King Edward's School, Birmingham: Difference between revisions
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The school has been located, along with KEHS, in [[Edgbaston]] since [[1940]] in new buildings, both designed by [[Holland W. Hobbiss]]. |
The school has been located, along with KEHS, in [[Edgbaston]] since [[1940]] in new buildings, both designed by [[Holland W. Hobbiss]]. |
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In August 2005, Roger Dancey expelled Faizan Shah from the school. It was a bad move. Faizan recently egged his house. |
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==The Chapel== |
==The Chapel== |
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Revision as of 16:21, 4 December 2006
 | This article contains promotional content. |
| King Edward's School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public School |
| Motto | ' Domine Salvum Fac Regem '(Latin: "Domine Salvum Fac Regem") |
| Established | 1552 |
| Chief Master | Mr John Claughton |
| Deputy Head | Mr George Andronov |
| Number of pupils | 800 (approx.) |
| Website | www.kes.bham.sch.uk |
King Edward's School (KES) (grid reference SP052836) is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham and one of the most academically successful schools in the country. It was ranked 10th for A-Level results [1] and 40th for GCSE results [2] out of all schools in England in 2004.
It is a boys' school, although it occupies the same site as, and is twinned with, King Edward VI High School for Girls (KEHS), also one of the most academically successful schools in the UK. Whilst lessons and sports are taught separately, dramatic arts and music are often shared.
History
King Edward's was founded in 1552 in the buildings of the Guild of the Holy Cross on New Street in Birmingham city centre. In 1731 the Guild Hall was demolished and replaced by a new school building called the 'Free School', which had a distinctive tower. This was, in turn, demolished and replaced by a building designed by Charles Barry which opened in 1838. At this time it was known as the 'High School'. Concern for safety and space requirements led to a move, together with KEHS, to Edgbaston in 1936, near to the existing Eastern Road playing field, initially to temporary buildings. After four months a fire burned down the boys' temporary school, and both were forced to move again to the Methodist School in Acocks Green for a short time.
The school has been located, along with KEHS, in Edgbaston since 1940 in new buildings, both designed by Holland W. Hobbiss.
In August 2005, Roger Dancey expelled Faizan Shah from the school. It was a bad move. Faizan recently egged his house.
The Chapel
The chapel, a Grade II* listed building, was originally the upper corridor of the 1838 Barry New Street school. It was moved to Edgbaston, rebuilt and renovated (1938-1940) by Holland W Hobbis.
The Chapel is used for services every Wednesday morning led by the school chaplain Reverend D. Raynor.
School structure
Unlike most secondary schools, King Edward's does not use the modern year group names, e.g. Year 11, Year 12, etc.
The table below attempts to clarify the names used for the different classes:
| Class Name | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Shells | 7 | |
| Removes (Rems) | 8 | |
| Upper Middles (UMs) | 9 | |
| Fourths (IVs) | 10 | First year of GCSE study |
| Fifths (Vths) | 11 | Second year of GCSE study |
| Divisions (Divs) | 12 | First year of A-level study |
| Sixths | 13 | Final year of A-level study |
The house system
King Edward's has a house system. The 8 Houses are named after former Chief Masters, Deputy Chief Masters and one 'Friend' (Heath) and compete against one another every year to win the Cock House Trophy.
There are many events that boys take part in and get points for. These points are totalled up at the end of the year, and the House with the most points is declared the Cock House Champion. Each house has a distinctive set of 'colours' which are awarded to students for merit and commitment in representing the house in house matches. This allows the student to wear the house tie.
| House | Colour |
|---|---|
| Cary Gilson | Light Blue |
| Evans | Green |
| Gifford | Purple |
| Heath | Yellow |
| Jeune | Red |
| Levett | White |
| Prince Lee | Pink |
| Vardy | Dark Blue |
School songs
- The Quatercentenary Song
- Written by Roger Dunt (1900-63) in Latin, composed by Willis Grant (1907-81).
- Sung at Founder's Day, the annual commemoration in October of King Edward's birthday, and at the school's Speech Day. It is also sung at various other award ceremonies.
- King Edward's School Song
- Written by Alfred Hayes OE (1857-1936), composed by A. Somervell.
- A rousing, if somewhat clichéd, song, sung mainly at the end of term, usually with high-spirited boys placing particular emphasis on the line "some to failure, some to fame".
- A fourth verse was dropped from the song when the School moved from its City location to Edgbaston.
Sport
The annual rugby match against KES's main rivals Bromsgrove is the longest running annual rugby game in the world and the highlight of the rugby season. In 2002 the school won the English schools U19 water polo competition.
The House system does much to encourage participation in sport outside the weekly sports lessons. With Autumn and Winter competitions in Rugby, Hockey, Tennis and the like, pupils have the opportunity to participate in team competitions wherever they may otherwise not have the skill to do so on an inter-school basis. In the Summer, House activities such as the school's Athletics competition, Cross Country races and House Swimming allow further sporting pursuit.
The School is able to carry out so much sport through its extensive sporting facilities which include a Swimming Pool, Astroturf pitches (shared with KEHS), Tennis Courts, numerous Rugby and Cricket pitches (including additional training areas), an Athletics track and Eton Fives courts.
Music school
There is a separate building on site housing the Music Department with facilities including a recital/rehearsal auditorium and a computer lab equipped with keyboard input. In addition, the school supports two full orchestras (in association with King Edward's High School for Girls), conducted by Peter Bridle, MBE; the more advanced of which has performed such advanced works as Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World", Borodin's Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. There are also two wind/brass ensembles also in association with KEHS, and the senior members of both schools can join the Choral Society, a choir of 80-100 people which has sung such works as Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, and performed Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms in March 2006. KES also has its own Choir, which sings at the Founder's Day prizegiving, the Christmas Carol service held in St. Philip's Cathedral in the centre of Birmingham, and at the Christmas and Summer concerts.
The school holds four concerts every year. There are the popular Christmas Concerts, held over two days in mid-December at the Adrian Boult Hall, the Choral and Orchestral concert in mid-March (which features a large choral work by the Choral Society in the first half, and the Symphony Orchestra in the second half, with a solo provided by one of the schools' top musicians) which is also at the Adrian Boult Hall, and the Summer Concert in late April/early May, featuring all the ensembles from the school come together for the Summer Concert held at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
Drama
Drama at KES has enjoyed a musical every year since the 1980s. 2006 saw a very successful production of Little Shop of Horrors by the senior part of the school, and Vanity Fair by the junior part of the school. This was a break from the more traditional musicals such as Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls etc.
Living History
The Living History department practise the arts of medieval archery and swordfighting among others. The group attracts a small number of dedicated members, from both King Edwards itself and the neighbouring King Edward VI High School for Girls. The group also travel to historical sites to give demonstrations to the public. Among others, the group has given demonstrations at Warwick Castle, Tilbury Fort, and the Mary Rose museum in Portsmouth.
Fees
As an independent selective school, tuition fees are payable for students, unlike the other King Edward VI grammar schools in Birmingham. Fees for pupils during the 2006/2007 academic year are £8,100 per annum. Scholarships and Bursaries are awarded.
Old Edwardians
- Charles Freer Andrews priest, missionary, close confidant of Mohandas K Gandhi and supporter of the Indian independence movement
- Ernest William Barnes British Mathematician; Fellow of the Royal Sociey, Former Bishop of Birmingham
- Harry Boot physicist, co-developer of the cavity magnetron
- Richard Ewen Borcherds (Mathematician; winner of the 1998 Fields Medal for the proof of the Monstrous moonshine conjecture)
- Sir Edward Burne-Jones
- Herbert Tudor Buckland seminal Arts and Crafts architect, b.1869, d.1951
- Max Carlish, BAFTA Winner, Documentalist
- Henry Cary (Translator of Dante)
- J. A. Chatwin, architect of many churches and buildings in Birmingham
- Jonathan Coe (novelist - one of his best known works, The Rotters' Club, based on his time at KES, has recently been televised on the BBC)
- John Hemming MP
- Sir Alfred Hickman MP
- Tony Miles
- David Munrow (early music pioneer)
- Bill Oddie
- Dave Haslam (Hacienda DJ during the 'Madchester' years)
- Enoch Powell
- Sir Peter Singer, High Court judge
- William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, World War II General
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- Kenneth Tynan
- Sir John Vane (1982 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine)
- Brooke Foss Westcott, theologian, Bishop of Durham
- Maurice Wilkins (1962 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine)
- David Willetts MP
- Mark Steyn (theatre and movie critic, current affairs writer)
- John D. Y. Peel, famous anthropologist specialising in the Yoruba of Nigeria
- John Carey, Lord of the Dance, 5 time World Irish Dance Champion
- Anurag Singh, First Class Cricket - Cambridge University Captain (1997 and 1998), Warwickshire, Worcstershire and Nottinghamshire
- Mark Wagh, First Class Cricket - Oxford University Captain (1997), Warwickshire
- Ian Plenderleith - Former Deputy Govenor of the South African Federal Reserve, Ex member of Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
- Matti Watton - 2 time Fifteen to One Grand Final Winner and general Quiz guru.
- Paul Ruddock - Ranked 32 on the Times City of London Rich List - with an estimated mere 100 million pounds sterling to his name, founded Lansdowne Partners Hedge Fund.
- Alan Smith - England Test Cricket player (England, Warickshire and Oxford University), first CEO of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) now known as the ECB.
- Ossie Wheatley - First Class Cricket (Cambridge University, Warwickshire and Glamorgan), Former Test Selecter and Chairman of the TCCB.
Movie appearances
The school premises were used in the 1986 movie Clockwise starring John Cleese, supposedly as the University Of East Anglia.
The school featured briefly in the 2006 Ray Winstone Channel 4 TV movie All in the Game.
The school has made appearances in popular BBC medical drama Doctors.
Sources
- King Edward's School, Birmingham, Tony Trott, 2001, ISBN 0-7524-2448-3
- King Edward High School Birmingham 1883-1983, Rachel Waterhouse, 1983