Grammar School at Leeds

Infobox School2
name = The Grammar School at Leeds


established = 2005
founded = LGS & LGHS Board of Governers
type = Independent school
head_name = Headmaster
head = Dr. Mark Bailey
city = Leeds
country = England
pupils = 3000
website = [http://www.gsal.org.uk/ www.gsal.org.uk]

The Grammar School at Leeds is an Independent school in Leeds, England, created on August 4th 2005 from the merger of Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls' High School.

The schools will physically merge in September 2008, at which point the school will be open to both sexes. The school will be situated on two sites; the Senior School (ages 11-18) and Junior School (7-11) will open at the Alwoodley Site (currently used by Leeds Grammar School), while the Leeds Girls' High School site in Headingley will be used by the Infant School and a new Nursery School. The main Senior School site of Leeds Girls' High School is to be sold to a private developer.The merged school will be based on a so-called "diamond school" formation, meaning that classes for girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 16 will remain segregated, but all extracurricular activities will be mixed. Classes for all below the age of 11 and in the Sixth Form will be co-educational. During the merger consultation process, the student, parent and teaching bodies of both schools decided on the '4 major goals of The Grammar School at Leeds'. These would be to achieve academic excellence, opportunity, care and integrity.

House structure

A key element of the new school is intended to be the foundations of eight School Houses--hoped to be even stronger than the model seen at Leeds Grammar School, taking up an almost collegiate style. These houses will be called:
* Eddison House - Named after Mrs. Anne Eddison, a pioneering force on the Yorkshire Ladies Council of Education who helped set up Leeds Girls' High School. Girls from "David" and boys from "Thoresby" will join this house.
* Ermystead House - Named after William Ermystead, a priest who donated properties to Leeds Grammar School in 1552. Girls from "George" and boys from "Ermsytead" will join this house.
* Ford House - Named after John Ford, a founding member of the LGHS Council. Girls from "George" and boys from "Barry" will join this house.
* Harrison House - Named after John Harrison, benefactor of Leeds, who built Leeds Grammar School's third site on North Street in 1642. Girls from "David" and boys from "Harrison" will join this house.
* Lawson House - Named after Godfrey Lawson, Mayor of Leeds, who endowed Leeds Grammar School the Lawson Library, the oldest Library in Leeds. Girls from "Patrick" and boys from "Lawson" will join this house.
* Lupton House - Named after Francis Lupton, who helped established the committee which established Leeds Girls' High School. Girls from "Andrew" and boys from "Nevile" will join this house.
* Powell House - Named after Miss. Powell, the second Headmistress of Leeds Girls' High School. It was she who established its move to Headingley, where it remained until 2008. Girls from "Patrick" and boys from "Clarell" will join this house.
* Sheafield House - Named after William Sheafield, who is traditionally thought of as the founder of Leeds Grammar School in 1552. Girls from "Andrew" and boys from "Sheafield" will join this house.

Locations

The Grammar School at Leeds was established via the legal merger of Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls' High School in 2005. Both these schools operate on two separate sites which are some distance between each other; Leeds Girls' High School operates from 3 separate sites in Headingley, whilst Leeds Grammar School runs from a 138-acre modern campus situated in Alwoodley.

Upon physical merger in 2008, the Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form will be operating from Alwoodley. The Infant and Nursery Schools will operate in Headingley; from Ford House (currently housing LGHS's Junior School), which will take up the name "Rose Court Pre-Prep and Nursery School". The Leeds Girls High School site (containing LGHS's Infant, Nursery, Senior and Sixth Form sites) will be sold to property developers for re-development.

Meanwhile, the bulk of The Grammar School at Leeds (Junior, Senior and Sixth Form) teaching facilities will be placed in the current buildings housing Leeds Grammar School. The site is currently being redeveloped by HBG to construct a brand new Sixth Form. Also being developed are a hugely extended Lawson Library, Refectory, Science and Maths departments. Building works began in March 2007 and are planned for completion in September 2008, with the Sixth Form and Junior School finishing earlier.

Merger controversy

The school administrations of Leeds Grammar School legally merged with Leeds Girls' High School on the 31st August 2005, however, the schools will not physically merge until September 2008.

Plans for the merger were not universally welcomed. As early as 2003, a campaign group called "No Merger in 2007" alleged a "hidden agenda"--a drive to reduce debts incurred from an LGS building programme--and stated that the proposed merger "makes no educational sense". The LGS headmaster, Mark Bailey, claimed that only a fifth of parents opposed the planned merger, whilst the LGHS head Sue Fishburn stated that 80% of parents were in favour of the merger. [ [http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Debt-is-driving-merger-plans.697567.jp Debt is driving merger plans for top city schools, claim opponents] , Andrew Robinson, Yorkshire Post, 28 November 2003, retrieved 30 October 2008] . A number of parents were reported to have stated a preference for strictly single-sex establishments, despite assurances that classrooms would be single-sex. [ [http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/City39s-top-private-schools-to.526713.jp City's top private schools to merge] , Yorkshire Post, 03 June 2003, retrieved 30 October 2008] In January 2004, Mark Bailey was reported to have stated that less than 1% of the 1500 families with children at the two schools "wrote to oppose the move". [ [http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Protests-fail-to-prevent-merger.730851.jp Protests fail to prevent merger of top schools] , Andrew Robinson and James Reed, Yorkshire Post, 29 January 2004, retrieved 30 October 2007] Further controversy was reported in 2005, when plans for the new school crest were released. According to the report "Parents who contacted the Yorkshire Post said many felt dismayed by the merger and the new logo but dared not speak up". One parent claimed the existing crest had been "obliterated by a felt-tip doodle". [ [http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/School-spins-up-a-storm.968516.jp School spins up a storm with logo to replace old crest] , Yorkshire Post, 11 March 2005, retrieved 30 October 2007]

Plans to redevelop the Alwoodley site were met with some opposition. Leeds City Council has delayed its decision for the LGS planning application until Summer 2006, requiring the physical merger to be put back a year until September 2008. As well as this, there has been controversy due to the expected increase in traffic levels at the Alwoodley site [ [http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=39&ArticleID=1543134 Ban The School Run Cars] Yorkshire Evening Post, June 2006] , this was relieved through the drawing up of a new traffic plan [ [http://www.leeds.gov.uk/moderngov/Published/IssueDocs/5/3/7/2/I00022735/DE00032549/$LeedsGrammarSchoolMergerS278Works.doc.pdf Leeds Grammar School Merger - Section 278 works] , Leeds City Council, 4 June 2007, retrieved 30 October 2007] intended to relieve increased traffic levels. Work begins in August 2007 and will involved the removal of the existing site access roundabout (pedestrian and cycle access is to be retained at this location) and the formation of a new signalised site access junction in its place. The construction of a new pedestrian tunnel and a 30-mph speed limit will also be installed to relieve traffic pressure. Controversy persisted into late 2007, however, as to the possible need for an additional vehicle entrance at the new school site in Alwoodly, and the arrangements for the disposal of the Headingley LGHS site. [ [http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/features/Storm-at-school-gates.3213886.jp Storm at school gates] Grant Woodward, Yorkshire Evening Post, 19 September 2007 retrieved 02 November 2007]

External links

* [http://www.gsal.org.uk Grammar School at Leeds website]

References