User:Bodil~enwiki/sandbox

The Abbey School
The Abbey School
Location
	Kendrick Road; Reading, RG1 5DZ
Information
Type	Independent
Motto	"In aedificationem corporis Christi" (building up the body of Christ)
Established	1887
Principal	Barbara Stanley
Enrollment	973 (as of October 2002)
Information	(0118) 987 2256
Chairman of Governors	Mr J Kerevan
Age Range	3 to 18
Website	Official website (skip introduction)

This is my sandbox which I use for testing stuff without bothering too many people. I delete it randomly when it gets too long.

You can go back to my user page if you want. If you're looking for the proper wikipedia sandbox, its here

The Abbey School is an independent selective school for girls, located in Reading, Berkshire, England. The school has Church of England traditions, although it welcomes girls of all faiths.

Founded in 1887, the school moved to its present site in 1905 under the leadership of headmistress Miss Helen Musson. Substantial extensions have taken place over the years; however, the character of the traditional buildings has been retained. The Abbey School offers education for academically able girls from ages 3 to 18.

Notable alumni include the novelist Elizabeth Taylor and the headmistress Baroness Brigstocke. Before the school was founded, the novelist Jane Austen attended Reading Ladies boarding school within the Abbey gatehouse, which is incorporated into the Abbey School's crest.

History

The school was founded in 1887, named Reading High School. It was located at Reading Abbey; its gateway is part of the crest to this day. In 1905, under the leadership of the headmistress Helen Musson, the school moved to its present Kendrick Road site. In 1913, after splitting from the Church Schools company, the school changed name to the Abbey. This was in commemoration of a former school (which Jane Austen attended for 2 years) located at Reading Abbey many years previously.

In 1887, the privately-owned Blenheim House Ladies' School was replaced with Reading High School. The Church Schools' Company were instrumental in this change. The company felt that Reading, with its growing population reaching 60,000, was in need of a new school. The school aimed to provide high quality education, with a Christian ethos, without charging extortionate fees. The school had an enrollment of 40 girls, which steadily increased to 120 by 1902, when Miss Helen Musson, the revolutionary new headmistress, was appointed.

In 1905, the school moved to its current Kendrick Road site. On 16 March 1905, Archdeacon Ducat laid the foundation stone of the school, which featured the inscription, "In aedificationem corporis Christi". This motto, taken from Ephesians IV:12, can still be seen on the school's crest. The new site was a vast improvement on the old site: there were 6 classrooms, a hall and room for playing fields.

The school changed names to The Abbey School, in 1913, after splitting with the Church Schools' Company. The name was chosen to commemorate a Reading school from the 18th century, named The Abbey School, which had Jane Austen and Mrs Sherwood among its pupils. The Abbey underwent a series of extensions

Senior School

Entrance to the Senior School is through assessment examinations in mathematics, English and verbal reasoning, and an interview in January. Roughly 45% of entrants in year 7 come from the Junior School.

The school has a high position the LEA league tables, for both GCSE and A' levels. It is second to Reading School when sorted by GCSE results, and third after Reading School and Kendrick School by AS/A level results.[1] In 2005, the school had a 99.99% A* to C pass rate at GCSE, and a 100% A to C pass rate at A level.

Sixth Form

Junior School and Early Years Centre

The junior school is located at Kensington House, a building 400 m away from the senior school. Also situated here is the Early Years Centre, a unit opened in 2003. The 2004 OFSTED report [2] for the Early Years Centre was very favorable, achieving the highest rating of "very good" for every category assessed.

Facilities

Uniform

The Abbey uniform comprises a bottle green jumper and kilt with a green and white striped blouse. The fifth form may wear black jumpers; the sixth form have no uniform but a dress code of white and black for formal occasions.

Alumni

The most well-known alumnus of the school would be Jane Austen; however she attended a school of the same name which shut down years before the Abbey was founded. Other famous names which attended the school include:

Baroness Brigstocke, headmistress.
Sally Taylor, television presenter (BBC South Today).
Helen Ganly, artist and social reformer.
Elizabeth Taylor, author.

Reports

ISI 2002

Praise

Criticism

References

BBC News Education League Tables - Secondary school in Reading, last updated 19 January 2006, retrieved 25 March 2006.

External links