Wymondham College
Encyclopedia
Wymondham College is a state boarding school
, located in Norfolk
, England
, which was the largest in Europe when it opened in 1951.
(Mathematics
, Science
, ICT
& DT
) and Modern Foreign Languages
college. The headteacher is the Vice-Chairman of the Boarding Schools Association (BSA). It is situated on Golf Links Road on its own campus site near the junction with the A11 and B1172. It is next to Morley Hall, and lies in the civil parish of Morley
.
USAAF
231st Station Hospital, and when the school first opened in 1951 the hospital's forty Nissen hut
s were used as classrooms and dormitories
. It was established by Lincoln Ralphs, the chief education officer of Norfolk Education Committee. Brick-built accommodation began to appear in the late 1950s but Nissen huts remained in use, principally for classrooms and storage, through to end of the 1990s. The only Nissen hut now remaining is the College chapel. A memorial garden has been created on the site of the former mortuary (which for many years was used as the technical drawing classroom).
and Technical
, each with separate Heads. They merged in the mid-1950s after an uneasy co-existence. The school was a co-educational boarding grammar school
. It was intended for academically-gifted children in remote rural areas with no grammar school
s in their local area that they could attend, as well as those with parents abroad or who regularly moved around the country. It gave priority, where possible, to children from families where the parents had separated, thus possibly under financial hardship. Admissions were by examination and headmasters' reports.
In January 1958, a hoard of 881 Anglo Saxon (Edward the Elder
) coins were found at the school when a drain was being dug.
In the mid-1970s, the school had 700 boarders and 750 day pupils (from the former county grammar school). By 1978 this was 1,000 day pupils as well as the 700 boarders. Mrs Thatcher visited the school in the early 1970s.
The school remained exclusively 'boarding' until the early 1970s, when it was merged with the County Grammar School, which had been hosted at Wymondham on a 'temporary' basis for the best part of ten years.
The school in the 1970s had been in a state of disrepair with an out-dated water supply and drainage system, and had an unreliable heating system (built by the USAF in 1944) in the winter and lack of insulation. Despite these problems it was still producing outstanding academic results. It was offered £250,000 in 1978 by the Labour government to address the situation, on condition that the school became a comprehensive school
. The money never appeared, partly because soon after Labour lost the 1979 general election.
status was lost with the advent of comprehensive education. In the early 1990s it became a grant maintained school.
The facilities are used for external summer schools. In August 1998, seven children from London on a course run by a special needs charity were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital
after being stung by a swarm of non-native Median wasp
s. On 9 March 1990, the Duke of Edinburgh visited the school.
In 2010 the school became and academy as part of the Academies Act 2010.
The accommodation blocks (in order of construction) are:
The grouping of Houses into Halls varied over time, as can be seen from here.
A recent major development includes a football AstroTurf
pitch with floodlights, nine new classrooms, two new science laboratories (linking the old part of the science block with the newer part) and infill to Peel boarding house roof for additional dormitories. A new dining room extension includes the admin block and new staff room. Peel Hall has increased capacity with departure of the staffroom and admin to the new building.
Another recent major development is a new International Centre which was built to replace the old Language Block which was a Morgue in World War Two. The old Language block is then due to become the new administration centre. The International centre will house Modern Foreign Languages Block and the UK office of the Model European Parliament. It was completed in June 2011.
was first established in 1953, with house names North, South, East and West. As the College expanded and brick-built accommodation came into use in the early 1960s, the system was revised and the Houses were given names of Cathedral towns and cities:
When mixed Houses were introduced in the early 1970s, the cathedral House names were scrapped and the Houses adopted the names of the Halls themselves. Lincoln and Peel Halls were converted to Sixth Form boarding houses in 1978, Peel Hall being further converted into a boarding house for Year Sevens in 1995.
The house system is now as follows:
As of the 2010-2011 academic year, Peel started to retain some year 7 students in order to become a 'main school house'. Under the new system, the houses appear so:
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, located in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 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...
, which was the largest in Europe when it opened in 1951.
Admissions
It is a specialist Technology CollegeTechnology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
(Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, ICT
ICT (education)
Information and communication technologies in education deal with the use of information and communication technologies within educational technology.-Purpose:...
& DT
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...
) and Modern Foreign Languages
Modern language
A modern language is any human language that is currently in use. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication and dead classical languages such as Latin, Attic Greek, Sanskrit, and Classical Chinese, which are studied for...
college. The headteacher is the Vice-Chairman of the Boarding Schools Association (BSA). It is situated on Golf Links Road on its own campus site near the junction with the A11 and B1172. It is next to Morley Hall, and lies in the civil parish of Morley
Morley, Norfolk
Morley is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 973 in 182 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of South Norfolk....
.
Former Military Hospital
The School is built on the site of the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
231st Station Hospital, and when the school first opened in 1951 the hospital's forty Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
s were used as classrooms and dormitories
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
. It was established by Lincoln Ralphs, the chief education officer of Norfolk Education Committee. Brick-built accommodation began to appear in the late 1950s but Nissen huts remained in use, principally for classrooms and storage, through to end of the 1990s. The only Nissen hut now remaining is the College chapel. A memorial garden has been created on the site of the former mortuary (which for many years was used as the technical drawing classroom).
Grammar schools
In 1951 there were two separate schools, GrammarGrammar 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...
and Technical
Secondary Technical School
A Secondary Technical School was a type of secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed in the mid-20th century under the Tripartite System of education. For various reasons few were ever built, and their main interest is on a theoretical level....
, each with separate Heads. They merged in the mid-1950s after an uneasy co-existence. The school was a co-educational boarding 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...
. It was intended for academically-gifted children in remote rural areas with no 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...
s in their local area that they could attend, as well as those with parents abroad or who regularly moved around the country. It gave priority, where possible, to children from families where the parents had separated, thus possibly under financial hardship. Admissions were by examination and headmasters' reports.
In January 1958, a hoard of 881 Anglo Saxon (Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
) coins were found at the school when a drain was being dug.
In the mid-1970s, the school had 700 boarders and 750 day pupils (from the former county grammar school). By 1978 this was 1,000 day pupils as well as the 700 boarders. Mrs Thatcher visited the school in the early 1970s.
The school remained exclusively 'boarding' until the early 1970s, when it was merged with the County Grammar School, which had been hosted at Wymondham on a 'temporary' basis for the best part of ten years.
The school in the 1970s had been in a state of disrepair with an out-dated water supply and drainage system, and had an unreliable heating system (built by the USAF in 1944) in the winter and lack of insulation. Despite these problems it was still producing outstanding academic results. It was offered £250,000 in 1978 by the Labour government to address the situation, on condition that the school became a 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 money never appeared, partly because soon after Labour lost the 1979 general election.
Comprehensive
Grammar schoolGrammar 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...
status was lost with the advent of comprehensive education. In the early 1990s it became a grant maintained school.
The facilities are used for external summer schools. In August 1998, seven children from London on a course run by a special needs charity were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital
Norfolk and Norwich Hospital
The Norfolk and Norwich Hospital [7] was founded in 1771 as a charitable institution for the care of "the poor and the sick" and was established by William Fellowes and Benjamin Gooch...
after being stung by a swarm of non-native Median wasp
Median wasp
The median wasp, Dolichovespula media, is a wasp of the genus Dolichovespula native to Europe. Aside from its black-and-yellow coloration, it is very similar to Dolichovespula maculata, the bald-faced hornet, which is found in the USA, Alaska and Canada.The highly active workers need mainly only...
s. On 9 March 1990, the Duke of Edinburgh visited the school.
In 2010 the school became and academy as part of the Academies Act 2010.
Premises
- Peel Hall: after Alderman Sam Peel - former Chairman of Norfolk Education Committee.
- Lincoln Hall: after Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, in honour of the servicemen who were hospitalised there before it became a school. Opened by US Secretary Of State Dean AchesonDean AchesonDean Gooderham Acheson was an American statesman and lawyer. As United States Secretary of State in the administration of President Harry S. Truman from 1949 to 1953, he played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the Cold War...
. - Fry Hall: after Elizabeth FryElizabeth FryElizabeth Fry , née Gurney, was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, as a Quaker, a Christian philanthropist...
. - Kett Hall: after Robert Kett.
- Cavell Hall: after Edith CavellEdith CavellEdith Louisa Cavell was a British nurse and spy. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from all sides without distinction and in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War I, for which she was arrested...
. - New Hall: last of the modern Houses to be built.
- Lincoln Ralphs Sixth Form Centre; After Sir Lincoln Ralphs, former Chief Education Officer for Norfolk and the founding father of the College.
The grouping of Houses into Halls varied over time, as can be seen from here.
A recent major development includes a football 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 with floodlights, nine new classrooms, two new science laboratories (linking the old part of the science block with the newer part) and infill to Peel boarding house roof for additional dormitories. A new dining room extension includes the admin block and new staff room. Peel Hall has increased capacity with departure of the staffroom and admin to the new building.
Another recent major development is a new International Centre which was built to replace the old Language Block which was a Morgue in World War Two. The old Language block is then due to become the new administration centre. The International centre will house Modern Foreign Languages Block and the UK office of the Model European Parliament. It was completed in June 2011.
House system
A House systemHouse 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...
was first established in 1953, with house names North, South, East and West. As the College expanded and brick-built accommodation came into use in the early 1960s, the system was revised and the Houses were given names of Cathedral towns and cities:
- Boys: York, Gloucester, Canterbury, Norwich, Durham, Salisbury
- Girls: Wells, Westminster, Worcester, Winchester (with Wakefield and Washington added later)
When mixed Houses were introduced in the early 1970s, the cathedral House names were scrapped and the Houses adopted the names of the Halls themselves. Lincoln and Peel Halls were converted to Sixth Form boarding houses in 1978, Peel Hall being further converted into a boarding house for Year Sevens in 1995.
The house system is now as follows:
- Year Seven: Peel
- Years Eight to Eleven: Fry, Cavell, Kett, Or New
- Years Twelve to Thirteen: Lincoln
As of the 2010-2011 academic year, Peel started to retain some year 7 students in order to become a 'main school house'. Under the new system, the houses appear so:
- Years Eight to Eleven: Cavell, Kett, Fry, New or Peel
- Years Twelve to Thirteen: Lincoln
Notable former pupils
- Stephen ByersStephen ByersStephen John Byers is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North Tyneside from 1997 to 2010; in the previous parliament, from 1992, he represented Wallsend...
, Labour MP for North TynesideNorth Tyneside (UK Parliament constituency)North Tyneside is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundary review:...
since 1992, Chief Secretary to the TreasuryChief Secretary to the TreasuryThe Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the RegionsSecretary of State for TransportThe Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
in the CabinetCabinet of the United KingdomThe Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers.... - Colin SelfColin SelfColin Self is a British Pop Artist, whose work has addressed the theme of Cold War politics.As a student at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1961 to 1963 Colin Self received encouragement for his drawings and collages from the artists David Hockney and Peter Blake...
, artist (1952-9) - Prof Morris Gosling, Professor of Animal Behaviour from 1998-2008 at Newcastle University, and Director from 1993-9 of the Institute of ZoologyInstitute of ZoologyThe Institute of Zoology is the research division of the Zoological Society of London in England. It is a government-funded research institute specialising in scientific issues relevant to the conservation of animal species and their habitats...
(1954-61) - Trudy StevensonTrudy StevensonTrudy Stevenson is a Zimbabwean politician. She was Member of Parliament for Harare North in the Parliament of Zimbabwe...
, Zimbabwe Ambassador to Senegal (1955-62) - Peter Rogers, Chief Executive since 2003 of Babcock International GroupBabcock International GroupBabcock International Group plc is a British-based support services company specialising in managing complex assets and infrastructure in safety-critical and mission-critical environments. Although the company has civil contracts, its main business is with public bodies, particularly the UK...
(1959-66) - Patsy CaltonPatsy CaltonPatsy Calton was a British politician, and was a Liberal Democrat politician, and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Cheadle in Greater Manchester....
Lib Dem MP from 2001-5 (until her death) for Cheadle (1960-7) - Philip Webster, Political Editor since 1993 of The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(1960-7) - Will Weston MVO, Director from 1980-93 of the West Yorkshire PlayhouseWest Yorkshire PlayhouseThe West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
, and Chief Executive from 2000-5 of the Royal Parks Agency (1960-7) - Mark BrayneMark BrayneMark Lugard Brayne is a British psychotherapist, journalist, and author. After a first career as a foreign correspondent, he qualified in psychotherapy and since 2002 has specialised in working with trauma....
, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
foreign correspondentForeign correspondentForeign Correspondent may refer to:*Foreign correspondent *Foreign Correspondent , an Alfred Hitchcock film*Foreign Correspondent , an Australian current affairs programme...
and psychotherapist - Robert Barnett OBE, Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1994-5 (1965-72)
- Nicholas CraneNicholas CraneNicholas Crane is an English geographer, explorer, writer and broadcaster. Since 2004, he has written and presented four notable television series for BBC Two: Coast, Great British Journeys, Map Man and Town....
, explorer and writer (1965-72) - Norman LambNorman LambNorman Peter Lamb is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.He is the Member of Parliament for North Norfolk....
, Lib Dem MP from 2001 for Norwich North (1969-76) - Justin EdrichJustin EdrichJustin Wells Edrich is an English cricketer.Justin Edrich, who is the son of Bill Edrich, was a right-handed batsman who captained his school cricket team at Wymondham College in 1978, then went on to represent Suffolk County Cricket Club , Middlesex 2nd XI , Norfolk & Suffolk and Past Suffolk...
, cricketer (1972-7) - Mike GascoyneMike GascoyneMichael "Mike" Gascoyne is a designer of Formula One cars. He is currently the Chief Technical Officer of Team Lotus....
, Technical Director of Lotus F1 Racing (1974-81) - Mark StrongMark StrongMark Strong is an English actor, with a body of work in both films and television. He has performed in films as varied as Body of Lies, Syriana, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Stardust, and Kick-Ass...
, actor in Our Friends in the NorthOur Friends in the NorthOur Friends in the North is a British television drama serial, produced by the BBC and originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC Two in early 1996...
, and narrator of Who Do You Think You Are (1974-81) - Adam RaynerAdam RaynerAdam Rayner is an English actor, who has appeared on television in Mistresses, At Home with the Braithwaites and Making Waves. He has also appeared on stage in The Rivals , Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing .-Filmography:* Making Waves, TV Series, 2004* The Line of Beauty...
, actor in Mistresses (1998)
Wymondham Grammar School
- Sir Frederick William Wilson, Liberal MP from 1895-1906 for Mid Norfolk (1855-62)
External links
- Official site
- Wymondham College Association (alumni)
- My Wymondham College Remembered
- Wymondham College Trust
- Prominent ex-pupils
- History of the site
- EduBase