Spalding Grammar School

Spalding Grammar School

Established	1588
Type	Voluntary aided grammar school
Headteacher	N S Ryan MA (Cantab)
Chair of Governors	Mr K Casswell
Founders	John Blanche and John Gamlyn
Specialisms	Languages and Engineering
Location	Priory Road Spalding Lincolnshire PE11 2XH England
Local authority	Lincolnshire County Council
DfE URN	120665
Ofsted	Reports
Staff	68
Students	919
Gender	Boys
Ages	11–18
Houses	Bentley, Gamlyn, Hobson, Wykeham, Moulton and Johnson
Colours	Yellow, Blue and Black
Website	spaldinggrammar.lincs.sch.uk

Coordinates: 52°47′00″N 0°09′12″W / 52.7834°N 0.1534°W / 52.7834; -0.1534

Spalding Grammar School, or as it is fully known The Queen Elizabeth Royal Free Grammar School Spalding, is a selective school on Priory Road in Spalding, Lincolnshire for pupils aged 11–18.

History

It was founded in 1588 by Royal Charter, applied for by the Revd Mr Johnson, and located within part of Spalding Parish Church, called St Thomas's Chapel, until the 19th century. It was founded on its current site in 1881.

Merger with Moulton Grammar School

In 1939, the school doubled in size, having amalgamated with Moulton Grammar School^[1] in Moulton. Sir John Gleed was Chairman of the Governors from 1928-46.

Moulton Grammar School was founded under the will of John Harrox (died 1561) who was steward to Sir John Harrington of Weston. The School opened in 1562 with ten pupils and continued to educate boys from the district until it amalgamated with Spalding. The old school buildings still exist but are now private residences.

New buildings

A large sports hall was opened by boxer Henry Cooper in November 1993, and in January 2006 new buildings were opened for ICT, sociology, technology, English and drama (with a performing arts studio). The Modern Languages lab was also built at the same time as the new buildings were opened. In late 2009, a new Business Studies block, new staff room and atrium were also built.

Publications

It has a school magazine called The Bentleian; copies dating back to July 1922 are in the school library.

Spalding Grammar School

Admissions

In years seven to eleven, only male pupils are admitted, but the sixth form accepts females as well. Spalding Grammar is a selective school, and its entrants in the lower school are permitted only by taking the county-wide 11+ tests.

The headteacher is Mr Nigel Ryan (MA Cantab). The current number of pupils stands at 919.^[2] The sixth form has 320 pupils (with 120 female). There are 68 teaching staff.

Specialist status

In 2006, the school was granted Specialist Status as a Languages and Engineering College. It became the first school in Lincolnshire to gain joint specialist status in these subjects.

Accompanying the specialist status was building work to improve general aspects of the school, and to provide a Language Lab and Engineering Lab for the teaching of the subjects.

School partnerships

Through the Language Status the school has partnered with a High School in Wuxi, China. This new opportunity means the school will be offering both staff and pupils the chance to visit Wuxi on Teaching, Sport and Drama exchanges. Links will also be fostered using technology such as the Language Lab installed at the school, allowing students to be paired with Chinese students and speak to them in real time using VOIP communication in order to practice their respective languages. Mandarin has now been introduced to the curriculum.

School Opportunities

The school offers many opportunities to its students, such as a range of Flexydays. It also offers the Year 7 Free Learning Block and the Sixth Form Enrichment Block.

Physical Education Department

The Physical Education Department at Spalding Grammar School prides itself on its commitment and dedication to extra curricular activities. Along with regular Ski Trips, in 2007, 2008 and 2009 the school ran a variety of mainly football-focused trips to the USA, Spain and Holland.

Music department

The School has an active music department, with its own Brass Ensemble, Chamber Choir, Concert Band, Early Music Group, saxophone ensemble, String Ensemble and Rhythm and Blues Band.

The dramatic arts

Spalding Grammar School has a long history of dramatic performances. From the annual Speech Day Revue (where Sixth Form Students perform a showcase of songs and sketches about life at Spalding Grammar School) to more recent productions, such as Honk!, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest. As of September 2011 the Drama department will no longer be able to offer GCSE's and A-Level's in Drama

Recent productions

The most recent production was William Shakespeare's The Tempest. The production was performed in the round which director and former Head of English, David Wheeler, believes allows a special relationship to develop between actor and audience. The script was condensed to around two thirds of its original length. This allowed modern songs to be added into the play, ranging from Genesis' 'I Can't Dance' to 'In The Navy' (originally by The Village People). The play was met overall positively and Spalding's local paper the Spalding Guardian gave the performance a strongly positive review.^[3]

In November 2009 Shakespeare's Hamlet will be directed by David Wheeler.^{[dated info]} The production will not use the stage, but nor will it be 'in the round'; director David Wheeler said 'We want to keep the audience guessing about how exactly we will stage the play...but it has been very carefully planned.'

Location

The school is located in the south of Lincolnshire in the town of Spalding on Priory Road.^[4] The school is obliged to accept pupils from the council district of South Holland - an area of 500 square miles (1,300 km²) - meaning some pupils travel over 20 miles (32 km) to reach the school.

Notable former pupils

See also: Category:People educated at Spalding Grammar School

• Jack Hobbs - defender at Leicester City F.C.
• John Miller (motor racing team owner) (1979–85)
• Maurice Johnson (antiquary) (c.1700-5)
• William Hobson Mills, organic chemist who investigated stereochemistry and found the Mills-Nixon effect
• Sir J R Somers Vine CMG (1859–66), Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor of London from 1871-5 (previous to Sir William Soulsby)
• Stuart Storey (1954–61) - BBC sports commentator.
• Dave Tice (1962-4) - founder of Australia's first heavy metal band Buffalo, and lead singer 1969-77
• John Tippler (1940–1945) Director of Engineering & Network, BT UK Communications, 1980–1989, and IT Institute 1986-1988.

Moulton Grammar School

The Grammar School in Moulton was founded under the will of John Harrox (died 1561) who was steward to Sir John Harrington of Weston. The School opened in 1562 with ten pupils and continued to educate boys from the district until it amalgamated with Spalding Grammar School in 1939.

• Johnny Douglas (1895-7), captain of English Cricket Team from 1911–21
• Rt Rev Kenneth Healey, Bishop of Grimsby from 1958–66
• Walter Plowright (1923–2010) veterinary scientist who devoted his career to the eradication of the cattle plague rinderpest

Former teachers

• Richard Bentley - English theologian, classical scholar and critic - (Former Headmaster)
• Peter Millen - (Chemistry) LibDem candidate in 1997 for South Holland seat.
• Edward Marlar, Headmaster 1934-37 - later Headmaster King Edward VI School, Lichfield 1937-46, Headmaster Whitgift School 1946-61
• Timothy Neve, churchman

See also

• Spalding High School - mainly a school for girls, but accepts boys into the sixth form.

References

1. ^ Wanted: one student to get £6,000 funding Spalding Today 23 September 2008
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/reviews/Rock-brings-Shakespeare-to-life.3487558.jp
4. ^ "School website-Directions". http://www.spaldinggrammar.lincs.sch.uk/school/directions.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-04. 

External links

• Spalding Grammar School
• Spalding Grammar School Music Department
• EduBase

News items

• The Tempest Review from the Spalding Guardian