movement of the lower school (Years 7-9) from Carew Manor
to the main site.
In 1997, an old boy of the school, Christopher Woodhead who was then HM Chief Inspector of Schools
, opened a new Science block. This block contains science classrooms, laboratories and various science department administration offices. The second part of the building's development was completed in 2000.
The school was awarded "science college" status in 2005 for its excellence in Science and Mathematics. This meant extra funding for the school, which helped to further improve the standard of the school's science department. More recently, the school was awarded a second specialism - Applied Learning.
The most recent addition to the buildings is the sports hall, which was opened in April 2010. The development of the hall cost £1.34 million, of which £785 000 was funded by the LEA
and the remainder was funded by the school's and PTFA's own fundraising efforts. The construction incorporates various cutting edge aesthetic features including a V-shaped roof and subtly undulating walls.
Girls were admitted to the sixth form for the first time in 1999.
Ruskin: Yellow and black (named after John Ruskin
, the poet)
Woodcote: Green and black (a part of Wallington
noted in Roman
area records)
Radcliffe: Navy and sky blue (named after John Radcliffe, the 17th century physician
, and sometime area resident)
Mandeville: Maroon and white (named after Sir Geoffrey de Mandeville
, resident and landholder after the Norman Conquest and mentioned in the Domesday book
)
Bridges: Blue and White (named after sometime area resident, Canon Alexander Henry Bridges, Rector of Beddington
)
Carew: Blue and red. (a reference to a family of nobility
resident in the area in Tudor times
, the Carews)
The House system is run by House Masters - teachers who direct the Houses, and House captains - senior students responsible for day-to-day House activities.
which consists of a navy blazer
bearing the school's crest
, white shirt, black trousers, black shoes / trainers and school tie. Members of the sixth form are permitted to wear suits of Grey and Black with plain white shirts. The school crest is a single shield with yellow and blue squares; the school tie has a black base with yellow and blue stripes. Depending on the boy's accumulated honours, the tie he is eligible to wear varies. Examples include the '100 Tie' and the 'Arts Tie.' The 100 tie is awarded after after 100 points have been gained from events representing the school (such as sporting events etc...) , while the 'Arts Tie' is awarded for outstanding or sustained contribution to the schools Art, Music or Drama activities. "House Ties" are also awarded, in the respective colours of the house, by the Housemasters for achievement in house competitions. A recently introduced sixth form tie is also available to members of the senior school. Prefects wear various badges of office on their left blazer lapel.
report noted, "students gain GCSE results which are consistently well above national averages.". Progress and attainment in the Sixth Form are both outstanding.
, Christian Union, Football
, Islamic Society, Art, Drama, Music, trips abroad, Cricket
, Field hockey
, Athletics, Cross-country running and Rugby union
. As part of the school's drive to create more societies, newer clubs such as the Puzzle Club and a Film Club have also been founded.
On 17 March 2006, a Charity Bands Concert was held at the school to raise money for Madidima Primary School
in South Africa
. Seven bands formed by the school pupils performed to an audience in the school hall and a total of £545 was raised through ticket and refreshment sales.
The school has regular trips abroad, which have included cultural tours to China
and Russia
; geography expeditions to Iceland
and a cruise around the Red Sea
. It is customary that at least two or three members of school staff lead the trips, as well as prefects or other senior members of staff.
Another fundraising concert, known as the Battle of the Bands, was held on 20 October 2006 in order to help fund the school's new sports hall. On this occasion, the event was competitive, and the winner was to be decided by a panel of judges. The winners, Dazed, also gave an acoustic performance after the concert in memory of Jimmy Li, a pupil of the school who had died in a car crash in January 2006. In total, more than £1000 was raised. The event, which is open to entries from the entire student body, has become a recurring annual event and a popular item in the school's calendar. The school plans to host future RAG (Raising And Giving) events to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.
U18 Vase in a match played at Twickenham Stadium
. The match against Lymm High School
ended 16-9 in Wallington's favour.
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...
located in Wallington
Wallington, London
Wallington is a town in the London Borough of Sutton situated south south-west of Charing Cross. Prior to the merger of the Municipal Borough of Beddington and Wallington into the London Borough of Sutton, it was part of the county of Surrey.- History :...
, Sutton
London Borough of Sutton
The London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Places at the school are invariably oversubscribed and entrance is via competitive exam. Old boys are referred to as "Old Walcountians".
History
The school opened on the 19 September 1927, in Queen's Road, Wallington, about half a mile from the present site, with a total of just 71 pupils. The original building had a single story, with a wooden extension. The first headmaster was Mr. Walter. T. Hutchins (MA Oxon), whose portrait now hangs in the school hall. Mr Hutchings was only 33 years old when he opened the school, and he was to serve as Headmaster for 32 years. The school moved to its present site in Croydon Road in 1935.During the Second World War, the school was damaged by a V2 bomb in the summer of 1944. All the windows were blown out and the roof of the school hall collapsed. However the school continued to function, with prefects, teachers and students working to rebuild the ruined structure, and it was "business as usual" before the war ended. Due to the lack of accommodation the first year entry boys had their morning lessons at Carew Manor, walking at lunchtime through Beddington Park to the main school. 52 old boys from the school were killed in action during the course of the war, and they are commemorated by a memorial in the school hall. A memorial plate awarded by the Mayor of Dunkirk is also on display in the school hall.
The school has been expanded beyond the original structure over the years, with the "New Block" (now called the "English" Block) completed in 1952, which provided laboratories and additional classrooms. It now houses all English and Drama classes, as well as the dining hall and the offices of several Subject Leaders.
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,...
block, located near the school playing fields, was completed in 1973, and now contains History, Economics, Philosophy and Physical Education classrooms, as well as the school's Learning Resource Centre, Sixth Form Common Room and Offices. The completion of this block allowed for the movement of the lower school (Years 7-9) from Carew Manor
Beddington
Beddington is a settlement between the London Boroughs of Sutton and Croydon. The BedZED low energy housing scheme is located here. In Beddington was a static inverter plant of HVDC Kingsnorth....
to the main site.
In 1997, an old boy of the school, Christopher Woodhead who was then HM Chief Inspector of Schools
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 ....
, opened a new Science block. This block contains science classrooms, laboratories and various science department administration offices. The second part of the building's development was completed in 2000.
The school was awarded "science college" status in 2005 for its excellence in Science and Mathematics. This meant extra funding for the school, which helped to further improve the standard of the school's science department. More recently, the school was awarded a second specialism - Applied Learning.
The most recent addition to the buildings is the sports hall, which was opened in April 2010. The development of the hall cost £1.34 million, of which £785 000 was funded by the LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
and the remainder was funded by the school's and PTFA's own fundraising efforts. The construction incorporates various cutting edge aesthetic features including a V-shaped roof and subtly undulating walls.
Girls were admitted to the sixth form for the first time in 1999.
Headmasters
- Mr W.T. Hutchins - 1927 - 1959
- Mr Hitchin - 1959 - 1975
- Mr R.S. Harrison - 1975 - 1990
- Dr J.M. Haworth - 1990 - 2009
- Mr P. Smart - 2010-
House system
On entry to the school, pupils are placed into one of six Houses, which compete against each other in sports and other activities. The Houses each have a local historical association, and assigned colours:Ruskin: Yellow and black (named after John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
, the poet)
Woodcote: Green and black (a part of Wallington
Wallington, London
Wallington is a town in the London Borough of Sutton situated south south-west of Charing Cross. Prior to the merger of the Municipal Borough of Beddington and Wallington into the London Borough of Sutton, it was part of the county of Surrey.- History :...
noted in Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
area records)
Radcliffe: Navy and sky blue (named after John Radcliffe, the 17th century physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, and sometime area resident)
Mandeville: Maroon and white (named after Sir Geoffrey de Mandeville
Geoffrey de Mandeville (11th century)
Geoffrey de Mandeville may have been Constable of the Tower of London. His surname comes from the town of Manneville or Magna Villa near Valognes in Manche on the Cotentin Peninsula...
, resident and landholder after the Norman Conquest and mentioned in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
)
Bridges: Blue and White (named after sometime area resident, Canon Alexander Henry Bridges, Rector of Beddington
Beddington
Beddington is a settlement between the London Boroughs of Sutton and Croydon. The BedZED low energy housing scheme is located here. In Beddington was a static inverter plant of HVDC Kingsnorth....
)
Carew: Blue and red. (a reference to a family of nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
resident in the area in Tudor times
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
, the Carews)
The House system is run by House Masters - teachers who direct the Houses, and House captains - senior students responsible for day-to-day House activities.
Uniform
Boys wear a school uniformSchool uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
which consists of a navy blazer
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
bearing the school's crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
, white shirt, black trousers, black shoes / trainers and school tie. Members of the sixth form are permitted to wear suits of Grey and Black with plain white shirts. The school crest is a single shield with yellow and blue squares; the school tie has a black base with yellow and blue stripes. Depending on the boy's accumulated honours, the tie he is eligible to wear varies. Examples include the '100 Tie' and the 'Arts Tie.' The 100 tie is awarded after after 100 points have been gained from events representing the school (such as sporting events etc...) , while the 'Arts Tie' is awarded for outstanding or sustained contribution to the schools Art, Music or Drama activities. "House Ties" are also awarded, in the respective colours of the house, by the Housemasters for achievement in house competitions. A recently introduced sixth form tie is also available to members of the senior school. Prefects wear various badges of office on their left blazer lapel.
Academic Performance
Wallington County Grammar School is a good school which seeks to be an outstanding one. Students enter the school with very high levels of attainment. As the most recent OfstedOfsted
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 ....
report noted, "students gain GCSE results which are consistently well above national averages.". Progress and attainment in the Sixth Form are both outstanding.
Breakfast
From Monday 17 January 2011, the Dining Hall started offering students and staff the opportunity to purchase breakfast. This service runs from 7:30am until 8:15amBreak
At Break time (10:45 - 11:00) Students are allowed to purchase snacks , including bacon rolls, pizza bread, snack-bars, pasta, sandwiches and fresh fruit.Extracurricular activities
Extracurricular activities offered by the school include Debating, Public Speaking, ChessChess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, Christian Union, Football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, Islamic Society, Art, Drama, Music, trips abroad, Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, Field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, Athletics, Cross-country running and Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. As part of the school's drive to create more societies, newer clubs such as the Puzzle Club and a Film Club have also been founded.
On 17 March 2006, a Charity Bands Concert was held at the school to raise money for Madidima Primary School
Madidima Primary School
Madidima Primary School is a small Zulu community primary school located in the Mbolwane area of Eshowe, Uthungulu District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Seven bands formed by the school pupils performed to an audience in the school hall and a total of £545 was raised through ticket and refreshment sales.
The school has regular trips abroad, which have included cultural tours to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
; geography expeditions to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and a cruise around the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. It is customary that at least two or three members of school staff lead the trips, as well as prefects or other senior members of staff.
Another fundraising concert, known as the Battle of the Bands, was held on 20 October 2006 in order to help fund the school's new sports hall. On this occasion, the event was competitive, and the winner was to be decided by a panel of judges. The winners, Dazed, also gave an acoustic performance after the concert in memory of Jimmy Li, a pupil of the school who had died in a car crash in January 2006. In total, more than £1000 was raised. The event, which is open to entries from the entire student body, has become a recurring annual event and a popular item in the school's calendar. The school plans to host future RAG (Raising And Giving) events to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.
Sporting achievements
In 1999, the 1st XV Rugby team won the final of the Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
U18 Vase in a match played at Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. The match against Lymm High School
Lymm High School
Lymm High School is an English comprehensive school, located in Lymm, Warrington, Cheshire, of which the grammar school part had a history stretching back to the late 16th century...
ended 16-9 in Wallington's favour.
Pupils and staff of note
- Chris Bates, BBC Television Show 'The Apprentice', contestant.
- John Marco AllegroJohn Marco AllegroJohn Marco Allegro was a scholar who challenged orthodox views of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Bible and the history of religion, with books that attracted popular attention and scholarly derision....
, biblical scholar and BBC broadcaster. - Douglas Allen, Baron CrohamDouglas Allen, Baron CrohamDouglas Albert Vivian Allen, Baron Croham GCB, was a British politician and civil servant.The son of Albert John Allen, Douglas Allen was only one when his father was killed in action during the First World War...
, former Head of the British Civil Service and Permanent SecretaryPermanent SecretaryThe Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
, Civil Service Department, and President of the Institute for Fiscal StudiesInstitute for Fiscal StudiesThe Institute for Fiscal Studies is an economic research institute based in London, United Kingdom which specialises in UK taxation and public policy...
from 1979-92. - Prof Harold BarlowHarold BarlowHarold Everard Monteagle Barlow FRS was a British engineer.He was born in Islington, London, the son of Leonard Barlow, an electrical engineer. He entered University College, London where, apart from the WWII years , he spent most of his working life...
, Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
from 1950–67 - Steve BrownSteve Brown (darts player)Steve Brown is an English-born American darts player who had the majority of his success during the 1990s when he finished third at the inaugural Professional Darts Corporation's version of the World Championship in 1994 - after the majority of top players decided to separate from the British...
, Professional darts player. - Angus CalderAngus CalderAngus Lindsay Ritchie Calder was a Scottish academic, writer, historian, educator and literary editor with a background in English literature, politics and cultural studies.-Education:...
, Historian, writer and poet. - Timothy Lachlan Chambers OBE JPJustice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
FRCP, physician; High Sheriff City of Bristol 2009-2010; Master, Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of the City of London 2011- .. - Ryan CumminsRyan CumminsRyan Cummins is an English cricketer, who represented Leicestershire County Cricket Club. He was born in Sutton, London....
, LeicestershireLeicestershire County Cricket ClubLeicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
and NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire County Cricket ClubNorthamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
cricketer. - Paul DeightonPaul DeightonPaul Deighton is a British investment banker, formerly a partner at Goldman Sachs who studied economics at Cambridge University. Paul Deighton was named as chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Games on 19 December 2005.-External links:*...
, Investment Banker and CEO, London Organising Committee for the Olympic GamesLondon Organising Committee for the Olympic GamesThe London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is a limited company, owned by the Government of the United Kingdom, that will oversee the planning and development of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the successful London 2012 Olympic bid, LOCOG was...
. - Peter LoaderPeter LoaderPeter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
, Surrey and England cricketer, last English bowler before Dominic CorkDominic CorkDominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
to take a test hat-trick on home soil, against the West Indies in 1957. - Arnold LongArnold LongArnold "Ob" Long is a former English first-class cricketer. He played for Surrey between 1960 and 1975, then spent the remainder of his career at Sussex, whom he captained between 1978 and 1980. A wicketkeeper and left-handed batsman, Long claimed 1046 victims from his 452 games over a 20-year...
, SurreySurrey County Cricket ClubSurrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and SussexSussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
cricketer. - Nick RossNick RossNick Ross is a British radio and television presenter across a wide range of factual programmes and during the 1980s and 90s he was one of the most ubiquitous of British broadcasters, but he is best known for his long-running co-hosting of the BBC TV show Crimewatch which he left on 2 July 2007...
, television personality and ex-presenter of CrimewatchCrimewatchCrimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
. - Malcolm SavidgeMalcolm SavidgeMalcolm Kemp Savidge is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Labour Party member of Parliament for Aberdeen North, in Scotland, from the 1997 general election until he stood down at the 2005 general election....
, 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,...
for Aberdeen NorthAberdeen North (UK Parliament constituency)Aberdeen North is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
1997 to 2005. - M. J. SeatonM. J. SeatonMichael J. Seaton FRS was an influential British mathematician, atomic physicist and astronomer.He was born in Bristol, and educated at Wallington County Grammar School , a grammar school in Surrey, where he won prizes for his achievements in chemistry.From 1941 to 1946 he served in the wartime...
FRS, mathematician, atomic physicist and astronomer, Professor of Physics UCLUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
1963-88 (Emeritus 1988-2007) and President of the Royal Astronomical SocietyRoyal Astronomical SocietyThe Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
from 1979-81. - Rear-AdmRear AdmiralRear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Philip WilcocksPhilip WilcocksRear Admiral Philip Lawrence Wilcocks, CB DSC is a former senior British Royal Navy officer who became Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland.-Naval:...
CB. - Chris WoodheadChris WoodheadSir Christopher Anthony Woodhead was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England from 1994 until 2000 and is one of the most controversial figures in debates on the direction of English education policy...
, formerly HM Chief Inspector of Schools. - Philip YeaPhilip YeaPhilip Yea a British businessman and private equity investor who currently serves as Chairman of the British Heart Foundation. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of 3i Group plc, from 2005 to January 2009. Yea is a non-Executive Director of Vodafone Group plc and Senior Business Adviser to the...
, businessman.