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Loughborough Grammar School

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Loughborough Grammar School
File:Loughborough grammar school crest.png
Address
Map
Burton Walks

Loughborough
,
Leicestershire
,
LE11 2DU

England
Information
TypeIndependent school
MottoVires Acquirit Eundo
(Latin: "We Gather Strength As We Go")
Religious affiliation(s)Christian
Established1495
FounderThomas Burton
PresidentProf. R. J. Mair
Chairman of GovernorsH. M. Pearson
HeadmasterPaul B. Fisher MA
ChaplainRvd.Owen
Staffc.100 full-time
GenderBoys
Age10 to 18
Enrollmentc.1200
HousesAbney

Yates
Pulteney

Davys
Colour(s)Navy and Red    
Websitehttp://www.lesgrammar.org

Loughborough Grammar School (commonly LGS) founded in 1495 by Thomas Burton, is an independent school for boys in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It is a day school for over 1100 pupils and a boarding school for nearly 100. It is one of three schools known as the Loughborough Endowed Schools, along with Loughborough High School and Fairfield Preparatory School. The Endowed Schools share a board of governors.

History

LGS was founded after Thomas Burton, a prosperous wool merchant from Loughborough, left money for priests to pray for his soul upon his death in 1495; these priests went on to found the school that would become LGS.

Loughborough is one of England’s oldest schools, pre- dating similar institutions such as Harrow, Westminster and Stowe by a number of centuries. Alongside Winchester College, Harrow School, Eton College, Merchiston Castle School and Radley College, it is one of a diminishing number of independent boarding schools in Britain that remain for boys only. Since its inception over 500 years ago, its alumni have shaped the world around them: Sir Thomas Abney founded the Bank of England; Charles McCurdy played a central role in the reforming Liberal Party of the early 20th century; Rev. George Davys educated the young Queen Victoria and the flying ace Air Vice Marshall Johnnie Johnson destroyed more Luftwaffe aircraft than any other Allied pilot. Former masters include the former government minister Lord Elton and author Colin Dexter.

The school was founded in the Parish Church in the centre of Loughborough in 1495, but was moved by the trustees of the Burton Charity to its present location in 1852. A purpose-built site on Burton Walks became its permanent home, initially consisting of the main school building, loadgings and a gatehouse at the Leicester Road entrance. These buildings were Grade II Listed in the 1980s.[1]

The school celebrated its quincentenary in 1995, when it was visited by HM Queen Elizabeth II. During her visit the Queen opened the new English block, the "Queen's Building", which includes a drama studio.

Campus

The main quadrangle and Big School

LGS is based on a multi-acre campus on the south side of Loughborough town centre; the three Endowed Schools are adjacent to one another, laid out along Burton Walks. The core of the campus is the quadrangle, on the eastern side of the Walks. Dating from 1850, Big School, consisting of the Victorian Gothic tower, gymnasium and hall are at the head of the quadrangle, nowadays accommodating the History department, Chapel and Sixth Form common room, and are the oldest buildings on the current site. The quadrangle is completed by School House (the senior boarding house), the Queen's Building (1994, English and Drama), the Barrow Building (c. 1910, Classics and Modern Languages), the Cope Building (2000, Modern Languages) on the north side and the Library and old laboratory buildings (now housing Computing and Religion and Philosophy) on the south side. Big School and School House are both grade II listed, as is the gatehouse [1]

On the western side of Burton Walks are located the Science Building (Physics), the Norman Walter Building (Chemistry), Murray Building (Biology), Pullinger Building (Mathematics) as well as the Hodson Hall, where most school functions and assemblies are held, the Burton Hall, primarily a dining hall, and the Art and Design department, Sports Hall, swimming hall and the Combined Cadet Force's buildings. A number of houses on this side of the Walks are now owned by the School, including Buckland House, the administrative hub of the School, containing the Headmaster and Deputy Headmasters' offices as well as the general office and reprographics. Others include Red House, formerly used for music lessons but now largely occupied by the Business Studies and Economics departments, Friesland House and others, containing Network Services and the Bursary. Both the Headmaster of the Grammar School and the Headmistress of the High School traditionally reside in properties on the Walks.

The astroturf tennis and hockey pitches are not strictly part of the Grammar School, but are shared with the High School. The Music School (2006), is also another of these shared buildings, it includes a performance space as well as practice rooms and recording facilities.

In addition to the main campus, the School owns a 70-acre (280,000 m2) site at the nearby village of Quorn, consisting of sports facilities, primarily rugby, football and cricket pitches.

The Burton Chapel is located in Loughborough’s Parish Church, school services are held in both this chapel and a second chapel located in the School’s quadrangle.

The school has repeatedly tried to get the public right of way along Burton Walks revoked, citing security concerns; this connects the council estate of Shelthorpe with Loughborough town centre.[2] To date these efforts have been unsuccessful.

Academics

Candidates sit an entrance examination to gain admission to the school, usually at the age of 10, so as to enter Year 7 at the age of 11. However, the middle school system that still prevails in North West Leicestershire led the School to introduce a smaller Year 6 intake for pupils leaving their primary schools after Year 5, as happens in a middle school system. There is also a 13+ exam, for those wishing to enter at Year 9, and a 16+ exam for boys wishing to enter at Sixth Form level.

In keeping with many other Independent Schools, the choice of subjects at the school tends to be more traditional, although recently Drama Studies and PE Courses in the Sixth Form have been offered.

Extracurricular activities

Combined Cadet Force

Loughborough Grammar School runs a large Combined Cadet Force (CCF), comprising Army, Navy and RAF sections. Major events include the annual Remembrance Parade in Loughborough in November, and the Annual Review in May. In 2003, Lt Col George Beazley was awarded the MBE in recognition of his work with the CCF.[3] The CCF used to occupy a number of old Nissen-style huts, but these have been replaced with a purpose-built Cadet Force building, part sponsored by the MOD. This was opened in 2005.

Music and Drama

The construction of a new Music School by the Endowed Schools in 2006 enabled a greater level of cooperation than had previously been possible. An orchestra, choir and a number of swing/jazz bands are amongst the ensembles run at the Music School, and these perform regularly at school concerts and elsewhere. The Endowed Schools' Big Band and Concert Band have competed nationally at the English Concert Band Festival, and these bands also tour abroad regularly.

Dramatic productions have become a feature of the Grammar School in recent years, and another area of cooperation between the Endowed Schools. The 182-seat Drama Studio, located within the Queen's Building, plays host to a number of plays every year. Productions have included Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Eclipse. In addition to purely extracurricular productions, the English Department's teaching of A-level Theatre Studies produces further theatrical output; such as Brecht's The Resistible Rise Of Arturo UI (2008) and other devised performances.

In March 2008 students from the LGS and the LHS joined together to put on a performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream a cast totalling over 30 students had practised since before Christmas and produced a 'fantastic' production that was sold out on all three nights which it was performed.[citation needed]

Sport

The major sports at the School are rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis, athletics, football and cross country. The School competes in national competitions in these sports, and has a full structure of teams from U12 to U18 level. The senior rugby, cricket and hockey teams have all toured abroad in recent years, including separate hockey and cricket tours to South Africa, as well as a recent ruby tour to Australia and The Far East. Other sports include swimming, basketball, badminton, fencing, football, golf, sailing, table tennis and karting.

Other

The school runs an active Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, a Scout Troop and biannual expeditions, which have visited areas such as the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, the Himalayas and Greenland. A number of clubs and societies run regularly, including a Debating Society and a school magazine, entitled VOX. The school also plays Bridge to an extremely high level, and has produced numerous players who have represented the UK in international competitions, including Edward Jones and Duncan Happer. The school engages in regular charity fund-raising events, including non-uniform days and concerts.[4]

House System

The school operates a house system; every boy is placed in one of four houses: Abney (Green, after Sir Thomas Abney), Yates (Yellow, after William Yates), Pulteney (Purple, after Richard Pulteney) and Davys (Sky blue, after George Davys) and boys below the Upper Sixth have a small line in one of these colours on their school tie, between larger stripes for the school's red and navy colours. The houses are named after alumni. The house system provides internal competition in a number of sporting disciplines as well as quiz, chess, bridge and music competitions, with a points system (40 for winning an event down to 10 for finishing fourth) calculating the eventual winner of the Stamper Cup. The Eagle trophy is awarded to the house that wins the most points in non-sporting house competitions.

Headmasters

The names of the earliest headmasters are not known, and the dates of a few of the early headmasters remain unclear.

  • ?-1521 Robert Calton
  • Richard Sharpe
  • John Kyddal
  • John Sharpe
  • John Tomonne
  • 1568-1615 John Dawson
  • 1616-1619 Mr Spong
  • 1620-1627 Mr Woodmansey
  • 1627-1631 Mr Atkinson
  • 1631-1632 Thomas Mould
  • 1632-1642 Richard Layghtonhouse
  • 1642-1644 Mr Wilde
  • 1644-1647 John Blower
  • 1647-1682 John Somervile
  • 1682-1686 John Vickers
  • 1686-1696 John Hoyland
  • 1696-1748 Samuel Martin
  • 1748-1773 Thomas Parkinson
  • 1773-1972 Thomas Hadwen
  • 1792-1811 Edward Shaw
  • 1811-1813 John Morgan
  • 1813-1844 Thomas Stevenson
  • 1852-1860 John George Gordon
  • 1860-1875 James Wallace
  • 1876-1893 John Brise Colgrove
  • 1894-1900 Cecil William Kaye
  • 1901-1920 Bingham Dixon Turner
  • 1920-1926 Tom Stinton
  • 1926-1955 Sidney Russel Pullinger
  • 1955-1959 Walter Lucian Garstang
  • 1959-1973 Norman Sydney Walter
  • 1973-1984 John Scandrett Millward
  • 1984 -1998 (David) Neville Ireland
  • 1998-present Paul B. Fisher

Old Loughburians

The School has an old boys' association, the Old Loughburians Association (OLA). Notable Old Loughburians include:

Masters

Notable masters at the school include:

  • Bill Williams, former Welsh rugby league international, taught mathematics and sport at the school 1950 to 1962[5]
  • Colin Dexter, the novelist was a sixth form classics master at the school (1957–59).[6]
  • The Hon. Rodney Elton, later 2nd Baron, was a master at the school between 1964 and 1967
  • Stephen Smith (OL), was a history master at the school between 1970 and 1993.

Further reading

  • History of Loughborough Endowed Schools by Alfred White, Loughborough Grammar School, Loughborough, 1969 ISBN 0950074004
  • Five Hundred Years Enduring: A History of Loughborough Grammar School, by Nigel Watson, James & James, London, 2000, pp. 144, E28.00, ISBN 0-907-383-432.

References

  1. ^ "Charnwood Borough Council - Listed Buildings". Charnwood Borough Council. 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  2. ^ "Schools move to close short cut". BBC News. 2005-03-30. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  3. ^ "Military honours: Army". BBC News. 2002-12-31. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  4. ^ "Computers help land mine victims". BBC News. 2004-03-05. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  5. ^ http://www.olaoga.co.uk/page/news7
  6. ^ (Norman) Colin Dexter in Contemporary Authors Online, Gale 2002, accessed 2008-10-23
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