Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School

Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School

Motto	Abeunt Studia in Mores (Through Study, Character Grows)
Established	1931 (1931)
Type	Grammar school
Religion	Secular
Headmaster	Nigel Walker
Specialism	Sports
Location	Hurst Road Sidcup Greater London DA15 9AG England
Local authority	London Borough of Bexley
Students	1318
Gender	Mixed
Ages	11–18
Houses	Davies, Edlemann, Lester, Townshend, Williams, Staff
Colours	Purple
Former Pupils	Old Sedcopians
Website	www.csgrammar.com

Coordinates: 51°26′11″N 0°06′29″E / 51.43643°N 0.10794°E / 51.43643; 0.10794

Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School (colloquially referred to in the local area as Chis 'n' Sid^{[citation needed]} ) is a mixed grammar school located in Hurst Road (A222), Sidcup in the London Borough of Bexley, England. It is next to Lamorbey Park, the Rose Bruford College drama school, Sidcup railway station and Hurstmere Foundation School.

Admissions

The school is well known in the local area for its distinctive purple blazers. In the 1960s—when it was boys only—the school was ranked second in the country behind Manchester Grammar School. The current Headmaster is Mr Nigel Walker, who took up the position in January 2009. The school motto is 'Abeunt studia in mores', Latin for "Through study character grows". Each year group is split into houses named after the founders of the school: Davies, Edlmann, Leicester, Staff, Townsend and Williams (usually abbreviated as D, E, L, S, T and W).

Publications

Members of the school's sixth form organise the publication of an annual school magazine, The Chronicle, which has been in production since the 1930s. A self-published book entitled Past Purple was written about the history of the school by former teacher Charles Wells.

Notable departments

Art Department

The Art department holds an annual summer exhibition in the Curve Gallery of work from its GCSE and A-level students.

Drama Department

The Drama department organises an annual school play (which, in previous years have included Jesus Christ Superstar, The Frogs and A Comedy of Errors). An annual sketch show for lower school students entitled Summer Shorts has also been held over the last three years to replace the formerly held annual production of the Junior Drama group (whose performances had included Johnny and the Dead).

Sports Department

As a Sports College, the school places an emphasis on the Sports Department. The school has a long rugby heritage, which dominated the sports department until the death of rugby coach Noel Horrobin in 2006.^[1]

History

1931 to 1999

The school opened in 1931 in the site at what is now The Bird College. It moved to the site currently occupied by Kemnal Technology School, before moving to its current site.^{[citation needed]}

On 4 May 1971, four home-made bombs were found in the woods adjoining the school. The authorities thought these belonged to the Angry Brigade,^[2] although they could also be the work of the same students who devised improvised bombs as an experiment on a school trip to Norway in 1970.

In 1973 the compulsory wearing of the school cap was abolished.^{[citation needed]}

In January 1983, the school featured on the front page of all the national tabloids. Excessive drinking at the 1982 Sixth Form Christmas Party resulted in the suspension of almost 200 pupils for one day, including the majority of the sixth form. The story was reported by all national newspapers. The Sun nicknamed the school "Sozzlehurst and Hiccup".^{[citation needed]}

Since 2000

In 2004, Jim Rouncefield left his post as Headmaster and Dr Joe Vitagliano took over. The school soon gained joint sports college status with the neighbouring Hurstmere School and in 2004 the Jubilee Pavilion was built primarily for sports (it contained changing rooms and a dance studio).

By early 2006 the 'old' school logo was abolished and a new adaptation was introduced.^{[citation needed]}

A few years later the Quentin Blake Block was built for £3.5 million for the Art and Design Departments, which contained within it the Curve Gallery, which has since held an annual exhibition of student art, along with various other exhibitions (including a retrospective of the work of local artist Bill Hudson, entitled "Routes").

On 1 October 2008, Mayor of London and former Conservative MP Boris Johnson visited the school to officially open the new sports centre. In 2009, Vitagliano left and Mr Walker, the former deputy head, took over his position.

On 5 November 2009, a team composed of former students from the class of 2004 named "Sozzlehurst and Hiccup" competed on BBC Two quiz show Eggheads, losing narrowly in the final round.^[3]

Notable students and staff

See also: Category:People educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School

• Lt Gen Dick Applegate OBE, Quartermaster-General to the Forces
• Peter Birks, Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford from 1989–2004
• Quentin Blake, illustrator, attended Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and opened up the Quentin Blake Building, the new Art and Technology block in 2007.^[4]
• Henry Kamen, current professor of history at Barcelona University and the University of Georgia.
• Prof Brian Collins, Professor of Information Systems at Cranfield University since 2003, and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Transport since 2006 and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills since 2008
• Air Vice-Marshal Michael Donaldson MBE, Station Commander of RAF Wattisham from 1987-9, and Principal of Yorkshire Coast College from 1996–2003
• Prof Paul Durrington, Professor of Medicine at the University of Manchester 1995-present, and Chairman of the British Hyperlipidaemia Association from 1992-5[www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk/staff/pauldurrington]
• Air Vice-Marshal John Ernsting CB OBE.^[5]
• Margaret Gelling OBE, toponymist
• Prof Dennis Gilles, Professor of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow from 1966–90
• Morris Gleitzman, writer of popular stories for young people, attended the school from 1964 till his family emigrated to Australia in 1969.^{[citation needed]}
• Prof John Hillman, Director of the Scottish Crop Research Institute from 1986–2005
• Will Hutton, economics writer and columnist
• Graham Jordan CB, Science & Technology Director of the Ministry of Defence from 2001-3
• Peter Longworth CMG, High Commissioner to Zimbabwe from 1998–2001
• Betty Moys who started the Moys Classification Scheme of legal literature
• Charlotte O'Brien, Heart Kent Breakfast Presenter 'Heart Breakfast with James and Charlie'
• Prof Howard Rogers, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals from 1984-7
• Audrey Slaughter (née Smith), Independent journalist and wife of Evening Standard editor Charles Wintour
• Julian Spalding, broadcaster^{[citation needed]}
• Terence Steggle CMG, Ambassador to Paraguay from 1989–91 and to Panama from 1983-6 * Jonathan Tross CB, Chief Executive of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) from 2001-4^{[citation needed]}
• Dr Reginald Watson CB, Director of the Building Research Establishment from 1983–88^{[citation needed]}
• Nigel Williamson, former Times journalist^{[citation needed]}
• Prof Christopher Wylie, William Schubert Professor of Developmental Biology at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center^{[citation needed]}
• Tamer Tuna, footballer of Charlton Athletic Football Club^{[citation needed]}
• Karl Glazebrook- Astronomer best known for his work on galaxy formation
• Anthony Arlidge, QC, former Head of Chambers at 18 Red Lion Court, co-author of Arlidge & Parry On Fraud and author of Shakespeare And The Prince Of Love^{[6][citation needed]}

References

1. ^ Get Off the West Field - a site dedicated to the memory of Noel Horrobin
2. ^ Bombs listed as being possibly the result of the Angry Brigade
3. ^ Eggheads Series 10 Episode 96, first aired 05 November 2009
4. ^ Quentin Blake's Biography
5. ^ "Air Vice-Marshal John Ernsting: Commandant of the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine". London: The Times. June 12, 2009. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6480725.ece. Retrieved 2009-06-13. 
6. ^ Charles Wells & John Hazelgrove, Past Purple, 2nd ed., 2011, pp 90, 239

External links

• Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School
• Past Purple, by Charles Wells
• EduBase