Chesham Grammar School

Chesham Grammar School

Established	1947
Type	Academy Grammar School
Headmaster	Philip Wayne
Specialism	Humanities
Location	White Hill Chesham Buckinghamshire HP5 1BA England
Local authority	Buckinghamshire
DfE URN	110504
Ofsted	Reports
Students	1250
Gender	Co-educational
Ages	11–18
Colours	Red, Black, White, Blue
Website	www.cheshamgrammar.bucks.sch.uk

Coordinates: 51°42′32″N 0°36′01″W / 51.70882°N 0.60022°W / 51.70882; -0.60022

Chesham Grammar School is a co-educational grammar school on White Hill, Chesham, Buckinghamshire. There are over 1200 male and female students aged between eleven and eighteen. of which nearly 400 are in the sixth form. In 2007 the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), now the DfE, awarded the school specialist school status as a Humanities College.^[1] In August 2011 the school became an Academy.^[2]

History

The school was founded in 1947 as the Chesham Technical School - a result of the Education Act 1944 which set up the tripartite arrangements of grammar, technical and secondary modern schools. The all-boys school was originally housed in only one building, which is now the sixth form block known as "Tringwood". In 1961, the school became known as Chesham Technical High School and during the 1960s, there was huge development in the area, and it became a mixed grammar school. In 1970, the school changed its name to Chesham High School as it moved away from its technical roots. The school became Chesham Grammar School on 7 May 2010.

The first headmaster was Sidney Chapman, from 1947 to 1966. After a one year stint by Paddy Evans, Ken Stokes took over in 1967 until his retirement in 1992. Former Biology teacher Tim Andrew was the Head from 1993-2007 apart from a one year break in the 2005/06 academic year, which was covered by Nigel Fox. In September 2007, Philip Wayne joined the school as the new headmaster.^[3]

Recent years have seen major expansion of the school, including a new maths block, a textiles block, an art block, expansion of the English block, a new library, and a new drama/psychology block. There is now a new technology/art building built over what was A1, the main art room. A leisure centre has been added, where once a number of the old pre-fab buildings stood.

In 2010, A level results were the best in the history of the school, with 73% attaining a good pass at A*/B.

Admissions

Admission to the school is controlled by Buckinghamshire County Council, which operates a partially selective education system throughout the county.

Pupils have to achieve a mark of 121 or above in the 11+ examination to be eligible to attend the school, although some acquire a place via the appeals process. The school's catchment area spans several miles around the school in to Amersham, Chorleywood and Chesham Bois. However for several years there have been spaces in year 7 and applications have been accepted from children from other parts of Buckinghamshire and from both Middlesex and Hertfordshire. There is also the 12+ which gives students the ability to apply a year late, with the same concept as the 11+, although there is a limit to the number of students that can be accepted. The new 2009/10 academic year saw the highest number of admissions into Year 12 in the history of the school, with 233 pupils being accepted. Typically the school accepts students with a grade B in the relevant subject with a minimum of grade C in English and Maths (B, if it is to be taken at A level). For entry in September 2011, the required average point score will be 46, rather than 43 as is currently the case. However students must pass the AS Levels they wish to pursue to A2 in order to retain their place in the sixth form.

Uniform

The school operates a strict dress code that all pupils must conform to.

Leaver destinations

On average, 95% of the students in Year 11 choose to stay at the school to continue in to the sixth form.^{[citation needed]}

Blog incident

In 2007, one of the school's French teachers at the time, Julie Bois, wrote a blog entry describing some of her pupils as "little shits who should be slapped".^[4] She also branded some of her pupils "thick", and went on to describe how she dreaded "killer" parents' evenings, saying "I hate having to shake all those hands. Some are so wet and flabby".^[4] Although she removed the comments from her blog, she later resigned her post.^[5]

The Prime Minister's Global Fellowship

The school has a good record of students attaining places on the prestigious Prime Minister's Global Fellowship programme. The school achieved its first student in the inaugural year of the programme, 2008, and in 2009 had 2 more successful applicants.^[6]

References

1. ^ "Specialist Schools Home". Department for Children, Schools and Families. 2007-07-03. http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools/. Retrieved 2007-08-07. 
2. ^ "Open academies map and schools submitting applications". Department for Education. http://www.education.gov.uk/academies/a0069811/open-academies-map-and-schools-submitting-applications. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
3. ^ Chesham High School 60th anniversary guide book, 2007
4. ^ ^{a b} Kids see French miss' Net rant The Sun, 2007-06-23
5. ^ Teacher Resigns After Internet Blog Insults Bucks Free Press, 2007-08-03.
6. ^ British Council website "Fellows" accessed November 10, 2009.

External links

• Department for Education Performance Tables 2009 (GCSE and equivalent)
• Department for Education Performance Tables 2009 (Post-16)