King Edward's School, Witley

Infobox UK school
name = King Edward's School, Witley


size = 200px
latitude = 51.137365
longitude = -0.644500
dms =
motto = "Overlaying traditional values with a modern outlook"
motto_pl =
established = 1553
approx =
closed =
c_approx =
type = Independent school
religion =
president = The Duchess of Gloucester GCVO DStJ
head_label = Headmaster
head = Mr P Kerr Fulton-Peebles
r_head_label = Chaplain
r_head = Rev. RWE Millington
chair_label =
chair =
founder = King Edward VI
founder_pl =
specialist =
street = Petworth Road
city = Wormley
county = Surrey
country = England flagicon|England
postcode = GU8 5SG
LEA = Surrey County Council
ofsted = SC013924
staff = c.55 teaching
enrollment = c.480
gender = Mixed
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 18
houses = 10 boarding houses
colours = Blue and Navy color box|Blue color box|#000080
publication = The Edwardian
free_label_1 = Former pupils
free_1 =
free_label_2 =
free_2 =
free_label_3 =
free_3 =
website = http://www.kesw.surrey.sch.uk/
website_name = www.kesw.surrey.sch.uk

King Edward's School, Witley is an independent co-educational boarding and day school, founded in 1553 by King Edward VI and Nicholas Ridley. The School is located in the village of Wormley, Surrey, England, having moved to its present location in 1867.cite web |url=http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/brhkes.htm|title=History of King Edward's School, Witley|accessdate=2008-08-05] The School became fully co-educational in 1952.cite web |url=http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/brhkes.htm|title=History of King Edward's School, Witley|accessdate=2008-08-05]

History

The School was originally founded as Bridewell Royal Hospital, after Nicholas Ridley pleaded with the Edward VI to give some of his empty palaces over to the city to house homeless women and children. Children were taken into Bridewell and apprenticed to learn trades from the late 16th century.cite web |url=http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/brhkes.htm|title=History of King Edward's School, Witley|accessdate=2008-08-05] They were trained by craftsmen and tradesmen rather than schoolmasters. The first schoolmaster was appointed in 1632 to teach apprentices reading and writing for a couple of hours a week. Subsequent schoolmasters were appointed at intervals but the apprentices were only permitted to attend until they could read and write. In the 18th century the apprentices were often punished for disobedience to their masters and for absconding. This was attributed by the Bridewell governors as due to their close contact with prisoners. As such there was considerable debate towards the end of the century amongst officers and governors as to the purpose of Bridewell. The educational party won, no more apprentices were accepted into Bridewell, and in 1830 a new House of Occupations opened at St George’s Fields, Southwark, away from the corrupting influence of the prisoners. The House of Occupations accepted children (boys and girls) aged 8 - 18 from the City, County of Middlesex and Borough of Southwark. There were apprentices at first in the House of Occupations but the focus of the school was clearly on educating children and there are no records of apprenticeship after 1837.

In 1860 a new charity scheme was established for Bridewell Royal Hospital (BRH). The House of Occupations was renamed King Edward’s Schools (for boys and girls) though still funded by BRH. Under the new scheme, children could be admitted from anywhere in the UK at 10 (girls only); 11 or 12 (girls or boys). The pupils were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and history and they were trained in occupations as well. Several headmasters forged a strong link with the Royal Navy and many boys entered the Navy on leaving school.

In 1867 the school moved from its original site in London to the village of Wormley in Surrey. After the move, it changed its name from Bridewell Royal Hospital to King Edward's School, Witley, although the school is still referred to in some circumstances as the Bridewell Royal Hospital, to distinguish from other schools named after the eight King Edward's of England. The girls’ school remained at Southwark and became known as King Edward’s School, London. In 1922 the girls’ school closed, after which grants were made to other educational establishments for girls in lieu of direct provision of education for girls. In 1952 King Edward’s School, Witley became fully co-educational.

The school was commandeered by the Royal Navy during the Second World War to test and develop the use of radar. The school still remembers this with a plaque in the central area, a junction of corridors known as 'Piccadilly'.

The President of Bridewell Royal Hospital (the title was kept after the move of location) is now The Duchess of Gloucester, appointed from 1 January 2006. The Queen Mother held the title from 1953 to 2002.

The school's creation was sanctioned by the same charter as that of Christ's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital. The school maintains strong links with the City of London, and is still supported by it, with some students on bursaries funded by the City.

Boarding houses

There are ten houses in total, five male and five female. The boarding houses at the school are paired, and, in the case of the senior pupils, conjoined in the centre of the buildings. This central area (known as the 'Accy Area', from activity area) allows the boys and girls from the paired houses to meet in the evenings and during spare time, to chat, watch television or a DVD, or play pool or table football. The right-hand half of the iconic front building of the school is used as Copeland house, the junior girls boarding house, while Queen Mary House was formerly a care home for the mentally ill, and then the school sanatorium until later becoming the junior boys boarding house.

The senior houses were built in the 1970s, and the plans can be seen in the School Museum, housed in the History Department. Borders moved into these new buildings in 1977 and the inauguration of the new buildings was commemorated by a visit from HRH Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

The houses, in their pairs, are:

Juniors

*Queen Mary House – Known as QMH, this is the junior boys house. It is named after King Edward VI's sister, Queen Mary I.
*Copeland – The junior girls’ house, named after Colonel Copeland. This forms part of the façade of the school.

eniors

*Ridley – Named after Nicholas Ridley.
*St Bridget’s – After Saint Brigid of Kildare, the Saint of the church site where the original school was built. The current holders of the Girl's Cock House Cup.

*Wakefield – After Charles Wakefield, 1st Viscount Wakefield, a school governor and President of Bethlem Royal Hospital.
*Elizabeth – After Queen Elizabeth I, King Edward VI’s older sister.

*Edward – After King Edward VI.
*Tudor – After The House of Tudor, the current royal family at the time of the school's founding.

*Grafton – After Richard Grafton.The current holders of the Boy's Cock House Cup.
*Queens - After King Edward VI's two sisters, Queen Mary I & Queen Elizabeth I

The school has a very competitive atmosphere between all of the houses. They compete in different competitions and challenges such as House Drama, House Music, Sports Day and other various sporting and academic events. These all allow the winning houses to accumulate points for the Cock House Cup, which is awarded to the house with the most points at the end of the School Year.

The current holders of the Cock House Cup are Grafton House and St. Bridget's House.

Co-Curricular Activity Program

Extra-curricular activities take place every weekday after lessons. These include Art, Ceramics, Chess, Climbing, Creative writing, Cross-stitching, Dance, Digital Video, Drama, Golf, Karate, Life Saving, Riding, Sailing, Canoeing and editing the School Magazine.

These all take place in the afternoon for an hour after afternoon lessons have finished. On Wednesday activities take place for 2 hours. There are also team practices in addition to the standard activities offered by the school.

6th Form

In the 6th Form a choice of two curricula are offered:
*A Levels
*IB Diploma Programme

chool publications

The school has its own magazine, "The Edwardian", which it publishes yearly. There is a short school newsletter, "KEStrel", published bi-annually, that incorporates recent school events and news.

Notable Old Witleians

Past students of King Edward's are referred to as Old Witleians. See also .

*Ivor Caplin, Labour Member of Parliament
*Du'aine Ladejo, athlete
*Edward Tudor-Pole, musician and actor, leader of the band Tenpole Tudor
*Edd China, motor specialist
*Tracy Ip Chui Chui, Miss Hong Kong 2005

Notable associations

*Samuel Pepys – Governor in the 17th century.
*Ian Allan – Treasurer 1983-1995, founder of Ian Allan Graphics and Ian Allan Publishing. As a result of this affiliation Ian Allan Publishing often receives contracts from the school.

References

Further Reading

*"King Edward’s School: Bridewell to Witley 1553-2005", Bertie Mawer, 2000. ISBN 0-7110-2776-5
*"Bethlem Hospital 1247-1997", Patricia Aldridge
*"The City of London", Mary Cathcart Borer, 1977
*"Bridewell Royal Hospital and King Edward’s Schools", Alfred J. Copeland, 1912
*"The Last Tudor King", Hesther W. Chapman, 1958
*"Chronicle", Richard Grafton
*"Old Bridewell" (Monograph), R.S. Mylne, 1905
*"Bridewell Hospital Palace, Prison, Schools", E.C. O’Donoghue, 1929
*"Henry VIII", A.W. Pollard, 1905
*"Nicholas Ridley", Jasper Ridley, 1957
*"Works of Nicholas Ridley", Parker Society Cambridge, 1953

External links

* [http://www.kesw.surrey.sch.uk/ King Edward's School, Witley]